Key to loving different guitars.

[Johnny Cox]

I've owned many guitars over the past 50 years. Most of them were great. I discovered the key to loving them all. It's simple, never compare them. When I play any guitar I dial in its best sound on the amp I'm playing through. I don't set up every guitar and compare them. My Emmons, Sho-Bud and MSA all sound different and they all sound great. I couldn't sound like Buddy Emmons on his guitar muchless mine. No way I'm going to sound like Lloyd Green on my Sho-Bud or Reece Anderson on my MSA. I like them all and can find a sound that's pleasing to my ear on every guitar I've owned. And there are a bunch of them I wish I still had.

[Sam Conomo]

Nicely put dumplin.
Sam.

[Joe Krumel]

Great advice.

[Larry Dering]

I like the variety of tones from each. I look for that sweet tone from each and I'm often using different amps or preamps. I love them all too.

[Roger Rettig]

I just re-learned that lesson with my new Williams SD-12.

For at least a week, I struggled with the muted tone from its humbucker but then, slowly, I began to discover its sweet spot Just as Johnny said I would.)

It's vastly different from my D10 Emmons LeGrande but the Williams has its own charm. I have vowed not touch my Emmons while I'm learning this new D13th tuning. Switching to the old guitar - for now - will only confuse me.

[Roger Rettig]

I would add that I've had quite a few steels through the years.

I had problems with some but that may not be typical of the brand. I began with ZBs that sounded great (but had very noisy undercarriages that caused issues in the studio at times).

I had two Derbys but found them a bit lifeless. One Fessenden that I could never get in tune, a Sho-Bud Pro-111 that sounded good but kept breaking KL stops, a Mullen Pre RP that was good, but not as 'alive' as my Emmons.

My good memory is of an MCI; I bought it from Bobbe Seymour for an outdoor 15-week Summer Season. Its undercarriage was hopelessly worn out (pedal rods would fall off mid-song!) but it was one of the best sounding guitars I ever had.

In 2003, I ordered a new D10 Zum. When it arrived - gleaming black mica and 8+7 - it was a work of art and an engineering marvel, but I wasn't patient enough and sold it within weeks as it differed from my LeGrande!

You can bet I wish I had that one back.

One last great steel - my black Zum Encore (#008) which rivalled my Emmons! Some days? I thought it sounded better. (Yes, I sold that, too. )

[Dennis Detweiler]

The best compatible pickup for a particular guitar will make a big difference in the quest for your tone chasing. I could be wrong, but I don't think Buddy used the same pickup in each of his guitars?
I ordered a Truetone pickup for one of my MSA's years ago. I put it on and it sounded murky. I sent it back and had some windings removed and it was much closer. I sent it back a second time and had the resistance down to 17800 and it was perfect. However, I got into playing some steel tracks at a studio and had to move to a humbucker. I'm currently using a Telonics 427 on one of my guitars and X-12 on the other. Single coil sound with them, but dead quiet.
My conclusion was, to experiment with different pickups until finding the best one for the tone I'm looking for.
I went through the same process with a U-12 Zum.