The song playing is called "Cool Breeze" from the "Pickin' On Harmony" album by The Calhouns.
It features a Harmony Consolectric Steel Guitar. Scroll down to see pictures of a Consolectric.
To hear samples from the rest of the album click here!
To hear samples of all of The Calhouns albums click here!
Harmony did many things, and did most of them very well. Thousands of steel guitarists got their start on Harmony Lap Steel Guitars. The "Hawaiian" guitar, as this instrument was sometimes referred to has its roots in the South Pacific and was very popular in the 1940's and 1950's.
Big bands, early Rock & Roll bands, Country bands and Jazz bands were home for these guitars. In the 1950's the Pedal Steel Guitar was born, and the lap steel faded into obscurity. You will occasionally see one being played on TV or in a concert, but it as of yet, has not made a comeback.
This instrument gets its name "steel guitar" from the steel bar that is used to go up and down the neck to change its tone. It is sometimes called a "Lap Steel Guitar" because it was originally designed to sit on your lap when you play it.
Very early Harmony Steel Guitar
The cord is permanently attached to the odd pickup/bridge combination
This one looks like a copper sharks tooth!
Great Teaching Book and Cassette
How to play 6 string steel guitar in E tuning
by Jim Calhoun, the author of this site!
It has many great riffs and 3 songs for you to learn. The tape is in stereo so you can pan the steel guitar on the tape out of the mix and this gives you a rhythm track to practice to!
Jim teaches with a vintage Harmony Consolectric, the same as pictured at the bottom of this page!
Technical Tip
These instruments can be tuned in many different ways. Open G, A, and E is common as well as variations of C6 and E9 tuning. Experiment with these tunings and you will be amazed at the different "colors" you can find. Also, A minor and E minor tunings are nice for a good "mysterious" sound.
Harmony Lap Steel
This model appears to be a late 40's or early 50's model
Technical Tip
When re-stringing your lap steel, try to use a heavy gauge. The heavier the string, the more tone it has. Also, light gauge strings tend to sag a bit under the pressure of the steel, and thus go slightly out of tune.
This steel was made for a pro player to go out giggling
It has 3 legs that screw into the bottom
Note the "S" DeArmond pickup
Technical Tip
Try using different reverb settings when playing the steel guitar. Spring reverb is still preferred by many as having an authentic sound, but digital processors can give you a great combination of sounds. Medium heavy reverb with a touch of chorus or flanging is very nice!
Harmony Consolectric
A very rare Harmony product!
The song sample that played when you opened
this page is called "Cool
Breeze" and it features a Harmony Consolectric Steel Guitar. To hear
another sample of a Consolectric click
here for the song "Alone", also included on the Calhouns "Pickin'On
Harmony" album.
This is a unique find. The neck is black with gold decoration. There is a volume and tone knob. The case is cover in a cloth material. It is 30" long, 7 3/4" wide and 8" deep. There is a latch on each side. The top has a thick leather carrying handle the speaker is inside the box. When you unlatch the top you turn it over and there is the guitar. You then latch it back onto the box. There are 3 detachable legs on the inside of the box also. There is a metal label on the outside of the box it reads:
HARMONY CONSOLECTRIC THE HARMONY CO. CHICAGO 9, ILL. U.S.A..
Built In Amplifier!
Storage Compartment for cables,
steel, extra strings, picks and legs.
Here are the tube numbers.
The tube closest to the speaker is a35Z5 GT -the tube in the middle is a5OL6 GT-the tube closest to theouter edge is a 12SQ7.
A good place to order your tubes is from Antique
Electronic Supply in Pheonix, AZ
Fold it all back up again and your all packed and ready to hit the road!
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