SHOJI: New Steel Guitar Brand from Japan

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

Hi Steelers!

https://www.shoji-workshop.com/en/

My name is Toshiyuki shoji.
I have established a new steel guitar brand in Japan.
I have been with Fuzzy/Excel Guitar for 13 years and will use that experience to provide quality steel guitars and service.

I am currently in the process of putting together a production facility.
The prototype is complete, so please contact me if you are interested in my steel guitar.

I have developed a keyless head that can be tuned with bare hands.
I have developed pedals, legs, knee levers and pedal bars made of carbon CFRP. They will be available as options.

On a personal note, I am 42 years old now.I worked for Excel/Fuzzy for 13 years and learned the art of steel guitar manufacturing and repair.
I strive to put myself in the customer's shoes.
I have also uploaded a video of me performing on You Tube, so I would be happy if you could watch that instead of me introducing myself.
I also play E9 and C6 and 12 string universal.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_ja ... guoWSsqac1

Thank you.

[Kyle Van Koevering]

It's nice to see a new brand of steel pop up. I like your keyless thumbscrew design. Good luck on your new endeavor!

[K Maul]

Very nice! I like the tuners and the carbon fibre(which reduces weight considerably). Good work. Very nice playing as well.

[Sonny Jenkins]

Well I'm glad "the cat is out of the bag" so to speak!!! I've known this was in the works for some time now,,,and I can definitely give it my full endorsement and support. Toshi has been the hands and skill behind Excel for many years and and I'm so glad to see this GOOD MAN move forward in doing what I know he loves,,,and takes pride in,,,,producing a quality instrument that I know will set new standards. He brings knowledge, experience and CRAFTSMANSHIP to the industry. I wish everyone could know his sincerity and dedication the way I do. Let's all support and encourage him in this huge and challenging undertaking!!!!

I'm hoping he can get enough going to exhibit at the Dallas show,,but I know he will be super busy,,24/7,,

AND A BIG PLUS,,,,WE CAN ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH HIM,,,LOL

[Ross Shafer]

This is great news, working with and learning from Mitsuo is a fantastic foundation for your new company!

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing more of your work!

[Dale Rottacker]

For all those who think Steel Guitar is dead, this is good news. Great to see younger guys picking up the mantle

[David Laveau]

Congratulations on the venture,
I wish you the best - hopefully exceeding all
of your dreams.

Seems like a great advantage in terms of weight to me

[Sonny Jenkins]

Also let me mention that since Toshi was the mainstay at Excel,, he will also be the go to guy for Excel service and parts after Mitsuo retires. Toshi helped me rebuild/upgrade an old Excel,,very attentive to detail.,,,everything was always exactly as it should be, and VERY EASY TO COMMUNICATE with. Proud to say he and I have become very close friends.

Since Ross has announced his retirement from Sierra, I will say this,,,,2-3 years ago I had ordered a Sierra,,,,later canceled the order after Toshi helped me with the rebuild and upgrade on this older Excel,,which made it a VERY top notch guitar. Of course,,not the beautiful wood and inlays of the Sierra,,,, but none the less,,,VERY top notch,,,everything I could hope for.

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

As Sonny mentioned, I will be supplying parts for Fuzzy/Excel in the future and I realize that I have a great responsibility to our many customers.

I will have three line ups, S10, S12 and D10.
I understand that many people prefer the traditional look, so customers can also choose to have the legs, pedal bar and knee levers made of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, as in the past.

[John Larson]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

As Sonny mentioned, I will be supplying parts for Fuzzy/Excel in the future and I realize that I have a great responsibility to our many customers.

I will have three line ups, S10, S12 and D10.
I understand that many people prefer the traditional look, so customers can also choose to have the legs, pedal bar and knee levers made of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, as in the past.

As a younger player (31) who likes the look of the modern keyless design that black on white looks awesome!

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

Thank you John!

My age (42) is considered young in the Japanese pedal steel industry.
I'm glad to see the response from some of the younger steeler, too.

