| Author |
Topic: Sierra #12 |
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 25 Oct 2019 2:35 pm |
|
Well, this is special.
I didn't think I'd be able to own one of the new Sierra steels designed and built by Ross Shafer, but it's mine. Universal 12 string, 8 + 5.
Three woods - bubinga, cocobolo and Honduran rosewood - make this pedal steel some serious eye candy.
The new Telonics X12 pickup, with adjustable pole pieces, does not color the tone coming from this superbly designed guitar, and strikes a perfect balance for me. Neither bright and icy, nor dull and muddy.
Ross had the steel ready months before his projection, so I had it shortly after my 65th birthday. Ross sent me 'birthday week' pictures and videos every day, in addition to keeping me posted through the entire process.
When I found some copedent issues (like I mistakenly sent him differing charts....), Ross guided me through what I needed to do to make the guitar what I wanted.
No mean feat to steer me, as I'm not too mechanically inclined, but now I understand more of how the guitar works and feel more confident about working on it, should I want to change anything.
I am one happy camper.
Everything about the Sierra is superb, and I would like to thank Bob Lee and Len Amaral for their take on the guitar.
My deepest thanks to Ross for a fantastic new pedal steel, and customer service beyond the call of duty.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
Last edited by Daniel Morris on 28 Oct 2019 10:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
|
Posted 25 Oct 2019 2:53 pm
|
|
Hi Daniel,
Congratulations and welcome to the Sierra family. Very beautiful looking U-12 and I’m sure it has sweet vibe. I have not touched my amp settings since the day Ross delivered my U-12. A very enjoyable instrument.
_________________
I survived the sixties! |
|
|
|
Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
|
Posted 25 Oct 2019 3:53 pm
|
|
I shall never aspire to anything as luxurious, but good for you, Daniel! Keyless unis rule!
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 25 Oct 2019 6:15 pm
|
|
Thanks, gents. Indeed, U12 steels are the bomb.
Another great aspect of this Sierra is how well it works with dirt pedals, which I use regularly. A good part of that may be the pickup, but I feel it's whole shootin' match.
My Kline came with a George L installed; the guitar is a lacquer model, and while it has a warm 'jazz' guitar vibe, overall it's a bit too dark for Americana, or dirt pedals. I have not found a pickup that I can swap in, as the size of the opening prohibits that. The X12 in the Sierra, however, is warm when I want it to be (I do a version of Coltrane's NAIMA), but is crisp enough for honky-tonk and clear enough for fuzz.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
Last edited by Daniel Morris on 28 Oct 2019 10:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 27 Oct 2019 4:03 am
|
|
.... and another thing...
The sustain on this guitar still surprises me; I believe it also surprised Ross, as he timed it. 30+ seconds before the sound is gone. Ross told me these were resonant woods, and he wasn't kidding.
I must also mention that Ross delivered my steel in person. Neither of us liked the idea of shipping something like this, so we worked it out and he spent a couple days with me.
We had a most enjoyable time, and to have Ross showing me details and answering a load of questions made the experience that much better. He's a very affable guy, and being almost the same age made musical conversations easy. We had to visit the Rock Hall here in Cleveland, where Sneaky Pete's steel rests.
Ross is one great guy, and I'm thankful for the time he took to make it a memorable steel-centric birthday for me.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
|
|
|
Jeremy Threlfall
From:
now in Western Australia
|
|
|
|
Barry Blackwood
|
Posted 27 Oct 2019 7:44 am
|
|
| Quote: |
| Another great aspect of this Sierra is how well it works with dirt pedals, which I use regularly. |
Dirt pedals?   |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 27 Oct 2019 9:02 am
|
|
I won't say I didn't miss something in yer comment, Barry, but the dirt pedals I use are:
Spaceman Effects Sputnik II
Retro Mechanical Labs Electron Fuzz
Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop Millenium Overdrive
Pigtronix Aria.
I have a few others, but these 4 are what I've been using for a while.
(Dunno who came up with the term 'dirt' pedals, but it IS shorter than fuzz/overdrive/distortion....)
