The Steel Guitar Forum

Here is my new EXCEL that Mitsuo Fujii, EXCEL, is building for me.
Bill Stafford

bill: that makes me want to make a trip to gulfport. great looking guitar....thanks jack

U13? Neat!

Nope, 14, I had to send the large E, 14th string, to Mitsuo. Pretty sharp eyes..
Jack, come on over. Your welcome mat account has no expiration date.
Mitsuo will probable bring this new on to St. Louis so it will be availabe for all to look at.....
Bill STafford

Beauty and engineering marry!

Very sweet!

Fascinating Mr Bill...looks like the integrated tuner/changer, and little or no taper to the neck...I vote for that! What is the scale length?

Bill what PU's are you getting and what is the string spacing on your new steel?.BTW, great looking guitar..great changer design..if I get a 12 stringer it will be a Excel

That's awesome! Looks great, and I'm sure it'll sound great too.

I'd love to see the setup chart, if you've got it.

I'm always fascinated by Mitsuo's designs, and this one looks a bit different. You've got a different changer than on the integrated tuner/changer Superbs I've seen before...what's the difference? Are the top hex nuts for the open strings, and the screws below for splits? Why are there 3 sets of holes for the return springs?

Hi Brad, thanks for the interest in my new EXCEL. Point of interest: Scotty's Music, St. Louis, Mo. is the USA dealer.
The pickup is made by EXCEL. My first EXCEL incorporated a Bill Lawrence pickup. The one I am using now has an EXCEL pickup. I could never fault the Lawrence pu.
The steel I am using now is five years old and the EXCEL pickup is just great in all the ranges that is required. EXCEL has a newer model pickup now. A friend of mine here on Mississippi coast brought his new EXCEL over for me to see and hear and play. In A/B comparison, the new pickup on his steel outperformed mine and the Lawrence in all ranges, clarity and full chord vamps. I could "hear the windings" on the wound strings and was completely amazed with the EXCEL pu. And I have always been completely satisfied with my five year old pu. Can't hardly wait to receive the new steel with this newer model pickup.
So Glad to see this interest in EXCEL. Mitsuo Fujii is a first class world class Gentleman and his instruments are second to none. You can go to Charles Tilley's site here on the forum -Steels Heard Around the World- and hear two of my songs from some of my cd projects on my present EXCEL. Judge the tone of the pickup for yourself. I use a Session 500 and a Nashville 112.(Recorded in Nashville at Breeden's Studio).
Bill Stafford

Ryan, thanks for you interest. EXCEL has a changer that is unlike any on the market. More capability with very positive and precise action.
The changer capability has a five raise and five lower status. The three you see at the bottom are lower configuration. There are two more at the top of the five you see in the center. The top two are lowers also. A well thought out system by Mitsuo Fujii. Don Curtis at Scotty's Music can give you additional information. I am very well pleased with the accuracy and trouble free status of this changer. After playing this steel for a little over five years, the changer tuning rods do not require hardly any adjustments after you set it to your likings.
The scale length of my unit is 25 1/2" and the overall string length is shorter than on the steels with the standard 24 1/4" scale. With the longer scale, the string tension is tighter and gives the strings a cleaner vibration sound for our ears to enjoy.
Bill Stafford

Thanks for the reply Bill, I remember Gulfport from my days at Keesler Air Force Base back in the 50's when I went to radar school.
Good luck with the new Steel..

Hi Brad, bet my father in Law, George Trammell taught you radar there.
String spacing, as close as I can measure with these ole eyes is about 7/16. I have had the EXCEL company make the spacing of the last four strings just a little wider due to the thickness and the amount of strings in the lower end. My 14th string, E, is 120. And it is not used in competition with a bass player. Guess I was a frustrated cello player or something and just love that lower register especially when playing single string melodies there.
Take care, and come down and visit too. Lots of unused welcome accounts here. Send me email at SChiefsan@aol.com and I will send you a cut from my latest cd session with the best session players there in Nashville. Bill Stafford

Ed, thanks for the interest in this one. Should be the best ever for me.
Scale length is 25 1/2".
Hopefully, my next one in a few years will be stretched to 26".
Bill Stafford

Here is a picture of the undercarriage at an early stage
Bill Stafford

String spacing, as close as I can measure with these ole eyes is about 7/16.

