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Topic: New Zum Changer |
Steve Stallings
From:
Houston/Cypress, Texas
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 2:24 pm |
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I saw a reference to a new Zum changer and was curious what was different about it?
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God Bless,
Steve Stallings
www.pedalsteeler.com
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Randy Beavers
From:
Lebanon,TN 37090
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 5:21 pm
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Hi Steve,
At this time the only Zum guitar with the prototype changer is mine. It will be available as an option sometime after the first of the year. Bruce is still experimenting with different options to see which works best before he gets tooled up to produce it. I will not go into specifics about the design of it, other than to say you tune the raises like a push-pull. Pedals down, tune at the keyhead. Let off the pedals and tune the open tuning at the endplate like a P-P. All lowers tune with nylon tuners at the endplate as do the half tone raises. Triple raise, triple lower, and tunable splits.
As far as the tone, that's why he designed it in the first place. It does have those "growling overtones" that some of us want. Sustain is better than anything I've ever heard, bar none.
The reason it will be an option is that Bruce believes not everyone will like these overtones, nor will they want to tune this way.
So far, everyone who has played or heard this guitar has been knocked out by it. |
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Randy Beavers
From:
Lebanon,TN 37090
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 5:36 pm
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Another point I forgot to mention is the small amount of cabinet drop. This was unplanned, just a benefit of this changer. The 4th string, E on the E9th neck, has 1.6 cents of drop when pedals A and B are pushed. The 6th string has 1.3 cents of drop when the A pedal is pushed. Most guitars have around 4 to 5 cents of drop. This is so slight I can't hear it.
I took these readings on a Peterson V-Sam strobe tuner. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 5:53 pm
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| Will you be playing this at the PSGA show? |
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Jim Marconi
From:
Richmond IL. / Summerland Key Fl. USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 6:02 pm
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Hi Randy...did you ever compare it side by side with a good sounding Emmons P/P and if you did can you please tell me how they compared..I just love the P/P sound. I was talking to Jerry Wallace and he told me you were running True Tone pickups...He sure does a fine job and he really is nice guy.
Thank You
Jim |
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Randy Beavers
From:
Lebanon,TN 37090
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 6:30 pm
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Howard,
Yes I'll be playing this guitar at the PSGA show. By the way, I'm really looking foward to coming to this show. Judy and I are going to vacation around NYC for a few days after the show. She wants to see a Broadway play and I want NY pizza. Sounds like a good deal to me!
Jim,
I spent 3 days with Bruce while he was finishing up this guitar. We set my '67 Emmons up next to it and did every kind of comparison we could think of. There are several people who believe this old '67 is something special, so do I. Just imagine a guitar builder making this kind of A-B comparison with their guitar. Yes, the Zum passed the test and then some. We decided on the True-Tone pickups, 17.5k. They sound incredible.
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 7:58 pm
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Are the 17.5 windings recommended for the older model Zums also?
Thanks
Dennis |
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Jim Marconi
From:
Richmond IL. / Summerland Key Fl. USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 8:40 pm
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Hi again...can you tell me where and when is the PSGA show ?
Thank You
Jim |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 26 Oct 2003 8:46 pm
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| The PSGA 30th Anniversary Show will be at the Doubletree Club Hotel, 789 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk, CT, Sat/Sun, November 8 & 9. Further details at http://www.psga.org |
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Randy Beavers
From:
Lebanon,TN 37090
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Posted 27 Oct 2003 4:36 am
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Hi Dennis,
Bruce feels like if he were to put this pickup in his other guitars it would be too bright. With all the overtones this guitar has, they tend to fatten up the tone. John Hughey and Hal Rugg are using the True-Tones in their guitars at around 19k.
One of the things that confused us about my old Emmons is the pickups. They are 14.8k, however the guitar is as fat as I want it to be.
My preference, I like a bright pickup. I try to control the tone with my hands. I play with my thumb around the 19th fret. A one or two fret difference either way is huge in the tone for me. |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 28 Oct 2003 4:38 pm
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Randy my friend,you don't need to do anything with/to your tone,you sound great on everything I've heard you play.looking forward to hearing the new Zum tho.
See you in Saluda soon I hope.
BF (still workin on them harmonics)
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Bill Ford |
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