The Steel Guitar Forum

I want to thank Mr Craig Baker for a fantastic product.
Before the Izzy i was using a Goodrich Super Sustain Matchbox 6a.Not bad at all but i like the Izzy more and it is so easy to use. Just plug in and play, no tone pot or gain pot to dial in.
Simple as that. I like it so much that i have ordered a spare one because you never know how long they will be made and available.
Craig,it was a pleasure to do business with you.On email questions you responded immediately even in the middle of the night. Great support. Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Jack Hollenberg.

Jack,
Thank you for posting such nice comments here on the forum. As you can imagine it's gratifying whenever someone shares the good experience they have in using Li'l Izzy. To me, it always seems best to answer as promptly as possible.

Even if takes me away from the Late, Late Show.

Thank you again Jack

Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

I just want to chime in here and say that my Li'l Izzy arrived Wednesday and I would like to say that since I have gotten it I have really wanted to play my steel, there is definitely a "big" difference in the tone, the sustain, and the string seperation and it is really a joy to sit down and hear what a good tone is finally coming from my guitar and my nashville 400, I really do like the sound. I want also to say that it is a real pleasure to deal with Craig Baker, as he will answer your questions quickly. Thanks Craig
Emmett Clough

Emmett,
Always good to learn that there is one more steel player who finally has that great sound we've all chased. (it was in your guitar all along.)

With so many good products out there in the marketplace, (and some maybe not-so-good ones) The fact that you placed your confidence in Li'l Izzy is very much appreciated as are your compliments.

All the best to you Emmett,

Best personal regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Craig Baker wrote:

Even if takes me away from the Late, Late Show.

Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

Craig F & Geoff P rule!!


Hi Craig B.

...my 'steel' is a much-modified 72 Custom RI Telecaster with a (also much-modified) 6-lever Bigsby Palm Pedal, Std neck (RI) WRHB & an SD Jerry Donahue bridge PU...also, just to confuse things even further, I have installed a Roland GK3 synth pickup to drive my aging GR-30 synth when I feel like it..

What would be the options of incorporating the Li'l Izzy in the signal chain without having to plug it directly in the edge of the said already-overloaded guitar?

Given that I've already got half the World's electronics already buried in the body, is there a possibility of incorporating another PCB (!!), or can one still achieve anything worthwhile if the unit is remote...

Interested in your thoughts when you get a minute.

Regards from DownUnder where it usually IS the middle of the night..

Peter

Hi Peter,
Wow, interesting post to say the least. I am reminded of the theme of the movie "Love Story" where Andy Williams sings. . .

"Where do I begin. . . "

I'm probably missing out on a lot of music, but my favorite guitar player has always been Leon Rhodes. The only accessory he ever used was a pick. That being said, if the electronics you have placed in your guitar provide a low impedance output at the guitar jack, you're already getting all of the advantages available. If later in your chain a device has a high impedance output, (unlikely other than a pot-type volume pedal) you might benefit from a good buffer circuit. I will defer to an article on impedance:

In the case of guitar pickups and amplifiers, the first thing we need to do is forget the word “match”. We are only concerned with transferring audio voltage from the guitar to the amplifier. No power is being transferred, and no transformers are involved, so there is no need to “match” impedance. An easy way to understand impedance is by comparing the flow of audio to the flow of water in a system of pipes. Water can easily flow from a 2 inch pipe into another 2 inch pipe or into a 6 inch, or a 12 inch pipe. Water is restricted in an attempt to flow from a 12 inch pipe into a 2 inch pipe. Keep in mind, your signal can always “flow” from low impedance to high, never from high impedance to low. A pickup wound with a lower number of turns to result in a low impedance, will also produce a much lower output than that with which common guitar amplifiers operate. It can offer a much cleaner sound, but with the price of a much lower output. With a properly designed buffer following a standard pickup, you capture all of the advantage of low impedance, but you maintain the proper level that the amplifier is expecting to "see". In fact, even though there is no gain, there is an "apparent" increase in volume because you will now hear more of the overtones that give a steel guitar such a pleasing sound, you will simply hear more of what you're playing.

I assume you're using an industrial-strength strap on that Telecaster.

All the best to you Peter,

Respectfully,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

...riiight..

Thanks very much Craig!

...I'll just sit down for a minute and absorb that..

A busy (almost) middle of the night here and working flat out on another machine project... I will be back soon..

Oh, and surprisingly, the Tele is not all that heavy...that said, I did rout out a fair bit of forest product, which does compensate for 300 lbs of aluminum castings around the edges of the World's Biggest Bigsby Palm Pedal (record still to be confirmed)....

Regards from 28C South Oz
Peter

I got my Izzy today. I think it has been laying on the front porch for a week or more. lol I really can't tell any difference in my Mullen. I did unhook my Black Box but had to hook it back up. Guess I'm use to that tube pre amp sound. I don't have a pot pedal any more. Don't know if that would make a change or not. Oh well ! This is not the first item I have spent money on that made no change. The old HWP just sounds so good it will be hard to make an improvement.

