The Steel Guitar Forum

Nothing wrong the CARTER products. There affordable, easy to work on and are readily available. This is what I invest my money in is music equipment. Mainly steel guitars. I can remember the time I couldn't afford guitars. So, I played what I had for years. It's a personal thing. Different colors, set ups, brands, etc. Every builder that I know of today is building a fine guitar.

I just had a second Carter built built, great guitars! I talked to John Fabian a couple days ago, he said it should ship to me next week sometime. I am anxious to get it!

My first was a D-10 8 x 5, this one is an SD-10 5 x 5 with premium edged neck, polished pedals and levers, and an XR-16 pickup. Black Mica again, of course.

I would have kept the D-10 but needed the cheese for a motorcycle project. I like the idea of a loafer better anyway.

What little C6 I play I do on my S-8 SuperSlide, another fine TX horn.

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John Drury
NTSGA #3

Dick Wood,
How do like your new Williams?

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Williams S-12,Nashville-112,Peavey Pro-Fex II,5 guitars and a banjo

Delvin, Buying a guitar in this price range without getting to try it out is a huge leap of faith for me.I had never seen anyone playing a Williams in the D/FW area or at the Steel guitar shows for that matter but I liked Bills crossover concept.

After almost two months, the guitar arrived without a scratch and I was extremely pleased to say the least.

Bill's workmanship both wood and metal are outstanding.The guitar is a natural birdseye finish with rope inlay.Everything is highly polished including the pedals and the lacquer finish has a very high luster. I went with Metal necks instead of wood,BL710 pickup's and grover tuners. He also uses gauaged rollers as standard on his guitars.

His changer is unique in that it makes changing strings easy and the balls don't fall into the changer if a string should break.Sustain is fantastic and harmonics absolutely jump out.

I didn't know quite what to think of the crossover system at first.It takes a little bit to get used to.Best way I can describe the action is that while it is smooth, it feels slightly non-direct but after playing it a few weeks now,I don't have any problems.It holds tuning very well with only minor adjustments like any other guitar I've owned.

Bill Rudolph is a pleasure deal with. He answers the phone quickly and responds to e-mails without delay.

When I get my camera fixed I will post some pics.



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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

I would love to have one of every steel that was ever made. So anyone having an old one you need to discard, I promise to give it a very good home, I promise to love and cherish it.I will keep decent strings on it at all times and will help it go into retirement in grand fashion.I will visit and love it daily. thanks, Doyle's home for unloved and unwanted steel guitars.

Oh yeah, I forgot, I promise to never post anything negative about any of these guitars that might bring financial distress to the manufactors of these great guitars who are probably all feeling the stress of todays competitive market.Should I find one I prefer over another I will purchase a new one of that brand without defacing the value of another.

Buying or selling a steel has nothing to do with the instrument itself. It is just a man thing. You just have to try or have something new once in a while. It's hard to explain. Ask a women.

Kinda like what Ronnie Green said. Especially the women part. Plus the financial aspect.

I just took delivery of my second Carter yesterday. It is an SD-10 that replaced a double ten Carter that they built for me a couple years ago. If money were no object, the D-10 would still be with me. It is difficult to collect pedal steels on a motorcycle salesmans pay.

I spent a few hours on it last night, it played flawlessly right out of the box after slightly adjusting a couple of levers to suit me. It is also cosmetically perfect.

The Carters IMHO are some of the finest pedal steel guitars ever built.

Think about it, if you add up all the MSA's, MCI's, the Waco guitars, the Carters, Magnums, and Carter Starters, what builder in the entire world has more experience building pedal steels than Bud Carter?

Some of the finest tone ever was achieved on Carters by guys like Junior, T.W., Wayne Dahl, on and on......

The tone thing is something that no two players will ever entirely agree on, but mechanically, and aesthecically, the Carter guitars have few equals as far as I am concerned.

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John Drury
NTSGA #3


<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by John Drury on 07 July 2006 at 06:35 PM.]</p></FONT>

Wowwww, so much replies in such a short time. I want to thank you all for your opinions. For the most positive and also the less negative.
I didn´t want to annoy someone with my question, Tony.
It only interested me, nothing more. Of course can everyone buy and sell what and why he wants.
I like most of your opinons and they help me a lot. Sure, I know that everyone has a different taste, what a steel has to be for him or her. Me too.........
The problem for us europeans is, that we can´t try a steel before buying one. Therefore I find this forum a very helpfull institution.
Some things I did not understand, because my english is not sooooo good.
What does, for example, "G.A.S." mean ???

