The Steel Guitar Forum

Yeah Yeah Yeah.... I know that there was a thread about MSA players in announcements, but honestly, I bet a lot of folks don't read there.

So tell me... are you a closet MSA player? There are a bunch of them out there and they are darn near indestrucible!

C'mon... tell us your MSA story.

I bought my first one in the late 70's from Earl Sexton (thanks for the memory jog Winnie) in Edgewood, Maryland. It was a S12 Extended E9 5x4 Vintage XL and was green. It was gorgeous! I can remember my complete astonishment when I phoned the MSA company about it back then and Maurice answered the phone.

My next MSA was the gorgeous D10 8x5 Classic SS that I just got. I like the little "designed by Bud Carter" emblem affixed to the underbelly! I recently got a very pleasant email from Reece in which he stated that the new Millenium was based on the SS. That is kind of neat....

Isn't it funny just how small the steel guitar world really is

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God Bless,
Steve Stallings

www.pedalsteeler.com

Yes, Steve there are thousands of us all over the world playing MSA's. They are built to last and play in tune without "tweeking "all the time. I have a 80's model MSA Vintage XL "Universal" U 12 with 8 and 5 with a wood lacquer body that is beautiful. Bud Carter's name is on mine too, Steve.
I won't put the sound up there with a Emmons PP, But it is great sounding to me....al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 26 October 2003 at 01:15 PM.]</p></FONT>

Yep, Al, I got one of them too, in green.
When I shine up the metal it still looks as it did when I got it in '82. Plays as well, too. I played it five nights a week for ten months and don't think I had to retune the pedals in that time. I never bother to check them anymore. The bad news is that it kept getting heavier to where I no longer looked forward to playing it out.

The good news is that my new Millennium is to ship tomorrow.

I have had two steel guitars. The first was a Sho~Bud buddy and the second is MSA D10.
Don Pack and Denny Mathis had played this model of MSA for many years. I played with a Peavey Addaverb unit in line to a Nashvile 400 untill my Addaverb broke. While it was in the shop I tried all kinds of units from
stomp pedals to the Profex the BBEsonic.
I keep a Sans Amp in the studio and just for fun I pluged it in and the sound of my MSA
transformed into the sound of my dreams. I love my MSA and got angry as heck when Maurice built the new MSA and I wrote and told him so. Iam just a "weekend warrior"
and could not justify the cost but if I ever
did get another steel it would be an MSA.

MSA D10 NV400 Peavy Addaverb, Sans amp and some wires and a battery.

I played the same MSA for almost 29 years! Back in the '70s and 80's, it was 4 or 5 nights a week, with occasional "outside" jobs on the weekends. I made enough with that ol' axe to buy me a nice house, and a few other "toys", too. Oh yes, I bought a p/p years ago to use as a "backup" guitar (in case the MSA fell apart). Well, to make a long story short...that <u>never</u> happened. So, the p/p has spent most of it's time in a closet in the basement. Every session, and just about every live date I've ever done, has been on my old MSA, and let me tell you---there's more than one "voice" in that old axe.

When they announced the new "Mills" last year, I was one of the first in line to buy one! Once I get done my "tweaking" (and relearn how to play the durn thing ), I reckon I'll be set for another 29 years.

Mine's a 1974 White Tidewood S-10, plays like new and looks pretty good too. A paper tag stuck inside says "final inspection & assembly by Bud Carter".

Well,

Living in Dallas, it is hard to ignore MSA's.
I am lucky to have one of the first few Millineum SU-12's. Today it is called an M1, as improvements have been and incorporated into the new model M2.
So easy to play. Sustain.......tone......
Takes very little pressure on the bar. Stays in tune. It is all that people say it is.

Steve, don't know how I missed this post. I own 5 of these horns. One can look in the other post and see them listed. I'm proud to say that I am a MSA diddler. I may not have the TONE everyone is looking for, but it satisfies the people I play for, and I don't ever remember missing a gig because my axe was broken or having some musician doubt whether I was in tune or not.

Built like a Tank and heavy, granted, with the exception of the SS--which I have-- and the new Millennium which I also have. Anybody ever have to replace a return spring because it was weak? Not once has that happened to me.
I also have an Emmons PP, and an old 'Bud which I played for years, so it appears I'm qualified to post on those topics also, Right?

PS: some would also say my "TONE" sucks on them too.

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The spirit be with you!
If it aint got a steel, it aint real

I prefer MSA probably because I am more comfortable with the instrument as a whole. Thre are many excellent pedal steels, but the player that feels the most comfortable at their instrument will gravitate to that steel as a preference. My first MSA was purchased around 1968 or 1969. The MSA's at that time were not the greatest because they used they pivot method to pull the strings, but the tone and appearance was superb. I bought a double 12 and have been playing double 12's ever since. I went straight from a Fender 400 8 string to the double 12 string MSA. I have never played a 10 string steel. When MSA went to their new pulling system I ordered a new double 12 built to my pedal specifications in 1974 and have been playing this beauty ever since. My 1974 MSA is white mica and still looks great and it has the bult by Bud Carter label on the undercarriage. The MSA has been faithful to me for 29 years and I don't intend to order a new one because I am getting too old. I am semi-retired now and don't play that much anymore. I can relate o the steelers that love MSA's and I am sure the new MSA's are just as great if not greater, but hopefully lighter. As we age that weight becomes a factor and we look for groupies with big muscles.

