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Topic: 1986 EMCI Arlington SD-10 3x5 $1400 Shipped : ITEM SOLD |
Dennis Montgomery
From: Western Washington
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Posted 31 Jul 2019 2:53 pm
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$1400, shipping included to lower 48. I'll knock $100 off for local pickup. PayPal only. This instrument is sold as-is and all sales final. I've described the instrument in detail and documented cosmetic issues with many pictures so you will know exactly what you're getting with no surprises. Also, a couple youtube vids are linked so you can hear the instrument in action so, once again, no surprises
No trades please.
Interested buyers will be prioritized in the order they PM me. If I follow up with a reply and don't receive a response from a prospective buyer within 24 hours of attempting to contact him/her, I'll move on to the next person on the list. I'll update the results of this process in the thread so it's clear what's going on.
Alright, with the terms out of the way, let's move on to the instrument
I bought this a little over a year ago from a rock guitar player in Missouri. He owned it for a year or so and took it out occasionally to gigs, but never really got the hang of pedal steel. He told me he had it cleaned and setup before putting it up for sale. Personally, I think it could use a new set of strings
Shortly after buying it I decided I wanted to move up to a new 12 string. I put less than 10 hours playing time on it and it's never left my music room. Now that I'm all in on Extended D9, this one just stares at me and wonders why I don't play it. The guilt is killing me so it's time to find someone who will give it the attention it deserves
Standard Emmons E9:
Tone wise it's what you would expect from an 80's EMCI with a George L E-66. Fellow forumite Bob Tuttle actually recorded and posted a couple youtube vids with this instrument back when he owned it in 2015. Check it out as he puts it through it's paces with "Heartaches by the Number" and, "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-9IyoPaqtw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItjrghcUd4U
Mechanical info: 3 up/3 down changer, no split screws, includes a separate finger for half stop adjustment (note: I don't know how that works, but I think I've read it takes an extra rod and there are no extra tuning rods in the bag).
This is NOT a welded frame EMCI. Let me say it again so there are no misunderstandings...this is NOT a welded frame EMCI
As with the MCI/EMCI design of the time, rubber "O rings" hold the pull rods onto the bellcranks. Some of those have deteriorated and have been replaced by trimmed yellow zip ties - an easy fix I read about on the forum.
There are a couple PVC pipe spacers on the front legs above the pedal bar which lead me to believe it might have been raised higher than normal. However, I measured and the ground to the bottom of the body is 25 5/8" and ground to the top of the body is 28 5/8". Both of these are within 1/8" of my stock Mullen G2 measurements.
Some interesting history on this instrument: The label says it's an EMCI Arlington, yet it doesn't have the welded frame or logo common to these. I've been told this is because it was likely built during the company cutover from MCI to EMCI when parts and processes were in transition.
It has some cosmetic issues with the mica shown in the pix below. There are 3 or 4 air bubbles on the top surface. The big mica issue is the area where the 2 empty switch holes were not covered and sanded smooth before the mica was applied over the top surface. Instead, holes were drilled in the mica and a couple metal buttons were placed over them. I removed the mica from this spot and planned to repair this section, but then got caught up in other projects so left the job for the next owner to finish. There's also an area of the fretboard that isn't nice and flush to the neck. Also on the back right corner, an inch or so of the blue mica looks like it came off and was glued back on while the silver mica below it looks worn and not as sparkly as the rest.
Here's a couple shots of the case: the outside shows reasonable wear for a guitar of this age, though completely functional, while the inside is in nice condition.
MCI manual printed out from the Carter website included. _________________ Hear my latest album, "Celestial" featuring a combination of Mullen SD12 and Synthesizers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhh6b_xXTx4&list=PLfXm8aXRTFz0x-Sxso0NWw493qAouK
Hear my album, "Armistice" featuring Fender 400 on every song:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2Pz_GXhvmjne7lPEtsplyW
Hear my Pedal Steel Only playlist featuring Mullen G2 SD12 on covers like Candyman, Wild Horses, Across the Universe & more...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2f0JOyiXpZyzNrvnJObliA
Last edited by Dennis Montgomery on 1 Aug 2019 6:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Marsh
From: Florida, USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2019 3:21 pm PM sent
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With offer...
Mike Marsh _________________ Williams Series 700 4X5 |
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Dennis Montgomery
From: Western Washington
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Dennis Montgomery
From: Western Washington
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Paddy Long
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 31 Jul 2019 7:05 pm
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Just an observation on this guitar -- the EMCI sticker is an add on !! this is not an EMCI guitar from Arlington but an earlier iteration - probably 83 or 84.
I have a 1986 MCI Rangexpander D10 which has a welded frame, and serial number LA3067 -- which was built for me in April 1986 ... a month later than the serial number and date on that sticker!!!
I also have an older MCI I am currently rebuilding which looks very much like this guitar in construction and parts - and it's from the 83 or 84 era so that's when this guitar was more than likely built. _________________ 14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Sidney Ralph Penton
From: Moberly, Missouri, USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2019 7:15 pm steel
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i am glad i saw your post about selling your steel. i have a mci and i am having trouble with the rods falling off the bell cranks. you better believe i am going to get me some zip tiesin the next couple days. that should fix mine as well thanks so much i was going to sell my steel becuase of this problem you saved the day. i am so happy |
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Dennis Montgomery
From: Western Washington
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Posted 1 Aug 2019 6:38 am Item Sold - Please Close Thread
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Item sold, please close this one up! Forum donation on it's way
A couple closing comments to the replies from last night:
1) Paddy: I don't know what to say about your serial number sticker theory as I'm not an MCI/EMCI history expert. After buying this EMCI I traded many PM's with fellow forumite Bill Buntin. Bill's a great guy and humble expert on MCI/EMCI history (additionally, there are also many old threads that discuss this in detail). Bill also knew Bud Carter and spoke to him about the company transition from MCI to EMCI on multiple occasions. He's a fascinating guy to speak with and you might want to PM him and run your theory through his memory banks
2) Sidney. I'm so happy I was able to help you solve the annoying problem of the disconnecting pull rods!!! I don't recall who originally suggested it, but it was an old thread on the forum. The zip tie fix is cheap, easy and fast...even McGiver would be impressed _________________ Hear my latest album, "Celestial" featuring a combination of Mullen SD12 and Synthesizers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhh6b_xXTx4&list=PLfXm8aXRTFz0x-Sxso0NWw493qAouK
Hear my album, "Armistice" featuring Fender 400 on every song:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2Pz_GXhvmjne7lPEtsplyW
Hear my Pedal Steel Only playlist featuring Mullen G2 SD12 on covers like Candyman, Wild Horses, Across the Universe & more...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2f0JOyiXpZyzNrvnJObliA |
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Paddy Long
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 1 Aug 2019 12:44 pm
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Hi Dennis
Yes I have chatted to Bill on a few occasions - very knowledgeable guy :-}
If you check back on that old thread you might find I suggested the cable ties as I was using them myself when I couldn't source the right sized rubber rings!!
Incidentally when I was refurbishing my welded frame guitar last year, some of the original rubber rings were still in really good condition after more than 30 years - very surprising - I ended up swapping them all out for new ones but I was really surprised how well they lasted. _________________ 14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Dennis Montgomery
From: Western Washington
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