The Steel Guitar Forum

WHAT ABOUT CARTER STEEL GUITARS D10 I HAVE HEARD GOOD AND BAD I MIGHT BUY ONE BECAUSE THEY ARE LIGHT TO CARRY BUT OR THEY GOOD TO PLAY I PLAY A D10 MULLEN NOW BUT A TON TO CARRY THANKS FOR INFO.

A local musician told me that he likes it because of the lighter load and I think it sounds great; but then I think that is usually due to the ability of the player. I think they have a well organized webb-site and whenever I've emailed the company I have received a prompt reply.

Both are good guitars, I would not buy one without seriously looking playing it. It is difficult to beat the Mullen and the service that Del and his crew provides.
I also have heard that Carter gives excellent service.
I realize that weight can be an issue, but make sure it gives you the satisfaction of switching without sacrificing the qualities that you desire.
I have friends who play both brands and have not heard bad things about either one of them.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Doug Rolfe on 25 March 2005 at 07:37 AM.]</p></FONT>

Greetings Gary,
I have purchased several new Carter steels over the past 8 years. Customer service, overall attention to quality, value and re-sale are all excellent experiences for me with the Carter Team and with Carter guitars. I have never had a mechanical failure on a Carter steel....stay in tune, very good experience with these instruments.
Kind Regards, JohnO.

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John E. O'Neill

Hey Gary, believe it or not, I traded a Mullen SD-10 in excellent condition for a Carter S-10. I love the feel and action of the Carter way better. Sweet tone as well. I did not like the feel of the pad on the Mullen. Just my preference. The Carter I have now will last me as long as I want to play it!..... <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Curt Langston on 25 March 2005 at 10:26 AM.]</p></FONT>

Gary.. DO NOT be at all afraid to buy a Carter.. Light, hi tech,BULLETPROOF construction, as a good a tone as any steel on the market,super easy to play with perfect and precise action ,good prices and good resale. What more could you ask for?..

My Carter is right at the top of list in quality among steel guitars I have owned/played in 29 years. I looked at all the brands before I made decision about 15 months ago,when I decided to buy my "last" new steel guitar. I feel I made the right choice. My Carter does everything I ask it to do.
I will play other steels and I just bought another Sho Bud, but the Carter will be the last steel guitar to leave my possesion....It will go when I can no longer play ANY steel guitar.... bob

Now thats a Carter endorsement!
Hook

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HookMoore.com
Allen Moore

You can go to "www.carterstarter.com" for video demo of that guitar.

Gary,if you go buy a carter d10 you will not be dissapointed at all my friend.I've had my carter d10 for over a year now and WOULD NOT part with it........

At the 1995 West Coast Steel Convention, several folks pointed out that it was most likely Bud Carter who built the '70 MSA I was still playing....it took about 3 min. for me to decide that if the last guitar Bud build for me lasted 25 years (great guitar in it's own right), it would be a good idea to get one more.... I ordered a custom maple - clear finish S12, with my own pedal lever setup. John Fabian literally called me daily to go over each individual change I was requesting... when I got the guitar, plugged it in... ohhhhhh yeahhhh. That was in '95 so in 15 years I'm gonna need another one. (:>)

But don't go by my experience, asked Bobby Black, or Rusty Young how they like their Carters.

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Dave-'95CarterS12_E9/B6_7X7-Session500-Wren

Gary,

I purchased a Carter last fall. The primary reason I went that direction was knowing Bud Carter designed the guitar. I hail from the DFW area and have known about Bud and his steel guitar history for 30 years. I developed some back problems last year so the weight issue certainly figured into my decision as well. Before I totally committed I made a few phone calls to some professional players I know who either have owned or currently play a Carter. Every one of them said I would not regret purchasing a Carter. I have not. My Carter is built like a tank, light weight, stays in tune and sounds fabulous. Plus, I think it's about as classy looking an instrument as I've ever seen. I get comments on how good it looks constantly.
Now, if I could just get some of those kind of comments about my playing.........!
Oh yes, I should mention that I got excellent assistance from the folks at Carter. In particlular Ann Fabian. My guitar was shipped to me about 2 weeks earlier than I expected too.

JP<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 25 March 2005 at 01:19 PM.]</p></font><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 25 March 2005 at 01:24 PM.]</p></font><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 25 March 2005 at 03:34 PM.]</p></FONT>

Gary---I don't like to 'endorse' products because it's always going to come down to personal choice. Also, questions like yours always generate responses like "you won't be sorry", "best guitar in the world" or "these people are awful---they wouldn't come up and clean my cat box when it needed it". Hard to get useful answers.
I don't know why I think my answer is any more useful...it probably isn't. But...I am a very satisfied owner--going on 6 years now, I think, of a Carter SD-12. It is my #1 every day axe. In my opinion there is nothing, other than personal preference, to warn you off of a Carter. Good people, good instrument.

