Where can I try an Emmons

[Duane Noom]

After over 40 years of playing Steel I have NEVER Played an Emmons. Where is the closest music store to Muskegon MI I might go and play one. At 66 it's now or never.

[Tony Prior]

Music store ? probably none.

Your best bet would be to take a trip to a Steel show/jam within reason of where you live and ask to sit behind an owners Steel. You'll probably have several to sample.

@ 66 you still have plenty of time to pull the trigger on one. The last NC show I attended there were perhaps 15 players , I think 14 of them had Emmons Steels !

[Ronnie Boettcher]

I know exactly how you are thinking. Way back in the 70's, I wanted to see, and try some good pedal steels. There were probably about 3 in the whole Cleveland Ohio area. I stumbled across a Fender 400, with 4 pedals, and in a few months found out it didn't cut it without the knee levers. I just took a trip to Nashville, and looked around, and got to see, and play enough to know what I would want. Then I took the advice of Lloyd Green, and settled on buying my LDG. It is still all I need to this day.
Do yourself a favor, and go to Nashville, and you can see Emmons, and others. Well worth the trip.

[Duane Noom]

Thanks, I think I'll try both directions

[Duane Noom]

A friend of mine got a hold of me and he has a LaGande and he lives in MI. I can try an Emmons and visit a good friend all at the same time.
I lovein' that.

[Tony Prior]

A friend of mine got a hold of me and he has a LaGande and he lives in MI. I can try an Emmons and visit a good friend all at the same time.
I lovein' that.

And that right there is a good day !

[Duane Noom]

Amen to that Tony!

[Rich Upright]

Keep in mind when people refer to Emmons tone, they are referring usually to "push-pull" tone, NOT LeGrande tone. They are totally different animals in tone & feel. I have a LeGrande D-10 & it sounds great, but different than my old push-pulls used to sound. Kind of like Tele VS Strat; both sound great, but it's that Tele tone that makes chicken pickin' sound,well, COUNTRY!

[Duane Noom]

I did not know that
Thanks Rich

[John Brock]

Take the road trip to Nashville....get off on gallatin...and go t Steelguitarsnasville...hendorsonville...wont regret it. God Bless all here.

[Duane Noom]

Take the road trip to Nashville....get off on gallatin...and go t Steelguitarsnasville...hendorsonville...wont regret it. God Bless all here.

This sounds like a weekend get-away for my wife and I.

[Roger Hand]

owned a PP and I played a lagrande once
they both played very hard [perhaps needed adjustments ?? ] It may have been because I was used to my LDG sho-bud.

[Erv Niehaus]

There is nothing hard playing about an Emmons.

[Tim Tyner]

What Erv said!I played a LDG for several years until I got my LeGrande.Much better tone and sustain.The Emmons plays better to me.I could never go back.Just my opinion.

[Paul Wade]

duane ,

got a hold of wiz in flint,MI he will let you try out his i bet. http://www.wiztunes.com/


p.w

[Damir Besic]

owned a PP and I played a lagrande once
they both played very hard [perhaps needed adjustments ?? ] It may have been because I was used to my LDG who-bud.

correct, there is many Emmons "gurus" out there who can do more damage to the guitar then good, especially a push pull... any Emmons adjusted properly will play smooth, and easy...however, it will never play as easy as Sho~Bud, the only guitar that will play easier then Sho~Bud is a Mullen, in my experience..those guitars some dislike because you can't even feel you are touching the pedal, and going out of tune...

[Rich Upright]

Damir is correct; nothing plays easier than a Mullen; my HWP D-10 can almost make a pedal change by breathing on it!
My Old Zum D-10 and my MSA Classic D-10 also played very easy, but without the precision "feel" of the Mullen.

I've had 2 PPs; an early 80s & a bolt-on. The bolt on played easy but sloppy (but what a SOUND!) the 80s PP you hadda have a Herman Munster foot to make the change.

[Robert Daniels]

If you ever get to Chicago you are welcome to play one of mine. They both played great and sound good too! Several guys around town here have them.

[Duane Noom]

That's a possibility you're only about 3 hrs. away.
Thanks

[Bob Snelgrove]

owned a PP and I played a lagrande once
they both played very hard [perhaps needed adjustments ?? ] It may have been because I was used to my LDG who-bud.

correct, there is many Emmons "gurus" out there who can do more damage to the guitar then good, especially a push pull... any Emmons adjusted properly will play smooth, and easy...however, it will never play as easy as Sho~Bud, the only guitar that will play easier then Sho~Bud is a Mullen, in my experience..those guitars some dislike because you can't even feel you are touching the pedal, and going out of tune...

Have you ever played a Franklin?

[Duane Noom]

Never tried a Franklin

[Tony Prior]

One guitar, one owner, one setup doesn't set the worlds reference.

It would be near impossible and very inaccurate to say that ANY steel guitar plays hard because someone on the internet who owns one says so.

I own TWO P Pulls, one plays a bit lighter than the other, neither are what I call HARD, I also own a Legrande II which after set up plays the same as the SHO BUD I just sold which I also set up. I have also owned a handful of Sho Buds, some of them I would not consider as "SOFT" touch .

There, I just reset the worlds reference.

[Henry Matthews]

Everyone should at sometime play an Emmons guitar, push pull and or Legrand. I've played a lot of guitars in my life but the easiest pedal action I ever felt was a 70's Sho-Bud Pro III that belongs to Donny Weir in Marshall Texas. Very positive feel too. The hardest pedal action was a 72 Push Pull that belonged to the late Jim Evans. I really don't know how he played it but it was the set up, not the guitar. That's how he liked them.

I have 2 push pulls and an 82 SKH Emmons. All these guitars play easy and very positive. The positive part is what I lean on more than being easy. I can't stand a mushy feeling pedal that doesn't have a positive stop.

[Herb Steiner]

A properly set up Emmons should be neither stiff, nor "mushy."

A stiff feeling Emmons needs to be clean and lubricated well, and I mean every moving part where metal touches metal, including where the hex pedal rod connector attaches to the pin in the foot pedal. The changer axle should be smooth and polished, and lubed; the roller bridge up by the peghead; and where the crossbars enter the front apron and rear apron brackets or other supports, and where the pull/push rods go through the swivels on the bellcranks.

A PP set up correctly does not feel "mushy" at all. This mushiness occurs when the pedal is allowed to travel further than is needed to actuate the change. This is because the machine screw on the crossbar actuator arm isn't touching the stop bar on the front apron. This screw should hit the stop bar at the same time as the changer raise finger reaches the cabinet or the lower finger hits its stop screw. Again, an improper setup.

[Henry Matthews]

So correct Herb and yet there are people who continue to play guitars, especially push pulls, that are stiff and mushy but don't seem to want to change. Jim Evans was one of those people. However, later on I did talk him into letting me adjust his guitar and set up properly. he was totally amazed at the difference and he had been playing with a guitar out of adjustment for probably 50 years or more.

This is where, in my opinion, that push pulls get a bad name. Someone will set in on one that plays like crap and assume they all play that way.

Had friend here in town that said he wouldn't own one if given to him. At the time, I had two guitars, a black Legrand II and a black 82 push pull. He set in on my guitar on night at VFW for whole set and thought he was playing my Legrand. He even bragged on how good it felt. He was really surprised to find out he was playing my push pull. I rest my case, LOL.