What's with the Sierra's?

Chris Harvey · From: California, USA

On a whim I picked up a Sierra. The price was beyond good and I'm trying to figure why these are so undervalued? Probably one of the best instruments mechanically I've seen. A lot of innovation thought out and the tone (at least on mine) is fantastic. I put tone knobs on all of my guitars as I find that tremendously helps just about any guitar (Sierra has one plus some cool tapping and mid-boost circuits), but that's just me. I'm sure I'm rehashing old posts, but oh well I'm very happy to have a guitar that, by my estimation, should be worth in the thousands.

Russell Adkins · From: Louisiana, USA

Im with you Chris , i cant figure out why either

Chance Wilson · From: California, USA

Imagine what weâ€™d be playing now if Chuck Wright and Danny Shields were still around. I miss Sierra and Carter at NAMM. Ross-if you decide to display there, Iâ€™ll schlep your gear, set up and staff your booth pro bono. I can probably find other dealers to share a booth and $ too.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

I picked up a Sierra recently too--It really is about as good as it gets mechanically, and I like the tone too. It has a very different tone from a wooden bodied guitar, but once I learned where to set my amp, It sounds great. Easy to work on, and it's a pleasure to work and play on a guitar designed and machined to such a high standard.

Mine is keyless, and I really like the long scale/keyless combination. The prices they're going for these days make them a real bargain in my estimation.

Dave

Joe Romanchick · From: Pennsylvania, USA

They are built like tanks, but I think they are very nice looking machines also..Here is mine..The modular pickup system is also a plus..I am a novice, but it is very easy and smooth to play....

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

I've never played a Sierra guitar but in 2000 I watched Joe Wright get the most incredibly beautiful tone out of his...I'm sure that Joe was a big part of the sound...But I've been around long enough to recognize a great sounding guitar when I hear one.
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Douglas Schuch · From: Valencia, Philippines

I was reading through the old "Ask Buddy" pages in his website that Ernie Renn maintains, and he was asked about his opinion of Sierra Steels. He said he thought they had they best tone for C6 of any steel he had played.

I think weight is part of their problem. And the other might be the innovation - when it comes down to it, most pedal steelers are inherently conservative - look how many prefer 60's vintage Emmons and 70's vintage Sho-Buds! I play carbon-body MSAs - the new wood MSA's are suddenly the hot new item in the steel world, but the carbon ones, which are very limited and I think the best material possible for a pedal steel, are difficult to sell. I guess they think it is like tupperware or something. Yo-yo Ma plays a carbon cello - and believe me, the material that makes a cello is far more important sonically than what a pedal steel is made from! But steelers tend to avoid anything inovative, like the Alloy bodies of Sierra and Excel, and the carbon fiber of the Millenium.
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Joe Romanchick · From: Pennsylvania, USA

I was reading the older discussions on the forum, and someone mentioned that the guys also did not like the looks and mentioned the square legs as one of the things, but I think they look very nice and that is why I posted a picture of mine. I guess everyone has their likes and dislikes, but you just can't deny the fact that they are made extremely well....

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

More about the square legs--The ability to adjust the height of all four legs to suit the player without having to either get longer legs or rig up some kind of extenders is brilliant as far as I'm concerned.

On other guitars, I've needed to raise the standard height by an inch or so, and had to add extenders to the front legs and pedal rods. On my Sierra, I raised the legs about 3/4 inch (which fit me perfectly) and there was enough room on the threads of the pedal rods to extend them to match.

I think they look good too.

Dave

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

I played a Sierra once & while mechanically it was built like the space shuttle, the tone was very blah. I too saw Joe Wright play at a steel convention in Lakeland a couple years ago & remember thinking while one of the best players on the planet, I wondered how much better he would sound on a PP or a Zum. His Sierra's tone was just not there. BTW the best tone of all the players that day was a local guy playing a Zum.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I've had 2 Sierras, both late 80s models - a 3+4 S-10 (in my avatar) and an 8+5 U-14. Both were "Crown" type models (as opposed to "Session", which was lighter), had Danny Shields 3-way pickups, were mechanically flawless, and sounded great.

