Mike Cass

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

I just want to publicly thank Mike Cass for the deal on the guitar and amps. It is a great sounding rig and Mike was very straight forward and honest with me. He is a great guy to deal with. Also a very enjoyable guy to shoot the breeze with over lunch. A wealth of knowledge and awesome player. Thanks Mike.
Jerry

Paul Warnik · From: Illinois,USA

I agree Cass is a player with great chops-He learned from some of the best-too bad he has decided to "hang up the picks"

Brian Edwards · From: Santa Fe, NM USA

Mike just finished working on my old Sho-Bud. He did a marvelous job, making it much easier to play and maintain tuning. It came back a different guitar!

Buck Dilly · From: Branchville, NJ, USA * R.I.P.

Mike has customized and set up two D-10's for me and they both work great. He also gave me good advice when I was changing my copedant. He's the man.

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

So when do we get to hear a recording of Mike playing? I've heard from good sources that he's an excellent and soulful player, but I haven't yet had the pleasure. I have however had the pleasure of dealing with him on push/pull parts and I also own one of his resoration jobs, a '69 D10 Emmons.

Brad Sarno

Jay Ganz · From: Out Behind The Barn

He's one guy you can send your steel to and not
worry about it! He stays in touch with you,
does incredible work with quick and reliable
service. Mike definitely goes the extra mile
for ya!

Bill Simmons · From: Keller, Texas/Birmingham, AL, R.I.P.

Just a quick note about Mike Cass...there were a number of us that use to hang out in MPLS at Pedal Steel Emporium 20+ years ago including another great steel player, Russ Pahl, who produced Lloyd Green's newest CD.

I was so sorry to hear Mike will not be playing...believe me, he is one of the finest steel players (especially C6th!!)anywhere. As great as Mike is in rebuilding steels, he plays them just as great!!
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'79 Emmons D-10 black mica 8+6; '79 Zum D-10 birdseye maple 8+5; Webb Amp

Ernie Renn · From: Brainerd, Minnesota USA

I used to hang out at the Pedal Steel Guitar Emporium. That's where I met both Mike and Russ.

I roomed with Mike at the convention in 2002. Great player with a lot of stories. He had just played some dates with Ray Price.

I haven't seen Russ in years. Glad to hear he's still at work.

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My best,
Ernie

www.buddyemmons.com

Dyke Corson · From: Fairmount, IL USA

Congrats Jerry, Mike let me play that horn once at his house and it is killer! Mike is an incredible player, and I am sure he will not give up playing forever. His guitar repair work is outstanding and he has helped me with all my gear and my playing too!

Paul Warnik · From: Illinois,USA

Dyke C-Ditto for me your last statement!

Mike Cass · Posted 18 Nov 2003 12:26 pm

Thank you guys for all the kind words. My decision to hang 'em up" comes from a few different things, but mainly because its near impossible to find a regular venue to play what I love, so Im outta there. Its a young mans game & that I aint! Smile

thx for the props on my setup & guitar work. I think opinions would vary on that, but you cant please 'em all Smile

sincerely,

mc

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Mike has done 5 Emmons guitars for me, including restorations of a 64 and a 65 that went from oil-soaked basket cases to looking like showroom condition.

Several guys on the Forum who have received guitars from me have gotten Cassified horns. But anyway, his skills are well-known here on the Forum.

I've done lots guitar deals of all types with him and every instrument I've gotten from or through him has been in better condition than described, especially dobros. If he says its a clean instrument, I'd trust that it is.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 18 November 2003 at 12:45 PM.]

Willis Vanderberg · From: Petoskey Mi

For all you pickers that used to hang out at the Emporium..What ever happened to Clem ? I shipped my Emmons 68p/p to him in Minnesota and never heard another word .

Bud

Mike Cass · Posted 28 Nov 2003 12:31 pm

Clem lives here in Nashville. Not sure how to contact him though.

Dave Robbins · From: Cottontown, Tnn. USA (deceased)

For those of you who don't know Mike or have never heard him play, Mike is one of the best here in Nashville. Not only is he a great picker, but about the best there is at restorations of P/P steels.

I can think of no-one who spends the "devotion," TLC, and time that Mike does at making those old guitars play their very best. He restored my own '64 Emmons which probably looks better than it did when it originally was manufactured.

Mike is very serious at trying to make those guitars "work" their very best with the limited availability of parts. Not even the factory has readily available parts for those guitars. SO, "anyone" who thinks they can get P/P parts from the factory, especially for copedents today that would have been unheard of let alone "unthinkable" back in the "sixties," is just living in a "fantasy" world.

Often times, with thses P/P guitars, a copedent requires coming up with a not only "ingenius" but innovative way of making it work. Mike is the man! Mike will come up with a means for doing something that will not only work affectively but will still be as close to original as possible. He is not a "hacker" but a true "artist" at what he does.

Let's face it, today's copedents are far removed from the days when the P/P was originally manufactured. It was built around the thinking of that era's time. Today there are multiple changes, whole tone changes, etc, requiring a guitar do almost the impossible. While newer multiple raise/lower guitars do this handily, steel guitar "purest" who prefer to continue using the famous P/P find that it is extremely difficult to keep up. Not so is the case for Mike Cass. Mike's experience and knowledge of the guitar is miles ahead of those who claim to be able to work on the P/P. I have seen the work done by those who think they can rebuild P/P's and most of the time the results is sub standard at best. When Mike is through with the guitar it not only looks great but plays excellent.

