Pull release sound?

Johnie King · From: Tennessee, USA

Dose a pull release sound as good or better than all pull? Can you tell the difference? I know the Stage One is pretty popular. But the Stage one price tag might come into play. What would be the pros an cons.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I think there are too many other factors involved in the sound of a rig besides the changer, and that makes it difficult to consistently hear any significant difference. Some have said the pull-release guitars have a particular sound to them, that they sound better than all-pulls, but I'm still not convinced they do. I feel it makes sense that if that were the case, then far more players would still be playing them.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

The pull-release system is inherently better-sounding as the finger is one solid lump of metal with no scissor portion and the raise and lower stops act directly on it, not via a nylon nut, a rod and a crank all of which dissipate a certain amount of energy. But nowadays it's only used on budget guitars, so the advantage is in cost, not sound.

And as Donny says, there are many other variables.
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Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

I started out on an AWH Viking, which was a 3+1 pull-release design, and you could not have a raise and a lower on the same string (which is more or less essential, especially for the high E-string). I traded up to an all-pull 3+6 from the same builder a few years later, which offered all the flexibility anyone could ask for – and it sounded a bit better, too. But in theory, the design should have a potential for more sustain and resonance, as Ian writes.

Maybe there are ways to achieve raises and lowers on the same string on a pull-release guitar – perhaps by having raises at one end and lowers at the other, which sounds a bit expensive.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

As a player that has owned both, I don't hear anything concrete that would sway my opinion either way.. they both sound great, depending on the guitar and the player.. I will say that my various all pull guitars have had somewhat more sustain than the P/R changers on my Marlens and old Bud guitars...
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Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

Ian - My On-Trak guitars are by no means "budget" guitars!!! Yet I intentionally designed them with a single-finger changer (pull/release) system. I fell in love with the single-finger concept early on and IMO there is a difference in sustain and tone. If you ever heard an early Marlen pull/release you would have to agree that they were/are wonderful sounding guitars. There is no doubt at all that a "scissors" is a compromise. The minute a raise or lower blade is pulled, it's twisting due to its design. My On-Trak fingers are all center-pull, so there is no twist. As was said, there are many factors which enter into the equation. But all other things being equal, the single-finger will provide a better tone than stamped steel blades with a loose rivet holding them together, and a second rivet tying that all to the string finger. It really is a matter of preference.
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Jay Jessup · From: Charlottesville, VA, USA

I have about 2 cents worth of knowledge about pull release guitars so I'll contribute that now.
My only experience with them is the Permanent shown in my Avatar, yes it sounds really good however the item that impresses me the most is the way the pedals feel. Mine had been re-worked at Sho-Bud in the early 70's and maybe later by the gentleman I bought it from so I can't say if it's representative of all pull release guitars but there's something about the feel of the pedal action that encourages more expression with just the pedal use than any of the all pull or push/pull guitars I have played.

Brett Lanier · From: Hermitage, TN

I played a Stage One once. Nice guitar, but it didn't feel or sound anything like my Marlen pull release. From what I remember the changer didn't have the same stops as a permanent. Can't say for sure but I remember the lowers being tuned with a nylon tuner, with no stop at the changer, like an all pull.

I think a big part of the sound and tuning stability of the Permanents and Marlens is due to the shear size of the parts. Giant fingers that make contact with the body (on a raise) or a big screw that's attached to a wraparound style neck (on a lower). I can understand why someone would prefer an all pull guitar but I seam to be liking the old pull release design better than anything else I've had. I hope to have identical setups on both of mine pretty soon, and with all the changes I'm looking for, but that takes some work for sure.

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