What about that most modest of steelers, the Forum's own Mike Perlowin? He does the most advanced steel playing ever, on an MSA. Right, Mike?
BTW, Mike, you heard from Stoney's folks lately?

I have 2 MSA U-12s. a green maple/lacquer one and a white laminate/mica one. There's a cute story with several amazing coincidences behind the white one.

I had been playing about a year, maybe longer when I walked into a club and saw a terrific player named Dave Zeiglar playing a Rus-Ler U-12 on a double frame body. I introduced myself and we instantly became friends. I eventually took lessons from Dave, who BTW is a wonderful teacher as well as a great player.

Dave told me he had previously owned this white mica MSA, which he sold to buy the Rus-ler. But what he really wanted was a maple body MSA like mine. He sold the guitar to a photographer who was at the time 51 years old, and had never played, or expressed an interest in playing music in his entire life before. His motivation in learning to play was that he figured that by doing so he would get more work as a photographer, taking pictures of musicians and bands. He bought Dave's MSA, a Mastertone banjo and a strat and expected to learn all 3 instruments simultaniously.

I approached the guy and explained that I specifically wanted the MSA because it was more or less identical to my other one and I could switch between them easily. The guy would not sell though. He told me the only way he would sell me the guitar would be if I could find him a Rus-Ler just like Dave's (U-12 on a double frame.)

Amazingly, that same week, one turned up in the local paper for sale. So I bought the Rus-ler and traded it for the MSA. I had to throw in a few guitar lessons, and as you can imagine, the guy had absolutely no musical talent whatsoever.

A couple of years later I was talking to Bud Carter, who mentioned that he had a friend who had a U-12 and wanted to trade it for a D-10. I knew of a Dekley D-10 that had been sitting in a music store for some time, so I bought the Dekley and did the trade.

So now I had 3 MSA U-12s. 2 maple/lacquer ones and the mica one. I decided that I preferred the maple over the mica and intended to sell the white one.

Coincidence #2. Before I had a chance to even attempt to sell the white one, I got a phone call form our fellow forumite Gary Morse (who is currently playing with Dwight Yoakham), who also had a maple body MSA U-12 that he wanted to sell. I told him that I had a mica U-12 for sale, and he told me that the reason he wanted to sell the maple body was so that he could buy a mica one, which he preferred. (The guitars are both very good, but sound quite different.)

We did an even trade, and I sold Dave Gary's former guitar. Dave and Gary got each other's guitars, and I had 2 maple body instruments. Win win win all around. Everybody was happy with the deal.

Then a few mohts later, the guitar I got from Bud got stolen. Fortunately it was insured. I looked around for another MSA U-12 to buy with the insurance money.

Then Gary called me again. He decided to go back to playing a D-10 and wanted to know if I was interested in buying the white one back from him. Meanwhile Dave found another MSA and sold his Rus-ler.

I can only guess that I was meant to have that white guitar. Even though I prefer the green one, I now like having 2 that play more or less identically, but sound different. I usually record with the green one and use the white one to play live.

I am very happy with both guitars, and will never sell either of them. Unless I suddenly strike it rich, I doubt that I will ever buy another steel guitar. Dave has 2 maple guitars and loves them both. I presume Gary is happy playing a D-10.

You spelled it Dwight YaokHAM, Mike? Then you made that oblique karmic reference. What are you, REFORM???

Steve, I also have a Classic SS that I like immensely. In the mid '70s when they first came out, I had MSA send me a brochure on them, but there was no way I could afford one, so I just drooled over the brochure. Then in '99 I started looking around for a second guitar and lo and behold Herb Steiner had one for sale just like on the brochure, so I snapped it up. I think it spent most of its life under someones bed, as it shows no signs of wear. The case is even still in excellent condition. Here she is TA DA::::



By the way, I still have the brochure too.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

In 1978 I bought a ‘new’ 1976 walnut lacquer double 12 Classic with 8 pedals and 4 knee levers. This is my third pedal steel: #1 Sho-Bud Maverick, #2 Sho-Bud Pro I, #3 MSA Classic. I bought the MSA before my first child was born thinking that this would be the last time I would have the resources to buy the steel of my dreams. What a marvelous sounding, looking and playing guitar. Built to last a lifetime.

For all you MSA SS lovers... here is a stunner on ebay. (No personal connection, just thought y/all might like a peek)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2568580701&category=2384

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God Bless,
Steve Stallings

www.pedalsteeler.com


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Steve Stallings on 30 October 2003 at 09:59 AM.]</p></FONT>