Through a series of unusually fortuitous circumstances, I got a brand-new ZumSteel Encore from Doug Earnest a few days ago. It's an S10 with 4 and 5, Emmons setup with Franklin pedal on the left. It has a removable arm pad.
I didn't have any specific expectations. For one thing, I'm still new to pedal steel, so I don't know what verious sorts are "supposed" to sound like. But I would have been correct to expect something unexpectedly good.
My first response was pleasure at how "immediate" and responsive the Encore is. The action is very light with all pedals and levers. Since I mostly play barefoot, I appreciate this. The guitar feels directly connected to me, and does exactly what I expect it to. The tone and sustain are everything I could wish for.
I tuned it when I got it, mostly because I tune a couple of cents sharper than 440. For a week, I only tweaked a string or a pedal now and again. Finally this morning, I went through it carefully and tuned a few things that were sounding off. It seems rock solid, and this is brand new! It seems to be all settled in already.
What else? Well, the looks -- I think it's beautiful. I am surprised how much I like the black end caps. Doug had one piece of "burled" dark-red mica left, and he suggested we use that with black sides. Over the years, I have found that builders often know more about what they're doing than I do, and I have a habit of accepting their suggestions. It once again proved to be a good habit.
And then, not only does it have everything you need, but it's got a few things that are just plain nice. Tunable splits? Check. Solid feel stop on the second string? Check. Oh, and the removable arm rest. It is absolutely perfect for me. It looks good, and stows nicely on top, reversed, with the brackets stuck in their sockets. Brilliant design.
I think that if you talk nice to Doug Earnest, he might build one for you, too. I don't see how you could possibly go wrong!
--Al Evans
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