The Steel Guitar Forum

Who's playing a GFI guitar. What influenced your choice in buying one. Anyone playing a keyless guitar?

Thanks,
Jerry

I bought a GFI keyless a year ago. Probably what influenced me most in buying it was talking to Gene Fields at the PSGA show in Norwalk. I was impressed with what he said, and as a beginner he was actually steering me towards one of his less expensive student models. I decided to buy the E9 Ultra keyless model with a pad and have been very happy with it. I don't have enough experience to tell you about comparing it to others, but it is a quality instrument. The pedals feel great. I had a few minor issues come up and GFI stuck with me to work them out. They really want their customers to be happy. Hope this helped.

Bob P.

I have a new GFI Ultra 12 string keyless with a Trutone pickup. Very nice well made light guitar with a bright sound.

Without a doubt, the best guitar built on the market... I have 2 of them one is keyed, and the other is keyless, and I wouldn't take a 100 push-pulls for any of them... I am playing the keyless now, and am always getting complements on the tone, and i played the keyed D-10 ultra for a year with Grand Ole opry Star, Holly Dunn... And she always commented on the tone.
It plays great, Pedals are Smooth, Stays in tune great, looks Great, What more Could you Want! Trust Me, I use to be A die Hard Emmons Man, That i might mention is holding up one corner of my bed!
Enough Said!
Mike

I heard your set on Sunday at the convention Mike and you sounded great! What differences are you noticing between the keyless and standard keyed guitar, if any?
Thanks again,
Jerry

I have a keyless Ultra S10, 5 and 4. Been playing almost a year, the guitar is excellent, easy to work on, sounds great. Gene Fields will talk to you if you have any issues. JimP

Jerry. One of the guys that works with me (Del Shorts) on my steel shows plays a GFI Ultra keyless, and the tone he gets from that guitar is phenominal! The GFI's are really great guitars, and I've never heard anyone that owns one say they were dissatisfied with it in any form or matter. Both the keyed and keyless models sound and play great. I know you won't be dissapointed regardless of which model you get.

Mike,
I'll trade you a cement block for that Emmons.
Erv

Great choice. Gene Fields is and has been a quality builder for years. Being a good and close friends for years at Fender, I learned Gene's respect for building and quality.He always waned the very best. Fender should have let him continue when Fender was building PSG's Their mistake! But he has his own now and that's better yet.

Carl West

What's wrong Erv?
Lost faith?

Ron

Nikaro SD10 4x6

Hello,

I bought a D-10 (8x5) because I was looking for a guitar with good tone, playability, & reliability. I saw some pros were taking them on the road, so I fugured they must be reliable & sound good, too. I tried one & the tone was great. The pedal action was smooth, too. I've had it 6 months. I may look at a keyless one in the future, but I'm happy with what I have. It seems to stay in tune & I love the tone. They're great guitars. They're also fairly light weight, but that didn't figure into my decision to buy one.

SK

I Have Two Steels One Is a GFI I Got From Bobbie seymour And It;s Great. SONNY.

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What's the matter Erv? Do you not trust an emmons to even hold up a corner of Mike's bed. Are you plkacing more trust in a cement block?

Have had a couple and found them to excellent guitars with great tone.

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Daniel J. Cormier
MCI D-10 , Peavey Sessions 500 & 400 Limited ,Nashville 400
http://www.cajunsteelguitar.com email at djcormier@cox-internet.com

I think Gene's keyless head design is one of the best and the easiest to tune with out needing any wrench.

I've had my D-10 Ultra keyless for about a year. I also own a 1971 Emmons D-10. The GFI plays like a dream and it doesn't break strings. Most importantly, the keyless tuners are great! I can tune very accurately and very quickly. My playing has improved dramatically since I purchased the GFI.

I had a GFI keyless and Doug is right, no need to have wrench to tune it. Good idea.

Most keyless you have to pick up a tool , and fit it to tune the string.....al



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

I have a new GFI S-10 Ultra keyless and it has proved to be an excellent guitar. I haven't broke any strings, yet. I, also, have a Zum D-10, another great guitar, but the producers where I record prefer my GFI, enough said.

The GFI guitar has proven to be the greatest seller I have ever stocked in my steel guitar store. I'm not saying it's the best guitar in the world, that's subjective and I feel there are different guitars for different uses. However, I have sold these guitars to some of the industries greatest and busiest road players. Bands like these: Haggard, Pride, Waggoner, Partin, L.Lynn, Gary Allen, the great Ralph Mooney, and the list goes on and on. A very interesting, little, dependable guitar that has found a great following, and deservingly so. Funny but we never get a used one in, folks that buy them usually keep them forever. This should mean something.

bobbe
Steel Guitar Nashville

I also agree with Doug Seymour's post, but then, I'd better!
bobbe

I also talked to Gene at the Norwalk PSGA convention and will eventually buy one of his instruments.His years of experience and mechanical know-how were apparent in his skillful engineering and the reasons behind it.I feel he is building as contemporary an instrument as you can get while still retaining traditional aesthetics.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Mark Vinbury on 13 November 2004 at 09:18 PM.]</p></FONT>

Jimmy Buffett's steel player, Doyle Grisham plays a GFI D-10 and Pat Severs, who now plays for Nashville Star plays a GFI too. I heard a steel player playing a GFI at the NTSGA Superjam in October and it sounded incredible! GFIs are great guitars! Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel

How many knees on that cement block Erv?
Is it mica or lacquer?

I have had two GFI Ultra guitars. A SD-10 3+4 with a standard head, and now a SD-12 U 8+5 keyless model. I put a TrueTone pup on not too long ago and couldn't be happier. It stays in tune and it is a snap to change strings. Gene Fields makes a really well-thought-out product. I am thinking of buying another set-up for sacred steel.

When I was offered the job with Ray Price last spring,Bobbe generously offered me a new black on black D-10 Ultra model(with keyheads)to try out. I found the guitar to be quite stable and the tone was more than "acceptable".
As I was still in the process of finding a new horn,between road trips I returned it to BS and subsequently tried several other brands in comparison but ultimately decided on the GFI. Unfortunately for me,after making that decision and before I could get back to Nashville from Texas and secure this particular GFI guitar,I was informed that it had been sold However,based on that tryout I bought an identical one this fall. Its light and it sure stays in tune well;
and thats from job to job,not set to set.
For live gigs the jury is still out on the tone on this particular horn,as it seems to be quite a bit thicker than the other one I tried,but Im fooling with it.
As The Cherokee Cowboys have been on the porch since Ray's cardiac event,Ive not had the chance to try it on the gig which it was intended for. More later on that if we resume working.
Recording-wise the tone reminds me very much of my old EMCI. I feel sure that with some tweaking in the low-high mids,this guitar will give me what Im looking for in the live application.
Nice clean,uncluttered basic design and easy setup/maintenance. I prefer the black on black motif,but the rosewood(?)/gold anodized finish is also quite attractive.
While I do feel that this particular guitar I own is as I said,a bit thicker sounding than the other GFI's Ive tried,thats not necessarily a bad thing,just different for me.
All in all, Im quite satisfied with mine,(thanks Dyke Corson)and I look forward to resuming my spot on "The Chief's" show and finding out what shes really made of.