Excel Pedal Steels

Carlos Polidura · Post by **Carlos Polidura** » 8 Jun 2005 3:54 am

HI GUYS,
I'M CONSIDERING BUYING A NEW, MODERN, PEDAL STEEL GUITAR.
ANY COMMENTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS ON THIS PARTICULAR BRAND? "EXCEL PEDAL STEEL GUITARS"
THANKS
CARLOS

Chippy Wood · Post by **Chippy Wood** » 8 Jun 2005 4:02 am

Hi Carlos,
Have a chat to Bill Stafford on the forum, he has the nicest Excel 14 string I have ever seen and he is a nice guy as well. also have a chat To Scotty of Scotty's Music. He will put you right.

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Ron (Chippy) Wood
Emmons D10
Emmons D12

Ron ! · Post by **Ron !** » 8 Jun 2005 4:09 am

Ask "Jimmy Gibson".He's a member here and has a D10 for sale.

Ron

Billy Carr · Post by **Billy Carr** » 8 Jun 2005 1:35 pm

A very good choice. EXCEL guitars I've seen and played have all been nice. Even though I'm a CARTER man, I really like the EXCEL's.

George Redmon · Post by **George Redmon** » 8 Jun 2005 3:13 pm

Excels are excel-lent! of course i am partial to their keyless myself Tops!

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Whitney Single 12 8FL & 5 KN,keyless, dual changers Extended C6th, Webb Amp, Line6 PodXT, Goodrich Curly Chalker Volume Pedal, Match Bro, BJS Bar..I was keyless....when keyless wasn't cool....

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 8 Jun 2005 3:27 pm

I currently play one. It's the best pedal steel I've ever played or owned and I've owned Buds,Emmons PP,MSAs,Fenders,ZBs and Sierras and Marlens. They are far ahead of the pack mechanically.Mine is a keyless single-wide metal neck U-12 "Superb" model with 8+9 and a Wallace TrueTone single coil wound to 17.5. It sounds very Emmonsey with lots of twang and growl. Mine is very small and lightweight and packs up into what looks like a tenor sax case. Because of the unique horizontal motion changer design,they never,ever break any strings whatsoever.They have 6 raise and 5 lower plus a unique,self adjusting cabinet drop compensator built into the tuning head block. There's nothing else on the market quite like an Excel plus Mitsuo Fuji is a fine gentleman and brilliant mechanical engineer who will bend over backwards to please the most discriminating aficionado. You really can't go wrong with an Excel altho most players aren't that familiar with how good they really are because there are so few of them around. The price was right so I took a chance and bought mine brand new sight-unseen from Scotty a couple years ago as a second ax to my main squeeze - a U-12 Sierra I'd played on the road for 9 years. Boy was I surprised to find what a fine machine it was and how close to an Emmons sound it had. Plus it's even smaller and about 15 lbs lighter than the Sierra. A little bird tells me that Jay Dee Maness has a keyless D-10 on order. I say "Go For It!" -MJ-

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 8 Jun 2005 4:39 pm

And don't forget that the keyless Superb model has the 25 1/2" scale. Tighter, lighter and much, much brighter. All the words above do justice for the EXCEL and MItsuo Fujii. Just ask Scotty to order you one and you will be forever satisfied with your choice. NO other steel on the market compares with all the advantages EXCEL has engineered into it by Mitsuo Fujii.

Bill Stafford

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 8 Jun 2005 4:44 pm

PS: After I received my new EXCEL two years ago this coming Sept., Mitsuo gave me the honor of naming the model. After playing my new 14 string unit for a few weeks, the only word that came out was SUPERB when I was conversing wilth Mitsuo about the guitar. This pedal steel named itself. "That is it, Mitsuo" was my next utterance and that is it now - SUPERB!!
Quite a big honor for me to have been allowed this priviledge by Mitsuo Fujii. A first class gentleman and business man in all respects.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Jun 2005 6:41 pm

bought a new one from Scotty in 1991 and played it for years on the road in Europe and US.Never had a single little problem.Great touring guitars.Go for it.

Db

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"Promat"
~when tone matters~
http://hometown.aol.com/damirzanne2/PROMAT.html

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 8 Jun 2005 7:17 pm

Bill-Do you know if they ever changed the pull train?
They used to screw the pull rod into a plasic bushing.
I have heard they now have hooks now which would allow faster pull changes? Like Mullen, Carter and Emmons.

I never played a Superb Excel. I would sure like to try one out sometime...al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

Steve Spitz · Post by **Steve Spitz** » 8 Jun 2005 8:12 pm

Don`t foget GFI.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 9 Jun 2005 7:52 am

Take a look at one here:
http://www.fuzzypsg.com/

go to the vertical row of buttons on the left side of the screen and click "What's New"

Alan Shank · Post by **Alan Shank** » 9 Jun 2005 10:08 am

What does a Superb D-10 go for?
Cheers,
Alan Shank

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 9 Jun 2005 10:37 am

They're in the same ballpark as the average high quality modern steel.

Larry Hicks · Post by **Larry Hicks** » 9 Jun 2005 10:22 pm

Carlos,
I recently acquired an “Excel Superb” U-14 from a very reputable forum member who said he hadn’t had it out of the case in “nearly two years.” (He had two Excels!)

