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Topic: New MSA's |
Bill Duncan
From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 May 2009 5:52 am |
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Would some of you folks with new MSA's give an assessment? I see many reviewing other new guitars, but not much in-depth reporting on the new MSA's. I'd sure like to hear some.
_________________
You can observe a lot just by looking |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 7 May 2009 6:04 am
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Bill, you may have already seen this but here's a whole page on my web site about my MSA Legend. It has links on the left hand side to many more pictures and more information.
MSA Legend
Greg
Last edited by Greg Cutshaw on 7 May 2009 7:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Duncan
From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 May 2009 7:08 am
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Thanks Greg,
That's a lot of information, and great pictures!
_________________
You can observe a lot just by looking |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 7 May 2009 7:10 am
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I love my Millennium. I think MSA makes the best steels in the world. If I had the bucks I'd buy 2 more of them.
Quality aside, the Millennium is the lightest pedal steel guitar you can buy. The carbon fiber weighs only a fraction of wood.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Bill Duncan
From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 May 2009 7:21 am
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Do the aluminum necks cause any noticeable tuning drift? Does the carbon body seem to make a difference in tuning drift?
_________________
You can observe a lot just by looking |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 7 May 2009 7:55 am
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The carbon fiber body is impervious to temperature changes, and is very stable and stays in tune exceptionally well. (Remember this stuff is stronger than steel.)
I should point out though,that my older MSA guitars are also very stable, and also stay in tune exceptionally well. I think their superior construction is a factor in this.
I still play the old ones. I take the Milly to rehearsals and use it for playing live, I keep the white one in my living room for woodshedding, and the green one is in the studio in the basement.
I feel like I have 2 older wives and a hot young girlfriend. 
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 7 May 2009 9:25 am
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| ...bigamy+one on the side,then...McUtsi |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 7 May 2009 9:43 am
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Getting back to the subject, the pedals and knee levers of the Milly require a much softer touch than those of my older guitars. So much so that it took me a while to get used to them. The older guitars are pretty smooth, but the Millennium is much smoother, and easier to play.
Much has been written about how good MSA mechanics are, past and present. I have to say that as good as their mechanics are on the older guitars, today they are a quantum leap ahead of where they were before.
The cliché is "like buddah." The mechanics in today's MSA guitars are so smooth they are "like melted buddah."
Plus, the changer has 4 raises, 3 lowers, and tunable splits on all the strings.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Duane Dunard
From:
Troy, MO. U.S.A.
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Posted 7 May 2009 10:23 am
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| The carbon fiber body may not be everybody's cup of tea, especially to a former push-pull player who played his vintage Emmons guitar for years. But in my case,I greatly prefer the carbon fiber guitars over wood body guitars. I receive compliments all the time for my Mill's tone and good looks, plus it stays in tune and only weighs 35 lbs. (loaded 9x8) The Millennium model includes a nice flight case with wheels that make travel a breeze. Extremes in temperature will not damage the finish. Also, the new Tonealeigner pick-ups made a huge difference in the signature tone of my guitar. Simply put, it fits my life style. |
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Bill Dobkins
From:
Rolla Missouri, USA
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Posted 7 May 2009 10:38 am
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Hey Perl, Did your MSA come with the arm lever on it ?
Reece had one at the booth in St Louis that was factory. It was indeed cool and easy to use.
BD
_________________
Custom Rittenberry SD10
Boss Katana 100 Amp
Positive Grid Spark amp
BJS Bars
Z~Legend Pro,Custom Tele
Honor our Vet's.
Now pass the gravy. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 7 May 2009 10:46 am
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Bill, it did, because I ordered it that way. Johnny Cox had never made one before, and I sent him one of my older steels so he could look at the one on it and figure out how to make one. But he improved on the original design, and the one he made is better than the ones on the other 2 guitars.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 7 May 2009 2:13 pm
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| In addition to what everybody said above, the interchangeable pickup feature alone is worth the extra cost. You can switch between single coil and humbucker at a gig if necessary. Or you can use a single coil performing live, and use a humbucker in the studio. You can also easily try several different pickups to see what the difference is. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 7 May 2009 2:47 pm
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The MSA Millennium has a lot going for it, as the others have mentioned. One added benefit of the CFC body is that it doesn't get real hot or cold. The density is so low, that a black body sitting in 95 degree sunshine feels only slightly warm. The same is true in the cold, it just doesn't feel as cold as metal or wood. I find only a few down-sides to the guitar. One is that it uses those infernal slotted bell-cranks. I hate 'em! They're nowhere near as slop-free as the old closed type. Unfortunately, most steels seem to be going with these for ease of making setup changes, and I just think it's a very bad trade-off. Another quirk is that the action is not as quiet as I would like. The body is very thin and resonant, and the pedals make a very audible "thock" when they reach the stops. One other (slight) problem is that the dovetail depth is far too shallow on the slide-in pickups. Were I involved in the design, it would have been at least an eighth of an inch. (The shallowness causes occasional fumbling whan you're trying to change pickups in a hurry.) Lastly, I still prefer the old "hook type" pullrods. They could have kept this design by using a swivel hook loop, instead of using the ball-stud adjuster design. (It's just not as fast to set up as the older designs).
All in all, though, it's a great sounding, very light, fine-looking guitar. Understand, I'm a real stickler on mechanical designs, and no guitar made today even comes close to pleasing me completely. I can glance at any of them and pick out what I consider to be many "mechanical shortcomings". (I still do that for a living, sometimes, being a production consultant.)
As far as the pedal and lever effort goes, it's about the same as most other steels. The mechanics of a pulling train are simple levers, and without helper springs (which they do not use), any significant reduction in effort comes only with a longer movement (that's just basic physics). |
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Peter Freiberger
From:
California, USA
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Bill Duncan
From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 May 2009 3:44 pm
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Donny,
Thanks for a very good review, I appreciate your insight.
On a side note, I thought there was something in your posts that had a familiar ring to me. I am also a consultant and I sort of picked up on that in your posts. I'm an engineering consultant, and a steel guitar "wannabe".
_________________
You can observe a lot just by looking |
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