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Topic: Got a question about 5 steel guitars |
Terry Sneed
From:
Arkansas,
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 10:43 am |
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I'm new to the forum, and although I've been playin steel for over 25 yrs, I haven't kept up with all the pros and cons of the newer guitars. of these 5 guitars, (and I know there'll be different opinions) which are the best as far as pedal action,(smooth, quitest, etc) and easiest to play( I mean pedals in relation to knee levers, the feel of your pick hand in relation to the strings. you know, overall ease of playing.and I'd like to here everbody's opinion. thanks- here's the 5- all SD-10 models
Emmons
ZUM
Carter
Franklin
BMI
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Terry Wayne |
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Scott Henderson
From:
Camdenton, Missouri, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 12:01 pm
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if you want a really light pedal action go with the carter it 's the lightest in my opinion but i like to feel the pedals under the feet so i prefer a emmons or a zum of course my personl favorites are JCH and dekley of which i own
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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com
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Reggie Duncan
From:
Mississippi
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 1:36 pm
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| I played a Zum last week that felt great! But for sound, I'll keep giggin' the old PP! |
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Ron Sodos
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 1:43 pm
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I have been playing ShoBuds for 25+ years and I decided to look for a new steel. I spent a couple of months asking and researching, mostly regarding the quality of the hardware. Without a doubt the best steel on the market is ZumSteel by Bruce Zumsteg. So i bought one and now after 3 months i am convinced that my decision was correct. Now for a new one I would have had to wait a year. So I started looking for an almost new one. I actually found one that was never played on gigs. So when I got it it was new..... I love it. It gets better with each gig. It has made it so nice, after playing a gig I don't want to stop. The guys in the band are tired and i want to keep playing. O well ther is always tomorrow night.....  [This message was edited by Ron Sodos on 20 February 2004 at 01:44 PM.] |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 2:37 pm
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IMO,
I love the feel of the Mullen pedal and knee lever action better than any steel I have ever sat down behind. I do not care for what the brass nut rollers and metalic composition of the changers fingers do to the sound. One of the most beautiful guitars out there. Love the knee lever shapes he made on Tom Brumley's guitar. Wish I had them on mine.
The Carter is the ONLY PSG that has ever said to me, "Let's me and you make music". I loved to play it. I find the hollow crossbars and pedal stops to be a negative. Not that fond of the sound. From all I can garner, they offer the finest most professional customer service EVER in the history of the PSG business.
I love the sound of the Emmons LeGrande better than any PSG I have ever heard or owned. The stops on some knee levers is not solid, IE spongy. Key 1 and 10 on E9th and C6 are NOT supported as strongly as the other keys. These are serious negatives IMO. I am partial to their colored fret boards. Also, I feel a PSG WITH a tone control and a tone defeat switch is a positive. I do NOT care for the shape of their pedals. OR the way the pedal rods are attached to the pedals.
Cosmetically and esthetically the Zum is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen. And from what I hear it has a sound that is incredibly good. Bruce Zumsteg is a gentleman's gentleman. The crossbars do not have return springs, (or at least they didn't the last time I checked). This is a negative to me. The pedals and pedal rods have weight; and IMO this weight NEEDS to be counteracted by a spring when the guitar is in the upright position.
I am not a fan of the BMI's I have seen. But that has been 7 yrs ago. So much might have changed since then. What I noticed that caused me to walk away was when I engaged certain pedals and/or knee levers, OTHER pedals and knee levers moved. This to me was a serious flaw in the undercarriage.
The Anapeg steel was the finest built steel I have ever seen in my life, top AND bottom. The sound Tom Brumley gets out of his is heavenly. NOT refering to HIS playing. Talking about the raw sound of the guitar. However, I did not care for the shape and feel of the pedals when I played Tom's in his home. I felt this was a real negative.
The Franklin had pedal stops sooooo solid, you could stand on the pedals and nothing moved once the stops were reached. I find this to be an incredible positive and one of THE most important design parameters when checking out various steels.
