The Steel Guitar Forum

Maybe I missed something, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but there was all this big hype about MSA coming back, and now no one's talking about it. I've visited their website ever since it first came up. I was looking forward to the unveiling. I don't understand how they haven't made any updates and told anybody anything. What's going on? Their website hasn't changed a bit since the day it first began. I'd like to know what's going on. I've about lost interest, and rightfully so.

MSA is alive and well and in the process of finishing up the first guitars of the Millenium Series, as word has it. It is understandable that the emphasis has been placed on quality before the hype- ie. - don't put the cart before the horse~ No need to lose interest- it is my understanding that they are awesome in every respect~

By the way, what is their website address? It sounds like a space age ax.

The complexities of designing, experimentation, precision tool making, materials procurement, production procedures,
marketing plan, sales plan, promotion and general business procedures takes time.

It was decided on September 17th 2001 that MSA would return. In the beginning I believed such an undertaking would require at least a year.

The fact it took less than nine months proves once again, hard work and a positive attitude provides the key to success.

It was easy for me to say the new MSA had to have a great sound, it was easy for me to say it had to be very small, it was easy for me to say it had to be lightweight, it was easy for me to say it had to have modular pickups, and on and on....but in the final analysis, it was up to the design engineers and machinists to turn thoughts into reality, and they succeeded in accomplishing that which I truly believe to be a remarkable undertaking, in a very short time.

It has been less than nine months and we have exceeded our expectations by creating a 21st century steel guitar which features all the latest materials and is machined by the very latest equipment utilizing manufacturing techniques and procedures which to my knowledge have never before been applied to steel guitar.......We have exceeded our goals, and our dreams are now a reality.

Care to share a (subject to change) "Time Frame" with us Reece??

Reece, I hope you also told them to make it "affordable"!

Looking forward to seeing it,
Jim

Joey A....I greatly appreciate your interest. The MSA website will soon provide the "time frame"!

Jim C...."Affordable" is proportionate relative to the financial means of the purchaser.

We believe it will be obvious to those who see, hear and touch,..... the new MSA is worth the price.

We plan to offer different purchase options, and those options equate it to being "affordable".

so in other words, nothing's changed since the big hype was out. Thanks, that's what I wanted to know.

b0b, you can close this.

Abraham....Hundreds of things have changed at MSA since we first mentioned the fact we were returning.

There was no date set for the unveiling, therefore for anyone to consider MSA as delinquent, is an inaccurate assessment.

J D, thanks for the direction and Reece, great startup on the website and it perks the interest in this new step into our favorite hobby, vocation, marriage, slave driver, habit pusher, conquerer and a host of other things that keep our noses to the wheel. It's like your first sweetheart, you keep coming back to her no matter how many other love interests have caught your eye. Yes, I'll be a slave til I die and I'm not complaining.

Hi Reece,
Can we get a ball park $$$ figure on a Millenium S12U (and date of availability)?
Thx,
Pete B.

also...
I just reserved my room for the St.Louis show. Will you have an S12U on display at this show?
~pb

Pete B....Please let me assure you I'm not purposely being evasive of questions concerning pricing. We simply have not received all materials bills and completed our production time analysis studies as yet.

The date of presentation of the new MSA on our website is very rapidly approaching at which time most of your questions will be answered.

We will begin taking orders on the single 12 the same day we present the new Millennium. The delivery will be slightly longer than the double 10, but only in the very beginning.

At this time we anticipate showing both the double 10 and the single 12 in St.Louis.

I greatly appreciate the interest of each of you.

Do any of you guys remember when the Peavey Session 500 came out? It was advertised and hyped for probably at least a year before the general public could get one. I am an engineer and have worked on lots of projects that weren't available for a year or two after an initial availability estimate.

Take as long as needed Reece, I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Cool!
'Looking forward to test driving a Millenium S12U in St.Louis!
~pb

MSA has the right to "hype", if that's what you want to call it. I would use the term promotion. They will need lots of it to make this all work.

Personally, I find it exciting to see someone with the vision and guts to try something entirely new in the steel guitar market, especially when they must have known that all of the old B.S. about the "old MSA" failing was bound to come up and be trashed about in public.

It takes lots of time and money to start a new venture like MSA is doing. MSA has my respect for making the commitment to at least try something really different. I'm betting they won't make many mistakes, tone-wise. Time will tell.

Best of luck to Mr. Anderson, and to anyone else who wants to try something new. Thats how progress is made. And if someone takes a new MSA and makes music with it like has never before come from a pedal steel, so much the better.


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Doug Earnest
The only Zum Keyless U12, Zum2000U12,Sierra12,Sho-Bud ProII D10 PV DPC 750 ProFex 112E, Fender Cyber Twin

Can you tell us your thoughts about 1) what type/amount of deposit you would require for orders, 2) approximate delivery times, and 3) what guarantee(s), if any, you plan to issue to prospective buyers (as far as delivery is concerned), Reece?