Hi Bill,
After reading your post, I'm not sure which one of us is more disappointed.

About two weeks ago I was testing several new units on my steel, as I do each Li'l Izzy before shipping. Out of that group, one Li'l Izzy made no difference at all in the sound. Turned out to be a defective part on the circuit board. I am curious if that could be the case here. In any event, if you will return the unit I'll be happy to issue a full refund, or if the unit is defective, send you a replacement, whichever you prefer.

There are many products in the marketplace and I appreciate everyone who has placed their confidence in Li'l Izzy. I promise each and every customer: Li'l Izzy will never be just one more product that you've purchased. . . only to be disappointed.

Thank you Bill, looking forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Bill, don't give up on the Li'l Izzy. Let Craig fix this problem for you. I have both Li'l Izzy and Black Box. The Li'l Izzy made a big improvement in clarity and string separation, and the Black Box still gives me that tube goodness. I'm keeping both. I use the Li'l Izzy straight out of the guitar.

Craig, I'm going to play around with it some more tonight. I have been busy shipping some items this morning. I will get back to you.

Good deal Bill,
Let me know if you have a question.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Craig, I have a question ?

Last night I used my MSA Classic, I had forgotten this guitar has built in volume and tone control pots right off the pickup, Because of this feature The Izzy made no recognizable difference in the tone,

Is it because its not reading the pickup first ? (because of the junk in its way)????


Thanks Craig

Hi Craig,
I just receive your lil'Izzy today and after trying it in front of my V8 Octal preamp with a TC Furlong cab I can say the sound is amazing. I have tried the Black Box before, but I think the Lil'izzy is better in front of the V8 and it gives me a very good tone and a really good separation.

Hi Jean-Marie,
Thank you for writing. Glad your Li'l Izzy arrived there safely.

With the Black Box, the V8 Octal Tube Preamp and the T.C. Furlong cabinets, you have made some smart investments in excellent equipment. It's a pleasure to learn that you've added Li'l Izzy to that list. Hope it is part of each performance for years to come. Wish I could visit France and hear you play.

Again thank you Jean-Marie for your post.

Best Personal regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Craig,
Sorry I'm so late in getting back to you. It's ironic, but one of the reasons the plug on a Li'l Izzy is so long. . . is because on older MSAs the tone and volume pots were physically in the way. Your interesting experience tells me that they may be electronically "in the way" as well. Of course I don't know the value of the pots or tone capacitor, but regardless, I never like to see a tone or volume pot in any guitar because of the unknown and variable loading it places on the pickup. You might try disconnecting them from the circuit, then bring Li'l Izzy back into the game. I wouldn't be surprised if you hear a much cleaner sound from the MSA. Please let us know your findings.

If that's the case, you may want to remove the two pots, two knobs and capacitor from your MSA. Think how much lighter it will be

Thank you Mr. Schwartz, for your interesting post.

Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Craig, you are right about the tone and volume controlls. I took them out of my MSA D10 Classic and that alone made a change for the better tone wise. Then the Izzy really cleans everything up.

Craig, you are right about the tone and volume controlls. I took them out of my MSA D10 Classic and that alone made a change for the better tone wise. Then the Izzy really cleans everything up.

As I recall the volume pot was a 1 Meg on my old 1976 MSA S10. I suspect the tone was about the same value??

My S10 Emmons PP has a switch to bypass the tone control. Might be a nice option on the MSA to allow keeping the circuit in place when needed. I did the same on my main Telecaster. I have a switch to steer the pickups to the volume and tone controls or straight throught to the output jack. I do that because I always play guitar with a volume pedal. With the guitars volume control and tone controls out of the circuit I get a little bit crisper high end for sure.

Craig, Thanks for getting back to me on this one,

Bill, You`ve verified to me That there is a better sound we can get without the pots in the way .

Ken , I love your idea for a Bypass switch. Thats what I`m gonna do !

You guys saved the day , Its a good thing US guys did`nt have a shut down , HA

Thanks

Well, It's your back. Now your MSA is going to be heavier instead of lighter. I was trying to look out for you.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

You'll need one like this to get the weight up on that steel! The increased mass could help the sustain!!

You guys know all to well of what I`m dealing with here. HA, I`ll have to find a young buck to sell it to that loves steel and show him how to shredd on it, Yes I did say shredd, I never new what it meant till I added distortion to my ability. Robert Randolph can Shredd . HaHA

It looks like all I have to do is join the 2 volume leads together to try it, I don`t like to disengage anything on these old puppies, If I get the right tone, I may find that young buck to sell it to...

I`ll keep you posted.

Great photo Ken. Is that from Marconi's collection, or was it Edisons?


Regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Perhaps Westinghouse? I had a house ca. 1925 that had one of they on the porch light.
Mine was the deluxe model, with heavy enamelled ceramic knob on the end.