GFI Pedal Steel Guitars Now in Stock!
Promenade Music are now UK main dealer for the USA made GFI Pedal Steel Guitars.
About GFI Pedal Steel Guitars
Promenade Music is honoured to be the main dealer and stockest for GFI Pedal Steel Guitars in England, Scotland and Wales.
Based in Marshfield Missouri USA, GFI was founded by Gene Fields in 1989 (the same year as Promenade Music) and is one of the finest and most respected manufactures of pedal steel guitars in the World.
We've come to deal with GFI Pedal Steel Guitars through our very own Gary Thistlethwaite who's a fine pedal steel player himself. He came to deal with Gene and Bob at GFI through his old friend Bobbe Seymour who's a longtime Nashville session and touring player and the owner of his own steel guitar shop in Nashville where Gary used to go in to when he lived there.
THE GFI PEDAL STEEL GUITAR RANGE
GFI S10SM PEDAL STEEL GUITAR
The GFI Student Model has been highly successful. It has the same tone environment as the GFI Pro Models and more and more of their Pro Model features have found their way into the Student Model as it becomes more cost effective to keep fewer different parts on hand. It is capable of the complete Standard Nashville E9 set up with 3 pedals and either 2 or 4 knee levers. If that's the tuning and set up you're looking for, the sound and performance is comparable to many Pro Model steels from other manufacturers. The GFI Student Model Steel is probably the best pedal steel guitar value available today.
Features: Black Mica Color, Die Board Bodies with Mica Style Finish, Aluminum Frame with Baked Epoxy Black Wrinkle Coating, 7 Position Bell Cranks, Aluminum Crossrods, GFI II Pickups (made by George "L" to GFI Specs), Factory Supplied Hardshell Gray Carpet Covered Case.
GFI S10SM – Single Neck 10 String with 3 Pedals and 2 Knee Levers in Black Mica with Hard Case.
GFI S10SM UK Plus – Single Neck 10 String with 3 Pedals and 4 Knee Levers in Black Mica with Hard Case.
The most popular Black finish is Black but Red, Blue and Maple Mica Color finish is also available as a special order at an additional charge.
GFI Pedal Steel Guitars at Promenade Music
For further information, call our resident pedal steel player Gary on 01524 410202
GFI EXPO PEDAL STEEL GUITAR
Features: Black Mica Color; Maple Die Board Bodies with Mica Style Finish; Aluminum Frame with Baked Epoxy Hammer Tone Gray Coating; One Piece Key Head(s); 24 Inch Scale; 3 Raise and 2 Lower Changers with Aluminum Fingers; Adjustable Changer Springs; 7 Position Bell Cranks; Expandable Steel Crossrods; GFI II Pickups made by George "L" to GFI Specs; Hardshell Gray Carpet Covered Case; Denim Leg Bag.
Most Popular GFI EXPO Model
GFI S10PE EXPO PEDAL STEEL GUITAR
Single Neck 10 String with Pad, 3 Pedals and 4 Knee Levers in Black Mica with Hard Case.
Other EXPO models available to special order are:
GFI S10E – As the S10PE above but without a pad.
GFI D10E – Double Neck 10 String with 8 Pedals and 4 Knee Levers.
The most popular Black finish is Black but Red, Blue and Maple and Vintage Wood Mica Color finish is also available as a special order at an additional charge.
GFI Pedal Steel Guitars at Promenade Music
For further information, call our resident pedal steel player Gary on 01524 410202
GFI ULTRA PEDAL STEEL GUITAR
Features: Black Mica Color; Maple Die Board Bodies with Mica Style Finish; Brushed Aluminum Frame Finish with Baked Epoxy Clear or Gloss Black Coating; One Piece Key Head(s); 24 Inch Scale; 3 Raise and 2 Lower Changers with Stainless Steel Fingers; Adjustable Changer Springs; 7 Position Bell Cranks; Expandable Steel Crossrods; Deflection Minimizing Crossrod Center Brackets with Teflon Bushings; GFI II Pickups made by George "L" to GFI Specs (Other Pickups on Request); Hardshell Gray Carpet Covered Case; Denim Leg Bag.
Most Popular GFI ULTRA Model
GFI S10PU ULTRA PEDAL STEEL GUITAR
Single Neck 10 String with Pad, 3 Pedals and 4 Knee Levers in Black Mica with Hard Case.
Other ULTRA models available to special order are:
GFI D10U ULTRA – Double Neck 10 String, 8 Pedals and 5 Knee Levers
GFI S10U ULTRA – As the S10PU above but without a pad.
GFI S12KU ULTRA (Keyless only) Single Neck 12 String, 7 Pedals and 5 Knee Levers
GFI S12PKU ULTRA (Keyless only) Single Neck 12 String with Pad, 7 Pedals and 5 Knee Levers
The most popular Black finish is Black but Red, Blue and Maple and Vintage Wood Mica Color finish is also available as a special order at an additional charge.
