Norm Hamlet's rig on "Big City"

[Joe Krumel]

this is probably a shot in the dark, but does anyone know the guitar,amp,etc he used at the time of this recording? It knocks me out.
Tone is somethin' else!

[J R Rose]

He has for years played this Russler and a Fender Twin.
Maybe Larry Petree from Bakersfield,Ca. will see this and join in, he should know. J.R.

[Craig A Davidson]

I don't know about then but he has played a GFI for years thru a Nashville 112.

[Barry Blackwood]

That's a pretty old picture. Norm is 83 now and probably still playing his GFI.

[Brett Day]

Norm started playing GFI steels in 2000 and he's also played Emmons guitars.

[Joe Krumel]

Thanks for the replies everybody.Whatever he used was music to my ears! ! joe

[Ken Pippus]

The commercial recording of Big City was done in 1981, so it pretty obviously wasn’t made with a GFI. The 1985 Austin City Limits recording shows the green RusLer. It seems pretty likely that was the one used on the original recording.

JR is probably exactly correct with the first answer.

[Larry Petree]

I just talked to Norm, and he said at that time he thought he was playing the green Rusler, and a Peavey amp. Hope this may help, by the way he still has that steel.

[Brett Day]

The commercial recording of Big City was done in 1981, so it pretty obviously wasn’t made with a GFI. The 1985 Austin City Limits recording shows the green RusLer. It seems pretty likely that was the one used on the original recording.

JR is probably exactly correct with the first answer.

That's right, because GFI steels weren't being built yet. They started building steels in 1989. So, on "Big City", you hear Norm playing a Rustler steel