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
|
|
|
Barry Blackwood
|
Posted 27 Oct 2019 10:16 am
|
|
My bad. I thought you were referring to the pedals on your guitar....  |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 27 Oct 2019 12:17 pm
|
|
Figured something was amiss, Barry. No problem.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
|
|
|
Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
|
|
|
|
Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
|
Posted 29 Oct 2019 8:39 am
|
|
| Thanks for all the kind words Daniel. I love building these things! |
|
|
|
Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
|
Posted 29 Oct 2019 10:30 am
|
|
The 'scalloped' neck is sensational. A real beauty all in all.
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
|
|
|
Thomas Sabatini
From:
Ohio, USA
|
Posted 1 Nov 2019 6:45 am
|
|
| These are functional works of art. The next level of PSG. |
|
|
|
David Wright
From:
Pilot Point ,Tx USA.
|
Posted 8 Nov 2019 4:38 am
|
|
| L@@KS Great!!! Sierra has a rich history, and Ross is carrying it on!!..Thank you Ross!! |
|
|
|
Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
|
Posted 9 Nov 2019 7:54 am Congratulations Daniel
|
|
Congratulations Daniel,
No doubt you now have one of the finest pedal steel guitars in the universe.
More photos so the rest of us can drool a little more? 
Have fun with your new baby!
Andy 
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 9 Nov 2019 5:48 pm
|
|
Thanks, Andy.
I need to take some additional shots, but the mother-of-pearl inlay by Larry Robinson is just gorgeous.
(He also did some on my Bear Creek Weissenborn, so maybe I'll post some photos of that guitar separately.)
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
|
|
|
Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
|
Posted 10 Nov 2019 3:09 pm
|
|
Be nice to see some pics of the underside when you get a chance Daniel !
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 10 Nov 2019 6:03 pm
|
|
Thanks for the suggestion, Paddy.
I will take more photos, but it helps if I know what folks want to see.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
|
|
|
Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
|
Posted 12 Nov 2019 7:56 am
|
|
here's a little under the skirt porn of Daniel's beautiful steel:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3etThNlvJd/
There's also a couple more pics of his rig and other cool stuff on the Sierra instagram page |
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
Posted 12 Nov 2019 11:55 am Re: Sierra #12
|
|
| Daniel Morris wrote: |
Three woods - bubinga, cocobolo and Honduran rosewood - make this pedal steel some serious eye candy.
The new Telonics X12 pickup, with adjustable pole pieces, does not color the tone coming from this superbly designed guitar, and strikes a perfect balance for me. Neither bright and icy, nor dull and muddy. |
The difference that wood makes on tone, even on an electric instrument, is surpising. Ross built several prototypes, and I was there for an ear test. The wood used seemed to affect tone as much as the pickup, maybe more.
Telonics pickups are great. Two rows of adjustable pole pieces allow fine-tuning the volume and tone of each string independently.
Congratulations on your new, state of the art pedal steel.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 12 Nov 2019 1:31 pm
|
|
Congrats Daniel!
I got to hear that guitar before Ross delivered it. It sounded amazing.
Even though I'm a single coil snob I think that the Telonics x12 (x10 in my case) is the best humbucking pickup I've tried, though I have not tried them all. I went back to the Truetone in my new Sierra (#8 I think) but last night was listening to some tracks I did with the x10 and was very pleased with the tone.
The new Sierra guitar has been a great tool for me. It sat in the car for two days and then set it up for an outdoor gig in cold weather.....and I don't remember having to tweak the tuning all all. Sierra has made my part time weekend warrior existence a lot easier. The calls are still coming in even though I don't play an old vibey vintage steel!
Cheers!
PS: Ross, I want the new upgraded pickup mounting system! 
_________________
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
|
|
|
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 12 Nov 2019 2:01 pm
|
|
Thanks, Dave, Ross & b0b.
My only real experience with a single coil is what came on a used Kline that I bought. Buzz/hum was not acceptable; I've been told that's basically the nature of single coils, but maybe mine was just TOO buzzy. I think they may also be too bright for my taste.
At any rate, I'm absolutely happy with the X12 from Telonics. I have a ToneAligner by Bob Hoffnar in my MSA, which is nice but can't quite give that guitar a clean enough bottom end for me; that pickup also has adjustable pole pieces, but Bob isn't making them anymore.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
|
|
|
memphislim
From:
Austin, Texas
|
Posted 22 Nov 2019 3:59 pm
|
|
| Dave Zirbel wrote: |
| ...new upgraded pickup mounting system!?? |
|
|
|
|