[Greg Cutshaw]

Toshi's redesign of my Robostar tuner has made it one of the finest guitars I have ever played. Twelve months now and not a single broken string.

https://www.gregcutshaw.com/Excel%20Rob ... ostar.html

[Corbin Pratt]

Shoji - I love the legs on the black steel. Are those back legs half aluminum, half carbon fiber? Do you sell just the legs? I'd love to try those out.

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

Hi Greg!

I am honored to be of service to you. I am relieved to have fulfilled my responsibility as a crew member involved with your steel guitar.


Hi Corbin!

I am amazed that you noticed the minor differences in the back legs.
Indeed, the back leg of the black D10 is half stainless steel and the thin end is carbon.
I will be selling both the all carbon leg as replacement parts.

[Corbin Pratt]

Very Cool! When will they be available?

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

I am currently in the process of putting together a production facility.
Therefore, it will be about a month before I can start steel guitar manufacturing in earnest.

[Jon Light (deceased)]

Major respect, Shoji. I love that you are doing this.
I look forward to seeing lots of photos. Great engineering and craftsmanship inspire me (I own a new Sierra so I have seen some great stuff!).

[John Larson]

On that D-10 how many raise / lower is that changer?

[Jerry Overstreet]

Those look great Toshi. I am so impressed with your playing as well. Hoping for good things for your venture.

[Bob Hoffnar]

I'm interested in the difference in weight between the carbon and metal guitars.

They look fantastic !

[Mark Hariman]

That’s very cool! Does this mean Mitsuo is retiring soon? What’s going to happen to Excel/Fuzzy?

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

Thanks everyone for the replys.
I will answer in order.

Regarding the changer specs, it is 6Raise,5Lower, and C6 in D10 is 7Raise,5Lower.

Below is a comparison of the weight of carbon and metal parts.

The weight of the 155 mm long knee lever is 41g for aluminum and 22 g for carbon CFRP.
The weight of the 8P pedal bar is 698g for aluminum and 596g for carbon CFRP.
The back leg weigh 479 g for stainless steel and 257 g for carbon CFRP.
The weight of the front leg is 401 g for stainless steel and 270 g for carbon CFRP.
Please change the unit of weight from grams to pounds.

You may find it strange that I should say this, having been a member of the Excel/Fuzzy crew until recently,
However,As for how long Mitsuo Fujii will continue to work and the future of Excel/Fuzzy,
that is for him to decide and I am not in a position to comment.

One thing I can say for sure,
I will be supplying parts for Fuzzy/Excel in the future and I have a great responsibility to our many customers.

[Sonny Jenkins]

I think it's obvious to everyone what a humble and honorable gentleman Toshi is,,,,and EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH,,,LOL!!!! Very glad to call him my friend!!!!

According to my calculations there is a difference in weight of about 2 lbs between the metal and carbon fiber components._

[Toshiyuki Shoji]

Thank you sonny.

I believe that pedal steel guitars need to be completed by the player himself, not by the builder.
What I mean is that pedal steel needs to be adjusted by the player himself/herself according to his/her physique, sitting position, and preferences, and I want to make steel that allows this.

I wish my customers lived in my neighborhood and could bring their steel guitars to me for adjustment, but that is not the case.
It is understandable that you are anxious about buying a steel guitar from a builder in Japan, a faraway foreign country.

The LKL angle issue in particular has been giving me a lot of trouble.
Those who sit near the 12th fret prefer to have the LKL at nearly a right angle to the strings, while those who sit closer to the changer prefer to have the LKL at a larger angle.

In other words, the preferred LKL angle is too different for each player, so there is a limit to what I can adjust before shipping.

If the angle of the LKL is not right for you, the edge(corner) of the knee lever will hurt against the side of your knee, right?
After much trial and error, I came up with a pivot system to rotate LKL to adjust and fix it at an arbitrary angle.
This allows the player to perfectly adjust the LKL to the desired angle by himself.

By the way, I like to sit around the 19th to 21st fret.

[Jared Ruari]

I will be so excited for you to take all of my money someday.

Any chance you're able to share the pricepoints, or not quite yet?