My new-to-me BMI (serial number? lessons?)

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 28 Sep 2009 6:30 pm

Hello!

I just bought a used BMI SD-10 4&6 pedal steel (thank you Brian Pelky!) and it has "SER 999" written on it. I assume this means it's the 999th one made? Are there any BMI guys here that could tell me more about this steel guitar? Just curious if there are any records on it. All I know is that apparently it's a 1981 model, and that it is black so it sounds better

UPDATE: When I got the guitar, it was set up with a typical Jimmy Day copedent. Bent Romnes and I just finished converting it to the more common Emmons setup. Bent is a super guy for showing me how to do this! Thank you Bent!

Thank you also to everyone else who has helped me enter into the world of pedal steel! I have lessons lined up with Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo too which is cool. Between lessons with Bob, Bent, Mickey Adams, and having access to the awesome community here, I am very excited to get started

If anyone has any other recommendations on getting started, that would be appreciated. I would love to hear what got you guys started.

All the best!
Jesse

Wayne Morgan · Post by **Wayne Morgan** » 28 Sep 2009 9:05 pm

Mr.Jesse, in my openion the BMI is a very underated guitar, I've owned 3 BMI's and they all sounded great and stayed in tune. A little different design than most, but plays like butter. I'm excited for you. IMHO they are one of the easy guitars to change set-up. I think Zayne Beck really knew what he was doing when he designed the BMI. Good luck and happy picking, I also have an Emmons and a Show~Bud and the BMI's does not take a back seat to any of them.
Wayne

Dan Burnham · Post by **Dan Burnham** » 29 Sep 2009 5:47 am

Jesse,
Welcome to the BMI Family, you are correct that was made during that time period. Unfortunately, that is about all I can tell you regarding that steel. After Zane's death a lot of the records regarding who bought what steels, disappeared.....Sorry,

Dan (BMI)

Brian Pelky · Post by **Brian Pelky** » 29 Sep 2009 7:59 am

Hi Jesse...glad you like the guitar! It was a GREAT first guitar for me. The guy I bought it from was the first owner and had it built in '81. His name is Ron Stephens and his email is rons@toutle.org if you want to ask him anything. Have fun with it!

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 29 Sep 2009 12:11 pm

I'll throw my 2C in here.
Previous to seeing Jesse's guitar, I had seen a BMI only once. I snickered to myself upon seeing the undercarriage of the first one...hehe SO different from any other undercarriage. So..simple yet cluttered in a funny way.

Then Jesse asked me to redo the copedent from Day to Emmons. Here is where the neat surprises appeared.
The bell cranks..those thin sheet metal thingies on top of the flat cross shafts..it turns out that nothing is quite as easy to undo and more importantly re-tighten than the small simple BMI cranks
It seems the guitar was actually built for an Emmons tuning. There was slight binding here and there(like a pull rod hook that touched the rod beside it. Things like that seemed to evaporate the closer we got to the Emmons setup.
The changer is another thing. Plain and simple,it is a very solid and functional changer indeed (double R and L) The raise and lower bars are quite a bit different from the scissors type of bars we see on most AP's today. The individual changer finger pulls very easily. I pulled one easily with a thumb and finger on the rod. I could see no play(wear) in the changer components.It had been liberally oiled(#10W30 Brian?)

The BMI is a very 'quiet' guitar despite it's age. The two main causes for noise underneath are both aftermarket adaptations: One, a home-built bell crank with an extra joint in it that makes for clatter and noise due to excessive wear. The other one is when the person used a 3/32" pull rod instead of the stock 1/8", thereby causing play and clatter in the bell crank hole.

It will take me a while to get 'my' tone dialed in on my NV 112. The BMI has the truetone single coil on it.
Brian, if you would happen to have the original pickup for this guitar, it would be very much appreciated if you could send it along. I would love to try it out.

