The Steel Guitar Forum

What’s the Epoxy for on GFI.
I took the epoxy off an buffed the End plates, pedal board an the three aluminum trim strips in front of this GFI.
Black Formica an buffed aluminum is hard too beat on a pedal steel.
On the models with colors I can see the reason for epoxy.

Last picture is brushed epoxy finished..

"What is the epoxy for?"

It is so you don't have to buff any aluminum and can get on with the business of trying to make a living building these things. GFI is the sales leader so apparently everyone doesn't need to have things shiny.

Johnnie,
You did good!!
Erv

I had a shiny Franklin and now have an "epoxy" GFI Expo D-10. I'm perfectly happy with the stock factory finish. And, easier to maintain. No more Simichrome or Mother's Polish to try and keep the polished aluminum shined up. Just set it up, tune up and play.

Gene was proud of his epoxy finishes. I remember the first year he displayed the GFI brand at the ISGC. I stopped in his room to check them out. Gene was very friendly and answered questions freely, but the one thing he talked about the most was the finish, how protective it was and that it required almost no maintenance.

Thank you Erv!

Looking good! I want the audience to squint when they look at me under the lights...

Johnie - That is certainly purdy - but I have to agree with Doug and Jack on this. I love shiny stuff, and I enjoy polishing it too, but the GFI finish isn't bad at all.

Since you went this far, put some of those shiny corners on it too.

Thanks Ken . The epoxy is fine. I just like the buffed aluminum look better.

I agree with Ken.
You need to put those shiny corners on also.
Erv

There is no wrong , and it’s all good. I’ve owned GFI (x2) and like the look.

Johnnie, I think that looks really cool.

Doug, your right, less parts to polish. Mine was the candy blue frame with black mica, keyless. While unconventional looking ( compared to other steels) I thought mine looked really great. Turns out the finish wasn’t as durable as expected, but was easy to touch up and shine.

As for the general reaction to the different look of the GFI , almost every crowd I ever played for never saw a steel before, and even the ones that had , everyone “ thought it looked really cool” , including me.

The only one who ever noticed it was different was the one old steel player I invited to my gig. Regardless, I think the GFI, whether polished, Lacquered, or painted, looks really nice. Plays smooth, rock solid tuning, easy to work on, great customer support, and affordable.

They seem undervalued and underappreciated.

People have different tastes. That's the thing about owning something...you can modify, alter, paint, strip it or whatever you want to do with it.

Oops...double post....

Good work, Johnnie. As others have said......if it's your guitar, do what you want with it.

I do have to say though, if I were buying another used GFI and that had been done, I wouldn't consider it an upgrade. I like the stock look, and would prefer to buy it un-messed with.

YMMV

:with this an a little elbow grease you can have a shine

Yeah, I said could do it, not should do it...

My five year old daughter loves to polish the endplates with Mother's until they're like a mirror. I gave her a cut of the guarantee.

It's ironical, people buy vehicles with all the chrome they can get but they don't want to bother shining up their pedal steels.
Erv

Erv,
You’re right about that. For me, I never care about the chrome on my car.

My steels stay well polished, and shine!

Erv Niehaus wrote:It's ironical, people buy vehicles with all the chrome they can get but they don't want to bother shining up their pedal steels.
Erv

Not much chrome on vehicles these days!

Pickup bumpers?
Motorcycles?
Peterbilts?
Erv

On the models with color the Epoxy finish works very well for sure.

Doug Earnest wrote:"What is the epoxy for?"

It is so you don't have to buff any aluminum and can get on with the business of trying to make a living building these things. GFI is the sales leader so apparently everyone doesn't need to have things shiny.

I agree with Doug. I’ve never owned a gfi, but I’ve always liked their “industrial” style. Puts me in the mind of some of the machinery I have worked with over the years.

In response to Erv, most shiny Harleys spend most of their lives in the garage, most shiny hot rods are trailer queens, and most shiny Peterbuilts are driven by solar powered blow hards !