The Steel Guitar Forum

Which manufacturer is giving the best bang for yer buck? I've looked at numerous websites and am having trouble taking it all in. Probably looking for a SD-10 5 & 5 with most of the extras.

I'll Bite and say Mullen.

I am a little biased though.

Personal preferences aside, this will always be a difficult question, Ryan, especially today when the manufacturers are making some truly outstanding equipment.
There's build quality, ergonomic feel, tone, appearance, and available service in spades from all of the current builders, and personal requirements somewhat negate the varying cost factors, if that's what you mean by "bang for the buck".

For instance, some laquer guitars are beautifully finished and extremely lightweight, other brands equally beautiful are quite heavy. Some brands come stock with adjustable endplate splits, others it's a custom order. With some 5 knees are standard, with some 4, and so on. Really depends on what you personally need unless you're looking for the cheapest good sounding guitar you can get, and several builders seem to be duking it out there!

I wonder if someone knows how identical, or comparable, options compare price wise for manufacturers (ie high-low: Franklin, whoever etc.)

Ryan, just go to the Emmons, Williams, Mullen, MSA, etc. websites and all that info is there. Prices, weights, options, you just have to go dig. Not trying to sound short, but I doubt people here are going to post redundant info that's out there already.

Check out Rittenberry.

I think GFI is an amazing value. I enjoy mine a great deal. It is very accurate with its tuning and is light weight. That was important to me once I started gigging. My Sho Bud has better tone, but it weighs a ton and require more tuning adjustments more often.

So many criteria to consider . In my experience, 2nd hand MSA's are the most affordable, and offer the most for the price- rock solid mechanics, stable tuning, available parts. I also have a second hand GFI that survived nearly two years on the road, gave me no problems, at a nearly 1:3 weight ratio to the MSA. Now I play a recent Emmons- got a good deal, but still big boy money- however it feels and sounds 'right' to me. Which brings me to the oft-repeated conclusion here on the forum- play as many different brands as you can, and let that be your guide (measured by your economic reality of course). And try to get something already in Canada- save a few hundred $$$.

...and now I read 'New Steels' in the header...get with Al Brisco-

it's getting harder and harder to answer that question. go to the 'links' at the top of the page. read everything
about every steel guitar 'manufacturer' listed. then consider all the possible great 'used' offerings that are out there. there's 'great ' stuff from $1000-$4000...

look at any steel that plays anywhere near you.

then fine tune your desire to price/weight/features/looks/tone and try to narrow down your search. the possible options back in the seventies were 5-10....now they're 20-30..!!

Best bang for the buck in an SD? Probably Fred or GFI. Or don't overlook Simmons, there's something about that pull-release tone.
But just about all are well made

The 'Best' is always what i own It's light, it's fast, it's handsome, it has killer instinct's, it goes Bang when it needs to, and it can cry in the Still of the night...It's a Mullen Discovery.

As if the members of this forum could ever reach consensus on this topic. Comes down to personal opinion.

The ETS guitars are a good deal. Lightweight, aluminum body, maple neck, 3+4 or 3+5, plus case. 42lbs. in the case. Beautiful colors but of course, with the death of Larry Agan, I hadn't spoken with anyone else about the ETS guitars, so I don't know what future plans are with Bud Carter, at this time. I chose between the ETS and the Mullen Discovery. I'll be purchasing the Discovery later, as I'm getting my number of guitars up to three or four, like I used to do.

Best Bang 4 $ imo : Mullen Discovery - Justice ProLite - ZumSteel Encore
some come w: a pad or have it as an add on option

All of the modern guitars are good. There is no definitive best one, just compare each web site as a previous poster suggested. You won't get an agreed majority consensus here.

as to the latest trend toward lite, flight, econo steels.....evidently these are sufficient for those who are flying around to gigs making 'hundreds' of dollars...and getting to sit all alone on the american idol stage 'fingersynching' the tune while unplugged on a fairly unattractive single neck instrument. more power to the working musician. but nothing inspires the honky tonk fever more than a solid double neck inlaid pro model...even an old beat one...

picture john or weldon or tom or jd, wearing cool stage boots and jackets, as opposed to some generic casually nondescript player who possibly puts a suit on during the week for his sales job....i know who i would rather be.
style is still king...attitude still flavors the real music.

For new steels I would look at Fessenden also. Pro quality steels priced very well.

agreed! and as for good quality used steels at half the price, there have been killer deals lately on fessenden, carter, msa and derby. ...and others i am sure.

keep in mind that any new steel you buy is a used steel the next day!

Let me say Mullen builds great guitars plus they've been around for a long time and a long time to come.

I really love my Williams

Be sure to look here:

http://www.fredjusticemusic.com/id19.html


Having a tough time parting with my THOMAS, but if I ever do, I'll sure give Fred a call.

I have a Emmons D2-10 i got right from the factory in 1980, love it and wouldn't take nothing for it...but after cancer surgery and a knee replacement I have got a GFI single neck ultra and love it to! Much less to carry, but have to do some tweaking with amp and get some real good tones out of. I also use a hilton volume pedal and will never go back to a pot pedal. There are several good steels out there, just look all of them over and try them out, the right one will feel perfect to you.

Emmons is still my favorite though.