The Steel Guitar Forum

I know everyone tauts the "pre-war" models of the Model B.....but is tehre any significant difference in SOUND between the various eras and models?

Any versions that are considered deals?

Thanks!

Some folks claim to hear the difference between the 1.5" magnets on the early ones and the 1.25" later ones. I've also heard claims that folks can hear the difference between the different formulations of Bakelite they used over the years.

I'm not saying those folks are wrong, but my ears are not that sensitive. The one difference I've noticed is before and after recharging magnets that had grown weak over the years. Having owned several over the years, the one I ended up keeping is from 1960.

There is no real world way to qualify tone. I my collection I have guitars of all types and I want to believe that the ones with all the magic mojo components are the best sounding but in reality I can't say that is always the case. Its a recipe vs flavor kind of situation. All the components together produce the result. Sometimes the brand of flour might make a difference, sometimes it might not.
I have had really good sounding 1 1/4" horseshoes and ones that weren't. That alone is not the flavor of the guitar, just part of it. There is a blend involved.

I have Pre War B6, a Post War B6 and a Pre War B7. They are all different.

Just like picking up a Stratocaster, every one is somehow a little different. Or a Blackface Fender amp; I've had three Super Reverbs at one point in time and all three sounded slightly different. I kept the one I liked.

Rick Aiello may be able to give you a scientific answer.

I wouldn't be shy about getting a Post War model with the smaller pickup. I bought my Post War recently for under $450. It's wonderful, powerful, smooth, and budget priced. This one was inexpensive because 3 of the original plates had been replaced. That doesn't affect the playability so I thought I'd try it. Glad it did. Just gotta keep an eye out for a deal.

Steve hit the nail on the head—they all sound different and even having owned a number of them, both pre- and post-war, it’s tough to make generalizations about different types being different or better because each individual instrument is different. The features that I’ve found I like are input jack away from me and white lines outlining the frets. The first so I don’t accidentally jostle the input while I’m playing, and the lines so I can see where I am in a dimly lit place. The big thing I’ve noticed is that some of them are extremely noisy, and it seems like the most consistent offenders with this problem are the chrome plates with volume and tone on different sides—maybe it’s just been my luck but everyone I’ve had has had some kind of noisy grounding issue. The other things that make a difference are the evenness of the output from string to string, the tuners, and the condition of the nut (how level it is for the string set you like). If you have one that sounds good to you, has good string balance, and works well for you, do not feel like you need the bigger pickup. To me that is one of the least important factors from a playing perspective.

Jim, a lot of good reading on Rick's pages regarding your inquiry.
http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgg/m6m2_1.htm
http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgg/m6m1_1.htm

I have no experience of the cast aluminum guitars, but I have a single control B6 #863 which probably means it was made in 1935. Rick Aiello charged the magnets and it sound wonderful. However, anyone considering a bakelite guitar should know they are prone to tuning issues due to temperature. I can live with it. By contrast my 8 string guitar, made of solid Honduras Mahogany, stays in tune under similar conditions.