The Steel Guitar Forum

I want to get a psg to learn on. I want to know if i would be better off getting a new Stageone or i have seen a Sierra Artist 3 pedal 4 knee lever on craigslist for $950.00. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The new Stage One by a long shot !

Stage One for sure, Doug ia a great guy, and builds a great guitar at a fair price. L.B.

I'll go against the grain and recommend the Sierra. The Artist was marketed as a entry pro level guitar of the Sierra line. They are all aluminum, pretty light and come with a great SKB style case. I've set up a few and they play well when properly set up and sound good most of all.

I'm a newbie here and to PSG. I'm about to turn 40 and I decided to try and learn. Maybe I'm crazy. I've been a bluegrasser, playing guitar, mandolin and banjo since I was about 15 and toying around with Teles and Strats off and on since. I did a lot of looking and reading and decided to go with the Stage One. I got it from Doug last month. I took the liberty to give it a wee bit of cosmetic customization.

I'll offer this if only to confuse: Since I own both a Zumsteel and a Sierra, you can't go wrong with either choice. I've had the Zum for about 18 years and I thought it couldn't be any better. I bought the Sierra last year and I have to say now it's a dead heat. True, neither is one of the models you're considering so I may be wrong. I'll just say that both builders are meticulous and the sound of either won't disappoint. If the Sierra Artist is lighter than other models, that's a big plus. My Sierra Olympic is rather heavy--about 14 lbs. more than the Zum. It's over 30 years old but built like a Mercedes and sounds wonderful. The quality and sound of the Zumsteel is well-known. My advice: flip a coin. You can't lose.

Well done Mr. Higgins! I have a red Stage-One on order, but I tell you, if I open the case and see that finish, I will not be the least bit dissappointed. Really nice.

Hard to beat a Sierra Artist 3+4 for $950. They are very versatile guitars. I think of them as the forerunner of the ETS, today's light weight aluminum guitar. I'm disappointed that the Artist is no longer in production. I played one on loan for about a week and was very impressed.

I just got my Stage One last week and I love it! I would highly recommend it. Doug is great to work with!

Thanks for the endorsements.
I never played an Artist, but I did have a Sierra Universal for some time. The Artist seemed like a very smart way to build a reasonably priced guitar to me but as I say I don't know what the actual result was. I seem to recall they were about $1200 from Musicians Friend with maybe 3 levers?

I remember liking the Sierra artist a lot, (and wishing they would make a 12 string version.)

One advantage of the Stage One is that parts are available, should you need them. You can have Sierra parts made if necessary, but I don't think they are being produced.

Question: Can the copedant on either guitar be changed, or are they fixed like the Carter Starter?

In my opinion, fixed copedants are not good, and if either guitar has one, I'd say get the other.

I don't know about the Stage One, but the Artist is a typical all-pull changer, not unlike the ETS. It has a triple raise, triple lower changer.




If I were changing the copedent, I think that Williams bell cranks would probably work better on those crossrods than the stock ones.

Another vote for stage one !

Apples and oranges.

The Sierra Artist is actually a pro guitar. I've had one and it was excellent. Just look at the changer, and the way it is mounted.

Sorry, the Stage One just exited stage left.

So, does the Stage one (or upcoming stage 2) have a fixed copedant?

Will the stage 2 have a half stop for the 2nd string? Can one be installed on the Stage 1? And does the Sierra have one?

good point. my stage one didn't have a half stop on the 2nd string. neither does my jackson. i tuned them both to lower 1/2 tone only but i do miss the half stop. in hindsight i think the half stop is a good option but not 100% necessary, especially for learning. I loved my stage one because it was super reliable and stayed in tune and i knew if i ever had a question i could email Doug and he would get right back to me. Same with my new Jackson s-10. no bells and whistles but super reliable and trouble free, with builders just a quick phone call or email away.

Karen, does your Stage one have a fixed copedant?

I no longer own my stage one, but i'm pretty sure it did. it was an earlier model as well, still had the zum logo on it. it was a great guitar for learning tho, really great, i am happy that i chose to learn on that guitar as opposed to some of the other guitars friends have tried to learn on.

I haven't played a Stage One, I hear they are pretty good. I owned a Sierra Artist, 3X4, for several years. It was stable, dependable, stayed in tune, and very accurate. I would still own it if I hadn't decided to go with a D-10. My ONLY complaint was a lack of a tone control. I made an outboard tone module, and that tamed the highs as I wanted. It went into tune and stayed there. I wasn't a big fan of the GeorgeL's pickup, it was too bright in that all metal guitar. The tone control tamed it. Otherwise, it was a very precise instrument. I'm very glad I owned it. If I could have afforded the D-10 without selling my Artist I would have been very happy to keep it. You would have no troubles with learning on an Artist, it was a very well built, versatile instrument with rock-solid stops and a quiet mechanism.

Before I started playin' steel, I rented a Sierra Artist just to experiment with a steel guitar. I didn't have a bar at the time, so I just used picks and pedals, and the steel actually had a great sound. The steel was brown, and I believe it had three pedals and maybe one knee. But, I was excited to finally sit down behind my favorite instrument, the pedal steel. Not sure what year the guitar was built, but it looked amazing!

I received my StageOne 2 yrs ago this month already . I like the fixed copedent , LOVE the sound & playability ...... HAPPY that I bought a new guitar & not an older basketcase....{or one that would've been a basketcase if I'd started messin under the hood} . Altho , there are plenty of great pre-owned that I would've loved to have owned myself .

StageOne definitely worth buying ..... anytime !

William,
I love my Artist, but my Shobud refurb is almost done and wife says Artist must go. It's an SD conversion with added 5th vertical knee lever and tunable pull rod splits. I'd let it go for $1200. Ron

Bob Vantine wrote: I like the fixed copedent ...would've been a basketcase if I'd started messin under the hood}

In my opinion, fixed copedants are a bad idea. Sooner or later everybody has ideas about changes they want, or perhaps putting the E raise and/or lower changes on different knee levers.

Over the years I've experimented with all sorts of different changes and configurations. Even now, I'm contemplating changing one of my knee levers.

I believe (perhaps mistakenly,) that the fixed copedant is an economy measure, whose purpose is to keep the cost down. It's not an advantage to the player.

Likewise, trying to work on the undercarriage if you don't know what you're doing is also a bad idea. My steels would also be basket cases if I tried to work on them. So when I want or need something done, I take my steels to Jim Palenscar.

In summery, You want to have a guitar on which the copedant can be changes, and you want a qualified steel mechanic to do it when the occasion arises.

I appreciate everyone help. I talked to Doug yesterday and decided to buy a stage one. If i outgrow the stage one, I know it will hold it value and Doug just seems like a super nice guy and i would like to support his business. Thanks Will

you made the right decision