Steel brands - update

[Max Laine]

How's Amerloha (made by Magnatone?)
How about this oddball: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2507740784&category=2384
And then there's one named Sherwood: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2507639795&category=2384
Oh yes then there's GES (or is it G.E.S.?)

[Sam Minnitti]

Bowman Steel Guitars made by our very own Bobby Bowman

[Jim Cohen]

Bethel

[Jerry Hayes]

Hey Ian,
On your list you've got Endicote...That should be Endicott. As Herb S. said they were made in SoCal by ol' Rex....JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

[Joerg Hennig]

I think that brand from Germany is WBS, not WBM.

[Allan Thompson]

There used to be a company in Livingston Scotland that made Springfield Steel Guitars.

[Jim Cohen]

Thought of two more:

Harmos (made by T. Sage Harmos)

We Need the Money Guitars (made by Rex Blattenberger)

[Ian McLatchie]

All additions and corrections noted and list duly amended. Thanks to all, and please keep 'em coming. Again, my apologies for some glaring omissions - I obviously screwed up somewhere along the line in transfering my original list a year ago, in the process losing such "minor" items as Carter and Emmons, along with Blue Star and a few others. A special apology to Sage Harmos for neglecting to add the Harmos, merely one of the finest instruments I've had the pleasure to play, and one which I've praised on this site a number of times before.

One item on the list which I've certainly never heard of, and for which I'd like confirmation, is a German brand, Weisenborn. The only Weissenborns I know of are neither European nor electric!
Anyone have any info to offer here?

As for the question of why the list includes only electric steels, R.L., I certainly don't argue with your definition of resophonics (or for that matter, any type of acoustic lap guitar) as a steel, but if anyone's going to take on the compilation of a list of acoustic steel brands, I promise it won't be I. From the '20s through mid-century, an untold number of acoustic guitar makers issued what were advertised as Hawaiian or Hawaiian steel guitars, even if in many cases these were just regular Spanish guitars with an extension nut. If these are to be included on a list of steel guitar brands, the list will run to well over a thousand items, I suspect. Beyond that, where do you draw the line on defining an acoustic steel? A fixed, raised nut? Fixed, raised nut and straight saddle?
Some combination of raised nut, straight saddle, square or hollow neck, resonator or . . .? Nah, I'm not touching this one. It's all yours.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 February 2003 at 03:09 PM.]</p></FONT>

[Tommy Detamore]

Unless I'm mistaken, I didn't see the GES, made by George Sell. It was pictured in the Winnie Winston book, and a fine player named Josh Dubin owned one at one time (maybe still does....?)

[Herb Steiner]

Tommy... total recall, my man!

I think I have total recoil!

Winnie should comment since he had a GES guitar. I think they were pull-release guitars, like the Sho-Bud permanent or the Marlen.

BTW, I saw Josh a few years ago and all he had was a Zum, and wasn't playing hardly at all. Working for a computer company and being a good husband and father. One of my favorite people of all time.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

[Jim Cohen]

You two boys might have total recall or recoil, or whatever, but you ought to read more carefully in the first place. See Max Laine's post above.

[Tom Olson]

There was a pedal steel guitar built in the North Idaho Panhandle area up until at least the '80's (possibly in Sandpoint?), but for the life of me there's no way I can remember the name of it

[Donny Hinson]

Uhhh...it wasn't "Domeland", it was Domland.

[Michael Wilson]

Herb, Tony Zitnick was a good friend of mine when I was living in
San Diego back in the 70's and 80's. I lost track of him since I've moved to Ohio. Also another very good C6th player out there named Ray Ferguson. Super player on the C6th neck. Sure would like to know where these guys are now. Tony use to bring some of his inventions in to me to try out. I remember one that I kinda got a laugh at with him, and that was a bar with a light on the tip of it. It was a nice novelty thing. Bringing back some good memories....good friends. God Bless them all.

[Jeremy JT Young]

I see Payne steel guitars on this list. I've owned one for several years. Well built and Great playing pull release guitar. Does anyone know any information on this guitar? Looking for production times, who built/designed and where. Not really interested in selling it. I just like to know the history behind my instruments.
Thanks ahead of time for any info.
JT Young

[Donny Hinson]

Performance, made by Jerry Brightman as I recall. Also, the Growler and Sho-Nuff are some newer entries into the fray.

[Terry VunCannon]

I still have my V-MUSE Lap Steels out of NC.

[Brett Day]

Jackson Steel Guitars built by Shot Jackson's two sons, David and Harry

[Michael Lee Allen]

Aria (Japan)
Bradway
Conqueror (Canadian rebrand of various Japanese instruments)
Electradair solenoid pedal guitars (Fresno CA 1949 on)
Givson (India)
Herbert Hise (Chicago)
Kalina (Harlin Bros rebrands of various student lap steels, some Multi-Kords, and the Uni-Kord non-pedal console version of the Multi-Kord)
Kord-King alternate spelling of Chord-King (Australia)
McKinney (two different studio/store operations in Peoria IL and Texas rebranding student lap steels)
National ElectraChord 1948 heel and toe pedals
Ren-Kizer is the correct spelling as I have letterhead correspondence
Vorson (most or all from Viet Nam)
MLA

[Michael Lee Allen]

