Home Built PSG in Australia

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 27 Jun 2012 5:23 am

I'm going to agree with Lane and say WOW, this may set a new standard for steel guitars. Wise choice on the study material.

Martin Weenick · Post by **Martin Weenick** » 27 Jun 2012 11:50 am

I wonder why only two raises ??? Beautiful guitar, I'd like to see the case it fits in.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 27 Jun 2012 3:07 pm

The plexiglass on the front legs do not appear to be part of the sheet music holder in the later pics. The holder is attached to bolts on the top of the guitar.

Alex Robson · Post by **Alex Robson** » 27 Jun 2012 9:53 pm

Hello everyone
My name is Alex Robson a retired Engineer I'm 76 years old from Sunbury Australia
Designer/builder of this pedal steel guitar I would just like to say thanks to Mr Doug Beaumier for posting my guitar on your forum and also thanking you for showing an interest. This may seem odd but I have never seen a pedal steel guitar in the real only photo's of them
The polycarbonate sheet on the legs is not there for anything other than show but's incomplete as this stage
There is 25 Blue and Green LED'S in circuit to light up the fret board powered by 12VDC transformer plugs in near the pickup jack
Changer mechanism two raise and two lower is ok for me with that design Thank you all I'm quite moved by your interest Alex

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 28 Jun 2012 3:50 am

Thanks Alex. That is an awesome guitar.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Jun 2012 2:21 pm

Alex, it's good to see you posting here. I am amazed that you built this pedal steel guitar without ever seeing one, other than in pictures. You did a great job!

Dennis Saydak · Post by **Dennis Saydak** » 29 Jun 2012 4:27 pm

WOW! I'm glad I read this thread. I've never seen anything like it. I don't think I'm going to sleep well tonight just thinking about this beauty. Luv the colour as well.

Alex Robson · Post by **Alex Robson** » 29 Jun 2012 9:58 pm

In answer to your post Doug if I had been lucky enough to see a pedal steel guitar I would never have built one (straight into the to hard basket) When you think about it and break it down into modules or sections then into individual parts it becomes easier to understand My old Boss would say never get to the stage where you cannot see the WOOD FOR THE TREES
With my drafting machine, pencils, paper, eraser (rubber) I think I used about Fifteen yards of paper lots of note pads for ideas and then to the drawing board

Martin
I would make two cases one for the stand legs and wheel assembly and the other for the guitar and pedal board and legs etc Only one allen key required for the pedal bar legs all the rest are the knobs you can see Quite simple really
just ask if see something else you wish to know more about I'm so grateful for interest thanks a million fellows
Alex

Ivan Posa · Post by **Ivan Posa** » 30 Jun 2012 9:30 pm

It is amazing quality machining but it does look like it would need a forklift to move it.

Daniel Policarpo · Post by **Daniel Policarpo** » 4 Jul 2012 7:36 pm

That is simply incredible and magnificent. Incredible in process, and magnificent in execution. Are there any sound samples?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 11 Jul 2012 9:34 am

More pics.

From Alex: "The Roller Nut setting device... just remove the dust guard and screw on the Roller Nut setting device. The power supply is 12VDC. Each string has it's own blue LED connected to a brass contact Using an allen key, raise each Roller. When the string touches the brass contact the LED will light up continue until all 10 are complete. You now have all the strings perfectly level for your tone bar. The body of the device is Black Acetal plastic."

Alex Robson · Post by **Alex Robson** » 16 Jul 2012 4:20 pm

Hello everyone
I would like to thank Mr Doug Beaumier for posting all my guitar photo's including the latest on the Roller nut setting device A job well done and Doug thank you again I would also like to thank everyone for your interest you have shown
Daniel thank you for your kind words Sound samples well have to be later (I have to learn how to play it first but it sounds great to me )
Thank you
Alex Robson

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 27 Aug 2012 9:05 am

More pics: the body of the guitar flips over within the frame, allowing for easy access to the undercarriage.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 27 Aug 2012 9:52 am

WHERE'S ED PACKARD????????

smike · Post by **smike** » 27 Aug 2012 4:03 pm

alex -

you are a serious head case!

what a fabulous, over-the-top, gorgeous guitar.

well done!

bruce

Larry Waisner · Post by **Larry Waisner** » 27 Aug 2012 6:19 pm

TRIPLE WOW !!!
What a beautiful instrument. Alex just one question Sir. How much does it weigh?
GOD Bless,
Larry-

Alex Robson · Post by **Alex Robson** » 28 Aug 2012 1:44 am

Thank you fellows for your kind words and Bruce ( there is a few brain cells missing with this chap)or better still a few Currants short of a fruit cake Thank you Doug for posting the last lot of Photos for me
Larry The weight of PSG I dont know really for shore but I have just used my hill billy method I used the bathroom scales and weighed each end then added them together Each end weighed 14 Kgs that would be 28Kgs= about 61 pounds I just hope we have a brain in this forum to correct my method of weighing
Thanks everyone take care
Alex Robson

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 28 Aug 2012 3:17 am

Alex
Because you virtually started with a blank canvas, you have come up with some excellent features on your guitar. You haven't tried to follow the herd with your design, and to be able to flip the guitar over in its frame to work on it is a stroke of lateral thinking.

PS
The easiest way to weigh your guitar is to weigh yourself, and then hold your guitar off the ground while standing on your scales. Just deduct your weight from the total and you are good to go.

Per Berner · Post by **Per Berner** » 28 Aug 2012 3:32 am

This is so outside the box that noone remembers what the box looked like to begin with... fantastic design ideas and not a single financially motivated shortcut in sight.

The downside is, I bet this wouldn't get close to breaking even in a production version for $ 10,000 – which I would gladly pay, BTW.

We want to hear it!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 28 Aug 2012 8:22 am

That's one hell of an instrument, Alex. It's a beaut.

Rotating the body certainly beats having to turn the thing over. Pedal steels seem to get heavier every year as I get older. I'm assuming you have to detach the pedal rods from the body before you rotate it.

I've seen non-pedal steels with rotating bodies, but that has always been so that you could have more than one neck, and flip the guitar to get a neck set up in a different tuning, rather than the incumbrance of a regular 4-neck model. I've never seen a pedal steel that rotates before.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Aug 2012 9:29 am

Pedal steels seem to get heavier every year as I get older.

I've noticed that too! I've trimmed down to a single neck, single body PSG with 3 & 4... and even that seems heavy now.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 28 Aug 2012 4:02 pm

A couple of weeks ago I pulled my two Sho-Bud Crossovers out of storage and set them up. Lifting them upside down onto an armchair to connect up the pedals was exhausting.

Michael Maddex · Post by **Michael Maddex** » 28 Aug 2012 4:53 pm

Alan Brookes wrote:That's one hell of an instrument, Alex. It's a beaut.
Rotating the body certainly beats having to turn the thing over. Pedal steels seem to get heavier every year as I get older. I'm assuming you have to detach the pedal rods from the body before you rotate it. ...

It is a beauty all right, Alan. Look closely at the photos: It looks like the Pedal Bar Assembly is separate from the front legs and that the pedals, rods, and all rotate to the top.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Aug 2012 8:39 pm

Alex: swivelling the guitar upside down... When it's in a vertical position release the spring loaded Pawl and it will hold the guitar in that position. When ready, unlock the Pawl and return to home position.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 29 Aug 2012 8:23 am

That explains everything.

You have to hand it to Alex. Without any diagrams of how a pedal steel mechanism works, he's invented his own, which probably works better.

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Home Built PSG in Australia

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