edit

[Doug Beaumier]

--edit--

[J D Sauser]

Nice REAL Blues, Doug.
Great tone.

Tell us a little more about that Gibson... what's your feeling on this guitar... tone/sound wise, compared to other guitars?

Thanks! ... J-D.

[Doug Beaumier]

Thanks JD! The guitar is an early 1950s Gibson Century 6 and it has a real "ballsy" tone IMO. The single coil pickup is similar to a P-90, but it's pre-P-90 because it does not have adjustable pole pieces. The output is a lot hotter than my other lap steels. It has fairly wide string spacing, which is nice for slants. For this recording I just patched the guitar directly into a 1970s Fender Princeton Reverb amp, no volume pedal, no effects. The amp is only 12 watts, tubes, and that contributes to the overdriven tone as well. Thanks again!

[J D Sauser]

Doug, the reason I asked is, that about 20 years ago, I DID have a very similar looking Gibson UltraTone. It would seem to only vary in color. The UT was white and had fading-red plastic tuner buttons, knobs, and pickup cover.
We used to call it "The Blower" (as in hair BLOWER), because of all the guitars I had THAT one was SOOOOO electric, with so much presence. Stupidly, I sold it when I started traveling too much. Even thou, around the same time I sold an early Console Grande (like Don Helms') which certainly was a more impressive instrument as far as looks go, the UT is the ONE I often kick myself for having sold it.
The pickup... I did at that time NOT know which it was, but I am sure it was original. I don't remember if it had screw poles... but I doubt it very much.

Anyways, listening to your tracks plaid on yours it became immediately evident to me that it had similar tonal characteristics.

THESE pickups ought to be looked at a little closer!


Thanks! ... J-D.

[Doug Beaumier]

Yes, I think I got lucky with this guitar and this pickup. The ohms measure 7.65K. Most of the vintage non-pedal steels I've owned measured about 5K to 6K. Maybe the PU has been rewound at some point? Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it.