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Topic: Light Weight Guitars ? |
Tommy Minniear
From:
Logansport, Indiana
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Posted 11 Nov 2003 8:40 am |
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I've been wondering about the durability of the newer light weight steels. I had a problem with one(I'd rather not disclose the brand). The problem when compared to an older steel was an obvious change made for a weight related issue. I'm not trying to start a "steel guitar war", just curious about which of the newer light weight guitars are candidates for durability and resale say; 10 to 15 years down the road. This thread is "not" about tone, etc. I'm interested in opinions about actual construction. Remember: be nice. Thanks
Tommy Minniear |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 11 Nov 2003 10:11 am
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Hi, Tommy, I have a '97 Carter D-10, retrofitted with BCT and set up by Bud in 2001. It's been all over the country, hundreds of shows and many recording sessions since. Wallace Truetones bring out a very, very nice tone from this guitar, and mechanically it plays like new. I see no reason to think any of that will change in the near future. I would think those would be good criteria for reasonable resale value at some point. Frankly, I'd buy this guitar again in a heatbeat.
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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 11 Nov 2003 1:28 pm
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| I have seen some big ol' boys move the guitar back and forth when they get to slammin' them knee levers, on the GFI and the Carter. But I don't think I would blame the guitar for that. Bobby Boggs is a great player, and he doesn't move the guitar. But then again, he's so little, he's got to haul one neck at a time! |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 11 Nov 2003 6:16 pm
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I love GFI,had one and you can`t beat GFI deal with the stick,sounds great,light and stays in tune,modern changer ,fast and accurate.Great price for the pro model guitar that would do anything any other guitar does without spending a fortune.
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Gino Iorfida
From:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 11 Nov 2003 7:22 pm
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How much lighter are the new 'lightweight' guitars, really?
The SHIPPING weight of my Emmons push pull SD-10 in case was just under 60lbs when it was shipped to me... (you figure an extra 3 or 4 lbs for the box+packing material+support blocks etc)... I think Bobbe mentioned his fully loaded D10 was around 60lbs in case, while Carter all say their D10's are slightly under 60lbs in case.. so really, what is 2 or 3 lbs? to me lightweight would mean a 'lightweight' D10 in case would weigh what say a push pull would weigh OUT of case...
... now if we talk weight in comparison to say an old MSA Classic, then Id' say even a push pull would be considered lightweight.. (not saying anything bad against MSA -- the solid wood construction + the full aluminum subframe, 3/8" stainless steel cross shafts that are the full width of the body etc built a guitar that would most likely be the only thing that will be left standing after a nuclear blast! -- you just can't destroy these guitars!) |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 Nov 2003 1:28 pm
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Gino- the weight of the Carter S10 is 28 lbs all setup out of the case and 44 lbs in the case. That is no where near 60 lbs and my old bones can tell the difference....al 
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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 Nov 2003 1:38 pm
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Tommy- I have had MSA's and Carter, GFI's ,Excel,Williams.
The old MSA in my opinion was over engineered.
But I found no difference in the durablilty
of the lighter weight guitars. My guitars don't move when I push a knee lever.
If I could afford it I would consider the new MSA lightweight Millenium.
But for the price, the above mentioned guitars are just fine for me.........al
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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 13 Nov 2003 3:01 am
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My D10 Carter weighs in at approx 38 lbs setup. I never break it down anymore. I do the "strap it down in the Van routine" for gigs and this Steel has had no problems. Very durable, stays in tune..no issues.My Steel is a 9+8 and for the most part is always in tune or very close.
Don't confuse lightweight bodies with low cost changers..It's the body size and the engineering that make the lightweight, not a bargain basement changer system.
Good luck
tp |
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Jim Smith
From:
Midlothian, TX, USA
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Posted 13 Nov 2003 6:14 am
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Tony, are you sure of the weight of your 9&8 Carter D-10? In this post: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/006559.html Kyle Bennett states that the D-10 MSA pictured on their web site, also with 9&8, weighs approximately 39 pounds. This includes a mounted volume pedal, which probably adds two or three pounds, but I thought there was more weight difference than that.  |
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Lincoln Goertzen
From:
Taylor, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 13 Nov 2003 8:57 am
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Remember, a lightweight steel is the product of the entire guitar design, not just the changer, or the crossrods, or whatever.
My Carter (D-10, 36 lbs. w/o a case, 54lbs. w/ a case) Never walks. I do not have to play that hard, so I don't. The action is easy enough to play gently and cleanly.
In terms of duarbility, I hauled it all over BC and Alberta all summer, for 4 months. I did not have to tune it nearly as often as the band leader had to tune his guitar. As far as action after all I have used it, it could only be better now than it was when I first bought it.
I have never tried other "lightweight" guitars, so I don't know how they hold up.
Lincoln |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 13 Nov 2003 10:41 am
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all i know is that after picking up my p/p w/ 9+7 i realize what an anvil it is the next time i pick up my zum 9+8.
i'm grateful to have them both. |
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Tom Wicks
From:
Coombs, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 13 Nov 2003 3:08 pm
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| Hi Guys--I actually weighed my two guitars on a good scale, my Emmons Le Grande weighs 45 lbs,( d-10 ), my D-10 keyless Williams 400 weighs 36 lbs and is rock solid, now the Emmons stays in the music room and the Williams in the back of the van. Tom |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 14 Nov 2003 3:39 pm
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My Carter weighs about 39 lbs..maybe 38, maybe 37..I haven't brought it into the bathroom yet to weigh..I guess I need to..
I guestimated 39 because it has a 9+8 setup rather than the standard 8+5 which weighs in at around 36 or 37.
I guess the point is, it's a fairly light Steel and I feel is very sturdy and reliable. Keep in mind though that I am not all that big either, 5'8" maybe 160 lbs( actually a tad more) ok..170..
gotta go now to practice my new Banjo..oopps..sorry for that |
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