I love the sound and clarity of Paul's Franklin. Also others like Hal Rugg when he played one for a long time. Also Donna Hammit's sounded incredibly good. I find the shape of the pedals to be a negative. The ones I saw were bone flat across the tops. This is not IMO, ergomically in line with how a person's foot moves.
What would I buy if I was to buy again?
Guess? 
I call it like I see it. I neither brag to make brownie points or complain to hurt anyone. I simply see something and I say it if asked. You asked so I called it as I see them.
From a practical point of view, particularly for those who are only concerned with the sound, you have many very fine steels to choose from. Service is another thing and "aggravations" long after the sale, can in some cases, be prevented IF you do your homework in advance.
May Jesus bless you in your quests,
carl [This message was edited by C Dixon on 20 February 2004 at 02:46 PM.] |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 3:07 pm
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Terry, i'm no reference compared to many here, but i recently got a used Zum D10 after playing a ShoBud Professional D10.
i must say that this Zum is a definite winner when it comes to craftsmanship.
i still prefer the sound of my Bud but when it comes to ease of playing and staying in tune i prefer the Zum.
(i did have a Emmons PP which i found to sound GREAT but i sold it cause it was'nt a D10)
i cannot testify concerning Mullen, Franklin, or Carter but i'm quite sure that they are winners too !
bottom line ? Go to the Texas Steel Guitar Rendez Vous in March and you'll just have to try 'em all and pick which one suits you the best.
Good Luck on your quest Terry
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ZumD10 - ShoBud Professional D10 - Gibson EH150 - Nashville1000
Steel what?
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 4:44 pm
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The pro's are: Its best to own one of each...
The con's are: try fitting them all into one bedroom.
Emmons SD-10, Dekley S-10 (x2), NV400 & more goodies everyday
(Can I spend my way to proficiency or do I have to practice too? :>) [This message was edited by Ray Minich on 20 February 2004 at 04:45 PM.] [This message was edited by Ray Minich on 20 February 2004 at 04:46 PM.] [This message was edited by Ray Minich on 20 February 2004 at 04:47 PM.] [This message was edited by Ray Minich on 20 February 2004 at 04:48 PM.] |
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Terry Sneed
From:
Arkansas,
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Posted 20 Feb 2004 5:12 pm
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Thanks for all your replies. Price is going to be a major factor regardless of what brand I get. I beleive the price of the carter SD-10 is about $2,200. I doubt seriously if I'll have anymore than that to spend, probly not quite as much, so I may have to settle for a used one.
I think I'll stop by Ronnie neihbors shop in Hot Springs on the way to MO. and see what he has. thanks a lot guys. |
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Sam White R.I.P.
From:
Coventry, RI 02816
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Posted 22 Feb 2004 8:13 am
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Terry you might take in for concideration of sitting behind a Fessenden SD-10.I have one and would not trade it for any other brand. I love the easy pedal and knee lever action.Get a hold of Jerry Fessenden he builds a top knoch Steel and has been building steel guitars for years.Here is his E-Mail. Fessteel@together.net
Sam White |
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John Fabian
From:
Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 22 Feb 2004 6:19 pm
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Carl,
Hi, we stopped using hollow cross-shafts over two years ago. All cross-shafts on pro models are now 3/8" solid steel.
John Fabian
www.steelguitar.com |
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Jeff A. Smith
From:
Angola,Ind. U.S.A.
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Posted 22 Feb 2004 7:18 pm
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Terry, one thing that Carl didn't discuss about the Emmons LeGrande, is the unique 14-hole bell crank. (I'm kind of surprised, since Carl has repeatedly raved about this feature in the past, saying that he believes it is the most important pedal steel innovation of recent times.)
These bell cranks really affect the feel of the pedals and levers, since they make possible a very exact adjustment of how multiple pulls on a single pedal or lever synchronize.
I've come to take the smoothness of my LeGrande's pedal action for granted, only noticing the difference when I play other guitars. It's true that the pedals aren't as easy to push as on some other guitars (they aren't hard either), but maybe the smoothness makes up for it. |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2004 8:26 pm
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John,
I stand corrected. I was not aware. Thanks for telling me about it. That makes your fine Guitar come up even higher IMO.
carl |
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Terry Sneed
From:
Arkansas,
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 9:58 am
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Thanks again guys. I'm thinkin of buyin an Emmons D-10 all pull from a local guy. I've bought a guitar from him before and I know he takes good care of his guitars. He has three Emmons D-10 and that SD-10 I sold back to him about a year ago.