I love all the massive metal in this guitar. I was told that the ZB's unique sound was partly due to the mass in its metal parts. Well, BMI seemed to carry on with this tradition. From the large chunk of aluminum around the changer, to the extra-thickness key head, to the funny looking cross shafts, it tells me that it just might be possible to get close to the well loved sound of those old ZB's.

I am scratching my head over a couple of points though...How would I go about making a couple of half stops for this 28 year old guitar?

In all, a very nice experience.

Brian Pelky · Post by **Brian Pelky** » 29 Sep 2009 12:38 pm

Hi Bent. I don't have the original pickup that was in that guitar. When I bought it, it had a E-66 in it. I switched it out to a Truetone, and sold the E-66 on the forum. I'm not too mechanically inclined, but there is already a half-stop feel on the RKR for the 2nd string lower. It feel stops at D, and engages the 9th string at that point and lowers both to C#.

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 29 Sep 2009 1:35 pm

Sorry Bent, I guess I forgot to mention. I asked Brian about the original pickup before I bought the gutiar and was told then that he didn't have the original.

Anyhow it is coming along n copedent icely eh Bent? Everything is changed over now except for that 4th pedal 6th string lower needs to be tuned a bit (which as you said we should be able to tune by moving the rod to another bell crank hole). All that is left is the half stops. Brian, you are right about the RKR half stop being a feel stop; however, (maybe it's just my knees) but i cannot really feel it. There is no half stop on the RKL lever though, and I was told I might eventually want one of them too. It will be interesting to add these half stops in if we can figure out a way. No big deal if we cannot now though. I think they would be more of a luxury

It would be interesting if we could pull it off sometime though. Anyone have any ideas?

As you can tell I am learning a lot off of Bent. He has been nice enough to let me watch and learn while we change the over to the Emmons setup; this is a very cool learning experience!

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 29 Sep 2009 1:35 pm

Yes, Brian, I did feel the bit of a half stop feel there. It was prominent against my thumb. Since I am not used to this rather soft feel, I think it would be best to have a more solid half stop so Jesse won't have to search for it.

To bad about the original pup huh? I would really loved to hear it. Would it have been wound by BMI? Dan B?
Edited: Would the original have been a Bill Lawrence humbucker? That's what is on the other BMI I tried...loved the sound.

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 29 Sep 2009 1:47 pm

The original pickup was a George L's right Brian?

Brian Pelky · Post by **Brian Pelky** » 29 Sep 2009 2:35 pm

Not certain that the George L was the original pup....it was in it when I bought it. Ron Stephens would now though

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 29 Sep 2009 2:50 pm

Jesse, Congrats on your new guitar...Happy to help...Mickey

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 29 Sep 2009 3:17 pm

bent...you make steels and can't figure a half-stop...c'mon. find a point anywhere that moves...put a stop of any sort on it that breaks down with adjustable spring tension.
...and i don't even build steels.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 29 Sep 2009 4:03 pm

Yeah chris I hear you. Typical chris. You grab on to one little thing that you can find to criticize. Never mind remarking on any of the nice points in my story. Nah...latch on to something where you can spew your negativism.

Not once in my post did I say that I don't know how to make a half stop. I have made several working halfstops.
chris, notice that I said I was scratching my head over halfstops for a 28 yr old steel. A steel that has a different undercarriage than all the modern ones. So I was asking the readership for ideas, I wasn't giving up.

Your detailed and thorough explanation on how to do it helps me on my way. Wow..and all that from a non-builder!

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 29 Sep 2009 4:06 pm

heh heh....thank you for understanding.

by the way...i think you make some beautiful steels!

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 29 Sep 2009 4:13 pm

A Lawrence 705 was original on my S-10 from Zane in 1983.

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 29 Sep 2009 4:24 pm

Thank you Wayne, Mickey, Dan, and Brian. I just need to get a bar now

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 29 Sep 2009 5:02 pm

chris ivey wrote:heh heh....thank you for understanding.

by the way...i think you make some beautiful steels!

Thanks, chris. I appreciate the kind words.

