Show us your Fender triple necks-or other brands too !

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 3 Nov 2017 10:54 am

Very pretty guitar! Looks like its finished in "Mapleglo", if that was a thing back then, like my 4003 bass. Seems to almost have some figuring to it as well.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 3 Nov 2017 11:09 am

Nic,
I think you're right.

Erv

Thiel Hatt · Post by **Thiel Hatt** » 3 Nov 2017 4:51 pm

Mine is a triple 9. Same string spacing as the standard pedal steel. Pickups made by Bruce Zumsteg. Great tone.

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 3 Nov 2017 8:08 pm

Thiel, that is a beautiful steel...I am sure you are proud of it...you did a great job building it !

Steffen Gunter · Post by **Steffen Gunter** » 4 Nov 2017 4:09 am

Here's a pic of my Fender Custom.

A previous owner seemed to have had some pedal installed. But then removed it. So there were some parts removed from the underside and a hole drilled through one pan. And it was changed from 3 to 4 legs. But it sounds very good, only one PU is a bit weak and thin, the other two sound fat and warm. And one tuner pan can only hold 6 strings – the two top string tuners don't hold the tension anymore. It was my first "real" steel and I like it very much.

Teija Hohenthal · Post by **Teija Hohenthal** » 4 Nov 2017 9:49 am

Mine has two holes drilled through the center neck pan for pedals.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 4 Nov 2017 6:53 pm

1956 pushbutton. 24" scale. Top down - E13 (Morrell style), G11 (G Dobro w/extra hi C & E at the bottom), B6/A13 (Joaquin's tuning except in B instead of C)

Philip Garcia · Post by **Philip Garcia** » 5 Nov 2017 3:15 pm

My first real steel guitar and it's a beauty, Tadeo Gomez build 1952
I use it only for studio recordings and and music videos.
I think I got real lucky.

Joe Burke · Post by **Joe Burke** » 5 Nov 2017 5:23 pm

Here’s an action shot from a house party I played last night.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 6 Nov 2017 4:59 pm

Well, I know... but the TOP neck IS non-pedal.

Mark Roeder · Post by **Mark Roeder** » 8 Nov 2017 8:31 am

I would say Bigsbys count, since the pedals were originally intended to be used as a tuning changer, before they became a melodic device!

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 9 Nov 2017 5:22 am

Mine arrived yesterday!

Late 50's I think, finish obviously not perfect but sounds really nice (I'm getting a little hung up on the existing tunings, and haven't changed strings yet, so technically -I- don't sound nice yet). It's a mid-scale. Harmonics leap out in a way that my entry level Morrell lap (shorter scale I think) didn't manage.

I'd be tempted to pull the pans and try and date mine...but the screws on the lower/near neck look like they are either slightly stripped or thinking earnestly about the prospect of stripping out, so maybe I'd better stick with a little mystery for now vs exact dating...

(Thanks to Chris on the forum, former owner)

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 9 Nov 2017 4:05 pm

Well, I screwed up the courage to pull the pan:

So I guess May 1957?

Is that scrawl the builder's initials? If so anyone recognize it?

I got the front neck tuned up with the Alan Akaka custom set of John Pearse for C6. Couple things strike me...I've been using D'addario Chromes on my lap steel up til now and the roundwound noise...probably mostly from that low C...not my favorite. I guess I'll get used to it (or go back to flats!).

But more of a problem is the nut. That string set goes C, Bb, then low C with a giant 64 gauge low C, and the next string (7) is only 34 gauge. The bass string sits so much higher than the other strings...if I let the bar rest on the strings without mashing down, several of the middle strings make no contact whatsoever with the bar.

Any ideas on this? The ones that present themselves to me (get rid of that low C and do something higher pitched, or permanently modify the instrument so that you're all in for that particular tuning by lowering the string slot significantly) aren't ideal. But possibly the only options... I'd consider getting an additional nut just to modify for this tuning, I suppose, and keep the original for "conventional" tunings. Those don't appear to be cheap, and are mostly (all?) ones gutted from other vintage gear (there's part of me that doesn't want to financially encourage the vintage guitar junkyard folks to rip apart more guitars).

