| Author |
Topic: Jerry Byrd's Excel Non-Pedal and Frypan |
Gary Reed
|
Posted 29 Jul 2010 9:18 pm |
|
Has anyone had experience with these non-pedal guitars Jerry Byrd used to use?
After navigating to the page below click on 'Products' link to the left to see Byrd's console models. (The website has a few link snags.)
http://www.fuzzypsg.com/
http://www.fuzzypsg.com/4e.html |
|
|
|
Matthew Dawson
From:
Portland Oregon, USA
|
|
|
|
Danny Bates
From:
Fresno, CA. USA
|
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 7:01 am
|
|
I have a couple of the Jerry Byrd model Excels, a double neck and a single neck. They are fine guitars.
Here is the last one acquired from a fellow Forumite a while ago:
 |
|
|
|
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 7:27 am
|
|
| Quote: |
| "I bet Jerry Byrd wished he could have played the new simulator model." |
Is there any more info on this model. Love the concept and the video, but I can't find any other info on the forum about it. |
|
|
|
Gary Reed
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 8:51 am
|
|
Erv
I have a S8 Remington. It's wood. Love it.
Can you shed any light on how the Excel differs in tone, being a steel made of metal as compared to wood? Before buying -I guess it's a tone concern on my part.
Thanks |
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 9:23 am
|
|
Gary,
The guitar is hard rock maple.
Here is a couple of the all metal ones.
 |
|
|
|
Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 1:48 pm
|
|
| I had the D8 Excal that Jerry had, I was told. Three people had it before I did. I didn't like it, and it was poorly built, sort of like a proto-type might be, and I did a LOT of work on it to fix it up. The tone was OK, but just not for me. And with it's case, it was really heavy for an old geezer like me to carry. |
|
|
|
Danny Bates
From:
Fresno, CA. USA
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 3:28 pm
|
|
Bill McCloskey asked:
| Quote: |
| Is there any more info on this model. Love the concept and the video, but I can't find any other info on the forum about it. |
Bill, I think it's a brand new product. I'm sure Scotty will get a lot of orders for them when it eventually gets the exposure. If you look at the underbelly pics on Scotty's site, you can see it's basically a pedal steel with levers to hold the changes in place. So you know it won't be inexpensive. I do love those little shifters and the knobs. What a cool guitar! |
|
|
|
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 3:48 pm
|
|
Called Scotties today. Seems like it is a one off that was brought over especially for Kobayashi to play. List is $2,400 but got different answers on what the going price is.
Sounds like it would be a great steel if you are handy and want to under the hood and try and figure it out yourself. It apparently is designed currently to bring up tunings specific to Japanese playing. |
|
|
|
Danny Bates
From:
Fresno, CA. USA
|
Posted 30 Jul 2010 4:31 pm
|
|
Gary Reed said:
| Quote: |
| Can you shed any light on how the Excel differs in tone, being a steel made of metal as compared to wood? Before buying -I guess it's a tone concern on my part. |
Gary, here's a video of Bobbe Seymour playing one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_oMSCOh4c |
|
|
|
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
|
Posted 31 Jul 2010 6:25 pm TELL us MORE!
|
|
Mr. Creller........could you please be more specific?
They look like a nice rig........ Anyone know WHY Jerry Byrd ended the association with Excel? |
|
|
|
Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
|
Posted 1 Aug 2010 12:00 am
|
|
I have the Excel D-8 and the Excel Frypan S-8 and they are both excellent guitars for tone.
In fact I just played the Excel D-8 at the 3-Day Hawaiian Festival in Vancouver, WA.
I would never have done that if the guitar was of poor quality.
Ian Ufton, who is an expert steel player and who has an excellent ear for music, thought that my Excel D8 had a very good quality tone.
Aloha, 
Don |
|
|
|
Philip Bender
From:
Palmetto FL USA (deceased)
|
Posted 1 Aug 2010 2:08 am Excel JB models
|
|
Aloha All,
I purchased a dbl 8 from Scotty, in 1994. Jerry had used it doing a concert in Japan, and Scotty let me know it was available.In 1996, I added a third neck to allow the C diatonic, C6th, and B11 tunings to be used.
In taking the`guitar apart, I was surprised to see 5/8" plywood being used for the body. The guitar sounded great, and when I added the third neck, ( 1" solid maple), the tone became more JB like, fuller I guess. Prior to that, I purchased a short scale JB Frypan through Jerry in 1987, and #15 BTW, and traded it to Scotty for the Dbl 8. The frypan had a somewhat of a metallic tone, but served very well.
The Fuzzy guitar co. was very nice to deal with in obtaining all of the parts to add the third neck. and gave me a very reasonable price. Overall, the JB tagged guitars have been very good to me.
Phil
BTW, playing the rosewood Dbl8 belonging to Don Woods was the reason I considered the Fuzzy guitars. |
|
|
|
Gary Reed
|
Posted 1 Aug 2010 10:21 pm
|
|
| How much do the the Excel Frypan S-8 sell for from Scotty's. Thought I'd ask here. Scotty's usually takes about 3 days to get back via email. |
|
|
|
Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
|
Posted 2 Aug 2010 5:30 pm
|
|
Ray; the one I had may have been a very early one?
The tone was OK, like I said, but not to my taste. I thought at the time that a couple hum-bucker pickups would have made a tone I liked, but I didn't want to modify it. Instead, it sold it to Jeff Ah Hoy, who wanted it for a friend. |
|
|
|
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
|
Posted 2 Aug 2010 6:46 pm So you're saying Jeff was lonely and needed a friend?
|
|
THANK GOODNESS you came to Jeff's rescue......
Now that he has a friend we can all rest easier, to be sure.
The one I saw seemed to have a great little tone and was just curious what YOU tho't of it. Many thanks.
ANYONE know why FUZZY & Jerry Byrd parted ways?
Just curious....... |
|
|
|
Dave Mayes
From:
Oakland, Ca.
|
Posted 2 Aug 2010 8:58 pm
|
|
| Ray....what makes you think Fuzzy and Jerry parted ways? Fuzzy still produces a J.B. line of steels. |
|
|
|
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
|
Posted 2 Aug 2010 9:17 pm So.......................
|
|
Perhaps they didn't part ways..............
I just haven't heard much of Fuzzy for quite a long spell.
I guess I was negligent in not making myself more clear.
ERV: Is your dbl-neck a non-pedal version? If so, what might one expect to pay for such a non-pedal model? How do they designate what year the model is? |
|
|
|
Danny Bates
From:
Fresno, CA. USA
|
Posted 2 Aug 2010 10:02 pm
|
|
| I read that Jerry and Sho-Bud parted ways because Jerry found out that frypan guitars were being sold (out the back door) without any commission to Jerry. |
|
|
|
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
|
Posted 3 Aug 2010 10:07 am Matthew.......................
|
|
| Many thanks to you.......... |
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 3 Aug 2010 10:24 am
|
|
Ray,
Yes, my double neck Jerry Byrd model Excel is a non-pedal guitar. It is just like the picture I posted only it has two necks. I really don't remember what I paid for the guitar but I think it was in the $1,000 neighborhood. |
|
|
|
Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
|
Posted 3 Aug 2010 12:41 pm
|
|
| The Excel frypans have "faux" magnets. Not real, with a conventional type pickup. Jerry put a Rick type pickup in his own Excel, I was told. Don't know if there was any improvement....(?) |
|
|
|
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
|
Posted 3 Aug 2010 6:38 pm I'm anxious...................
|
|
It's still in the case......
and I'm getting ready to go out to my music room right now to give it a test run.
Can't wait to hear what it sounds like...... |
|
|
|