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 29 Sep 2009 5:28 pm

chris ivey wrote:by the way...i think you make some beautiful steels!

i've seen 2 of the 3 now

they sure are beautiful! I'd love to see the 3rd, but that would require a really nice vacation across seas. PS. I love your playing Mr. Dave Seddon. Today Bent played your CD for me in the truck while we were on our way out for lunch.

Thomas Butler · Post by **Thomas Butler** » 30 Sep 2009 8:46 am

Jesse - I also just got an older BMI - serial number is 0053 which I'm told is probably early 70s. I also am new to pedal steel and I am having a great time figuring out how the mechanical stuff works. Both Don and Dan have been very helpful - call Dan and ask him to tell you about the shovel/kickstand and public work projects. Here's hoping we both get what we want out of these fine guitars.

Abe Levy · Post by **Abe Levy** » 30 Sep 2009 10:03 am

I've been playing PSG for about a year now. I've got a BMI D10 that I was told is early 80s - I got it at Jim Palenscar's shop in SO CAL. I'm madly in love with this guitar. I play daily and have had zero problems with it, stays in tune, plays great, and sounds amazing. I love my BMI!

Benton Allen · Post by **Benton Allen** » 30 Sep 2009 11:11 am

Hi Jesse!
Congrats on the BMI. You'll enjoy it for a long time to come.
As far a the manufacture date, Dan is correct in stating that it was built during the early eighties era. I have a D12 BMI - Serial number 758. It was born on January 15, 1981. Yours was most probably born late in the 1981 year or sometime during 1982.

Play it in good health!
Benton

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 30 Sep 2009 1:13 pm

Thomas- What do you mean the "shovel/kickstand"? I guess I will have to get in touch with Dan! I'd love to see your BMI. Have pictures? How many pedals & levers? Also, what did you pay if you don't mind me asking. #53 must be an old one eh? It's good to hear from another BMI owner, and a new player at that! I still don't have a bar yet. My Dad is going to be turning me up a few bars out of 304 stainless soon. I am interested to see how they turn out; and even more interested to see what other steel players think of them being home machined bars. Anyway, all the best to you as well!

Abe- Good to hear all these great reviews on BMIs! Thanks for sharing! How much cabinet drop do you get with yours? Bent and I were testing for cabinet drop today. The BMI seems to be pretty solid!

Benton- Well I do know almost for sure that it's a 1981 model. I bought it off of Brian Pelky and he told me that much. I posted the serial number because I was curious if there was any more information stored in records at BMI. Guess not though since Zane passed away. See, I bought a used Fender P-Bass about a year ago. I called Fender with the serial number and they told me EVERYTHING about the guitar; year, paint colour, clear coat colour, pickups, neck and body specs, bridge type, suggested retail sales price (what it sold for at the time they were making this specific model), and even which production run it came out of that year! I was really impressed with all of the details Fender keeps on record. I don't expect every company to do this, but I guess I was just curious

On that note, I guess if I could ask ONE question.... (Dan maybe you can estimate this?)... What would a BMI SD-10 4&6 have sold for brand new in 1981?

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 30 Sep 2009 1:26 pm

Thomas Butler · Post by **Thomas Butler** » 30 Sep 2009 1:32 pm

Jesse

My guitar has 8 pedals and 5 knee levers. I bought it a couple of weeks ago from Jerry Roller, a true southern gentleman if ever there was one. I paid $1400.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 30 Sep 2009 2:06 pm

Jesse, I got the half stop done. Not much to it after you left. It was pretty well in place. All I had to do was place the parts the right way.
So now you have a good, solid feel stop on the 2nd/9th

I worked on the sound a bit. It improved. Still having a hard time getting what I want there. The PUP is so different from the Fulawka Humbuckers I am used to.
I think I will tinker with the PUP height.

BTW, Brian, if you happened to play this guitar thru a NV 112, maybe you could send me the dial settings you used. Just a thought...

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My new-to-me BMI (serial number? lessons?)

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