1950s Harlin Brothers Multi-Kord 8-String Pedal Steel Guitar

Overview: I've had only three Harlin pedal steels in the shop and this one is the nicest of them that I've had through. It's the same basic Multi-Kord setup as the 6-string models but in an 8-string version. The others I worked on used DeArmond pickups but this one has a proprietary version, it seems -- a single coil pickup under a cover with adjustable polepieces (really nice to have!) but it's fit with a "dummy coil" that's hidden under the control plate that effectively turns it into a clean, clear-sounding humbucker.

Other interesting features include a "kill switch" between the volume and tone which is actually a "muffler" as it doesn't mute the instrument but sets the tone all the way down instantly. Weird! The last bit (the best) is that this one appears to have been fit with metal "pull bars" rather than cables from the factory, making its pedals work far better than the usual stock Harlin products.

Despite all this, it's still more rickety-feeling than a more-modern pedal steel (the leg setup means it rocks a bit as you use the pedals), but one can't deny that it works really well the way it's designed. The pedal-adjuster bars are easy as heck to use and allow you to retune as many strings up or down as you like on a single pedal. Each string adjuster on each bar has two threaded holes you can put the "set" screw in -- one hole, when adjusted with the set screw, will detune the string when the pedal is depressed and the other hole will uptune the string.

I used a Multi-Kord very much like this on all tracks of an older album of mine (with a simpler setup -- open D tuning) and found it easy to get around-on once I practiced a bit. Unfortunately, the demo video for this guy here is terrible as I'm no good at the expanded range tunings as I've never spent time in them. Sorry about that! I have this setup in standard E9 tuning but without the re-entrant extra high strings. I put frog tape under the adjuster cover with the tuning (low to high) and a chart for what each pedal does in the current setup. It's pretty standard-fare for E9.

Repairs included: I restrung it, cleaned it up, adjusted all of the pedals and their settings, cleaned it up, added a ground for the strings to the control plate, and tweaked the setup a bit. It's ready to roll!

Condition notes: There's some edge-rubbing and scratching to the finish, the Harlin label on the "audience" side has a little damage, and the metal parts have tarnish (as you'd expect). Overall, though, it looks excellent for its age. The only non-original features are a shim I added at the bottom of the "neck" side nut to improve back-angle on the strings from the mounts and a ground from the bridge-side nut to the pickup and control plate.

It comes with: It has its original hard case (tweed-covered) in beat-up but perfectly-usable condition.

Consignor tag: SLCL