playin' around…
…making noises #4…
GFI Ultra…
Need something to practice on during my stays in Florida, USA, so I bought a used PSG via the Steel Guitar Forum. Always lots of used instruments for sale on the forum, and I chose a lightly used GFI Ultra Sd10 keyless.
The GFI is very light compared to most other pedal steel guitars, and the low weight was in part the reason I chose it. No reason to lug around on a heavy steel guitar when a light one will do just fine.
The GFI's keyless design also interests me. This is my first keyless steel guitar, and I found it at least as easy to string and tune as my key'ed ones. This is something I wasn't sure of until I got it, but the keyless tuning is working reasonably well in itself on this PSG. If only they had added string-rollers…
in comparison…
The GFI definitely doesn't have as low body-drop and hysteresis as my old Dekley. That's a pity, as I've gotten used to that “rock steady” steel guitar by now. I will have to look into how to improve on that when I have played it for a while.
For now I will only state that the solid bar instead of rollers at the keyhead end is a bad idea. The 6th string doesn't return properly unless I lubricate that bar. Lubricants only zero out hysteresis for minutes, so that's not a solution.
The lack of split-tuning indicates that the GFI is set up for ET tuning only, which may work for some players but not for me. The 6th string G# to F# could not be lowered perfect for both F# and G (with the B pedal), until I installed split-tuning rods.
Also a couple of changes I missed. I like to have same lower on 3d string as on 6th (despite the fact that 3d string breaks early when using that change much), as that's what I'm used to. I also missed the half and full tone rise and lower on E strings.
I am not much into “looks” when it
comes to musical instruments – they just have to sound right and play
well. Even so I don't mind if steel guitars look good as long as
they're not too shiny.
This tiny GFI Ultra with its golden / dark-brown appearance looks just fine to me, as seen rigged up for practicing in my home in Florida, USA.
tone, playability and tuning…
The GFI doesn't quite have the tone I prefer, but I knew that before I bought it. It sounds OK to me as is, just a bit on the bright side with a distinct attack sound.
The sound-chain (as presented in the side-column) is tailored to make the most out of this instrument when played by me. Present set-up with variable buffer-load, envelope shaping, “flat” (bypassed) equalizer, may be slightly uncommon for PSG. With the right strings – Jagwire E9 set on the heavy side – this set-up makes my GFI sound warm and clear with very good sustain.
Playability is as expected very good, and now that I have rodded it for split-tuning it is easy to tune and adjust everything to my liking. The GFI scores relatively high on this point.
I JI tune all pedal/lever combinations so close to beat-free that the remaining (slow) beats, caused mainly by body-drop, can be played out by ear. I find that acceptable, as all JI tuned PSGs must be played slightly “off fret” and balanced a bit with the bar for all chords to sound in tune with other, mostly ET tuned, instruments anyway.
I won't go deep into my reasoning for applying a JI based tuning on PSGs, vs applying “straight-up” ET tuning as some do. It is a fact that on PSGs we can apply JI tuning principles, while on most other modern polyphonic western instruments we simply can't.
sound investment…
You know, the GFI was actually the first PSG brand I tested back in Norway when looking for possible replacement for my old Dekley in early 2009. The GFI didn't make it against that old bastard by a long way, but it did make enough of an impression in the low weight low price range to earn a place on the list over potential seconds.
Now I've got a pretty good “second” standing ready across the room, and I can live quite well with this tiny and light steel guitar's minor sonic shortcomings when balancing those against it's other qualities.
It may take a couple of years to balance this investment on budget since the GFI will only be played while I'm on vacation/business/whatever trips in North America. It is however so much more practical, and in the long run also more economical, to have my own steel and minimal gear ready for use on this side of the pond, instead of having to bring it all over from Norway and back again each time.
All things considered it makes perfect sense to be able to travel light when flying back and forth between Norway and USA. And with this investment I can do that without having to forsake too much even in the music department.
sincerely 
Spring Hill 20.dec.2010
25.dec.2010 - edited and added some after having played the GFI for
a week.
29.dec.2010 - edited some more after having tested a better 1st cable.
02.jan.2011 - edited amp settings.
15.nov.2011 - added/corrected for Steel Driver III.
15.nov.2011 - updated main article for tuning and strings.
last rev:
07.dec.2012
playin' around…
