Justice S10 Jr vs Zum Encore

[Zach Turner]

I really am liking the look of Justice now--yes I am all over the place lol. They seem to be well priced and have a reasonable lead time. I am wondering if it is worth going for the Pro or Pro Lite over the Jr.
I think that you have to go for one of the Pro models to get tunable splits. Probably better put together too. The Pro models from Justice aren't bad looking either.

What say you at the Steel Guitar Forum?

Justice Jr or Pro/Pro Lite?

[K Maul]

I like my S10 Jr a lot but I have other steels. I say if you can do it get the Pro Lite.

[Jerry Mohlman]

I am a beginner that bought a Justice Pro-lite a couple years ago. I have no experience with other models or guitars but the Pro-lite has been excellent. Mine is a 4x5 since I had an extra pedal and lever added. More than I need right now but I thought of future needs and resale value maybe someday. Fred told me it is easier to add pedals when it is built than add them later. A lot of finish options too.

[Mike Ritchie]

I've had my Pro Lite for just about a year now and it is wonderfull. I also have an older Marlen and MSA which are both nice but I prefer the Pro Lite hands down.

[Landon Johnson]

I was selling my D-10 to purchase another ProLite! Ordered it Friday! As for the split tuners they can be added to the S-10 Pro - not sure about the Junior.

I bought a used Prolite that had been around quite a bit - touring and the like and has no doubt been re-rodded etc. at some point. Cannot wait to see what a brand new one feels/sounds like, and as soon as it gets here I will send my older ProLite in and have them restore it to factory specs.

I'm all over the place when it comes to buying steels - soon I will have three, and that's nothing compared to some folks on here.

[Fred Justice]

Landon the S10~Pro comes with split tuning standard.
The S10 does not come with split tuning.

[Anthony Parish]

I've played an Encore and a few GFI's owned by students of mine.

My impression: the GFI is a very bright guitar. It gets a classic country sound. Meanwhile, the Encore has a fatter, more modern tone.

Whatever you end up with, you can't lose.

I currently own an Encore S10 and until recently owned a GFI Expo SD10. I agree with what Tucker said: They are both really good instruments. You could probably find either one of those used for under $2k if you are patient and you have cash ready.

The GFI was a little brighter, but not by much. I could get very similar sounds out of both guitars simply by adjusting the tone controls on the amp.

The Encore is a little lighter, but that's mainly because the GFI was an SD10. I preferred the heavier feel of the GFI, but if I was loading and unloading it a lot for gigs (which I wasn't), I might prefer the lighter Encore.

Either of those guitars will do you fine. Can't speak for the Justice, but I hope to try one of those some day!

[Glenn Burleigh]

I have both. I can say that the Encore is a bit more of a precision machine, compared to the Justice. Justice plays a little looser, but is a ton of fun and sounds great. I also prefer the arm rest you can get with the Justice, compared to what comes with the Encore. Also, the Justice is lighter than the Encore, and I use it as my main gigging steel, even after getting the Encore. I think you will be happy with either option, but I would say that the Encore's engineering is a step above the Justice. In my opinion, the Justice S-10s are better than a GFI student at the same price point.

[Anthony Parish]

the Justice S-10s are better than a GFI student at the same price point.

To be clear...
GFI Expo (which the OP referenced) is comparable to the Justice S10-Pro in terms of features, quality and price.
GFI Student Model (3x4) is comparable to the Justice S10-Junior (3x4) in terms of features, quality and price.

[Glenn Burleigh]

Sorry, I have a old, wood neck S-10 3x4, and it's now what you get as the Jr. I forget that there are so many iterations, these days. Again, I think poster will be happy with either steel. Both builders do great work.