Thoughts about the GFI Ultra?

Russell Adkins · From: Louisiana, USA

What are some thoughts about GFI Ultra?

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

Had mine since 2022 SD10 4X5 plays like a dream, action smooth, holds tuning and no string breakage. I love it. I did change pickup from the GFI III to a Lawrence 705. Just my personal preference.

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

It took me a few years to really get into GFI guitars because after I started playing steel, I saw maybe one or two and thought they were a little too small, I guess, but in 2004, that all changed because I was getting ready to buy my second steel, and I had several brands in mind, so while visiting Steel Guitar Nashville in April of 2004, Bobbe Seymour told me he recommended GFI guitars, but I still wasn't sure yet, but in December of '04, I was at Steel Guitar Nashville again, and tried out another steel, only to find that the necks were too far apart, then Bobbe puts a red and gold GFI Ultra D-10 in front of me so I could try it out and I was playing Christmas songs on the C6th neck, though I had no idea which tuning it was(I played more E9th), so after looking at several other steels, I finally decided to go with the GFI, so I bought it and played it, and started really loving it and before I got my Peavey Nashville 112(my main steel amplifier), I was using a little Fender Champion 30 amp, and I guess I didn't adjust the settings right before plugging the GFI into it, so then for Christmas in '04, I got my Nashville 112, and set the amplifier to the Clean Steel setting, and the GFI sounded incredible! The GFI I played had two GFI-II pickups on both necks and had the Emmons pedal setup that I use, it had eight pedals and five knee levers. I played the GFI from 2004 to 2010. Before I saw the red and gold GFI, there was a singleneck GFI Ultra S-10 that was blue with three pedals and four knees, and no pad-it had a single body, so it was small and lightweight and had all the features of any professional pedal steel guitar.

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

I have had a few GFIs and like them. Their keyless system is particularly great. Very easy to tune the open strings on the fly. I currently have a D-10. It plays smooth and stays in tune.

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KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Donner, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, 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.

Joe Krumel · From: Hermitage, Tn.

I have a s10 keyless ultra.probably 15 yrs old.bullet proof.Like the Timex watch,"Takes a licken' and keeps on ticken".Does have some cabinet drop,but not an issue to me.built to last and sound nice.

Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

I got a Ultra SD 10 3&5 in 2022. I changed the pickup to an Alumatone and I like it. I have been thinking a D10 Ultra lately. ...maybe.
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Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

I have 2 GFI Ultra S12s. Got the first 1 just by luck, Friend put a price on it I could not refuse. I set it up Jeff Newman Uni tuning. Plays great.

Was in a house band every weekend, Bought a GfI Ultra S12 Uni Keyless for a backup guitar. Have it set up Jeff Newman Uni. also. Its weight and size has made it my go to gig/jam guitar.

At 81 years old, 49lb. in case guitar beats a 65lb S10 as a gig/jam guitar.

Bruce Derr · From: Lee, New Hampshire, USA

I love my 2007 S-10 Ultra keyless, which I bought used about 10 years ago. It sounds great and has very good sustain all the way up the neck. It plays smoothly and solidly, and has been very stable and reliable. I put a reissue 705 pickup in early on, and I've been very happy with it. The support from GFI has been top-notch, and parts are reasonably priced.

As someone who has worked in the product engineering/manufacturing field, I appreciate the design innovations GFI has incorporated in their steels.

GaryL · From: Medina, OH USA

I have two keyless D-10 Ultra's. Both have the GFI II p/u. Great guitars. The only kick I have about them is the end plate mounted neck selector switch, which has come apart or broken on each. The copedents are easy to alter, they are light (compared to my trusty old LeGrande) and I've had more than a few compliments on their sound. Plus, GFI customer service is tops! Go for it!

Forgot to mention: String breakage is rare, and they are easy to change with a keykess system
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GFI Ultra D-10 keyless
Quilter Steelaire(s)
Telonics rack system, 12"& 15" TT Speakers, Hilton Volume

Eric OHara · From: Port Kent, NY

I can’t say enough good things about GFI guitars. When I started going out on the road I wanted a guitar that would be reliable and stay in tune. Nothing worse than things going wrong on stage halfway through a set. These guitars stay in tune and to date have not broken my 3rd E9 string. I used to think that was just something we had to live with! Such a solid clean build - no mechanical issues. And the tone is all there.

