Engineering and music

Perhaps this is of no interest on the site, but, as this is my first posting perhaps it will be forgivable.

My hobbies are model engineering and playing instruments, I have recently completed a 'pedal steel guitar', it is the first I have built and as it is rather 'mechanical' in operation I thought it might be of some interest and a change from 'engines'

Hello Ron,

Quite valid in my view, just a different kind of challenge. It looks like nice work too. Welcome to the forum

Regards

Brian

Very interesting, Ron

Is it from a published design? or your own?

MichaelG.

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[edit] Good photos in the Album too.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 08/04/2013 08:29:41

Ron

That's interesting ( and different!). You say "pedal" giutar - how does that work? My grandson ( just turned 13 yr.) is a guitar fanatic - he has five! I'm sure he too would be interested in this.

Regards

Norman

Edited By NJH on 08/04/2013 11:01:20

Hello Ron

A very interesting project indeed. Not all model engineering involves the manufacture of machinery or vehicles. This is very welcome on this forum. Thank you for posting.

Diane

Hi Ron welcome to the forum. Realy nice to see somthing like that for a change,i have sent the topic to a mate who is well into that sort of thing. Thanks for posting.

Cheers Derek.

Building making and repairing musical instruments involves skills which many ME people would find interesting

Your Guitar looks very professionally done Ron. Did you make the fretboard and do all the inlay work as well?

A friend of mine plays Pedal Steel Guitar. I could never understand how these can be played with foot and knee pedals to operate . We used to get together to play Shadows and similar type tunes.

Keep on pickin'
Ed.

Thank you to everyone for the interest, there is no real 'published' designs for these instuments, there is a cd by an american gentleman a Mr Gluck which will give a basic idea of the parts and website exists for 'pedal steel guitar builders' the members of which were extremely helpful with advice, but, the build is more or less 'suck it and see, and find out as you go along'. I did make the fret board which is 'mahogany', the sides are mahogany and the 'deck' hard rock maple.

I started the build last October and I am still making modifications, as evreyone will know it is possible to see the distance a lever will travel when moved by another lever with a different throw, but what pitch change will take place on different gauge strings with these throw's is a matter of trial and error.

I have photo's of the various stages of the construction which I can post if the members wish.

Regards to all

Ron Mc

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Yes please, Ron

MichaelG.

I would like to see those pics Ron.

Cheers Derek.

Thank you Michael and Derek for your interest, I have added some more photo's to the album.

Best Regards

Ron Mc

Thanks, Ron

... A useful set of photos.

MichaelG.

Thanks Ron,that realy is a very nice bit of work there. Did you make the machine heads (and gears) yourself ??? and what milling machine, and lathe do you have to do such grand work on ?

Cheers Derek.

Hi Ron,

Always nice to see something really different! What tunings do you use, I assume the open tunig is a chord and the pedals shift it from major to minor or seventh etc?

The $64,000 question - can you play it?

Neil

Back in the mid sixties there was a design and construction notes for a pdal steel guitar published in Practical Wireless magazine, I wanted to make one but just didn't have the money,toolsor expertise however I do like the haunting sound of a steel guitar, OK Ron have you learnt steel guitar rag yet?

Ron - would you consider submitting an article for publication in the magazine? It would fall very nicely into the 'something a little different' category!

Thanks
Diane

(Editor, Model Engineer)

No Derek I didn't make the machine heads but I did have to dismantle and shorten a couple of them, everything else is 'bar stock', my machinery consists of an old ML7 and a WM14 mill, various saws and router's.

Yes Neil the tuning is to an open E9th chord and a combination of pedals and knee levers can give major, minor, 7ths, augmented and diminished chords. The difficult part comes next in learning to play it correctly, I already play guitar and keyboard so this will keep me entertained for some time yet, although I am planning to build another with modifications.

No Richard, not yet, but there is time, with the weather as cold as it has been its not pleasant in my workshop (no heating)

Ron Mc

I agree with Diane. A couple of years ago, I saw a great guitar at York SME by Trevor Boulton, and there is a folk 'violin' coming up in Club News soon.

Regards

Geoff

I have posted this to my brother up in Glasgow who is heavily into music, thank you for a shareing very interesting project. Please take up Diannes offer

Bob