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Topic: Kudos to the Stage One steel guitar |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 9 Jan 2020 6:58 pm |
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I recently bought a Stage One, primarily for students to use at my home for lessons, so they wouldn't have to tear down/setup/tear down/set up their own steel every time they have a lesson and chew up valuable teaching time.
BUT! This guitar is much better than anything I ever expected from a "student model guitar". It has very positive action on all pedals and KLs, plays great and, most importantly, sounds great. In fact, I like it so well that I will be playing it this weekend in New York on possibly the most important gig I will have all year. (Fortunately for me, I can get away with just E9 for this gig.) But I don't feel like I'm sacrificing anything at all to play the Stage One on this gig (and it sure makes lugging the axe around New York City a lot less cumbersome).
Kudos to Doug Earnest for building a great guitar, and to Bruce Zumsteg for designing it so well.
Signed,
Happy Camper
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2020 9:13 pm
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Glad you dig it!
I always suspected that you wanted to be more like me!! |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 7:17 am
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I had a few students bring them in as well, and Jim is correct.. they go far beyond what most of us old guys would consider a student model. They are perfectly capable of being a gigging steel for the road warriors, in both sound and playability.. LIGHT as a feather too!.... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 9:29 am
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My spare guitar is an Encore rather than the Stage One but the same accolades apply to both steels. I don't feel I'm missing anything if I take the Encore to a job instead of my Emmons.
Qualifier: Doug advised me to 'wait for the Encore' as he believed the Encore's mechanics would be better suited to my 'Day' set-up than would the Stage One's.
_________________
Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 9:48 am
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| I started on a Stage One 3 years ago. I don’t know enough about other guitars to compare it. All I can say is it has been a great instrument for me to learn on. 3x4 on an S10 is enough to keep a beginner busy for a long time, without being intimidated by overcomplexity. I have had a lot of fun playing it in the band and it sounds great. I just bought a Carter S12, which I am seriously enjoying, but I am keeping the Stage One. |
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Will Lindsay
From:
Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 10:27 am
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| I really regret selling mine and wish they were still available. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 11:16 am
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| Will Lindsay wrote: |
| I really regret selling mine and wish they were still available. |
Aren't they? I thought they had a waiting list but were still being made... Anyway,they come up for sale fairly regularly. I bought mine used, here on the Forum.
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Dustin Kleingartner
From:
Saint Paul MN, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 12:59 pm
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Personally, I don't consider the Stage One a "student" guitar, I just consider it a practical guitar. I bought one 5 years ago (my first steel)and it has been my gigging guitar ever since.
When it was my only guitar, I was hung up on the name and the fact that it is referred to as a student guitar. Last spring I bought my second guitar, an SD10 Mullen PRP, which are highly regarded steels. I wanted to have one that I could leave set up a home all the time, and leave my Stage One packed up for practices and gigs.
As much as I didn't want to admit it at first, I gotta say, the Stage One plays just as well as the Mullen. Seriously. The pedal action is just as nice, and it stays in tune just as well, if not a little better. And my Mullen's in great shape, I recently had it all tuned up by Bill at Williams Guitars.
I'd reccommend the Stage One to anyone, especially if you're gigging and practicing multiple times a week.
_________________
Proud parent of a good dog. |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 1:03 pm
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| Will Lindsay wrote: |
| I really regret selling mine and wish they were still available. |
Pretty sure the Encore's are available (for ordering), and they are a great price. Mine took about 3 months.
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Curt Trisko
From:
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 1:12 pm
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Doug should feel very proud of himself for all the joy his guitar has given us.
I still hold onto the idea of it being a student model, but I've had mine for over 7 years now. Whenever I remind myself that it was only supposed to be a starter guitar, I scratch my head and the only thing about it that I want to improve on is to have one that is better looking and raises the first string all the way up to G#.
As far as sound goes, I don't think it lacks anything. To me, other guitars only sound different, not better. And I think I prefer the action because it gives me more control within the bends than other guitars I've played. The only other steel guitar I've played that has given me "guitar envy" is an old style Emmons PP... and even then not because it was better, but because it had a totally different sound profile and playing experience. |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 1:19 pm
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Curt: My Encore raises 1,2 and 7 on the vertical - up to G# on the first string.