<center>My Carter </center>


------man---I just found out that the website has some really annoying popups. If it's too obnoxious, somebody please inform me and I'll get rid of this link.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jon Light on 25 March 2005 at 01:31 PM.]</p></FONT>

I did same as James, checked with some players and got very good comments. After 2 back surgerys last year the weight of the Carter looks great to me.I would not part with my ole 74 Emmons but I do have a new Carter ordered. Hearing Tommy when he played the Carter didn`t hurt any either
Hook

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HookMoore.com
Allen Moore

I think Carter steels are excellent steels for the backs, your Chiropractor will hate it that you bought one, These instruments have excellent sound and good pedal action, and the people at carter, John, Ann Fabian, and Bud carter take pride in their work. My hats off to you guys. steveb.

I was working 3-4 music shows a week and didn't have time for the necessary maintenance on my guitar and the undercarriage noise was a problem for the sound crew and frightened the horses.

So in June 2000 I bought this Carter D-10, brought it home and began playing it on the show that night. It weighed less and sounded better than the classic I had been playing and I will soon have had it five years without a malfunction of any kind.

.....and it looks good too!


www.genejones.com <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 26 March 2005 at 06:09 AM.]</p></FONT>

David Wren's reply rings true to me....I had never even SEEN a PSG before I ordered. There was a lot I didn´t know, and I had a lot of bright ideas on copedants. I got a LOT of help and even more pacience from John and Ann so that I would get what I needed (not what I thought I needed).

I got it.

A wonderfull instrument.

Jeremy Williams
Barcelona Spain
CARTER S12 DB E9/B6

What is the weight difference between Carter and Mullen ?




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Bob
intonation help

I do not know what a Mullen weighs but a D 10 Carter with 8&5 shows a weight of 38 lbs and 56 lbs cased. My P/P case weighs that empty

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Hookmoore.com

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Hook Moore on 26 March 2005 at 11:47 AM.]</p></FONT>

Hi Gary-I think a Carter is as good as anything out there but sometimes people are looking for a brand name they want to see on stage. For example I brought my Carter on a gig about a month ago - the boss said "you think that thing's gonna sound like your Emmons?" I didn't think the sound was that great the rest of the night. I played my Emmons every gig since. Last night I brought the Carter -after a few numbers he said "hey man your steel sounds fantastic tonight!" Go figure... Play what you like and are comfortable with. I enjoy all my guitars - what's my favorite? That's like asking which of my kids I love the best! Keep pickin'... Dave

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Dave O'Brien, Okeechobee
'75 & '78 Emmons D-10's
www.banjobubba.com

I have several steel guitars, and I like them all for different reasons, but when I head out the door for a live gig, I almost always take the Carter I own. Rugged construction, dependable, sounds and looks great and is very easy on the back. An all-around great guitar for the working musician, IMHO.

My '98 D10 is, without a doubt, the most
comfortable and playable steel that I have ever owned. I have owned several. It was
ready to play right out of the box. I
have said before that there were no "equipment negatives" to overcome.
Even if there were, the staff that backs
the guitars up would make it all worthwhile.
If you want to proceed in your playing
without the worry of adjustment and
setup problems, I recommend the Carter.

Ed

my Carter D10 is a 96..pre BCT..
this is really a very very reliable Steel which holds tune it seems forever and is very easy on the breakage of strings if you maintain it properly.

Compared to a new Carter mine does differ in overall tone..I understand and accept this. It's not BAD, it's just different.

I hardly ever break mine down, it rides in the back of my van set up which I know many fringe at the thought of..but the point is this Steel is extremely rugged and reliable.

Is it the best sounding Steel on the planet ? Probably not in many eyes or ears..but the 9+8 config offes me the opportunity to SEEK
stuff that I was not able to do with previous Steels.

Everyone has an opinion but a rugged reliable Insrument which holds tune and is very easy to setup is not an opinion.

Usually when you hear something bad about a brand , not specifically this one, it's because someone has a desire or strong emotional attachement to a particular brand and does not have the desire to look outside the window, and they don't need to. I have my personal choices on many things, but that does mean that the items that I do not select are not good..it just means they are not for me.

t<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 27 March 2005 at 07:54 AM.]</p></FONT>

Gary:I have had my Carter almost 5 years now,and it is always a blast to play.I have owned many steel guitars over the years and for what I need in a steel guitar the Carter works great for me.I have only played one Mullen and that was a good guitar also.there are some great ones out there "Franklin,Fessy,Derby"etc.The thing that suprises me the most is how such a light weight guitar can sustain so long,and still be beefy sounding when you need it.And you will never deal with nicer folks,Stu