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Topic: 70's Sierra Olympic D10 price? |
Kyle Zinserling
From:
Oregon, USA
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 1 Nov 2017 8:18 pm |
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Beautiful guitar and should be worth at least 2K. I believe they sold for much more when new but resale for Sierra guitars is not even close to that of Emmons, Zumsteel, Franklin and some of the newer all-pull guitars.
Sierra pedal steels were the Cadillac of the steel guitar world in years past. They just didn't appeal to players as much as the above mentioned ones. The quality is first-rate and the tone is wonderful. The only caveat on this D-10 will be the weight. My Sierra Olympic SD12U weighs 54 lbs. outside the case. That D-10 will be maybe 8-10 lbs. heavier. |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 1 Nov 2017 8:20 pm
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| Correction: The Sierra Olympic D10 should be worth at least $3,000 but only if you can find a buyer. |
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Tim Russell
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 2:05 am
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It "should" be worth what John stated...but in todays' market, I can't see it selling for much more than $1800/2K tops.
The 2 up/down changer is outdated, the copedent is hard to change around, and the weight is a huge factor. I bet it weighs 60 lbs. set up, and 90 in the case. My current Sierra is identical to that one, and that is the weight of mine. They are fantastic guitars if you don't gig much, or can bench press 300 lbs., lol.
Aside from that, I've always loved the quick setup/fold out legs, the tone and sustain is awesome, Buddy loved his...
They are a very smooth playing steel, all pull setup, "never" breaks strings. I say, offer them $1800 & go from there. Quite a fantastic guitar, but as you stated, John, Sierra's just do not demand the resale value like a comparable Emmons, Mullen, Zum, etc.
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Sierra Crown D-10 |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 6:16 am
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I just finished five weeks playing the Patsy Cline show and used the Sierra for the whole run. It performed beautifully and the sound was wonderful.
My Sierra travels in two cases, the main case is a modified keyboard case--very light. It's still a chore to move around, no question about it.
I fixed the double raise limitation with a mechanical trick. My #4 (E string) has three raises. Tom Bradshaw sells a device which does the same thing. I spent a week or so changing the setup from that of the previous owner. It was a hassle but now it's fine--I leave it as is.
As I said, it's a wonderful guitar and excellent design. I'm glad Ross is reviving the Sierra brand, I wish he could build one like the Olympic guitars with a few innovations and much lighter.
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 8:07 am
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Since I live in Portland and like Sierras... If I were a local D10 player (I am not) and needed a D10 to park permanently in my house (and assuming the steel if fully functioning as-is) I would make the seller aware that I would be a buyer in the $1000 cash range, max.
-Too many newer modern Steels available in the asking price-range.
-Not a "holy-grail" brand/model.
-No parts available (I would guess it probably has a standard 70's Emmons D10 8x4 setup).
-Extremely heavy and bulky for gigging.
-I would probably want to replace those pickups ($100ea). |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 9:52 am
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I paid $1,600 for mine some seven years ago. Great guitar, especially for that price. I knew they were heavy, no surprise. I called Sierra the "Cadillac of pedal steels." More appropriate would be the "Hammond Organ" of pedal steels. Great sound but you may need help moving it around.  |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 10:03 am
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True, the $2,500 asking price is a little steep. You can get a decent used Sho-Bud, MSA or even a recent GFI D-10 in that price range. None of those would be the equal to the Sierra as to tone, action, reliability IMHO. If they just weren't so dang heavy. . .  |
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David Mitchell
From:
Tyler, Texas
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 12:00 pm
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I would say 90% or more steel guitar owners play at home and it never moves for months on end. How much does an expensive grand piano weigh? Sometimes weight is at the bottom of the list of priorities. Sound and dependability being at the top.
Amazing how many steels that would cost $8,000.00 or more to build today go for peanuts and lose out in sells to Carter Starters and Sho-Bud Mavericks. |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 1:56 pm
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As to Pete Burak's comments: Are Sierra guitars more plentiful in your area? They are rather rare here in central Texas. I've only seen one other. Austin and the Hill Country is Emmons country; also Sho-Bud and a few Zumsteels. I take issue with one of Pete's comments: parts are available from Jim Palenscar in California. Ross Shafer--builder of the new Sierra guitars--probably has parts.
I visited the shop back in the '90s in Portland and was very impressed with the people and their work. I wasn't in the market to buy but got interested in Sierra guitars about 10 years ago, bought this one shortly later. No regrets and I try to gig with it often. David Mitchell is correct in that it's a great investment for the home player, in fact it's a great guitar to learn on since it's tone and action are first rate. A beginner might be disappointed when he/she decides to "trade up." You can't get more "up" than Sierra. |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 2 Nov 2017 7:19 pm
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beautiful guitar, and Jim Palenscar has all the parts you may ever need for it... it was probably around $5,000.00 new...
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https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
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Posted 3 Nov 2017 5:38 am
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Just to clarify, I do not have any pre-2017Sierra spare parts. Jm Palenscar is your man for pre-2017 Sierra parts and service.
Have a great weekend! |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 3 Nov 2017 6:09 am
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| Yikes! That D-12 must require a couple of linebackers to hoist into the case. Too bad, it's a handsome guitar. Damir sold an S12U a few days ago, same red and black. I was tempted. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2017 9:00 am
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Hey I went and checked out this Steel. It is a 1970 model and was pretty far out of factory spec, but I was able to earball it into tune and play through all the pedals and levers on both necks.
The LKR and RKR knee-lever-reversing-mechanisms were in need of some Tech adjustment (and possibly upgrage).
The case is the biggest case I have ever seen. The Steel in the case was 95+lbs, crazy heavey .
All in all it is all there for a 70's 8x4, and the guys are right about the pedal feel on these steels. Really a nice springy/lively yet soft/spongy and steady/fast relatively short/quick pedal action. The knee levers needed some Tech optimizing but seemed workable.
I guess I would base an offer on the recent auction of a similar Steel at $1450, and the fact that it needs several hours on a bench with a good tech to be broght back to life.
Other than that, and the lower spine surgery from lifting it out of the case, a little Tech work and I could gig with it tonight
In person, the surface/finish condition is a 7/10. It could be cleaned up but there are some nicks/abrasions/wear-spots.
The leg extension adjustment on the back right leg is basically broken (won't tighten), but I know a bench Tech could fix this also. It was steady enough to try out. |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 4 Nov 2017 11:12 am
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| Wow, Pete--I admire your courage but question your judgement. I guess there could be a use for two 12-string necks--one extended E9 and big C6. What size strings would you put on the bottom? Those must be rather rare--how many D-12s did they make? I think I saw a Dekley D-12 for sale here a while ago. I believe Emmons made a few. Have you considered stripping the back neck and adding a pad? You might check with Red Dirt Cases in Stephenville, Tx. for a set of split cases. Good luck if you decide to get it. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2017 5:10 am
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There must be a misunderstanding.
The Steel in the original post in this thread (and the comparable Ebay ad) are a D10's.
Last edited by Pete Burak on 5 Nov 2017 7:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 5 Nov 2017 6:29 am I'm relieved!
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| Nobody could love Sierra guitars that much. You gotta wonder what builders were thinking all those years ago to even consider building a D-12. There was an Emmons push-pull D12 for sale a few years ago on this forum. I considered buying it as the price was quite low. I'd have stripped the back neck and made a loafer-style guitar. I don't think anyone has successfully made an Emmons universal 12 work as it's difficult to set up splits. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2017 6:51 am
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| This one should probably be closed due to Topic drift. |
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