Artisan
Audiovox
Danville
Del Vecchio (Brazil)
Dillion
Duesenberg (Germany)
Eastwood
Fouke Industrial
Harley Benton Slider Series (Germany)
Hermsdorff (Germany)
Jackson-Guldan
Jedson (UK rebrands)
Marvel
Peavey Power Slide
Rex
Revelation
Rogue
Stella
SX Rondo Music
Tonemaster English Electronics (Norman English Michigan)
MLA

[Per Berner]

A few more that are missing and/or have come and gone since the list was originally compiled in 2003:

LIndgren (Sweden)
Musima (East Germany)
Rellogg (East Germany)
Klira (Germany)
Hudson
Justice
Infinity
Magnum
Desert Rose
Schild
Texas Pedal Steel
Encore
Rittenberry
Show-Pro
Exstar (Japan)
Stage One
Moyo
Clinesmith
BSG
Ben-Rom
Rukavina
Rains
Sheffield

By the way, this should be moved to "Pedal Steel".

[Brendan Mitchell]

There is another Australian pedal steel: Perina. I don’t know how many were made but the great Kenny Kitching played one until recently. Also someone in Perth was making an aluminium frying pan stee, Ben Franz has one.

[Steve Cattermole]

Infinity,built by Frank Carter

[Susie Fine]

About a year ago, I think it was, I posted a list of steel brands past and present, and asked people to add their additions and corrections. Since then I've come up with a few more entries, and made a few revisions. There are still a number of items which I've been unable to verify, but have left on the list in the hopes someone can decisively say are right or wrong. Where a brand is (apparently) made in a country other than the U.S. I've indicated what I believe to be the country of origin, but again, I'm happy to be proved wrong. As well, there are a few cases where I've been given what I take to be alternative spellings of a single brand (e.g. Pedasonic and Ped-a-sonic), and would appreciate whatever clarification people can provide.

The list includes only electric steels, both pedal and non-pedal. My apologies for any obvious gaffes. Keep those entries coming!

ABM - Germany
Ace
Academy
Airline
Alamo
Alan - Ireland
Alkire
Amerloha
Anapeg - Australia
Artist
Asher
AVM - Sweden
AWH - Sweden
Baggett
Bak - Scotland
BeJay
Ben Jay
Bennett - England
Bethel
Bigsby
Blankenship & Wheeler
Blanton
Blue Star
BMI
Boen
Bosco
Bossan
Bowman
Bronson
Canopus - Japan
Capri
Carson Wells
Carter
Carvin
Chandler
Chord King - Australia
Clark
CMI
Cougar
Cromwell
Danelectro
Dekley
Denley - England
Derby
DeVis
Dickerson
Dobro
Domland
Dwight
Earthwood
Edge
Electromuse
Electrotone - Canada
EMCI
EMI
Emmons
Endicott
English
Epiphone
Ericson
Ernie Ball
Excel - Japan
Fender
Fessenden
Flynn
Foster - Australia
Framus - Germany
Franklin
Fulawka - Canada
Fullner
Fuzzy - Japan
Garritt
GES
Georgeboard
GFI
Gibson
Goldtone
Granada - Japan
Gretsch
Growler - USA
Guyatone - Japan
Hager/House of Hager
Harmony
Harmos
Hawthorne
Hofner - Germany
Howard
Hughey
J & J
Jagiella - Germany
JCH
Jem - Australia
K & F
Kalamazoo
Kay
Kiesel
Kline
Lamar
Lambert - Ireland
Lap Dancer
Le Garritt
Leilani
Linkon - Canada
Little Buddy
Lone Star
Loren
Magnatone
Marlen
Marlin - Japan
Marrs
Mason - Canada
Mastertone
Matses
Maui - Canada(?)
Maxim - Australia
McCurdy
MCI
McKinney
Melobar
Milburn
Miller
Mogultone
Mooney
Morrell
Moserite
MSA
Mullen
Multi-Kord
Mustard - Scotland
Nashville
National
New Yorker
Nichol
Noso - Finland
Oahu
Orpheum
Payne
Pedalmaster
Pedasonic
Ped-a-sonic
Pierce
Perina
Premier
Rayline
Recording King
Red Neck
Regal
Regent - Japan
Remington
Ren-Keizer
Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker
RKR - 24 - England
Robbins
Roberts
Rogers - Canada
Rogers - Germany
Roto Sound - England(?)
Russler
Sahara
Selmer - England
Seymour
SGI
Sherwood
Sho-Bro
Sho-Bud
Sierra
Silvertone
Simmons
Singing Century
Slingerland
Slyde
Smith's
Sonica - China(?)
S.S. Hawaiian
Springfield
Steelrider
Stringfellow
Sunshine
Supro
Taylor
Teisco - Japan
Thomas
Trade Wind
Trotmore
Twang - Canada(?)
Ulrich
Vega
Visser
Vox Humana - Netherlands
WBS - Germany
We Need the Money
Weisenborn - Germany(?)
West Coast
Westwind
Wheeler
Wheeler Ped-Al
White
Whitney
Williams
Winsteel - Ireland
Wright C
Yanuziello - Canada
ZB
Zitnik
Zumsteel
<FONT><p>[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 10 February 2003 at 06:31 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT><p>[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 10 February 2003 at 06:53 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT><p>[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 February 2003 at 02:39 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT><p>[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 12 February 2003 at 02:58 PM.]</p></FONT>

[Dennis A Brown]

Justice