Got a difficult copedent?...got a P/P that plays like the proverbial box of rocks? Then you "obviously" have not taken it to Mike.
When he gets it finished it will not only look great but will play great as well. I should know...I've got one he built!
Don't believe "my word? Ask Buddy!

Dave

Oh, yeah...think you're a hot picker? When he get's through rebuilding your guitar, he'll take "your" guitar with "your" copedent, and hand you your head in a box, along side your newly restored guitar!
...HE CAN BUILD THEM BECAUSE HE CAN PLAY THEM! (wouldn't you rather have someone rebuild you guitar that can play it...as opposed to someone who can barely tune it up when they're through? Think about it.)

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Mike Cass is a class act any way you look at it. One of the best steel guitar mechanics in the business and one of the super players of all time. Mike . hopefully you will keep your chops up and play some of the steel guitar shows around the country. For those of you who have not met Mike, your life would have been much richer if you had. Mike, I wish you well in your endevours, but would love to hear you play. Best regards, Jody.

Mike Cass · Posted 28 Nov 2003 10:01 pm

Dave; ok, your checks in the mail Smile

Seriously, my thanx again to all of you guys who've trusted me with your horns. I like 'em like new & as original as possible. These days the parts situation has been eased by Bobbe & those nice bellcranks, knee kits & brackets,etc that he's had made up, so get 'em while theyre hot! If only I could find a regular source for metal inlay strips as used on the p/p. Theyre 5'16"x 1/16" extruded aluminium, if any of you should happen to stumble across some.
As for playing live, I have no plans to put a steel between me & an audience at anytime in the near future, but thanx for asking.
Im hell bent on going to an S-12 tuning as soon as I can get my head around it, so I had to lose the dbl neck.
A word about Dave Robbins; a fine, fine picker(just tune in the Opry), & an accomplished all pull mechanic. His setup work on the Emmons LeGrande's is unmatched, imho. They tune up great & play like butter when he's done with them. LeGrande II or III it doesnt matter, if I ever get one, my first stop will be at Dave's.

mc

[This message was edited by Mike Cass on 28 November 2003 at 10:12 PM.]

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

Let it go Mike, it ain't hurtin' nuthin!
Jerry

Dave Robbins · From: Cottontown, Tnn. USA (deceased)

Mike,

Dave

Mike Cass · Posted 28 Nov 2003 10:16 pm

lurking Jerry?? LOL!!

Mike Cass · Posted 28 Nov 2003 10:18 pm

Dave too, musta had early spots tonite Smile

Nick Reed · From: Russellville, KY USA

I own (3) Emmons push-pulls myself and Mike Cass has had his magic hands on all of them at one time or another. Not only was my black '66 D-10 bolt-on P/P purchased from him, he did all the set-up for my copedent when I bought it. At the time, Mike was playing a '66 just like it that was his own personal guitar (before his EMCI). Later on, when I acquired Harold Fogle's little '66 S-10 P/P, Mike did the changeover work for my set-up as well. He's also done much of the work on my '71 rosewood D-10 P/P that used to belong to Steve Hinson and before that Dave Robbins.
Now I ain't no big name player like some of you. . . .but I do have my own local Country Band. We go out and gig nearly every weekend at Clubs, VFW's, American Legions, Eagles & Moose Lodges and now we have a regular house gig at the Flea Country Mall on saturday nights. My Steels go out on the road somewhere almost every weekend. They get alot of use & abuse. Not cosmeticly, just mechanically from playing them alot. But the bottom line is, those guitars are workhorses and make me money! It's always a pleasure to sit down behind any of my three P\P's because they play great and I know they're right because Mike Cass worked on them. And hey, I'm a guy that also owns a newer Emmons Lashley LeGrande III, so I can do a comparison.
Just chalk me up as being another very satisfied Mike Cass customer, and I highly recommend him to work on your Emmons push-pull guitar. Nick

[This message was edited by Nick Reed on 30 November 2003 at 04:42 AM.]

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

I simply pleased beyond words to have Mike back on the Forum and sharing with all of us. It's a good thing to know folks like him ( and all of these good friends and buddies...) are here with him. It's the kind of crowd anyone would be glad to mix in with !!

Thanks, Paul

FRANK MARIANO · From: PENSACOLA FL

Thanks Mike for all your help in Nashville last month. You did a great job on my Zum! I was a nervous wreck because this was a Virgin guitar that no one had made love to before. Good Luck ,Frank

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

if you realy love country music the scene in Nashville can be very frustrating.I went down town last nite with a friend of mine and what?Nothing...rock and roll in every single bar.Legends Corner had a decent band even tho the singer was not on the same level with the band.Lead guitar player was great and of course Randal Courie (SP?)was awesome as always on his Franklin.For you Mike as a great steel player who loves country music would be almost impossible to find a gig that would satisfied you musicaly.I can`t find one and that is why I drive a truck,I enjoy driving more than playing damn loud rock crap all night.I jsut got a gig in Paducah,KY. with friend of mine and I asked him ;"You`re no going to sing that rock stuff or McGrowe-Chesney $hit,do you?" and he said:"Yeap,we are doing some of that stuff" ,so,even tho he is friend of mine I`ll probably drop that gig quick since I don`t wont to work 12-13 hours on Friday and then run to Kentucky to play same old $hit I can play here in Nashville.It is sad but truth,the country music the way I like it is gone,and I have to figure out what am I going to do next.I`ll keep mu instruments I know that but also probably end up playing on weekends in my bedroom.Sounds like more fun then spending hours on the noisey stage playing rock and bubble-gum country songs, sang by country singers wanna be`s.I wont hang`em up but I`m pretty darn close to it.

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