What is the difference in a Sierra Crown and the Session ?

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 8 Dec 2015 3:23 pm

Dont know much about the Sierras but always heard they were built like tanks and with great engineering. As the title said, what is the difference in these models...years built, upgrades ?? Just curious fellow !

Tim Russell · Post by **Tim Russell** » 8 Dec 2015 4:01 pm

I can get the ball rolling with a little info. Although I've played Sierra steels for most of my life, I am embarrassed to say that I don't know a lot of the history behind them.

They are indeed built like tanks and with great engineering, and sound superb and sustain forever. Higher register rings clear as a bell. The slide in modular pickup design is ingenious.

Copedent changes are a bit of a pain because the tuning nuts are under the guitar at the bellcranks, not at the changer end like most steels. And the rods run through all the bellcranks on the same string, meaning you have to back all the rods out of said bellcrank to make changes on the same string.

Aside from that, I am completely pleased with my Crown D-10. The Crowns featured the folding legs fastened to the outside of the body, secured with those one-sided wing nuts, while the Sessions have the leg type that fits inside the guitar body into a hole & then clamped down.

I will be interested to see other folks chime in with more info. on these great guitars. I have heard that Buddy had a hand in Sierra design at one point, I don't know to what extent.

Tom Campbell · Post by **Tom Campbell** » 8 Dec 2015 5:02 pm

The Crown series has round cross shafts...the Session series has square cross shafts.

The Crown uses a cam system to adjust the knee levers and pedals...Session uses a set screw.

There are variations of tuning heads with the Crown depending upon the date they were mfg. The Session has always had the thumb screw tuning head.

I currently have three Sessions and have had a couple Crown series Sierras'.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Dec 2015 5:42 pm

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Dec 2015 5:43 pm

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 8 Dec 2015 5:47 pm

I amassed a lot of Sierra information back in 88,89 when I had decided to go for one of these guitars.

Hopefully, these pics will help with the model chronology.

As I understand the literature from that era, all 24" geared guitars were labeled Royalty series and remained so throughout their production.

The first gearless were also 24" and labeled the first Crown series. Later. 2nd and 3rd gen. 25" gearless guitars retained the Crown label and the most recent models with the smaller components were Session series gearless and remained the production model until the company closed it's doors.

The earlier models before this era were called Olympic series and before that, I don't know....that's about as far back as I go.

I had 3 of the SCM 14SE's. 14 string, 25" scale, 8+7.
Sierra Crown Master Bill Stafford Elegante' signature.

2nd gen gearless tuners used the same 3/16 tuning wrench as used for the pedals. Later ones were fingertip style.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Dec 2015 5:58 pm

$4000 guitar in 1993 , today that same Sierra would cost you almost $7,000.00 ...

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 8 Dec 2015 6:18 pm

Yessir, they were priced higher than most other guitars but precision manufactured with close tolerances, premium materials and built like a tank.

Different in design and engineering, but I think they had different ideas. FAIC, they had just about the best handle on the Universal idea and remained so until Excel paralleled them, though Kline and MSA were right up there too.

I can't find the photos right now, but the first promo propaganda for the 25" Crown series featured shots of Stafford on the Silver Cloud 14 SCMSE and Herby Wallace on the D10....Red and White 2 tone model for which his model designation escapes me....but it was on the label.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Dec 2015 6:27 pm

amazing guitars, I remember back in late 80's I got hold of the Sierra catalog with rosewood Sierra with gold plated tuners on the cover... I was drooling over that catalog for years lol...

https://youtu.be/-9TEWyHqBlA

https://youtu.be/c3nC0vfN9xY

if anyone wonder what Sierra sounds like, check out Herby Wallace pickin on his Sierra Crown...

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 8 Dec 2015 6:43 pm

I still have one of those brochures around somewhere Damir! I'll try to round it up.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Dec 2015 6:46 pm

Jerry Overstreet wrote:I still have one of those brochures around somewhere Damir! I'll try to round it up.

I've been trying to find on the the net, but no success yet...

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Dec 2015 6:50 pm

https://youtu.be/v9Yrz-9DSUc

Gene O'Neal and his Sierra Crown...

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 8 Dec 2015 7:29 pm

Wow thanks guys, this is a lot of info to digest and I appreciate every one taking the time to explain things to me. I have heard Buddy and Herby play them, along with others, and they sounded great, but then they could make a lot of steels sound great...haha

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 11 Dec 2015 9:19 am

Really like the Red/Burgandy one Herby was playing......aw heck, I like the one Gene was playing too. And folding legs.....cool stuff....

Which model did Buddy play for some time?

Charley Bond · Post by **Charley Bond** » 11 Dec 2015 9:38 am

Damir Besic wrote:
Jerry Overstreet wrote:I still have one of those brochures around somewhere Damir! I'll try to round it up.
I've been trying to find on the the net, but no success yet...

I have one...

Charley Bond · Post by **Charley Bond** » 11 Dec 2015 9:47 am

Having been an engineer in the aircraft industry (BOEING) for many, many years, I was drawn to the Sierra & it's close tolerance design. I din't care one bit how much it weighed, but I did feel sorry for the Piano player.

I have had just about all the models (Double Neck, Single neck, Single neck with Pad, Keys & no Keys)

My Sierra today is a single neck with Keys.

Very soon a nice looking aluminum bolt-on Pad will dress up the back side, because I grew to like the pad. It will also have my self-designed Vertical knee lever.

It will do for me, for as long as I'm around.

I just got my Tom Bradshaw TabRack, a very nice addition to my Guitar. It will definitely enhance my practicing.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 12 Dec 2015 2:31 pm

https://youtu.be/fhLqe2xbqS8

watch a big smile on Jerry's face when Buddy starts his turn...

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 12 Dec 2015 3:45 pm

That was really cool Damir, thanks for posting that...what great musicians...I have been fortunate enough through the years to see all of these guys play in person, 3 of them 40 miles from me in Winfield Ks at the Walnut Valley Festival (home of the National Flatpicking Championships).

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 12 Dec 2015 7:06 pm

More Buddy on Sierra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mGUk7CGraM

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 12 Dec 2015 8:35 pm

Pete Burak wrote:More Buddy on Sierra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mGUk7CGraM

awesome, thank you so much...

Jan Viljoen · Post by **Jan Viljoen** » 13 Dec 2015 2:26 pm

Here are some more Sierras.

Richard Swiger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDIfztJTQE

Bob Adams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8R4A6-EjEo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxz8IxaIyY0

Buddy Emmons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Mx5lhreMY

And some more info.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ght=sierra

Enjoy!

Jed Boole · Post by **Jed Boole** » 31 Dec 2020 2:15 am

Wow this is a golden thread. I just got a used Sierra sessions s-10 and am tryin to learn all I can about it. Mainly a wobbly knee lever. Lots of gold here!

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What is the difference in a Sierra Crown and the Session ?

What is the difference in a Sierra Crown and the Session ?

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