Multichord Steel Guitar

Mike Dennis · Post by **Mike Dennis** » 1 Jan 2000 5:42 am

I believe this would fall into the straight steel category????

I ran into one of these old jalopies up at Jerry's Music in Wausau WI. on Friday.

White pearl color with red machine head and bridge covers.... weird pedal cable set up to the far left.... pickup on the left.

I'd be afraid to own one.

PS PS... you have my blessing if you think this contraption should be moved over to bar chatter. :>))

[This message was edited by Mike Dennis on 01 January 2000 at 05:50 AM.]

Ed Naylor · Post by **Ed Naylor** » 1 Jan 2000 7:01 am

If the price is right I will buy it to add to my "antique" collection. Ed Nayloe Steel Guitar Works 1-800-SGW-EDN3

Mike Dennis · Post by **Mike Dennis** » 1 Jan 2000 7:48 am

Ed... check you E mail for the Jerry's Music phone number...

Mike

Joe Savage · Post by **Joe Savage** » 4 Jan 2000 9:50 pm

Ed, Call Suneson's Music in Minneapolis. 612-724-0615. There's a really weird Multi sitting in their store. Double 8 w/ I don't know how many pedals (5 or 6?) in a fanned out configuration on the left side. Tuning keys and pickups on the same (right) side. Pedals only on the back neck. Strange little gizmo.

Al Gershen · Post by **Al Gershen** » 8 Jan 2000 11:55 pm

Hi Mike Dennis:

Your posting belongs on the Bar Chatter page because the Harlin Brothers' Multi-Kord is a "pedal" steel guitar...in fact, I believe I've read somewhere that that company obtained their U.S. patent on their pedal changer in the early 1930's.

My first pedal steel (around 1960) was a used 6-string, 4 pedal Multi-Kord. I credit that instrument with renewing my interest in the steel guitar after I stopped playing it briefly while going to junior high school in the late 1950's (I took up the alto sax).

I was so excited about playing the Multi-Kord that I soon learned to play country music (my earlier steel guitar influences were mostly Hawaiian music). I didn't like the looks of the guitar so I stripped it down, had it repainted white, and I installed a Fender fretboard on it. The guitar sure looked different when I got done with it.

Our local music store here in Grants Pass, Oregon, called Larry's Music had one very similar to mine (but it didn't look like a Fender) for sale a couple of years ago for about $350. It sold quickly but the store kept lousy records and I was never able to find out who locally bought the instrument.

If you have an opportunity to acquire one of these instruments at a reasonable cost, go for it!

by the way, the Fender PS 210 that I'm buying (see some of the seller's photos at the URL: http://www.rvi.net/~aldg ) has a pedal changer that cosmetically looks very similar to the pedal changer in the Multi-Kord except that it mounted vertically instead of horizontially.

Finally, I can't leave this subject without mentioning that the first Gibson Electraharp pedal steel guitar (1939) came out with a pedal changer that was almost identical to the Multi-Kord pedal changer. In fact the two companies had some type of patent argument and Gibson had to redesign their pedal changer when the 2nd generation of Electraharps came out in the late 1940's (after the war).

I love this topic and I hope others will join the "fray" and tell all about this very historical pedal steel guitar, the Harlin Brothers' Multi-Kord."

Regards,
Al gershen [This message was edited by Al Gershen on 09 January 2000 at 12:09 AM.]

Mike Dennis · Post by **Mike Dennis** » 9 Jan 2000 7:24 am

Thanks for the info..

Who ever is interested in these antiques should check on this guitar because I would say it is in very good condition.

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 9 Jan 2000 8:52 am

Please understand the meaning of this post folks.

CAUTION potential buyers. The subject guitar is NOT designed to be played as a "moving note" instrument.

That is, it was designed to be equivalent to a multi neck instrument. Check out its name!

I know of a man that fell so in love with the sound of the PSG like BE and JD played it that he had to have one. Well he bought "on sale" a multi-kord. In tears almost (this is a poor man), he came to my house wanting me to show him how to get those great licks.

Folks it cannot be done!

Having said that, if one knows this, and has a "hankerin" to have one of these relics, then by all means go for it man,

god bless you,

carl

Adam · Post by **Adam** » 9 Jan 2000 12:49 pm

Confusing matters even further is the fact that pictures of Multikord steels are on the cover of BE's Steel Guitar Jazz and JD's Steel and Strings albums!

Al Gershen · Post by **Al Gershen** » 9 Jan 2000 4:51 pm

Adam:

Isn't it interesting how photos of the Harlin Brothers Multi-Kord show up at the "oddest" places?

To carry this subject thread one step further, does anyone of the SGF members have any information about what happened to the Harlin Brothers Company?

You come across postings relating to the Multi-Kord Hawaiian pedal steel guitars periodically on SGF and Usenet Newsgroups such as news:alt.guitar.lap-pedal, but very little appears to be known about what became of the actual company and its owners.

I believe if you have some of that information, please share it with our readers here.

Regards,
Al Gershen

[This message was edited by Al Gershen on 09 January 2000 at 07:05 PM.]

Mike Dennis · Post by **Mike Dennis** » 10 Jan 2000 4:31 pm

I think Carl's post here should be added to Jon's beginner steels information site...

buyer beware the unkown contraption

great post

later...... Mike