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Topic: BCT discussion |
Ben Godard
From:
Jamesville NC
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Posted 21 Apr 2022 9:00 am |
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I am curious about the opinions of guitars with so called BCT. As I understand is a Bud Carter invention to keep body body contact on an all pull guitar so that they sound better like the push pulls.
My question is do they really make a difference and are there any set backs with them vs a normal all pull
Thanks
Ben |
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Ben Godard
From:
Jamesville NC
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Posted 21 Apr 2022 9:05 am
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I know Emmons counterforce on L3’s are suppose to eliminate cab drop, but most folks take counterforce off due to the extra stiffness of pedals and I e heard the counterforce only works decent with a straight up Emmons setup
My point is there are set backs in a lot of changes and we have to evaluate the pros and cons and make our own decision based on what we know |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 21 Apr 2022 10:27 am
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I had a Carter D10 that I never should have sold. I don’t know if it had BCT but I thought it had great sustain and a bell-like quality not unlike an Emmons cut-tail that I had previously. It was also smooth and easy to play. I think it was from early 2000s.
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KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Donner, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Ron Hogan
From:
Nashville, TN, usa
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Marty Broussard
From:
Broussard, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2022 2:26 pm
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👀. I read the patent and studied the drawings—it was a cool idea. I’ve been meaning to find one and play it. I hope this thread identifies someone who would be reasonably close….
_________________
RETIRED
"Technique is really the elimination of the unnecessary..it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to achieve the smooth flow of energy and intent" Yehudi Menuhin |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 21 Apr 2022 2:51 pm Re: BCT discussion
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| Ben Godard wrote: |
I am curious about the opinions of guitars with so called BCT. As I understand is a Bud Carter invention to keep body body contact on an all pull guitar so that they sound better like the push pulls.
My question is do they really make a difference and are there any set backs with them vs a normal all pull
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I don't know, really. All the Carters sounded pretty good to me, but I don't remember any rave reviews from pros about them. But if there was anything to it, anyone now building steels could utilize the technology, since the patent is almost certainly expired by now.
Patents have reasonable expirations (20 years). Whereas, music copyrights are now totally ridiculous (~95 years). |
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 22 Apr 2022 3:29 pm
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| Tommy White recorded his first instrumental album on a Carter I believe. |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2022 6:02 pm
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Of the 5 Carter’s I’ve owned, 3 had BCT and 2 were pre-BCT. Those 2 were superior in tone, clarity, and sustain, in my opinion. Yes, there were a mix of pickups installed but it wasn’t a factor in what I experienced. I can only speak from my personal perspective. I thought the first Pre-BCT difference was by chance until I later purchased another Pre-BCT and realized it wasn’t by chance. It had the same positive characteristics as the previous model and the difference was clearly noticeable.
I think it was an enhancement that was more about marketing to make a comparison for the “Emmons tone” and thus, more sales, than actual engineering improvement. As mentioned, if the enhancement was considered a critical factor, other builders would’ve followed suit with their own incarnation. 🤓 |
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Marty Broussard
From:
Broussard, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2022 4:48 am
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David, that sounds like a pretty fair comparison. Thanks for your post.
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RETIRED
"Technique is really the elimination of the unnecessary..it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to achieve the smooth flow of energy and intent" Yehudi Menuhin |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 24 Apr 2022 6:59 pm
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I owned several BCT and pre BCT Carters, and they all sounded great to me … just my two cents
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https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 25 Apr 2022 2:08 am
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| Didn't Zum make a BCT or similar model? |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2022 9:26 am
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meh, not sure if I ever bought the "BCT Carters sound like Emmons PP" hype... When I had my first BCT Carter built and was discussing copedent,color, pickups etc,[5&5 S10], John Fabian himself told me over the phone that he felt his guitars had more of a Sho Bud sound.. Straight from the co builders own mouth...
When I got the guitar and its special ordered Truetone pickup, it had that kind of a vibe.. The coil taps were lightly wound at 9 and 12 K,and it indeed had that old school single coil sound kind of like a 60's era Bud, Fender, or ZB...Not exactly of course, but within that "sonic neighborhood"
It never sounded like an Emmons to me, nor did I want it to..
I suppose if you have a BCT Carter, you could play with Emmons style pickups, you might get close, but really why bother??
A Carter sounds great with any pickup you might want to use...
btw, I once bought a gorgeous red S10 MSA Classic from
our good friend David Higgenbottom... Just a lovely guitar with a factory Emmons single coil installed... That was a great sounding guitar as well, but didn't sound like an Emmons either... The only way to get the Emmons sound is to play an Emmons I guess... Same can be said of any guitar... I happen to have always liked the "Carter Sound" [whatever that is] wherever I have heard it... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2022 9:53 am
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I agree with Bob. The Carters I’ve had sounded like a Carter, although I did prefer the non BCT early models. Same with GFI. I’ve had several Ultra models and they sound and play great. There were some improvements that Gene made over the years. But those first 10 pro models he made were by far superior in tone and sustain.
Bob, I still miss that MSA and definitely had sellers remorse to this day. I received many complements of it having the perfect tone. That single coil Emmons pickup was a perfect match for that MSA.
Dave |
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