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 9 Nov 2017 9:45 pm

The 5-57 date on your guitar and the blade neck selector switch jives with my belief that '56 was the last year of the push-button selector system.

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 10 Nov 2017 1:55 am

Nic Neufeld wrote:Couple things strike me...I've been using D'addario Chromes on my lap steel up til now and the roundwound noise...probably mostly from that low C...not my favorite. I guess I'll get used to it (or go back to flats!).

I'd consider getting an additional nut just to modify for this tuning, I suppose, and keep the original for "conventional" tunings. Those don't appear to be cheap, and are mostly (all?) ones gutted from other vintage gear

Regarding string noise, a new bar will solve that problem. The powder coated bars sold by Michael Hillman here on the forum are much quieter than a regular steel bar and very reasonably priced.

If you don't mind spending a bit more the Ezzee~Slide bars made by Basil Henriques here in the UK are just amazing - pretty much silent as far bar noise is concerned and the best I've ever played for tone/sustain and feel.
http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/html/e ... 20bar.html

Jimmie Hudson, also on this forum, sells replacement Stringmaster nuts which I believe are reproductions made by Jimmie himself.

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 10 Nov 2017 5:14 am

If Basil could just make a bar that would make me play like him he'd have a definite sale!! Will definitely consider those, thanks.

And thanks for the lead on the nut repro, I'll contact him!

Robert Jackson · Post by **Robert Jackson** » 10 Nov 2017 6:23 am

Here ya go ...

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 11 Nov 2017 1:55 am

I have a Custom as well but no pictures right now of that. This one may soon be
“a guitar I used to have”. It sounds great.

Abe Levy · Post by **Abe Levy** » 11 Nov 2017 7:38 pm

Somebody said Bigsbys with pedals were ok... here’s mine.

Roy McKinney · Post by **Roy McKinney** » 12 Nov 2017 7:32 am

ABE, is that a Standel S80 back of that steel?

Abe Levy · Post by **Abe Levy** » 12 Nov 2017 3:30 pm

Roy - it sure is! All tube goodness! Iï¸ think itâ€™s around a 1960? Iâ€™ve only ever seen a couple others. Do you have one?

Roy McKinney · Post by **Roy McKinney** » 12 Nov 2017 5:31 pm

Yes, I ]HAD[/b one I bought new back in the early 60's when I lived in Southern California. About 1965 I darn near cut all of my fingers off of my right hand and I quit playing for many years. I loaned my amp to a guy over in Norco, CA and he sold it to someone else. Never did get it back. I had replaced the rectifier tube in it with a solid state rectifier I had made when I worked out at the Navel Ordnance Laboratory in Norco. That replacement tube was encased in some white colored epoxy of that time frame. Sure would have liked to kept it.
By the way, I had a Sierra D109P (SN 00015) which was mated with the Standel Amp.

Matthew Lutton · Post by **Matthew Lutton** » 10 Oct 2024 10:14 am

New to me, think it’s a 1956. Anyone know what wood was used for the body? I was told ash or walnut but it looks mahogany like, maybe from finish.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/039UhEa ... odASBI4H0Q

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 10 Oct 2024 10:50 am

Doesn't look like mahogany to me...mahogany has a tighter grain (if I'm using the right terminology?), and Fender rarely if ever used it. If I had to guess, the wideness of that grain (again could be using the wrong term) makes it look like ash to me. Color doesn't mean much since its a finish, anyway. but I am not an expert.

Amused to see me all over this thread, over-eager 7 years ago awaiting my first real steel...ahh the excessive zeal of a beginner.

Matthew Lutton · Post by **Matthew Lutton** » 10 Oct 2024 11:12 am

For sure, I think it’s ash as well.

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Show us your Fender triple necks-or other brands too !

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Triple neck Fender - ash or walnut or mahogany body?