_________________
Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Blaine Wilker
From:
Wyoming, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 1:20 pm
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| As a beginner myself, I agree 1000%. My first guitar I bought and I can’t imagine a better one to start on. |
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2020 5:07 pm
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| My Stage One is all I need for gigs. Lightweight and quickly set up. Stays in tune and sounds great. Pedal action is easy too. It's one of my most used pedal steels. Totally happy. |
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Will Lindsay
From:
Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 11 Jan 2020 5:23 am
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| Jim Cohen wrote: |
| Will Lindsay wrote: |
| I really regret selling mine and wish they were still available. |
Aren't they? I thought they had a waiting list but were still being made... Anyway,they come up for sale fairly regularly. I bought mine used, here on the Forum. |
Yeah. I bought mine used from here and sold it on here. I know they pop up on here but they’re gone in a flash. I’m not too worried. It’ll work out one of these days. |
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Will Lindsay
From:
Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 11 Jan 2020 5:24 am
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| Brooks Montgomery wrote: |
| Will Lindsay wrote: |
| I really regret selling mine and wish they were still available. |
Pretty sure the Encore's are available (for ordering), and they are a great price. Mine took about 3 months. |
Ahhhhh. I didn’t know he was taking orders for those. That might change things. |
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Tom Campbell
From:
Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2020 7:15 am
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| Wish he would update his website. |
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Bill C. Buntin
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Posted 11 Jan 2020 1:42 pm
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I played with one old stage one for. Couple of days. Absolutely fantastic for a starter guitar. If I had students it would be my first recommendation for a first purchase guitar.
Bill |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2020 4:25 pm
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Many thanks for the kind words, they are appreciated.
I did update my website a very little bit. Basically it still says to send an email to see if I can stand to take any more orders. I don't like having 100 orders on the list, 30 or so at a time is plenty.
I'll get some pictures put back on the website pretty soon. There have been issues trying to update it.
About 1200 guitars out the door and counting..... |
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Johnny Cox
From:
Williamsom WVA, raised in Nashville TN, Lives in Hallettsville Texas
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Posted 12 Jan 2020 10:59 pm
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When I was in Branson I used a Stage One on a Conway Twitty tribute show. It handled all that great John Hughey tone just dandily.
_________________
Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967. |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2020 12:01 pm
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| We sure had fun that summer didn't we Johnny? Especially that day we filleted your ShoBud! I wish you and Kayla were back here, I could use your help again but I know you are where you belong now. |
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Pete Doyle
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2020 12:40 pm
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| Just bought one this weekend, it’s my first pedal steel. To my untrained (as far as steel goes) ears, it sounds and plays great! Really looking forward to learning and eventually gigging with it. |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2020 6:59 pm
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Deleted
Last edited by Eric Philippsen on 16 Jan 2020 9:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Curt Trisko
From:
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2020 7:28 pm
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| Eric Philippsen wrote: |
I don’t know to write this w/o coming across the wrong way. So I’ll just write it anyway and let people draw their own conclusions.
I don’t know how many Emmons push-pulls I own. I really don’t. Along with some Sho-Buds, a real nice Zum, a Franklin and some other fine steels. They’re all lined up in their cases along the wall. I mention that because I guess I can say with some confidence that I know what a nice steel is.
So, last Fall I bought an Encore from Doug. I just thought I’d like to see what all the fuss was about. It’s a REAL nice pedal steel, folks. Impressive. I highly recommend it. I have little doubt the Stage One model is great, too. I cannot say enough good things about it. Get one. |
I think the most offensive thing about that is you saying you have a bunch of steels just laying around... and meanwhile tons of people are in bidding wars for old Mavericks on Craigslist.  |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 16 Jan 2020 9:24 am
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Curt,
You’re right and I apologize if my post in any way took away from the fact the Encore and Stage One steels are great. |
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