The Steel Guitar Forum

How do you tell the difference between the pro and student models? I've been looking for information on this but have come up short.

Thanks,
Christopher

The student model does not have a raised neck.

My first steel was an Emmons student model and it was a great steel to start playin' on. It was built in 1974 and it had three pedals and one knee.

Brett

I recently bought a Emmons Student S10 with some mods. It has 4 knee levers and a raised aluminum neck. It's the only one I've seen (from searching the web) in this color.

Thanks for the info gentlemen. Did Emmons make a p/p SD-10? I see a lot of S-10's but haven't seen an SD.

Most of the SD-10s started out as a D-10.

The p/p SD10 model was called "The Loafer"... I had one in '76, and of course, should have never sold it....

Christopher Wray wrote:Thanks for the info gentlemen. Did Emmons make a p/p SD-10? I see a lot of S-10's but haven't seen an SD.

Mine even has a detachable loafer pad.

James: what does the switch do. I see a switch in-place of the tone control on your guitar.

Frank Montmarquet wrote:James: what does the switch do. I see a switch in-place of the tone control on your guitar.

Ah! that's the TURBO switch.

OR

Nah, it's not a switch, but a knobless split-shaft pot.

Another identifying item is the pedal board. It was made of particle board and bolted to the legs. The legs were not adjustable and had no position clamps like the standard steels did. al

Al Szwarc wrote:Another identifying item is the pedal board. It was made of particle board and bolted to the legs. The legs were not adjustable and had no position clamps like the standard steels did. al

I think mine qualifies as an "in between" as I have four adjustable legs and metal edging on the pedal board. Someone decided to take this one to the next level instead of just buying a pro model.

There are some Emmons experts here. I'm not one of them and I don't know much but I can tell you some of the basic things I have found.

The student model has no neck at all. The fretboard is flat on top of the guitar. The end plates are flush, do not wrap around the ends of the guitar. Most I've seen have something that looks a pickguard around the pickup and the vol./tone control knobs. Came with 3 pedals and 1 knee. Do a search here for Emmons student model and you'll find a few pics of them.

Another model that is designated SS. I have one S-8 eight string model. Has about 1/4" raised wooden neck, polished al. wraparound endplates, tone control only w/a defeat switch, mica over wooden pedal board. Had 3 pedals and 1 knee, but the body is worked, bushed etc. for 6 pedals. Student changer. This one has a better keyhead with deluxe Klusons. I guess this is a step up or possibly "economy model". This picture is from the ad from which I acquired it.

Picture file
Picture file
Picture filePicture filePicture filePicture file

Here is an old thread with a link to a similar guitar called a Black Rock. You can read the specs on the sheet there. http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... black+rock

Full professional models have full height necks, either alum. or wood, have similar but longer changer fingers, polished pedal bars, molding on the cabinet front, all legs adjustabale, etc. Far as I know, all of these models were p/p pre all pull LeGrande era. A search here for say, Emmons D10 P/P should turn up a bunch of pics.

Stay tuned for the experts' better and more defined descriptions.

Jerry, I know also know very little about Emmons guitars. But here's a student model without full endplates, and it has the thin black neck?

Donny Hinson wrote:Jerry, I know also know very little about Emmons guitars. But here's a student model without full endplates, and it has the thin black neck?

The guitar pictured above is of one that I just recently restored and then sold to a local friend of mine. I added the black lacquered maple plank under the fret board to raise it up to a similar height below the strings of a pro model. I also added adjustable legs, as the originals were fixed.





Most of the GS-10 Student Model guitars only came with one knee lever. During the restoration, I upgraded mine with four new OEM levers.

Most of the GS-10 under carriage is the same as the Pro Model, with the exception of the changer (with much shorter fingers). The changer pillars are mounted directly on top of the cabinet and you'll notice that the key head rollers are also much lower than those of a Pro Model. To compensate for the reduced leverage of the short fingers, the dowel pins for the pedal rods are located about a half inch closer to the axel. Nothing was done to the knee levers to compensate, so the lever action is just a tad stiffer than a Pro Model.



BTW; The wood pedal board on the GS-10 is not "particle board", like someone else stated.

Al Szwarc wrote:Another identifying item is the pedal board. It was made of particle board and bolted to the legs.

Not on all of 'em. This one's hardwood:

Is the pickup different on the student models?

Steven Paris wrote:Is the pickup different on the student models?

Yup.

So, pray tell, what EXACTLY is the difference between the pickups??
BTW, NICE Sunburst color on your GS-10!!

Steven Paris wrote:So, pray tell, what EXACTLY is the difference between the pickups??

About 2.3K

Steven Paris wrote:So, pray tell, what EXACTLY is the difference between the pickups??
BTW, NICE Sunburst color on your GS-10!!

Steven,

The biggest difference is the height and the mounting arrangement, as compared to a standard Emmons wide mount SC pickup. The number of windings are limited to around 13K - 14K because of the height. I've had a couple of them rewound that were only wound to about 11K by the factory.

Lynn Stafford wrote: I've had a couple of them rewound that were only wound to about 11K by the factory.

What differences did that make to the sound of the guitar?

Like Lynn said, the student model pickups are not as "tall" as the pro model pickups because they have fewer windings. I had one that was wound to about 11K. It sounded really good, like a push/pull should.

Most of the info mentioned in this thread is correct with the exception of the particle-board pedal rack. I have owned many student models and have never seen one with particle- board.

I still think student models sound GREAT as compared to their big brothers. Granted, I play the "pro" models, but when I do sit down to a well-adjusted student model I always am wowed by the tone.

Their biggest problem is that they're somewhat wobbly due to the legs and how those connect to the pedal bar. But there are simple, easy fixes for that ranging from rubber washers to, more expensively, replacing the original legs with "pro" ones.

Sold a white student model a while ago. Most are rosewood. It was pretty cool.