I don’t know which player had noted that you can tell how a guitar is going to sound when you screw in the legs and you can hear the strings ringing. Apparently GFI’s design lends itself to that resonance through the guitar body. I hear every string while putting the legs on.

And…they are relatively lightweight guitars.

Studio wise - to date anyone who records the guitar loves the sound and the fact that they don’t have to tweak the pitch post production. Highly recommended.
Eric
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GFI S-10 Ultra (GFI II pickup)
Sho-Bud Super Pro (wood necks) w/BL Pickups
RQ Jones Retrofit
Beard Decophonic 57/ Fishman JD preamp
Goodrich 6122-R
Walrus Slotva Reverb, JHS Thunderbolt, ZVEX fuzz factory
Evans JE-200, RE-150
Peavey Nashville 112, 400
Keal Cases

Anthony Campbell · From: Northwest Indiana, USA

They're great, and the customer services is fantastic as well. I had no problems with mine. Comfortable to play and stayed in tune.
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Williams Keyless D10
Goodrich Volume
Quilter 101R and Quilter IB45

baxter vaughan · From: Lubbock, Texas 79424

I have 2 GFI Ultras. Both with the GFI II pickups. Excellent guitars. I haven’t recorded with it yet, but live on stage, they sound awesome. Both play really smooth. One is black/gold & the other is blue. Blue is not my color of choice, but dang it sounds awesome.

Richard Alderson · From: Illinois, USA

Here is my two cents worth.

Its hard to go wrong if you are thinking about buying a GFI. What everybody else said.
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Derby SD-10 5x6; GFI S-10 5x5; GFI S-10 5x5; Zum D-10 8x7; Zum D-10 9x9; Fender 400; Fender Rumble 200; Nashville 400; Telonics TCA-500.

Richard Alderson · From: Illinois, USA

When I bought a GFI an important consideration was Gene Fields and the Fender origins of GFI. Another important consideration was that the company is still actively in business, they can repair and modify existing guitars or sell you a new one. Gene Fields career in the manufacture and distribution of pedal steels stretches from the late 50s until the early 2000s. Lots of folks have played his guitars whether old Fenders or the more modern GFIs. There's a lot of tradition there.
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Derby SD-10 5x6; GFI S-10 5x5; GFI S-10 5x5; Zum D-10 8x7; Zum D-10 9x9; Fender 400; Fender Rumble 200; Nashville 400; Telonics TCA-500.

Tommy Boswell · From: Virginia, USA

Agree with all the above. My SD10 Ultra is a keeper, light-weight, stable, smooth-playing. I happen to agree with what Gene Fields said about the body construction and the resonance. In a A-B test, "the strings seemed to come alive" (quoted on the GFI web site). I can feel that under my hands.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I've had two Ultra's, a used D-10 and a new Keyless SD-10. Neither had any cabinet drop. A personal preference, I didn't like George L's pickups and replaced them with Lawrence 710's (what I had on my Franklin).

I hated the keyless system. I could change strings on a conventional keyed model D-10 (both necks) faster than I could on the single neck SD-10.

Tommy Boswell · From: Virginia, USA

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Tommy, probably just me. My age (84 when I bought it new from Billy Cooper's) likely had something to do with it.

Joe Bill Moad · From: Oklahoma

It’s amazing to me learning about and reading posts from the experienced pickers that there really isn’t a bottom of the barrel pedal steel guitar. Arent they all great in their own ways and tendacys? I am impressed and blown away thinking that you can grip a brand off this forum and it may very well be someone else’s “Secretariat”? By that I mean probably will be “Killer Tone”, playability, tunability, etc. I don’t think there is a bit of slack between the bookends? Man is this a Great Sport or What?

Respectfully

Joe Bill Moad
Oklahoma
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Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

You can just throw a set of strings on a GFI keyless. Since the GFI Keyless has no Nut Rollers. You want a very short piece of string between the nut bar and the pulling finger. It takes a little more and pulling to keep the dead string short. The third string only has about 3/8" of dead string.

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