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Topic: Carter owners - is BCT important? |
Dave O'Brien
From:
Florida and New Jersey
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Posted 9 Jan 2007 4:00 pm |
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| I recently acquired another Carter (my 5th) and although it does not have BCT (I assume- since it's a 1997) it sounds great; as good as my 2003 which has BCT. I'd like to hear what other owners think about BCT. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2007 5:53 pm
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| I have had both versions and I like my Carter without BCT just as well as the one that had it. |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 9 Jan 2007 7:56 pm
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I had a 1999 Carter D10 8/8 in 1999 with BCT and on the E9 neck , it sounded just great at that point in time...al.
_________________
Michigan (MSGC)Christmas Dinner and Jam on my 80th Birthday.
My Email.. almarcus@cmedic.net
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2007 8:48 pm
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Both my Carters were BCT, and sounded great. I also played a non-BCT Carter recently, and to me it didn't sound as good. But I've heard some pretty important people in the steel guitar world say that the Pre-BCT's can hold their own with the BCT Carters in the tone department. I can only go by my ear. After hearing both, I think that Carter acheived their goal of tone improvement with the invention of BCT. If I was looking to buy a used Carter, BCT would be a deciding factor for me.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 10 Jan 2007 3:22 am
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I don't feel the question should be based on IMPORTANCE but rather that it is a new improved changer design.
My first two Carters were NOT with BCT, they both played and sounded just fine. My current D10 is an 04 Carter with BCT and the playability ( action ) exceeds the other two, and the other two were very fine playing Steels.
I would not be afraid to aquire another Carter that did not have BCT or, another that DOES
A recording I did with my first Carter D10 offered up some comments like..."Man your Push Pull sounds great, what year is it ? "
good luck
t |
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Marc Friedland
From:
Fort Collins, CO
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Posted 10 Jan 2007 10:20 am
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I currently own 2 Carter guitars, one with BCT, one without.
To me there's only a very slight difference, and I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other, just a hair different.
The one with BCT doesn't make me want to convert my non-BCT.
-- Marc |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 10 Jan 2007 11:07 am
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| My new Carter has BCT, the old one didn't. Both great-sounding guitars! |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2007 12:47 pm
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There have been a few posts about this in the past...
I had a pre-BCT Carter I was really quite fond of, bought it used and once I set it up and tweezed it to my taste, it was a fine playing/sounding guitar.
I bought another post-BCT from a friend to help him out, and it sounded a bit more clear and present up high.
So I dropped the older one off while on tour through Texas at Carter to have them add BCT and a couple of knees.
I was really surprised at the difference- better sustain, especially up high, clearer tone, and oddly, it played, or responded better to my pciking. These were noticeable and not subtle differences on a guitar I had long played and knew very well. In fact, it played/sounded better than the one that came with factory BCT... All in all I was very impressed with the difference the new changers added.
Of course that's just my experience... |
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2007 3:48 pm
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Hey Dave,
Around 1996 I bought my first Carter D10 which didn't have BCT and it sounded great but then one day after BCT was one the market, I was at Carter and tried one of each side by side.
With BCT, what I heard was a slightly clearer more pronounced midrange with a little more sustain.
BTW-Do you still have the SD10 I traded you for the D10 Carter? I wish still had that guitar sometimes. |
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Colby Tipton
From:
Crosby, Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2007 3:58 pm
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I had a Carter pre BCT, it was a good guitar. Nothing wrong with it.
Aint goin' no futher.
Colby |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Jan 2007 6:29 am
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| I've heard good things about BCT, but my old 94 Carter sounds so good I would be afraid to change it. I think it has an exceptional sound as is. |
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Tony Smart
From:
Harlow. Essex. England
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Posted 11 Jan 2007 7:19 am
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| For those of us who are Carterless, could someone explain or show what they have done to achieve this body contact. |
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Frank Welsh
From:
Upstate New York, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2007 9:37 am
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What really got my attention with my new Carter U-12 was the surprising sustain on the lower fat wound strings at the upper fret positions.
This makes full chords in the upper reaches more musically useful. I'm assuming BCT makes some contrubution to this. |
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Dave O'Brien
From:
Florida and New Jersey
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Posted 11 Jan 2007 5:33 pm BCT
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| Hi Dick - Are you still playing that D-10. ? Somewhere along the line that S-10DB got away. I have a burgundy one now with an E-66. Thanks to all the opinions so far... |
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Ernest Cawby
From:
Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 12 Jan 2007 2:02 am Carter Guitars
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Jack Dougherty played my carter with a 112 amp Wen. at the meeting, he sounded as good on the carter as he does on his Zum with walker setup, others agreed with me on this, a great Guitar the carter is.
ernie |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2007 4:02 am
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| I have a Carter with BCT and no standard of pre-BCT comparison, but I am curious - how exactly could BCT make a guitar play better? It's just a positive, wood-contacting stop for the raises, right? Is this one of those "tone is in the gall bladder" kinds of things.... |
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John Fabian
From:
Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 12 Jan 2007 5:57 am
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| Quote: |
| how exactly could BCT make a guitar play better? |
There are 2 separate things going on here.
| Quote: |
| So I dropped the older one off while on tour through Texas at Carter to have them add BCT and a couple of knees. |
1. In general, a factory adjusted guitar will play better than a none-factory adjusted guitar.
2. Over the years we have made changes to the changer mechanism. The differences in changers (BCT requires a new changer among other things) probably contributed to the improved playability.
Players also seem to play better when they think they sound better, are more comfortable, or a host of other subjective things that affect subconscious and conscious attitudes.
_________________
John Fabian
Carter Steel Guitars
www.steelguitar.com
www.steelguitarinfo.com
www.carterstarter.com
www.magnumsteelguitars.com |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2007 1:44 pm
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| Quote: |
| Players also seem to play better when they think they sound better, are more comfortable, or a host of other subjective things that affect subconscious and conscious attitudes. |
I'll sure agree with that, and I think it factors into a lot of the discussions we have about tone, new guitars, etc.
In my case, the "BCT added" guitar seemed to have noticeably better response to pick stimulation, I mean, it was livelier, and the notes seemed to appear faster or more directly upon picking. I had been playing this guitar 3-5 hours a day on the road, and I knew what it felt like! I'm talking about just the strings and guitar, not tighter mechanics, or smoother pulls. Although- the setup on the guitar was also excellent, and in fact they made a couple of changes including leverage adjustments I hadn't asked for, but which helped playability. The folks at Carter were very nice, and very fast.
I'll also mention, that after buying the guitar used, Ann had kind of pestered me about adding BCT, and like other posters here, I was frankly quite sceptical that an already good guitar would "need" improvement, wondering whether perhaps it was a way to make a few dollars on a non-factory sale. For the record, adding BCT to that guitar was a noticeable improvement in tone, sustain, and playability, everything they said it would be as an upgrade, and definitely worth the money. |
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Dave O'Brien
From:
Florida and New Jersey
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Posted 12 Jan 2007 3:05 pm BCT
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| Hey - this thread is getting some heavy hitters now! Thank you John for your coments. Can you share with us more about the newer changers? Thanks, Dave -2003 & 1997 Carter owner |
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