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Topic: Anyone Else ever leave their Steel on a Equip Truck |
JR Ross
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 11:15 am |
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We are in process of getting a new Buss but until that happens our leader is asking that we leave all of our equipment including my Steel Guitar locked up on the PA truck. There is not room for it in the vehicles we are traveling long distances in. I am very particular about my Guitars and this does not sit well with me. I have 2 Mullens one is a G-2 which I would never leave on it as well as an older Royal Precision which is currently on the Truck. I live in New Mexico and although I feel it will be fairly safe from a security vantage point I am more concerned about the Temperature changes it will have from being on the truck and going into the gigs. Have anyone of you been in this situation before? If so has it adversly effected your instruments?
I am seriously considering using one of my older less valuable guitars instead to be constantly on the truck but I feel my performances will suffer. I really didn't spend the money I did on my Mullens Guitars to have them left alone on an equipment PA truck. |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 11:50 am
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I totally agree with you about the temp change,can't be a good thing. If you have a way of carrying it in your personal transportation, that's what I would do.
Bill
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Jay Jessup
From:
Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 12:03 pm
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| I did it all the time for years back in the late 70's early 80's my steel always stayed in the equipement truck. First was a wood MSA then a mica Zum, east coast summer and winters so not as hot as some parts of New Mexico can get but a pretty wide range of temps. We had roadies so the stuff was already set up and temperature adjusted by the time I arrived to tune up and plug in and neither of the guitars had any operational or cosmetic problems with it. I did always hand carry my banjo and six string guitar to all gigs however. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 12:09 pm
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If the leader will leave his precious old Martin on the truck, then you can't really argue with him. You might want to switch to a less precious pedal steel, though. I wouldn't leave a brand new custom steel or a collectible on a truck.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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JR Ross
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 12:31 pm Old Martin?
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bOb I guess you remember one of my older threads. He really does not respect his instruments like the rest us do . He broke off the headstock on his White 3 pickup Les Paul( it fell over) which was a newer model . Still new they are several thousand dollars. He ended up giving it to our lead player for $100 who then re glued it and uses it. . The Martin he leaves on the truck is only a 3 year old vynal road type of Martin which Im sure was 300 to $600 at best. I think I will end up using an old MSA Universal which I use at rehearsals but have not performed with in several Years since I started buying Mullens
Jay... I was hoping to hear from someone else like you that has done this. It is a little encouraging to hear that your guitar survived this situation |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 2:02 pm
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Hey, J.R., I sympathize with your plight. As far as temp changes, I've been all over the country, and the southwest, with a Mullen wood body and Mica Carter living in the bus bays. Aside from having hardware like pedal connectors come loose from vibration, it never negatively affected the guitars.
The thing I would worry about would be theft. The lowlifes out there have learned to follow and target equipment trucks. I'm frequently forced to leave my Zum in a band trailer these days and it really worries me. |
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Robby Springfield
From:
Viola, AR, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 3:05 pm
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I have had to haul mine in the back of my covered PU truck for years now. Sometimes a job will put me home late and I will leave my stuff in the truck...sometimes overnight turns into a couple days. I always like to allow time for my steel to warm up from the cold before I pop the lid on the case. If your not dealing with a lacquer guitar I don't think there is much to worry about from my experience. They are pretty tough!
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Robby
www.power3productions.com |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 3:35 pm
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A heavy-duty road case should take care of any worries.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Adam Sorber
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 5:16 pm
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My Magnum stays on the truck for for many nights in a row and I never have any problems. I always give it time to temp adjust though
_________________
Adam Sorber
Sho Bud PROII custom D-10
Sho Bud PROII custom SD-10
Fender Super Twin Reverb
Fender Ultra-linear Twin Reverb |
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Gerry Simon
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2009 9:22 pm
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| b0b, your smilie indicates a joke but living in Ohio in the winter, I used to carry a hair dryer, not just to warm my steel up after being in a truck all nite but to dry it off as it would be soaked from all the condensation. I think that kind of abuse DID eventually mar the looks of the instrument. Perhaps those lucky enough to be playing in the warmer climes won't have that problem. |
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JR Ross
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2009 7:25 am
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Jerry s Reply
b0b, your smilie indicates a joke but living in Ohio in the winter, I used to carry a hair dryer, not just to warm my steel up after being in a truck all nite but to dry it off as it would be soaked from all the condensation. I think that kind of abuse DID eventually mar the looks of the instrument. Perhaps those lucky enough to be playing in the warmer climes won't have that problem.
Jerry I would totally freak out if my Steel came out wet from condensating... Thank god I dont live in Rochester NY Anymore... Im sure that would also happen to me back east.
Rick ,
Thanks for making me feel better about not hurting the body & mica finish from the temp changes. I think I worry more about the summer heat here cause in a trailer it could easily get over 110 degrees.
