The Steel Guitar Forum

Well i just bought my first mullen,it is best built guitar i've seen,tone is ok,i played emmoms 24 year's so tone is not the issue,it 's NOT gonna be there i know but easy playing easy to change set up made up my mind,..love it...
Charlie......

Charlie, It's gonna take a little while to get adjusted to the guitar since you've been playing Push-pull guitars so long . I have been playing mine about four years now and I love it. I would never want to go back to my push - pull even though I'm keeping it . I played push-pull Emmon's for over 20 years.

Charlie,best move I ever made Buying a Mullen Royal Precision about 2 years ago after playing Emmons for years.Easy pedal action,stays in tune and tone to the bone.

Max

I agree with Buck. It may take you awhile to get use to the Mullen, but stick with it and the tone will come around. I played Emmons for several years. I changed to a Mullen and couldn't be happier with the guitar and it's tone.

Charlie; Keep working with the tone. I've had a few different ones and wound up getting extremely close the first few times as far as tone goes. I finally got the one I wanted to sweet perfection. Try different pickups after trying different settings and don't use any effects at all to determine the real sound of the guitar. I don't know what you're playing through, but different amp and speakers change things drastically sometimes. The guitar should always play like a dream and is worth the time it takes to get the tone you desire.

Thank's guy's,Dale it has George L's PF-I's in it now 19000 ohm,i would like to stay with the humbucking p/u's to keep down the hum,i know true tone's would be best but!!i used a NV 400 with the emmons but my Vegas 400 sound's better with the mullen,i'll keep working with it because it is a FINE axe..by the way Buck i sold my p/p because i knew what i would do..thank's fellow's
Charlie.....

I traded my push-pull for a '92 Mullen, and I love the Mullen's tone, although it sounds nothing like a push-pull. But isn't it interesting how, with all the Emmons-bashing that shows up on the forum, the Emmons push-pull is still the yardstick that we all measure tone against?

Roger Blevins told me years ago that if I ever played a Mullen I would be hooked. I played a D-10 a few months ago and was hooked. I just ordered a new Mullen that will be here about the last of July. Thanks Regor(Roger's nickname.Roger spelled backwards)for all your support. I owe you one pal. See you Sunday, the 31st of July at the Baldknobbers Steel Show in Branson. Michael

Well I probably shouldn't comment here, but I can't help it. I first started playing a Mullen in 1984 and I have been selling them since 1984. Of course, like any manufacturer, there have been many changes over the years. I personally play the one we call the HWP model which is different from the Royal Precision. The HWP has a different changer, the wood thickness is different in several places in the body as well as many other changes. The pickup in my guitar is a single coil that Del Mullen winds to 22,000 ohms, but is different than his other pickups. Now let me first say that the Royal Precision is an excellent guitar, but the HWP definately has a different tone, and I prefer the HWP for the tone difference. You owe it to yourself to compare the two. I have always liked the tone of a push-pull and seems to be the standard that most builders compare too, but all around I still prefer the HWP model Mullen over anything I have ever played. Now, I don't want to say that it sounds like a push-pull as I have heard that statement many times from different manufacturers, but for what it is worth, I did an album a couple of years ago with a vocalist named Duane Dee which is called a Tribute To Ray Price. This album contains 18 Ray Price tunes, such as: Way To Survive, Touch My Heart, The Other Woman, Night Life, Heartaches By The Number and so on, and I have been told by many steel guitarist that they were amazed at how close it sounded to a push-pull. Again, I am not saying this as to bragging, but that was the sound I was going for. I guess before I close, I will put in a plug for that album if anyone should be interested. It sells for $18.00 plus $6.00 shipping and handling.

Herby Wallace

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Herby,i'm glad you spoke on this issue,i love the mechanic's of the mullen it is a superb piece of workman ship,now by playing psg for 24 plus year's i know that tone has a LOT to do with the hand's as well as the amp,building etc,so i said all that to say the push pull has it's sound and mullen has it's sound as well(not the same imo)but to say one is superior over the other i can't say,but what i CAN say i heard you play at Hot Spring's and i told my friend's that that tone you had on the red mullen was the best i had EVER heard,no way to be any better,like Buck Grantham told me get a guitar close to the tone and be happy because if it ain't a push pull it ain't gonna sound like one,....
Thank's Charlie.....

Herby has hit the nail on the head here. I have always loved the tone that the HWP Mullen had. Of course Herby's touch has something to do with it as well. My latest is the 4th Mullen that I have had. It will probably be my last since I loaded it up with everything. I may add a rod or two, but I am very pleased with the tone as well as the action of Mullen over anything else I have ever played. Not to say that there isn't other good steels out there on the market. There is. Not everyone is going to like the Mullen. That's why there are other brands out there. You will find your tone in time Charlie. Just keep working on it.

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Mullen Royal Percision D-10 Red Laquar Pearl inlay 8&8
"Life is too short for bad tone".

Charlie I can try and help you find the sound you like. I need to know what model/year guitar you have and we can go from there. The R.P. and HWP have very different characteristics and a pickup that works in one may not work so well in the other. I know we can find the tone you want. We did a comparison check here and at the Pheonix show with an old push pull, with your back turned you could almost not tell the difference. I have also had several emails, phone calls, and personal conversations with many Mullen players that have said their guitar sounds so much like a push pull it is not funny. They are just all opinions and it will not sound exactly like a push pull if it is not a push pull, but with the differences in the mechanics between the Mullen and the push pull, and such a similarity in tone, you really couldn't go wrong.

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Mike Mantey
Sales & Production Manager
Mullen Guitar Co., Inc.
(970) 664-2518 www.mullenguitars.com
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mike Mantey on 06 July 2005 at 01:15 PM.]</p></FONT>

Mike it is a 99 model RP ser.# 0062 it has George L's in it now PF I,i need to stay with humbucking p/u's if possible,any help WILL be appreciated because i LOVE the guitar..thank's in advance...
Charlie.....

I would recommend trying the George L 10-1. I do believe it is a much better pickup for the Royal Precision.