Pedal steel build times

Jeff Heard · From: Lopez Island, Washington, USA

Any of you that have received a new guitar from one of the major manufacturers recently, how long did you wait for delivery? I realize term “major manufacturer” loosely applies to the world of steel guitar. Smile

Thanks

Stephen Silver · From: Asheville, NC

Not related but you must know my dear friend Roseamber Summer? Say hi from me when you next see her. She was my high school sweetie and just was on island about 6 years ago.
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Life is mostly Attitude and Timing

Jeff Heard · From: Lopez Island, Washington, USA

Rosie is a dear friend, lives about a mile from me, and has been a band mate of mine on and off for many years!

Jon Voth · From: Virginia, USA

I had received a Mullen last year-a lacquer model with a bit more customization. It was little more than a year.

K Maul · From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL

Same with my Williams S-12. It may be less now because they now have a good source for their cases. Talk to Bill. Their customer service is second to none!
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KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Danelectro, Evans, Fender, GFI, 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.

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

I think it’s ridiculous to wait a year, 6 months or even a month for a new guitar. I’m sorry but just can’t believe they are that far behind and selling that many guitars. If I’m wrong, I certainly apologize but I’ve ordered 3 new guitars in my life, an Emmons in 1986, a Carter in 90’s and a Rains. Every one took less than 2 weeks.
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

The Mullen website until recently was saying wait time was about a year, although that's changed to say they're taking new orders so I'd bet the wait time, especially for off-the-shelf, is now somewhat less.

In '07 I ordered a basic Royal Precision U-12. They'd said it would take three months; it was done in two. Mike called and said he'd deliver it, but I took the opportunity to go out to Flagler. Got a factory tour, and the whole crew was as hospitable as could be.They even gave me a tentative build date on my VERY old Mullen S-10 3X3.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I agree with Jeff: how has this become the norm?

My last all-new guitar was a Williams. That took thirteen months from the first phone call to delivery.

Before that, my previous all-new guitar was my LG111 in 2000; that took, I think, about ten weeks. Great service from Jim and Joanne Aycoth. Those were, indeed, the days.

Early this year, I ordered a D10 Prestige. Derek quoted 12 months (...' maybe a bit less'). I have since 'thought twice' and cancelled that order, but I find it hard to accept that there are 'thousands' of new steels on order and jamming up the assembly schedules.

The actual build-time should surely be two/three weeks at most? They know what they're doing and, while every guitar is 'different', only the rodding part is usually 'custom'. That requires a few hours concentration by the assembler, I realize, but how does it run into months?

Like Jeff, I apologize if I'm failing to grasp something. I'm happy to learn, as always. Smile

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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

I suppose it's mostly a supply chain issue. Ever since the corona pandemic, certain materials and components have been difficult to get hold of, and this is often still the case. Also, quite a few brands have closed down, while others are often built by a single 75+ guy. Not such a big mystery, after all.

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

About two months ago:
- Mullen told me 1 year (this was before the untimely passing of Mr. Mike Mantey Jr. so I don’t know about now)

- Williams said 1 year but Bill told me they are really trying to cut down the wait times

- MSA said the waitlist is 2 years!
They also told me they don’t make mica guitars any more, everything is lacquer finish, so that may be a factor.

I highly doubt these companies are colluding to screw around and build slower or less than they possibly can Laughing

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

"How has this become the norm?"

Anyone who has sold a premium used guitar on the forum knows there just aren't that many people spending serious money on pedal steel guitars these days, which means that to stay in business a builder can't afford to maintain and staff a large production facility. Automating the process is not practical, so instead every guitar is assembled by hand from parts machined by hand and wood selected, cured, and finished by hand. This means longer wait times for your new guitars but vastly better control of build quality. In my book that's a win-win.

Dennis Montgomery · From: Western Washington

Johnny Cox · Posted 27 Dec 2024 8:08 pm

I can say this as a builder. The old days of having huge factories with 20 or 30 employees are over. The largest builders may have 4 or 5 now. Folks complain about the cost and wait time of today's guitars. I invite those folks to jump in the pool and see if you can do it faster or cheaper.Todays guitars are of much better quality than the guitars of the 60s and 70s. Quality is expensive and time consuming. To get the quality in shorter times would double or triple the cost and that gets passed along to the consumer.
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Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967.

