The Steel Guitar Forum

With todays computer perfect parts (CNC milled) and computer cut wood bodies,why would anyone want a handmade custom built pedal steel?If a guitar is made from CNC milled parts,ordered pickups,it may sound as good as a custom one of a kind guitar. Are we not better off with perfect parts that are put into perfect bodies with less in house involvement?Why make parts by hand when you can have them made to your standard of perfection??When we buy a car the same parts will fit another car that is the same mod.and year.Where is the future in pedal steel production headed?Do most builders have at least some of their parts made for them?Do custom made guitars sound better then kit ones?Please share your ideas.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Alford on 03 November 2002 at 08:21 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Alford on 04 November 2002 at 08:48 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Alford on 04 November 2002 at 08:50 AM.]</p></FONT>

Custom/hand made doesn't neccessarily mean the parts are not made from a CNC milling Machine......
CNC can be more exact than mold casting....and to me; mold is prefab...and milling is hand made.
Prefab parts have a better chance of not fitting properly; than CNC cut parts.
So Custom made is far better in my eyes and experience....as why my SS HAWAIIAN and Fulawka.....are both custom made and far superior in design/fit....and playability and sound, than..."well pretty much anything out there" ...ah....ha....Oh and that's my absolute Bias Opinion of course.....I'm sure everybody elses guitars are just fine...ha


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Ricky Davis


My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com

Ricky

Thanks for your thoughts about the CNC milled parts.

I believe there are some parts that can be standardized.
Pedal Rods, Pull Rods, Bell Cranks, brass bushings, nylon tuners,Tuning keys, etc and all those little parts.
Then the builders can get together and make one big order at lower cost, and divide them up. 100 here, 10 there etc.

It won't work but just an idea, to cut cost....al

Al, some builders are doing exactly that, and it does work!

I was looking at some pictures of a Fessenden and a Zum; the ally necks look identical.
I much prefer mass produced over hand-made; spare parts fit.

If you have all ready made parts, body, neck,pickup everything ready to go then you can:
1.Build a pedal steel in less time.
2.Have guitars that can share parts.
3.You could sell kits to players.
4.Build a quality guitar for less, seeing that it is not a custom hand built guitar,that you have too many hrs.in.

Ok, time for the "subjective aesthetics of the left coast". It's unlikely that I could tell the difference between a mass-produced and a hand-made guitar by just looking at it, given the level of quality control available to most builders today,. I do think that a handmade guitar comes with the pride, confidence and attention of the builder, built into it, that a generic guitar does not. It's why I always take apart, modify and reassemble my instruments, as part of the "bonding process".

Chas.,
I knew a fellow that used to do that to the engine in every new car he bought,he called it detailing it,that was in the late 50s,he was a mechanic(Mercury)and hard to catch in a 1/4 mile....

Bill

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Bill Ford

Some consider a steel to be a work of art, like a hand-made sculpture, or a piece of custom-made furniture. Others consider it to be a precision machine, more akin to a fine watch, or a tool.

I'm a player, though, and not a collector. I place mechanics and sound above appearance. I could care less if it's built by monkeys or robots.

If its not a custom made steel then who cares?Are we moving towards assembly line steels that are just alike?If you were to buy a new steel would you care if it was a steel kit type where everything is just like all the others?If a guitar sounds good,plays well, then why not a steel kit type?With CNC parts we may be seeing the future now.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Alford on 04 November 2002 at 08:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

I believe that above all, a steel guitar is a mechanical sound production device that should be judged on its ease of playability and quality of sound. Only after those criteria are met should the esthetics of the instrument be considered.

I've seen the most drop-dead gorgeous Sho-Buds that had undercarriages that looked like 3 different village blacksmiths made them, each having a different idea of how it was supposed to work. And the guitars played like it as well, so I wouldn't consider having one like that.

With precision-made mechanics taken care of, the builder can be free to be creative with the esthetic side of the instrument, and his desire to create either a "high-tech" looking guitar (e.g. GFI, Millenium), or a traditional looking guitar (e.g. Fessenden, Bethel) can be addressed.

So my experience is that if a builder is concerned enough about the sound/mechanics, he's together enough to address the cosmetics as well. Jerry Fessenden and Dick Miller come to mind regarding that issue. I own the first lacquer cabinet Fessenden, a product of a late-night phone call with Jerry when I told him I'd like a guitar that looked like an old ShoBud. Dick built a gorgeous cabinet, a picture of which is here. Jerry will soon be building me a Fessy with coco bolo aprons, maple top, and coco bolo necks, with cabinet by Mark Giles. I believe it may be the first wood neck Fessy, though I'm not sure about that. I do know that I'm looking forward to playing the guitar, however.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 04 November 2002 at 09:03 AM.]</p></FONT>

Is there is a steel guitar made today that doesn't use CNC created parts? Maybe some, but CNC machinery has been around for quite awhile and is now affordable to even small machine shops. I don't think that CNC is incompatible with hand-crafted instruments -- what matters is not so much how the parts are milled, it's in the amount of care and skill that the builder uses to design and build the instrument.

Bottom line, would you rather play a steel that looked drop dead gorgeous or played drop dead gorgeous? I think we all know the answer to that. However, given all this modern technology, would you be willing to trade off just a smidgen of tone for ease of operation and a lot less bucks? That's the tougher question. Most of us answer yes or else the 65 Emmons would still be in production with waiting lists 2 years long and selling for about $15,000.00 each.
Whip

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Whip Lashaway
Sierra E9/B6 12 string
Sierra E9/B6 14 string

...the only criteria you should seek is: Does it please your ear when you play it? If not, keep looking!, if it does....keep it! www.genejones.com

.. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 05 November 2002 at 12:38 PM.]</p></FONT>

There always will be some magic created by the builder, different woodstructures, different whatever, that makes your steelguitar or other instrument living it's own life. And please, keep it that way!!!!!


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Click on the pic!

When one looks under a steel you want to see quality craftmanship and parts.Not all pedal steels look the same, or sound the same.Like you, I have played many,but with a few the sustain and tone was not there.The guitar just did'nt have it and changing the pickup will not create a new guitar body.It might be packaged well,marketed like crazy, but its what under the guitar that should reflect the perfection of the builder.Like anything else we should take a new steel for a test drive.Most builders do top quality work.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Alford on 10 November 2002 at 09:41 AM.]</p></FONT>