The Steel Guitar Forum

What do player's like most about their Zum's?

Everything

yes

YES! YES!!!!!

Umm, great modern tone (You'll never confuse it with a Bud, but if you wanted Bud or ZB tone, you wouldn't buy a Fessy either)
Playability (There's a thread here about just that)
Nearly unmatched tuning stability. I can tune my Zum for a Sunday jam session, maybe tweak it a bit as I'm playing it (not much), put it in the case, put it in the sleeper of a Kenworth, do 5000 miles (with it standing on end in the sleeper closet), take it out and find all changes still good, and 18 or 19 strings out of 20 still good.
It's as solid as an MSA but lots lighter.

It must be that certain Zumthing
I can hear the groans now....

It probably has something to do with the guy who designed and builds them; I think his name is Zeus Bumsteg??

As other's have said everything...... The only negative was the long wait when ordering a new one. As my Grandpa would say, "good things come to those that wait!"

Robert

Talkative bunch! Yes?

Here are a few reasons why I chose Zum...they are solid as a rock, look great, play great, sound great, built like a tank, made with premium materials, have superior craftsmanship, and were (and still are) played by some of the greats of pedal steel to include:

John Hughey (Vince Gill)
Buddy Emmons
Hal Rug
Jack Smith (of Happy Goodmans fame)
Gary Carter (Marty Stewart)
Mike Daly (George Strait)
Wayne Dahl (Martina McBride)
Dean Holman (Ricky Skaggs)
Bruce Bouton
Doug Jernigan
Tommy Dodd
Mike Sweeney
Jeff Newman
And Others...

Success leaves clues. If you have any doubt as to why Zums are so special, just look around and see who is playing them. The pros don't lie.

Maybe some of those mentioned above could comment too!

Don

Steve Fishell-he played for Emmylou Harris and also appeared in McBride & The Ride's "Every Step Of The Way" video in 1990, playing his 1982 Zum-he was the steel player on their first record. Also, Jim Bob Gairrett played a red Zum with Kenny Chesney, and Kenny's former acoustic guitarist, Tim Hensley was also a Zumsteel player. Myron Smith played his Zumsteel on the Carolina Opry in the 80s, and Rusty Danmyer used to play a Zum with Lee Ann Womack and LeAnn Rimes-Randy Beavers plays his Zum with Lee Ann Womack now

Gary Carter's sound through a Fender amp on the Marty Stuart Show does it for me.

My little Stage One hasn't let me down in the nearly two years I've been playing. The pedals and levers allow full expression and the supporting mechanical design is what one would expect in a professional grade instrument. Thank you Doug and Bruce!

Although I've never played a Zum, I've gotta say I love how they look and sound. They're definitely great pedal steel guitars!

At the time I decided to get a new pedal steel guitar I took my time looking at and playing all of them. They were all nice to look at and sounded quite similar but when it came to the feel and playability I thought the Zumsteel had an edge on all of them. I've played a number of other brands since I bought the Zumsteel but always wind up comparing them to Bruce's master-piece.

My new guitar !

you guys forgot the part about they hold their value - thats a major criteria when i go to spend that kind of money.

So many reasons to love the Zum , in addition to holding their value, take a look at how quickly they sell on the forum, particularly the newer models, and the Hybrids....

Some last only minutes, even in this market. I'm just guessing , but I wouldn't be surprised if at some point , well down the road , if hybrids and recent Zums go up in value, not unlike The market value of a Franklin.

I'm no expert, but can anyone think of another steel besides a franklin that sells as soon as it's posted like the newer Zums ?

i consider the earlier (80's) models as good or even better tone wise.

I recently bought Paddy Long's 'old' Zum. After playing a Sho-Bud D10 for about 5 years, I have discovered why I was struggling with my playing. Although I love my old 'Bud', It was too heavy and 'clunky' and I couldn't get a nice sound from it.
The Zum, along with a Nashville 1000 amp, has completely changed my playing and sound. It stays in tune and feels nice to play (like when I bought my Taylor Guitar - I wondered why I wasted my time on cheap guitars). It has renewed my desire to develop as a psg player.

Steve, I don't know about quickness of sale, but I've noticed Fulawkas sell used for more than Ed sells them for.
Resale value of a Zum is immaterial. Mine ain't going anywhere.

Lane, I'm with you, mine isn't going anywhere either. Previous posters mentioned potential resale value as being an issue, for that reason, it's not immaterial, at least not to them.

I'd say your comparison to Fulawkas is a good one. Both built by a master craftsman , one at a time, with a very long wait. That might be a key to them holding their value. Bruce wouldn't take a new order last time I asked. Eddie isn't getting any younger , but last time I spoke with him, he didn't mention slowing down.

I guess a lot of this is regarding market dynamics of WHEN a steel is in demand, not as much WHY the steel is in demand , which is what the OP had asked, but it believe it is a factor.

I'm lucky, I own a Fulawka and a Zum hybrid. Like you, I can't imagine selling either, and really appreciate what I've got.

There have been many steels modelled after the zum design...how do they compare to the real thing?

I have an 82 Zum SD-12 Uni. I have debated selling it several times because I prefer an S-12. When I heard Bruce would never build another 12 string that did it for me.

It's going to live at Billy Knowles shop for awhile. Now that Tommy Whites ZB is done Billy said he has time to refurb my Zum. He rebuilt the changer for me a couple of years ago. Now it's time to do the rest of the guitar.

I'm as exited as a kid waiting on Christmas. I've owned Emmons, Shobud,BMI, Carters and Zum. By far the best sounding, playing, looking guitar is my Zum. Like Lane said its rock solid. This guitar has been through some abuse and seen way too many nights in smokey bars and looks like it. But it still plays and sounds great. When Billy is done with it it will look great again too.

I put an order in 2 or 3 weeks ago - what's the wait time these days? 12 months? 18? 24 months?.
I'd appreciate any feedback.
Thanks, bk