Bill, Wow! that is some wide string spacing...my Mullen is 11/32 and my Williams is 10/32. Best I can remember about radar school was that it was broken up in 3 sets of six weeks and 3 sets of four weeks for a total of 30 weeks..each set had a different teacher. The 3 sets of six weeks consisted of electrical fundamentals and the 3 sets of four weeks consisted of actual equiptment training.

Excel builds a great guitar. I've seen Roy Ayer's steel at a couple of our club jams.

I too was at Keesler in 1955 (radio operator school) and two tours as Instructor. Got my start playing in bands there in 1959 at the "Swamp Room" (later called the Peppermint Lounge) and Sy's Place, Rocket Club and others. Did my first recording session at Carpenter's Music with Pee Wee Maddox as the recording engineer.

Brad, my old ruler was a little off. It is closer to 5/16. Sorry about that, but I have never concerned myself with the spacing. Just tried to play what ever I had. lol
Jack, sure do remember all those clubs too. Played at Sies with Jim Owen and Pee Wee Maddux was the fiddle player. Those were the good ole days. Knew Prof Carpenter well also. The Prof and Pee Wee carried a dear childhood friend, Jimmy Donley, to Nashville and got him a contract with RCA. Jimmy would have been really big, except for his early demise just as his star was lighting up. That was before Presley showed up. Then we played at the Airman's Club at Keesler AFB in Biloxi on Wednesdays and Presley was in our little band when he visited here on the coast. Lots of good memories there.
Thanks, Jack for your comments. Hope Roy Ayers is doing good.
Bill Stafford

Jack and Bill, Now you guys did it..you brought back old memories. I was at Keesler from Nov of 55 to Oct of 56. You guys memtioned Sy's Place. At Sy's place I met a Steel player named Ernie Harvey..he lived right in back of the club. Ernie Played for Pee Wee Maddux and Jim Owen at Sy's place and from time to time they played on the radio and also at the Airmans club on Keesler AFB. I took a few steel lessons from Earnie Harvey..he was a great C6th player. As I remember, Pee Wee Maddux also was a DJ on a radio station in the area. Bill, in Nov or Dec of 55 Elvis and Scotty played at the Airmens Club on the base...shortly after that the Airmens club burned down and they put it in another building. We also had Little Jimmy Dickens and Buddy Emmons at the AFB club in 1956. There also was a local girl singer from the area, can't remember her name, but she was very good. I even had an old record recorded by Jim Owen called "The Sy Simon Shuffle". There was another Steel Player that played a Rickenbacker Steel at the club but I never got to know him...great memories

Brad, that was my Rickenbacker. The little girl's name was Martha Ann Barhonovich and she recorded under the name of Ann Raye. She now has a hamburger joint on Howard Avenue. Her dad, Yankee Barhonovich was mostly responsible for bringing Elvis down here and Ann sang with us at those places also. Yankee and Prof. Carpenter were the two main guys with the bucks etc.
Ernie Harvey was a great steel player. He has since passed away. Ernie played with Lefty F. in those days too.
Jim Owen was the disc jockey on WVMI there in Biloxi.
Pee Wee Maddox had a small recording studio in Long Beach, Ms.
During that time I also played with the Smith Brothers at the Texas Club which was behind Sie's place. Played there with The Lazy River Boys also. That band was run by Paul Giadrosich. He referred to himself on the flyers and posters as "Paul Grass & The Lazy River Boys". Pee Wee played with us there too Pee Wee wrote some great songs. Kitty Wells sang his "Searching" and he had another big seller with "Wishing Ring". The lady who sang that one was a very popular pop singer. Something like Joni James ????
Good ole days.
Bill STafford

