Show us your MCI and EMCI psg's

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Bill,
Was Buddy's MCI the welded frame model?
Erv

Bill C. Buntin · Posted 29 May 2019 5:40 pm

Good question sir.

I Dont know for sure. Certainly the emci buddy had was welded. We might ask Jim smith. It would depend on what year I guess. Some of the mci were not welded frames. Thatâ€™s a great question though.

Bill

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Some MCI's weren't all metal, some had a wooden front panel.

John Lacey · From: Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

When did the name flip over from MCI to EMCI? I was in the factory in â€˜85 and I thought it was EMCI at the time. Bud Carter had just quit the company and we talked for a few hours.

David Mitchell · From: Tyler, Texas

This is one of 3 EMCI welded frame steels I built last year using new old stock parts. I found where Fred Gretsch had all the parts stashed at. I built an SD-10, D-10 and a SD-12 and all are welded aluminum frames.
On this one in the video I left the laminated butcher block maple boards exposed and didn't Formica the top of it. I just applied a couple of coats of Amber shellac to seal it for a real good neck/bridge connection to the wood. The bridge and neck is welded together. I used the newer Carter keyhead and pedal board on it. The strings are sloped from the bridge to the keyhead 1/4" just like a violin or 6 string guitar. That way it exerts more string pressure at the changer end. It's the way the changer is built with a 3/8" small axle resting on individual supports across the whole changer and those supports are all attached to a strip at the bottom that runs across the width of the changer that makes the MCI/EMCI sound. I tried putting the newer Carter changer on an EMCI welded body with butcher block maple boards and it sounded okay but lost the MCI sound and sustain. I also have the original MCI that Bud Carter built in Waco, Tx. and although it has wood necks and a wood body it makes the same sound. The secret is in the tailpiece/changer. I know of no other pedal steel built that way. If you had those little castings with fingers they made for the wood neck EMCI's you could make any brand pedal steel have that sound. I like it a whole lot better than a push pull I paid a fortune for freshly built by Bryan Adams that had 10 knee levers. It played as good as an all pull but didn't have the singing sound of my EMCI's. This is just a cellphone video but you can kinda hear the tone. It sounds 10 times better on a record.

https://youtu.be/Cf3OvYwSmzk

https://youtu.be/Bf17aCW7LJg

https://youtu.be/o-nBlzkYbPM

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

"Sounds" like you're on to something, David. Very cool.

Anybody have thoughts on the serial number mystique? When I got mine (#A1100) I thought Jim Palenscar said late 80's.
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MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

David Mitchell · From: Tyler, Texas

Mike two of the EMCI survivors that built them is Gary Carpenter of (Rains pedal steels) and Junior Knight. I believe they are forum members but seldom speak here. Steve Lamb's steel shop in Ft. Worth should also have info on those guitars. Steve's shop and Charlie Norris's steel shop in Mesquite, Tx. was the MCI/EMCI testing grounds. If you can grab one of those guys they can probably answer your questions.

billy tam · From: baton rouge, louisiana

Here are a few pics of my EMCI. one of the seven I was told made as the Golden Eagle. This was built for Ron Elliott and is a great guitar.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Here is my 1986 MCI Rangexpander welded frame D10 -- Serial number LA3067 .... I got it brand new on 18/4/1986.
I refurbished this guitar completely last year, and put up a post about the teardown and rebuild journey. So I have owned this guitar for 33 years and it's never let me down ever.
Pickups in it are Telonics 409's .... in the pics it has a Telonics 206 in the back neck but that has since been replaced with another 409.

Black Pearl mica top and Black mica aprons. 9 pedals and 8 knee levers.

This pic of the adjustable lower return spring add-ons (PSG Products/Michael Yahl) was before I re-rodded the C6th neck

_________________
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.

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

Some fine lookin' guitars out there. Anybody else?
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MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

Brian Hollands · From: Geneva, FL USA

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'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

Hi Brian, how would you compare your EMCI to the LDG?
_________________
MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

Brian Hollands · From: Geneva, FL USA

The EMCI is a very recent acquisition so I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet. Also, I've only been playing for a year so, take a big grain of salt...

The LDG is kind of clunky, heavy pedal action, somewhat noisy... I liken it to an old F-100 pickup. Note that I don't have any raise helper springs on it.

I've also played a Desert Rose and a Derby. Both of those are much more modern guitars and are much smoother. At the time I thought the Desert Rose was TOO smooth. The Derby has great pedal and lever action and is very easy to play.
The EMCI seems to be in between. More modern feeling than the LDG, smoother, but not as smooth or light as the Desert Rose or the Derby.

If I was going to describe it with one word I'd call the EMCI sturdy. It's quite a bit lighter and more compact than the LDG (duh, it's an S10) but it's built like brick $#!+ house. If a drunk tumbled into it on stage I may actually check on the drunk first! The guitar would be fine.
It really feels solid.

Soundwise, it's hard to say as it's still got the stock BB pick up. The LDG is a beautiful sounding guitar. My only issue with it is the 11 guage G# starts to sound wimpy pretty quickly. I'm going to try a 12 on there with the next string change.

I guess the bottom line is that the EMCI was a local good deal and I thought I'd flip it.
It impressed me right away and now I think it's a keeper
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'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Pete Burak,You're a Bad Boy!!
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Brian change out the Barcus Berry pickups, they were dogs - George L E66 or a Telonics 409 will make it sound light years better !!
_________________
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.

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

Any more of us playing MCI or EMCI?

The knee levers on Paddy's black D-10 look like the ones on my S-10.

Any body have thoughts on the serial number mystery?
_________________
MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Hard to say about the serial numbers ... mine is LA3067 April 1986 .... so maybe they just ran in sequence cos Tommy Detamore's is A3031 so probably a month or two before mine!! Not sure what LA and A mean .... but probably "Arlington" ??

I do know that the Rangexpanders were the first welded frame iteration, which then became the EMCI guitars... which were all welded frame as well.
Some of the pedals had a tread on them on the later guitars, mine is a plain finish.... and the later EMCI had more of an extruded design to the knee levers, where the Rangexpanders mostly had a square solid design to the levers.
_________________
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.

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

Thanks Paddy, that's a reasonable take on the serial numbers. The knee levers on mine look like yours as far as the size goes. Also the hex screw and lock-nut look the same. Are yours "U" shaped or solid levers?
_________________
MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Mike mine are solid square shaped levers !
_________________
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.

Andrew Wright · From: Indiana, USA

Here's mine. I like it a lot.

jay thompson · From: east peoria, il USA

Very nice EMCI 8&9. Hopefully going to a new home soon.

Best regards, Jay Thompson

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

Andrew, very nice! Which pickup is in yours, how many knees, and what serial number?
_________________
MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

Anybody else?
_________________
MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Princeton 65W, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom.

Dale Foreman · From: Crowley Louisiana, USA

I don't have a picture but I played a EMCI U12 for many years.It was built in Arlington Tx. on 11-25-88 $2195. It was Black and I would buy it back if I could find it!

Dale
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Rittenberry Prestige(2)

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Here's a couple of pics of a older MCI which I have just finished refurbishing .... stripped right back with changers out and thoroughly cleaned and rebuilt --- 8 pedals and 5 knees, reasonably standard setup.

This guitar was not a welded frame version, but very stable and easy to play just the same - sounds fantastic.

_________________
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.

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