Stew Crookes · From: Paris, France

As of autumn 2023 Excel had a delivery time of 4-5 weeks, I don't know for sure but I would guess their production methods allow for faster builds.
It makes sense that one-person shops have long lead times, we're talking about an expensive niche product that is usually a labour of love to build (and to play) more than it's a 'business' venture.

When you order a regular 6 string guitar from an in-demand luthier like Linda Manzer the wait is similar...
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Music mixer, producer and pedal steel guitarist

stewcrookes.com

Doug Earnest · From: Branson, MO USA

I'll just echo a bit of what my pal Johnny Cox has said.

For a few years I had a couple of different helpers rotating through my shop on a casual basis, Johnny being one of them. We did put out several more guitars per year. At the end of the year I had very little more money in my pocket and had personally put out a good deal more effort. My wage per hour actually went down.

Many times I have said that if I were 40 years old again I would start over and jump in with both feet, but at the tender age of 65 it would be foolish. I do have an operation that could be scaled up but it takes myself and two legitimate employees with taxes, insurance, benefits and risk to even think about making it work.

In the end about all you are going to do is run a business to support some employees being busy and making more customers happy, and maybe make the same living for yourself. You would be better off with a good job at the local big box home improvement center where customers wouldn't call you at 7 a.m on Sunday morning.

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

Sorry, but I still can’t believe a year for a new guitar. Now it could possibly be a parts shortage problem, I can understand that. But if parts were available, I could build one and take my time doing it in a week. The part that I don’t understand, are the builders selling that many guitars to put them a year behind? I also know there isn’t much profit to be made building guitars and I agree with Johnny, todays guitars are really top notch and more involved in building, but a year?
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.

Doug Earnest · From: Branson, MO USA

Henry, if you started with zero orders, took one order, built that guitar, took another order and built that, so on and so forth then you would always be caught up. If you took four orders in a week and were only able to put three out the door you get behind. That's where the part about taking on help but not making any more money comes in.

It doesn't take any of the manufacturers a year to build one guitar. It may take a year for it to be your turn to receive your guitar that was built this week.

My guess is that there are between 500 to 600 new guitars total built each year, that may be generous.

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

Thanks Doug, if that many being built I can certainly understand but had no idea
Of that many being built.
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.

Ron Funk · From: Ballwin, Missouri

As explained to me…..quite a number of years ago,

A lot of the ‘wait time/build time backlog’ is due to the Brand Name Steel Manufacturing Companies (‘the final assemblers’) internal reliance on their Sub-Tier Suppliers & Sub-Vendors to support the Brand Name Company’s effort.

Very rarely is Everything done “In - House.”

Most Brand Name Manufacturers (assemblers) don’t maintain a large ‘on hand’ stock ('inventory investment') of all of the required machined components….hoping that future sales will come through the door.

Couple the above with the fact that most Sub-Tier Suppliers & Sub-Vendors have their own ‘independent Other customer backlog’ to fulfill Prior to working on New Order from a Steel Manufacturer/ assembler.

Those Sub-Tier Suppliers & Sub-Vendors are typically Not dedicated ‘sole-source suppliers’ to the Steel Guitar Manufacturers/Final Assemblers

..'although the ‘Wait time post order’ may seem extreme, all things in the Manufacturing & Assembly Process /‘supply chain’ need to be taken into consideration.

Wayne Baker · From: Altus Oklahoma

My first new steel was a legrande II, in 94 I think. The third string tuner popped off during the first show. It was $2650 and was 6 weeks for delivery.

I've waited much longer and paid much more for the quality I like. I'm grateful to get a new steel from time to time.

Don't care how long I have to wait, and don't care the cost... bouta take delivery of my fourth Show Pro then ordering a Studio Pro...

Merry Christmas,

Wayne Baker

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