I brought it home, set it up in my practice room (a new environment), and it came out of the case “dead-nuts” in tune from end to end! After two days of fairly hard practice I noticed a little bit of “intonation” . . .
but, turns out that my left foot had gotten lazy on the pedals (they operate like warm butter) and the guitar was still dead-on. You can't go wrong!

It sounds wonderful, it’s effortless to operate . . .
Now if I could just figure out how to play PSG!
Larry

Jimmy Gibson · Post by **Jimmy Gibson** » 10 Jun 2005 12:49 am

For Michael,Not sure what you mean by average,if it`s up there with the high quality made steels how can it be average?i have a beautifull D10 Excel that i would concider above average.They are superbly designed steels,the detail is stunning,it`s IMHO up there with the best in the world not average.If you find one Carlos grab it quick they are fine guitars.If i were not retired ,i would never concider parting with my Excel,but i AM going to to try and PX it for a SD10 W/PAD or a Straigt trade for a 12 string universal
just to use at home and maybe the odd gig.

JG[This message was edited by Jimmy Gibson on 10 June 2005 at 08:42 AM.]

Ulf Edlund · Post by **Ulf Edlund** » 10 Jun 2005 8:27 am

Where can i hear one? (recorded)
Never seen any clips anywhere. Not even at Scotty's.

Uffe

ed packard · Post by **ed packard** » 10 Jun 2005 8:39 am

An Excel isn't an Excel, isn't an Excel ... there are generational differences. The latest generation (the SUPERB) does the job! I tried to get Mitsuo to build the BEAST before Sierra came back to life ... because the BEAST is so different, there was too large a communication problem involved.

thurlon hopper · Post by **thurlon hopper** » 10 Jun 2005 10:01 am

Never played the EXCEL series but i did buy a FUZZY S-10 about 1970 or so and it was very light and easy to move around, but i don't think that Mitsuo had solved the cabinet drop problem at the time and my guitar really suffered form detuning when the pedals were depressed. They were new to
the psg world at the time and mr. Fuji has fixed the detuning problem very handily. Mine sounded great for tone after i put a ZB Jim Murphy pickup on it.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 10 Jun 2005 10:45 am

Jimmy - by "average" I was not referring to the quality of the Excel or other guitars but of pricing. I was providing an answer to the previous poster who asked: "What do they go for?" I was using the word "average" to convey the idea of an intermediate figure between two extremes.

I would also second the notion that although the Excel Superb is in a class by itself,previous generations of Excels were a bit more generic in nature. I think Excels really got good in the mid 80s or so. The late great West Coaster Leo LeBlanc played an S-10 w/8+4 with his own version of a universal E13 tuning - an odd thing with a single high chromatic string at the bottom instead of the top.His Excel was not keyless,probably an 80s vintage and it sounded great. I never asked him if it had any cabinet drop problems. He did say he loved it and it was the best guitar he ever owned.

The Superb has a pivoting headblock assembly that can be microscopically tweaked by geared down secondary tunable linkages connected to any or all pedals which actually pulls the whole guitar sharp by infinitesimal degrees to counteract cabinet drop. This particular device could only work on a keyless guitar BTW,but it allows the guitar to be uncannily in tune. Once mine was dialed in,it took several weeks to get used to being that in-tune - it just didn't sound right after decades of tuning comprimises on other guitars. -MJ- [This message was edited by Michael Johnstone on 10 June 2005 at 12:14 PM.]

Jimmy Gibson · Post by **Jimmy Gibson** » 10 Jun 2005 10:56 am

Thanks Michael,point taken,i just miss understood,but thats nothing new for me im just a silly old f'#t.

God bless Jimmy.

RR Womack Jr · Post by **RR Womack Jr** » 10 Jun 2005 2:47 pm

MJ. I would sure like to see the 8/9
chopedent you have on your U12 Excel. I keep
toying with the idea of a U12 but can never come up with anything that suits me.

Could you post it or send it to my E mail. Either one would be fine.

Thanks
Buddy W

Tom Jordan · Post by **Tom Jordan** » 10 Jun 2005 2:58 pm

I let my Excel go before I was really able to appreciate what a nice guitar it was...it took acouple more to realize this. My D10 was smooth and sounded great. The only weak point on it was that the "string roller" part of the changer seemed to be somewhat soft and my bottom few strings on each neck were wearing groves at a pretty fast rate...this guitar was late 80's?

Tom Jordan

Carlos Polidura · Post by **Carlos Polidura** » 10 Jun 2005 4:47 pm

keep on.............
i'm listening.
thanks
carlos

Carlos Polidura · Post by **Carlos Polidura** » 12 Jun 2005 5:21 am

THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR IMPUT ON THIS TOPIC. YOU HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

I GUESS I NOW HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF THESE GUITARS AND THIS WILL HELP ME CHOOSE... WHAT "KIND"..."BRAND" OF GUITAR, "IF I MAY" I SHOULD BUY.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THAT MAKES THIS FORUM SO GREAT.

BILL STAFFORD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS. "A MAN OF YOUR CALIBER SHOULD KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT".
BY THE WAY , I'M VERY HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU, AND DOING WELL. THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU WAS AT THE "PSGA" STEEL GUITAR CELEBRATION IN ARMONK ,NY ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO.

AGAIN, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT,

CARLOS