I traded the S-10 after I got the U-14, and traded the U-14 for some guitars strictly because of the weight. It was a single-neck on a somewhat wider single-body, but still very heavy. I thought about a D-10, but didn't want to even think about the weight. If I saw a Session D-10, I'd give it a listen for sure.

I guess everybody's idea of tone is different. But I felt that my Sierras were very flexible, tonally, especially with the Shields 3-way pickup.

I also see people point out "nasally" video/sound Sierra clips where I am pretty confident that the pickup was in an out-of-phase humbucker setting that would have accounted for the tone. I can tell you that the tone on both of my Sierras was very present and full, the antithesis of nasally.

But you're correct - historically, they are generally under-valued. Old MSAs have the same issue, and I think the biggest reason for that is also weight. An old MSA Classic D10 is a total boat-anchor but a great playing, sounding, and affordable pedal steel.

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

fantastic guitars....

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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

There's something for everybody. I think about 95% of steelers are from the traditional mold. If it doesn't look like an Emmons or a Sho-Bud, they ain't gonna like it no matter how it sounds and plays. Add to that the keyless feature and you've lost most of 'em.

Hearing with the eyes again.

There's a ISGC video of Buddy playing It's the Water with Darrell McCall on that D10 Sierra that he spoke so highly of. I'll dig it up if anybody wants to see it and you can hear it for yourself. It's the guitar he played on many of the Church Street Station shows.

I've had a few Sierras, all Crown 25's, all SU14's, all keyless, all the goodies, triple range pups, tone controls, etc. I like 'em just fine. I'm not currently playing one, but that's just the way things worked out.

Who knows, my next one, if there is a next one, might be another Sierra.

Here's a couple of 'em.
#7117 Stafford Elegante 14SCMSE 8+7

#7177 Stafford Elegante 14 SCMSE 8+7 with arm actuated lever/bar

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Russell Adkins · From: Louisiana, USA

wish i still had my uni 12

Bill Ford · From: Graniteville SC Aiken

Chuck Morel · From: Pottersville, New York

I just went from playing my D-10 Crown Gearless to a GFI D-10 reason being the Sierra is just to damn heavy. They soung amazing but at the end of a night I want to kick it off stage.lol. the GFI is about 30-40 lbs lighter I'm guessing.

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

Seems a major weight complaint is focused on the "Crown" series.
Not much mention that the "Session" series is not any heavier than your basic other "popular" brands and in some cases actually lighter!

Don R Brown · From: Rochester, New York, USA

Charley Bond · From: Inola, OK, USA

Russ Tkac · Posted 27 Mar 2018 2:06 pm

Pete Finney.

https://youtu.be/aLvY4USW-zw

Jan Viljoen · From: Pretoria, South Africa

Buddy playing at the 1990 ISGC on his white Sierra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5aOB5MzfMQ
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Sierra S10, Stage One, Gibson BR4, Framus, Guya 6&8, Hofner lap, Custom mandolins, Keilwerth sax.
Roland Cube 80XL, Peavey112-Valve King and Special, Marshall 100VS.

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

I was drawn to an absolutely flawless, mint condition Sierra Olympic single 12 E-9 at the SWSGA show in Mesa this past January. Built in 1978 but you would never know it was 40. So I spent a couple of weeks rejiggering the copedent to suit me and I have installed it at my gig where it won't be subject to being moved around at all. I've been playing it now for a month or so and still find it a little quirky, a little too bright and somewhat unforgiving. Still fiddling with it, but it's clear my ham handed technique needs as much adjusting as the guitar itself. 'Tis a beautiful thing, black and gold and perfect.

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Here is Buddy video "Triple Play" done on a Sierra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mGUk7CGraM

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