The Steel Guitar Forum

From pictures of the underside, it appears the cross shafts (that the bell-cranks are mounted on) are mounted directly into the wood sides...I'm assuming with an end bushing.
Most pedal steels have their cross-shafts mounted into a metal side frame for stability. The constant stress on the wood, when the pedals are engaged, might cause wear/sagging of the wood.

John, I was playing a concert not far from where this new guitar lives and Greg (the owner) bought it down to me at the venue ...so I popped it in behind my D10 Hybrid, and plugged it into my Telonics amp.... straight out of the case it was pretty much spot on in tune, just needed a quick tweak, and I have to tell you that the tone was outstanding, it sounded just like almost any other Pro model Zum I have owned/played so I was pretty impressed with it, and the action was very much like a Pro Zum .. the polished end plates make it look great too - although I am unsure whether this is a new available feature, or Greg got lucky when he ordered it. Practically no cabinet drop measureable on my Petersen tuner.

Also very light in the case so it's easy to see why they are popular with guys as a flying guitar - without giving up anything that a Pro guitar has.

Tom - both the Encore and the Stage One have a Metal mounting strip right across the complete length of the front apron for mounting the crossrods - so thats not a likely problem.

Thanks for the details, Tom and Paddy!

Paddy,

There doesn't appear to be a metal strip for the mounting of the cross shafts. The picture below is of the underside of the Encore. The shafts are mounted directly into the wood apron.

Must be an old one then --- have a look on Doug's website
http://www.stageonesteelguitars.com/

#63 does not have the aluminum rail-metal strip- listed on the website. I'm not sure where that serial # fits in the overall output.

The polished endplate guitar is a prototype. It will be a long time before they go into production, if ever.

The metal rail is listed on the Stage One page. Encores do not have or need the metal rail.

Sorry for any confusion.

Ok I was mistaken hehe ... Greg sent me some more pics of the undercarriage of his guitar and sure enough it doesn't have the rail ...
It certainly didn't have any cabinet drop, and was very stable in tuning - and sounded fabulous ... Here is a pic of me giving it a test run, after a sound check for a show I was doing ... you can see I had something fairly good to compare it too :-}

This is a very beautiful set on the Encore and certainly adds a nice sparkle to this wonderful instrument. JAMES TAYLOR

Received my Zum Encore last week and I'm blown away by how well it sounds and plays. Worth every penny.

Just popping in to say how much I've loved and used my Encore since receiving it several months ago... it's been all over the country with me and hasn't missed a beat, stages big and small.

Also Doug - if you ever would consider selling the aluminum endplates as an upgrade to existing Encores, I'd be interested. Sure love the look of that polished aluminum...

Yes these guitars are a blessing and it is my "Best Friend ." My one has given me" A Reason For Living. " I am certainly glad I bought it when I did since the UK £ against the USA $ has gone down; therefore making it much more expensive to buy from USA. Although these guitars are so cheep. JAMES TAYLOR

Could the polished end plates be offered as an option???
Appearance wise it makes the Encore look "head-over-heels" ahead of its "Colorado" produced competitor!

Appearances DO matter. It's a major factor in the decision making process.

Tom Campbell wrote:Could the polished end plates be offered as an option???
Appearance wise it makes the Encore look "head-over-heels" ahead of its "Colorado" produced competitor!

Appearances DO matter. It's a major factor in the decision making process.

I bought a blue Zum with the black end plates. I love the way thing looks and I think the black end plates compliments the blue. I wouldn't let the lack of shiny end plates hold me back from purchasing an incredible pedal steel.

Polished endplates and upgraded polished pedal racks may very well become an option but isn't going to be soon.
It's a lot more complicated than polishing the endplates I use now, they are cast and won't polish nicely. It's going to be a considerable upcharge when it does happen.

Shiny costs a lot of money no matter what you put it on.

My operation is going to go through a bit of an overhaul very soon and I don't need any more new projects.

Completely understand that rational Doug, and I know you're extremely busy at the shop with existing orders. I love my Encore as is, but if you ever do end up with a pair of polished endplates for sale, do let me know as I love the look of them!

Thanks again for building these guitars and providing such excellent support to your customers!

Ben I agree with your statement. I would probably never have had one if these instruments were not so cheep, but as I have said the £ is running very badly against the $ now ; which makes buying from the USA more expensive.

However, thanks for a good guitar Doug and all the support too , it makes an old man very happy and so contented.

SLANGE , JAMES TAYLOR SCOTLAND

Doug,Beautiful guitars!

Doug Earnest wrote:Polished endplates and upgraded polished pedal racks may very well become an option but isn't going to be soon.
It's a lot more complicated than polishing the endplates I use now, they are cast and won't polish nicely. It's going to be a considerable upcharge when it does happen.

That all makes alot of sense.

I'm curious about a semi-shiny finish for the endplates though. Would the material they are made out of take a "brushed" finish well? If so, it seems like the kind of thing and auto shop or furniture place could do.

I am loath to mess with my near-perfect Encore, but what would be involved in taking them off and having them brushed-up?

As an asside, I can report that that I'm still loving mine and every two weeks my teacher makes some small comment to the effect that maybe it's time to sell his old Sho-bud and buy one of these instead. It's just so ridiculously stable, good sounding and lightweight.

This may speak volumes about a possible flaw in my right-hand positioning but I just added the optional pad to my Encore.

Mine is #008 and, at the time I ordered it, I thought I'd be okay without the pad. Well, I was, but I thought again only a couple of months ago and Doug sent me the parts. Now I love the guitar even more.

The only upgrade I've wished for with my Encore is a flight case option from the factory, keeping the total weight under 50lbs. I really appreciate the focus on a smooth operating machine vs a shiny one, and I still don't get how something this good and USA made is so cheap. Kudos Doug.

In a perfect world the only change I'd like on my Encore would be the pedal-bar attachment - I wish it had those slide-across tabs like my Emmons (and my Carter, come to think of it).

The Encore has a screw running through the leg and the p/b and I've lost count of the times I've fumbled as I tried to get the nut on the thread - if you drop one in a darkened backstage area you're in trouble!

How should I refer to this part of a steel guitar? Any ideas?

I wouldn't change a thing. 100% satisfied.


I was watching the Cubs last night and working on take me out to the ball game. The changes on this steel are so smooth. And the sound? Forget about it, tone to the bone!

I hope to be getting an Encore soon. I have a D10 that Bruce built and also have StageOne...they are both terrific guitars and I am sure the Encore will be great as well.