Adam and others I think have the best advice about letting the guitar warm up or cool down slowly at the gig before poping the case open. |
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Al Michalczak
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2009 7:28 am
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| Get a Blanton. They are too tough to hurt and too heavy to steal. HA! |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2009 7:29 am
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| isnt finish checking sometimes caused by extreme temperature changes? |
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 25 Sep 2009 9:26 am
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For what it's worth, my debut with the original Diamond Ballroom band in 1964 was marred by the theft of all of our equipment sometime between Christmas Eve and the New Years Eve opening.
My pedalboard was the only thing left on the bandstand....my new Fender 1000, and my Standel Custom was gone. I must acknowledge that one of the owners came forth and offered me a loan to replace my equipment, even though their insurance did not cover my loss. I accepted his offer, and I repaid the loan as agreed.
I believe that when we receive a plus, that we are obligated to return in kind.
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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW" |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 25 Sep 2009 12:08 pm
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I would not leave my steel unguarded on a bus under any circumstances. I've had one steel stolen because I left it in the trunk of a car, and I have no wish to repeat the experience.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2009 1:02 pm
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| My steels have always had a tough time with temperature extremes from living in Ohio and S. Texas,but I've never had a problem from it. At times they have lived in the trunk. I've gone through it with Fenders,Sho-bud,MSA,and Zum with no problems. Theft and mishandling damage worries me far more. Cigarette smoke has done more damage on mine than temperature change. The biggest problem is letting it stablize to room temp in time to tune and play. I don't know how true it is, but a story used to go around about Ralph Mooney taking his Fender 1000 to the car wash and hosing it down. lol |
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Paul Frank Bloomfield
From:
Greece
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Posted 26 Sep 2009 5:56 am
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Hi guys ! thought i'd add my contribution here, due
to the location of our house it is far easier for me to leave my trusty ZB in the equipment van than carry
it up two flights of stairs, I've done this for the last 4 seasons and have'nt noticed any problem with the heat,it even stays in tune !
The other bonus is that thieving is almost alien to
the Greeks so there's no problem there, we leave our
jeeps open and with the keys in without worry, I think we're fortunate to live here
All the best
Frank. Corfu
_________________
" The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you've finished "
ZBSD-10,ZB D-11/10, Franlin Tele,Epiphone customised Les Paul, 'Fender pro 185 amp. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 26 Sep 2009 7:36 am
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I won't leave anything sensitive or hard to replace in a band vehicle. Bands that I've been in have had their vans busted into twice, both times the thieves stole essentially everything. I nearly always pulled my guitars and old tube amps out of the van and carried them with me, regardless of situation. So I only lost generic PA stuff, but some of the other guys lost some nice old guitars and amps they had a hard time replacing. We caught the thieves - they sold some of the generic stuff to acquaintances of friends, who recognized it immediately. But none of the good stuff was ever recovered.
If I was a road dog forced to leave stuff in a van or bus, I would only bring hardy stuff I could easily replace - Mexi-Fenders, Peavey amps, and a good quality but lightweight, modern steel like a GFI that could be quickly replaced - and then insure it to the hilt and not worry about it.
| Quote: |
| isnt finish checking sometimes caused by extreme temperature changes? |
If you allow a guitar to quickly change temperatures, a lacquer finish will tend to check. It's worst in winter - a fast warmup from, let's say, 10-70 F will check the devil out of most any of them. To avoid this, the guitar must be slowly brought up to temp. |
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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John Gould
From:
Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX
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Posted 27 Sep 2009 6:31 am
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During my road days I bought a heavy duty flight case for my steel. But still having it under a bus had it's hazards and took its toll on the guitar. Going from freezing temperatures to normal to hot and back. It checked the finish on a lacquer guitar. Never really had any mechanical problems come up from it. I kept a close eye on the changer and tuners.
_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II |
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Barry Hyman
From:
upstate New York, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2009 3:01 pm
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Your bandleader wants you to leave your steel on the truck? Sounds like he's the one who's getting ready to steal it!
I wouldn't do that; no way. Metal and wood expand and contract different amounts at different speeds when the temperature and/or humidity changes. So do wood and mica; so do wood and lacquer. Would you leave your dog there to alternately cook and freeze? I hope not.
Even without worrying about thieves, weather alone can hurt an instrument. Why abuse a good instrument? Why by a cheap instrument just so you can abuse it? No, I would bring the steel home at night and take it back the next day.
_________________
I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com |
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Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2009 4:09 pm
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Left my road rig, (LaGrande) on the truck for years with no ill effects. Pretty much in tune when I set
it up. Truck is white with aluminum roof, so it doesn't get oven hot in there. Our temps in this area go from about 25F. to 100F. As far as security, it's left in a members yard with lots of
skittish dogs.
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2009 8:06 pm
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| My Dentist once told me, only brush the teeth you want to keep. I feel similar about my equipment. Only bring in the gear you want to keep. I personally leave nothing in a club or vehicle... ever. |
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