The Steel Guitar Forum

OH RATS!!! And I so wanted one too!!
Well Just as well I will play my New ZB Custom D\10 Red laquered Steel with 8&7 That I just got yesterday Boy what a guitar! and so beautiful with all the custom inlayed work and polished looks like it came right off the show room floor WOW!! Dream on Guys,,Drool Drool,,,,, <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ronney Bailey on 13 February 2000 at 06:10 PM.]</p></FONT>

Hey Ronney; you have got to snap us some shots of that ZB. I would love to see it pal.
Ricky

Ok,I have some photos of it I will see if I can get someone to post them for me.I may see
if I can also take some better ones as these photos really don't show the fine detail.Man
ths one is exeptional! It has all the real fancy inlay work on the front and back and on
both sides of both necks all polished.2 3 way
switches mounted on the inside edge of the E9th neck 2 triple coil pick up's 8 floor pedals and 7 knee levers.It sounds great and great tone.

This topic is hot and hard to follow.Is one really better then the other?

Until I begin reading this thread, I really didn't know so many forum members were so far behind today's technology in materials for steel guitar construction.

Cultured marble, like the top on your bathroom pullman, can be formed into a pedal steel guitar cabinet and has a tone to die for, with no cabinet drop,___no wood, no glue, no mica, no paint.

I was told it was Bubby Emmons That came out
with the first Formica Cabinet, around 62.
Funny thing it sure seemed to work for him all these years. I have a Formica cabinet & a
wood body steel & still can't figure out which one I like the best.

As I've previously said, I have 2 MSAs. One maple/lacquer and one lamanate/mica. They don't sound exactly alike, but there is not as much difference between them as one would expect.

They are both fine instruments, and I'm quite pleased with both of them.

When I have played guitars from the same builder where everything else is the same I personally prefered the sound of a mica guitar to a wood one. I really love the sound of wood guitars but the overtones are not as straight sounding with wood. To my ear the mica steels are just a tad more focused. The even overtones are more stable. Therefore they seem to be a bit more versatle sonicly at least for my uses. The wood sound is a fantastic one and I would love to own a wood Franklin as an alternative to my mica one if I had the money for an extra guitar. I also have been playing an Emmons bolt on these days that is a mica guitar. I cannot imagine how a wood neck or finish could in any way improve the sound of that beast.

Bob

Quote from Herb Steiner:Here's my bottom line: if you primarily dig the mid-60's-present Buddy Emmons/Weldon Myrick/Buddy Charlton tone, you probably like a mica guitar. If your benchmark is the great cuts by Lloyd Green and Pete Drake, you probably like the Sho~Bud tone
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Can't I love them both?

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Steelin' Greetings
Marco Schouten
Sho-Bud Pro III Custom; Sho-Bud LLG

Marco
I didn't say you can't love them both. I do love them both and I own both mica-covered Emmonses AND lacquer-finished steel guitars, including a ShoBud, Fessenden, Bigsby, and PA Reissue.

My friend Mike Hardwick has a lacquer cabinet Emmons PP that sounds fantastic as well.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Goodness yes you can love 'em both!
I've had 3 lacquers & 3 micas, my present guitar being a mica, & seems like the mica's tone works better for me. Sure, I'd rather look at the lacquer, but the tone I desire is in the mica.

I was wondering how may of you purchased a mica guitar that would have rather a laquer guitar, but objected to the extra $700 to $850 (Carters cost for example). I purchased the Williams as the price was the same for mica or laquer, and I always wanted to try laquer, as I love a beautiful wood finish.
I am totally pleased with its tone. Thanks Bill Rudolph.

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"STEELIN' IN STYLE"
Williams S-12, MSA S-12,
Vegas 400, Evans amp, POD lINE 6. Hilton Digital vol.
Ray Beale Rosenberg,Tx

....I've owned and played both...mox nix! www.genejones.com

My dad and I bought new Emmons PPs in 1979.
Mine is mica and his laquer, both with aluminum necks. I always thought his sounded the best, and he thinks mine does. Who knows?

Reggie's test is the only kind that matters in terms of lacquer versus formica, the original subject of this string. Comparing different brands that have different mechanics, pickups, etc. is a confounded comparison. I would be interested in Reggie's description of what the difference was in tone for those two Emmons that were identical except for the mica.

Over on the Carter site they talk about their comparison of their guitar with and without mica. They say the difference was very slight, but the mica one sounded a little brighter. Sounds to me like the mica versus lacquer tone issue is negigible compared to all the other differences between brands in body and changer construction and pickup manufacture.

Buddy Emmons has said he came up with the mica option because he wanted something that wouldn't get cigarette burns. So, if you don't smoke, maybe you don't need the mica. Wood finish steels are sure a lot prettier.


Dana Murphy's original question in this string was about stripping the mica off and attaching the metal parts directly to the wood. That might work for some parts, but some of them might be machined to leave space for the mica layer, and might not fit properly if the mica is removed. I think maybe only a manufacturer or experienced repair person could answer that. Dana, maybe you should put that question in the subject to get their attention. Almost nothing in this string has even addressed your question.

Its all in the hands.

Its all in the hands.

How about an all-push guitar??

<SMALL>How about an all-push guitar??</SMALL>

This is the best idea to come up on the Forum in a long time. And Bill Hankey is the man who can do it.

j uhler WV what are U guys smoking ? I've graduated to washtub bass, ( starting with C chord ! )