I'm not trying to be incendiary here, but I think these are reasonable questions.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Steve Feldman on 24 May 2002 at 07:44 AM.]</p></FONT>

Doug E....Thanks you so very much for your comments and courtesies extended while making them.

The comments of a few concerning me or the old MSA was of no concern to me when starting a new MSA. I know my own heart, and I did nothing wrong regardless of what some may say.

You're right, MSA has made a very substancial commitment while diligently working toward our goal of creating something we believe to be exceptional.

Steve F....We anticipate our proposed marketing plan and delivery times will be revealed on our website on June 15th 2002.

I hope you will consider the fact that as yet we simply do not have all the necessary information to make intelligent determinations relative to your questions.

I consider your questions as very reasonable and not incendiary, and am I'm happy to talk about steel guitar anytime.

Just a general statement:

If any company continues to take orders and deposits downpayments and/or full-payments for ordered product, all the while knowing that NO more product will be delivered, is clearly in the wrong! Period. No axe to grind, just a fact.

So, Reece, as God is our witness, I ask you one simple question in regards to your constant declarations of innocence:

Did you knowingly receive and deposit money for orders of your product after you knew you could not deliver any more guitars? (Yes or No)

Frank E....Just a general comment:

Anyone, while invoking the oversight of the Creator, who tries to make it appear that he is an impartial observer in a matter, but instead, has a personal agenda inconsistent
with impartiality, probably is not a person who is entitled to anything except scorn and opprobrium, let alone a reply. Period. No axe to grind, just a fact.

I notice that you indicate that you have no axe to grind.

I would like for you to answer the following question.

Are you merely an impartial observer in this matter......yes or no?
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Reece Anderson on 28 May 2002 at 11:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

Since I asked my question first, once you answer it honestly, then I will proceed to answer yours honestly... (You have repeatedly declared your complete innocence publically on this Forum, so it is only fair to give you a chance to publically answer the key question in the matter--Did you accept any money for steel guitar orders AFTER you knew you would not deliver any guitars to them???)<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Frank Estes on 28 May 2002 at 12:01 PM.]</p></FONT>

Frank E….Are you asserting that although I have stated my position publicly and repeatedly (even according to your account) I am supposed to answer a question for you, a guy who will not specify his intentions and motives though he pretty clearly has some undisclosed agenda? I have stated my position for 20 years, what is your position? Upon what is your decision based?

Do you wish everyone to believe that you will then take any answer I would give you and with the Solomon-like wisdom that you typically display on this forum, will personally determine the truth of the answer? And, if you determine that it is true, will you unveil your true intentions and those of your confederates?

And if you, in all your prescience, determine that it is not truthful, you will not disclose such intentions?

How are you going to make a determination? Do you have some new information that you have uncovered based upon your personal search? If so, share it. If not, what would you use?

Tell me, if it’s not you who will determine it, then who is going to determine whether any answer is true or false? What will be the basis of that determination?

Nothing personal, but I think I would prefer to rely on the fair-mindedness of the overwhelming majority of the steel guitar community and leave you and your confederates to attempt to disrupt the steel guitar community.

Frank, I think the answer to your question can be found in Maurice's own words as printed in issue 13 of SGW Magazine in 1994.

"One Friday morning in early 1984 after looking over the orders shipped that month and the few orders in-house, I then saw a date circled on my calendar which indicated the due date of a large payment due the following week to the SBA. That amount plus what was owed to employees for the week was simply a problem that could not be overcome."

So, if you can believe that Maurice was totally unaware of the financial situation of his company up until the last minute before its demise, then you can believe that he didn't take orders that he wasn't sure he could fulfill.

Why are you so afraid of answering this simple and direct question? If you are completely innocent as you wrote above, then the answer has to be a definitive NO! Doesn't it?

How could my own intentions/agenda/character affect your truthful answer to this get-to-the-point question? The question is not about me, so stop trying to change the focus!

Let's try this again:

Reece, did your former company accept any money for steel guitar orders AFTER you knew you would not or could not deliver the guitars? (The answer only requires two or three keystrokes. Come on you can do it! I have been told you won't answer it, but I am just stubborn enough to believe that you can!)

Frank E….Are you asserting that although I have stated my position publicly and repeatedly (even according to your account) I am supposed to answer a question for you, a guy who will not specify his intentions and motives though he pretty clearly has some undisclosed agenda? I have stated my position for 20 years, what is your position? Upon what is your decision based?

Do you wish everyone to believe that you will then take any answer I would give you and with the Solomon-like wisdom that you typically display on this forum, will personally determine the truth of the answer? And, if you determine that it is true, will you unveil your true intentions and those of your confederates?

And if you, in all your prescience, determine that it is not truthful, you will not disclose such intentions?

How are you going to make a determination? Do you have some new information that you have uncovered based upon your personal search? If so, share it. If not, what would you use?

Tell me, if it’s not you who will determine it, then who is going to determine whether any answer is true or false? What will be the basis of that determination?

Nothing personal, but I think I would prefer to rely on the fair-mindedness of the overwhelming majority of the steel guitar community and leave you and your confederates to attempt to disrupt the steel guitar community.