Breaking in a new steel

Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

Anyone out there have some insights into breaking in a new steel?

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Not sure what your question is but this was some real good advice from Bob Hoffnar to me on my new Fessenden----put away your other guitar and do not yield to the temptation to go back & forth between them to compare. Just spend time exclusively on the new one until you find YOUR sound & feel with it.

My thoughts? Comparisons are meaningless. Every guitar is what it is. Don't measure one against another but instead get to know each one, its plus's & minus's, its quirks. It can be frustrating if you spend time asking yourself if you like this pedal feel better, like that guitar's low range more....
Bond with your axe.

Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

Jon, I agree with you & BobH, I put my old steel away and have not touched it for 2 weeks, even took the new one out to gig the last 2 weeks.
It is the noises, sqeaks, clicks...etc of the new parts settling in, stretching springs etc.
I have not owned a new steel in 30 years and am curious as to other players experiences.

Lawrence Lupkin · From: Brooklyn, New York, USA

I never owned a brand new steel until recently. I got some good advice from Billy Carr. Keep the rollers at the nut well lubricated. It took a little while, but everything broke in nicely.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

IMHO, there is no "breaking in period" for a new steel. There is only you getting used to playing something different.

richard burton · From: Britain

Bonding with your axe is a definate phenonomen, in my opinion.
Of all the steels that I have owned, ZB, Emmons PP, Carter, the one that I always gravitate towards is my el cheapo 60's kit steel, a Denley.
The grass isn't always greener....

John Hawkins · From: Onalaska, Tx. on Lake Livingston * R.I.P.

If you were playing a Zumsteel . --even if it was brand new and never been played by anyone ( with the exception of Bruce -the builder, prior to delivering it ), It will be "broken in " as if you had played it for years thanks to Bruce Zumsteg and the way he builds Steel Guitars! Perfect as perfect can be !!!! Just like butter from day one just like my case,--same way years, later !!

John

Billy Carr · From: Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)

A little 3-in-1 oil or lightweight machine oil seems to work for me. I keep every moving part oiled lightly. Usually whenever I change strings. This seems to allow everything to work freely and smoothly as it should once a guitar is tweaked.

Colby Tipton · From: Crosby, Texas, USA

Play It.

Brad Malone · From: Pennsylvania, USA

John, you are 100% correct about Bruce. Bruce is a builder, and a player and he spends a lot of time adjusting each and every part so it will be perfect for the customer. That is why he is so highly esteemed.

Robert Leaman · From: Murphy, North Carolina, USA

I've had quite a number of different steel guitars, both pedal and non-pedal. In 1975, my wife bought an Emmons D10 8+4 bolt-on push-pull for me. I thought that it was the ultimate until I got my Sierra Session D10 8+7 gearless. After one week with a Sierra, I sold my Emmons and never looked back. Even my wife likes the Sierra more than my Emmons. There are those that like one particular instrument and I believe that this is because it feels good when one plays it. My Sierra makes the same sounds that I hear in my head, it feels good, and it makes sounds that the band and people like. With me, this is all that's necessary. There was no breakin period, it played perfectly from the start.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · From: Clinton, Missouri USA

Take a ball peen hammer and put a big dink right in the neck or the front apron. Now you don't have to worry about the guitar being mint any more. Now play it.

Chris Allen Burke · From: Signal Hill, CA

Just finished the Jerry Byrd book. In it is a short story about a special Sho~Bud that Shot Jackson built for him. He said it was a beautiful guitar and started playing and using it right away. Several sessions a couple of radio shows and he having all kinds of trouble getting it to coroporate and settle in. It got to the point that at the conclusion of a show he took it into a room and as he was putting back in the case, pointed his finger, yelled at it and said if it didn't work right the next time he set it up he was going to throw it in the river and be done with it. Well the next set up came and Jerry wrote that it was nothing short of amazing. It sounded wonderful and has been playing ever since.

CAB

Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

JimBob.. too funny , but playing it is exactly what I have been doing.. I am completely comfortable playing the new steel.
Thanks for the responses friends but,
Instead of "my steel is the best" and "just play it" responses, I was hoping for actual accounts of parts breaking in, springs stretching and settling in, noises etc.
And as a point of info, my chart holder fell and nicked the pedal rack...and I played it in a smokey bar already... so it is not cherry anymore.

Dag Wolf · From: Bergen, Norway

Here`s a quote from my post on the Zum Hybrid:
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I never owned a brand new steel and but noticed that after a few mounths that my mica startet to sound better. I talked this matter over with John Hughey and he told me what I also found that you need at least 6-8 mounths with much playing to break it in. This is why John has only played his new allpull Zum this year - to break it in. He still got and loves his hybrid.

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The rest can be read here: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/013451.html

Dag

[This message was edited by Dag Wolf on 18 December 2006 at 04:59 AM.]

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