I don't think I can beat $1,500 for a D-10 all pull. Rosewood to, I love that color. 
I also had my eye on Jim Whitaker's Carter SD-10. it's a 2000 model rosewood color. he was asking $1,300 for it. actually it was just what I was looking for, it's what I've always played,(SD-10) but got a couple of negative replies on those guitars from local guys.:confused[This message was edited by Terry Sneed on 25 February 2004 at 10:06 AM.] |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 10:13 am
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| Carl, I'm surprised to see no mention of Excel in your post above... I thought you were a big Excel guy, no...? |
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Ray Jenkins
From:
Gold Canyon Az. U.S.A.
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 11:14 am
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I think Carl was referring to his Exel,he's sneaky that way.Well what is the answer Carl,inquiring minds need to know.
Ray
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Steeling is still legal in Arizona
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 12:28 pm
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Ok,
From the horse's mouth
Excluding the Anapeg (for obvious reasons), I believe with all my heart, the Emmons LeGrande III is the finest PSG ever built. Nothing I have seen has changed my feeling on that, since its inception. There are many outsdanding PSG's on the market today. But I would have to give the blue ribbon to the Emmons LeGrande III. IMO it is head and shoulders over any other PSG.
What would I buy if I ever bought another guitar?
It would be an Excel SuperB model, hands down.
Why?
Very simple. I want a guitar that has a design NO one builds, not even Excel. Meaning I wish the builder to take his basic design and make a number of major changes in it to suit my requirments.
NO builder I talked to would even consider it; EXCEPT Mitsuo Fujii. And as I have stated several times on this forum, I do not blame any builder for not wanting to cater to a one-of-a kind PSG. Particularly from an old wannabee. 
Thank my precious Jesus Mitsuo did. I am excedingly blessed on account of this.
So now you have the "rest of the story",
May Jesus richly bless Mitsuo, AND all of you,
carl
A Better Way
[This message was edited by C Dixon on 25 February 2004 at 12:35 PM.] |
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Daniel Vorp
From:
Burlington, NC USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 1:16 pm
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| I'm playing an MSA Millennium thru a True Tone pickup, a 6-14E Webb amp, and a Hilton pedal. Let me tell you, it is an impressive rig. The Millennium felt comfy to me faster than any other guitar I've played. I have some demanding 1/2 stop requirements on 2 of the knee levers. They are accurate, totally tunable. The guitar is very light in weight made of very high quality parts, and displays excellent fit and finish. The quick swap pickup feature is also much appreciated. I could go on but by now I'm sure you got the idea. |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 2:03 pm
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Terry,
That black SD10 Carter that John had at Saluda this past weekend played pretty good to me(hey John,I tried it at Charlie's shop Fri,gotta keep my CLR tho)also a good lookin axe too..
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Bill Ford |
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Steve Hellerich
From:
Canon City, CO USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 25 Feb 2004 8:54 pm
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Terry
I have played or owned about every brand
on the market over the last 30 years and
I have been Playing Derby for the last 5
years. It is without adoubt the finest built guitar out there today. In all respects Just plain Quality. |
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Rex Thomas
From:
Thompson's Station, TN
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Posted 28 Feb 2004 9:10 am
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Also what Steve said. My Derby gives me the tone I've been searching for for over 30 yrs. & I owned a p/p over 23 of those yrs.
My Derb is a babe. |
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Terry Sneed
From:
Arkansas,
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Posted 28 Feb 2004 9:22 am
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Excuse my ignorance but what kind of guitar is a Derby?
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TW Sneed
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Rex Thomas
From:
Thompson's Station, TN
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Posted 28 Feb 2004 12:29 pm
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http://allsteelguitar.com
IMHO, they're the best website for Derby info. Billy Cooper also has Derbys. You can find his store by clicking "links" at the top of this page. |
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