I wish you all a nice time and keep on pickin´ the steel and let´s live this forum forever.

Warmest regards.......

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

GAS means Gear Aquisition Syndrome, which ironically describes the need to buy more instruments and such as a desease, so there's always a quick excuse at hand.

BTW, I live in Berlin as well. Did we ever run into each other? I can't remember...

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martin abend Pedal-Steel in Germany
s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 | GiMa squareneck

I wish I had not sold my last Carter. It was sweet and smooth! Only keyed guitar that I will buy.

Sometimes people sell something
that they really think is good,
because IT will fetch the most,
towards something else,
from another catagory.

John,

"Think about it, if you add up all the MSA's, MCI's, the Waco guitars, the Carters, and Magnums, and Carter Starters, who in the entire world has more experience building pedal steels than any other guitar builder than Bud Carter?"

I agree 100per cent!!

Yes, I didn´t think too, that I ever won´t sell my Carter. But nevertheless I´d like to try another steel from time to time. That´s what G.A.S. means; right Martin ?!?! Thank´s, Martin, for your explanation. You´ve mail!

Happy weekend for all of you.

Regards......

Thomas

Thomas,
Being a Lefty I know all too well what you mean about not being able to try a guitar out brfore buying.
Lefty

I like b0b's answer ....I sold a lot of steels that I really liked , to buy other steels that I thought I might like even more .....Some I did, some I didn't ...... After trying a BUNCH of pedal steels , I can now say that I am happy with the one I really wanted , and I bought it new to my specs... I'm sure that if I owned a Carter 6 mos ago , I would have sold IT too .....Heck I sold a Zum , a GFI , a P/P , a .....etc .....The list goes on .....Variety is the spice of life !!...... ........Jim

What happens when you go full circle and buy the guitar you started with?

<SMALL>What happens when you go full circle and buy the guitar you started with?</SMALL>

You will have then come to the beginning of understanding

Welcome! Enter in!

Everyone knows that i'm a Sho~Bud man ----So i better keep my mouth shut on this one !!!!! G.P.

.......of course it's a personal opinion from someone who has owned and played both, but a "dialed-in" Carter with the appropriate pickups is a "sound-alike" to a Shobud without the maintenance!

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<img height=100 width=70 src=http://genejones.bizland.com/Scan10095.jpg>
www.genejones.com

Gene i'm glad you said a ''Personal Opinion '' . Opinions are all everyone puts on the forum . I have also owned other makes of steel guitars and the Sho~Buds have the best feel and for me very little maintenance . Then again this is only ''my opinion '' . G.P. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gary Preston on 04 September 2006 at 10:35 AM.]</p></FONT>

<SMALL>"dialed-in" Carter with the appropriate pickups is a "sound-alike" to a Shobud without the maintenance!</SMALL>

Good description, Gene. My personal opinion is that Carter is the best overall steel being made today. Great sound, and very, very little (if any) maintenance.

I just may have to give them a call.

Women NEVER sell anything!!! They just keep buying stuff until there's no room left in the house. Then they want to buy a bigger house....

Thomas,

The question I have is what do YOU mean when you say 'will be better?" Suppose you are playing fills and riffs in a smoke-filled dance hall: does the audience appreciate good, better, best as far as the instrument is concerned? I doubt it. Does a Fessie sound better than a Carter? If it does is that because at $4000-6000 (my Carter SD-10 cost $2200) you know it is "supposed" to sound better? Ever see a guy order premium liquor and then drown it in a variety of fruit and soda mixers? My point is this: in my humble 64 years I have observed people buying what the professionals buy, what the critics rated as best, or simply what sounded or worked best for them. So, you going to sip your music straight, like B.J. Cole playing Satie on his Kline in front of a long-hair audience, or are you are you going to chip paint off the ceiling like Robert Randolph playing before a screaming mob? Me? I buy up to that point beyond which my eye or ear does not notice or appreciate any difference. Finally, I dare say once you get to the $2000 range, all models are mechanically sound and the differences beyond that are slight and a matter of taste. Do a search here on what pickup to get and you will see what I mean. (Mine's a GL E-on if it matters)

<SMALL>. . . why is it important to know why folks are selling a specific brand ? It has always puzzled me.</SMALL>

Why is it important to stifle discussions of steel guitars on The Steel Guitar Forum? That has always puzzled me.