Bill, Even though I never met you I had a feeling that you were the one playing that Rickenbacker..that's is why I mentioned it..you were into Jerry BYRDS style back then..your tone was great. Ann Raye was the name I was trying to think of..she was a great singer and also a very good looking girl..everybody loved her. Glad you knew Ernie Harvey..we drilled holes in my Fender keyhead and got a board with a gas pedal, connected rods between the pedal and the G# and B strings to make that E to A change..what a terrible, sloppy job but that sound was so great people would do anything to get it. Funny that you would mention the Texas Club, the one behind Sie's place. I met a steel player there that sang and played steel at the same time..he was also a manager of the place...this guy really had a lot of talent..he mentioned that managing the place took away from his music time but he was still a great talent...knowing and talking to guys like Ernie Harvery really gave me an insight and love of the place. Me and two other Airmen use to play every Saturday night at the Gulf Hill Dude ranch..just over the bridge from Biloxi...I think we got $10 each..great side money for Airmen in those days.

One other comment about Biloxi. There was a guy there that did a Johnny Cash act. Don't remember his name but he got us on the Jimmy Swan Saturday afternoon shows in Hattiesburg.

Here is the only picture I have left of "Al Lee Foster and The Tunedusters" the band I was in. I'm the one with the Gretsch on the left side of the picture. That was taken at a 1959 Christmas dance and I think it was at the NCO club on base.

Brad, I was home then from 1953 to '57. Went back to Ms. State for a year and the navy called me back with a good offer so I went back in the navy in '57. Those days had good memories. I had drilled two holes in that D-8 Rickenbacker, straightened out two coat hangers and bent a small crook on the ends that slipped over those strings. Slipped the coat hanger wires through the body and attached screen door turnbuckles to the bottom end and then attached that to a 1953 Studebaker gas pedal. The pedal was mounted on a piece of plywood with two holes not quite through the wood. This is what held the pedal board in place when I placed the steel legs on that board. Pushed the pedal down to the floor(board) and adjusted the turnbuckles to get that two string change. Worked fine and had no cabinet drop.
Yes, Jerry Byrd was my idol then and still is. To have later received the "Jerry Byrd Lifetime Achievement Award" from the ISGC was my biggest thrill, and I am still amazed with that.
There was a steel player there in Biloxi that was almost as good as Jerry. His name was Glenn Manual.
Another steel player in those days was Lowell Fountain. His idol was Speedy West. Lowell was a great player too.
Don't know if you remember the Ham Bone Club there in Handsboro on the Pass Road and CourtHouse Rd. Was playing there with Jim Owen, Bobby Summerlin, Dan Seal, Jack Brown and Jack Youngblood on fiddle. The Bill Monroe tent show came to town. Everly brothers were just starting to be heard of and they were the "warm up" group for the main show. After they had their show, they all came out to the Ham Bone club as Jim Owen had interviewed them during the day on his radio program.Bill Monroe heard Jack Youngblood and Jack was on the bus when they left town the next morning. So you guys have brought back a lot of good memories.
Fred Rose in Nashville would call Bobby Summerlin to come to Nashville and play his guitar and work there. Bobby was a died in the wool Biloxi fishing family and would not leave. Bobby was an awesome guitarist. "Jangles" Rheinhart was his idol. Bobby could play songs like "Tico Tico" and every one in the club audience would crowd around the band stand to watch him play close up. He had one of the first Ray Butts amplifiers with that tape circle in the bottom and could out do Les Paul any day and night of the week. Bobby was killed in a car wreck with Lowell Fountain on the beach road-Highway 90. Lowell was a nephew of Pete Fountain. We all played music with them when the Fountains had their family reunions in Biloxi. Thanks for the memories.
Bill Stafford

That really looks BEAUTIFUL Bill. I hope
you get delivery soon and have many years
of enjoyed playing.

As a matter of interest with the wide variance
in string guages from 1 ---14 is Mitsuo able
to keep the strings level or close to levelat the nut?

Thanks for posting.

Roy

Hi Roy,sure good to see you here.
Yes, no problem. Strings are all level across the nut.
Bill Stafford

Bill
I saw and heard you play the steel you have now lat year at scotty's show.
I was amzed when you showed me what you wer ablre to get out of that steel.
I'm sure the new one will even be better.
May you enjoy it and sound as sweet.
Don