GFI Pedal Steel Guitars at Promenade Music
For further information, call our resident pedal steel player Gary on 01524 410202
About Gene Fields – The Founder of GFI Musical Products
Gene has spent his entire professional career involved in the playing, design, and production of musical instruments. He spent 23 years working for Fender Musical Instruments, mainly in research and development and his designs at Fender include the 'PS210' (Keyless Pedal Steel Guitar), 'Starcaster' (semi-hollow bodied electric guitar) as well as co-designing (with Leo Fender) the 'Mustang' bass, 'Marauder' and 'Bronco' guitars, among other projects, before spending seven years with Fender's string division. Later, Gene designed and oversaw production of the 'Sierra' solid body guitars and basses. He was also general manager of 'MCI Intertek' for 3 years, making design refinements to the EMCI pedal steel guitars.
Gene decided to go into business for himself and began with the GFI Student Model pedal steel guitar, the GFI Kari-All Storage Seat and cases for the steels. With encouragement and financial assistance from good friend, Blackie Taylor, Gene designed and produced the first GFI Professional Series pedal steel guitar. He continues to innovate in a number of ways, including the acclaimed Keyless Tuning System and the Ultra Model pedal steel guitars.
Click here to see some of photos of the shop in Missouri.
http://www.gfimusicalproducts.com/Images/MO%20Shop/GFI%20Missouri%20Shop.htm
GFI PEDAL STEEL GUITAR FEATURES
GFI Pedal Steel Guitars have high quality features, a number of which are unique.
GFI use all maple die board for steel guitar bodies. Die board is normally used as a backing plate on punch presses to stamp out parts of various materials, including steel. All plies are maple and laminated with an epoxy base, which makes it stronger than solid maple. Unlike ordinary plywood, die board has a natural resonance that is far superior to solid maple and more consistent from piece to piece.
Frames and most metal body parts are epoxy-coated. This provides a hard protective coating that eliminates the need for polishing. Ultra Frames, pedal boards, key heads and necks are brush finished and coated with a clear epoxy. Gloss Black is also available. A Gold coating is available for the Ultra steels at an additional charge. Expo Models are coated with Hammer Tone Gray only, Expo X1 Models are coated with Hammer Tone Gold Vein with a protective Clear Coat only, and Student Models are coated with Wrinkle Black only.
The frames are inlaid and the body tops are covered with a long-lasting scratch-resistant mica type material. Available colors include Red, Black, Blue, Vintage Wood, and Maple. More colors are available at an additional cost.
Our pickups are double coil humbuckers made by George "L" to our specifications. The GFI-II, standard on all models except 12 strings, is comparable to a slightly heavier version of the E-66. They provide a full frequency range with excellent clarity and note separation. The GFI-I is available as an option for all models and is comparable to a slightly lighter version of the E-66. The GFI-III is available as an option for all Professional Models. It's output is approximately the same as the GFI-II, but with a little brighter tone without any loss of bass at the low end. It's outstanding feature is the note separation in chords at bandstand volume levels. 12 Strings are equipped with the E-66. Other pickups are available on request.
Grover keys are standard on Professional Models. 12 String Ultra models are available with the Keyless Tuning System only. Student Models have keys made by Ping.
All aluminum parts are extruded and machined. No castings are used. GFI uses only stainless steel screws for assembly. Pull rods and pedal rods are made from stainless steel.
Pro Model changers are all pull, triple raise, double lower with super hard aircraft aluminum bridge sections that support the changer shaft between every finger. The changer finger is where the ball end of the string is anchored and is the main point of contact for the string's vibration to resonate into the wood body. Most steel guitar companies as well as GFI use aluminum for this part. Our stainless steel finger is manufactured by a unique process by which powdered metal is formed under extreme pressure and high heat to create a part much harder than its original starting material. The part is precision ground to +/- .001" total tolerance. The end result is a finger with much less internal friction, less internal undesired movement in the changer, and a harder bridge surface which is much more resistant to scratching and indentations by the strings. There are sound benefits as well, including an increase in overall volume and better note separation in chords while adding a brightness without sacrificing overall fullness of tone. Stainless steel fingers are standard on new Ultra steels, and available as an option on new Expo steels.
Student Model changers are single finger and limited to the standard Nashville E9th tuning and setup.
Bell cranks have 7 positions with only 1/8" between hole centers to allow for better balance of string pulls.
Lower string profile (1" above the body), combined with an aluminum support rib on doublenecks and models with a pad, provide much greater stability and minimum detuning.
All GFI pedal steel guitars come from the factory equipped with SIT stainless steel strings. Click here for copedent charts on all models (includes string gauges).
Fretboards are silk screened on mylar with a non reflective finish. 24-inch scale is standard.
The pedal board and pedals are unmatched by any other model on the market today. All pedals are mounted on delrin bearings and attached to an extruded pedal board. Pedal to pedal rod connectors attach to delrin shafts on the pedals eliminating metal to metal contact. A small thumbscrew rides in a channel on the shaft to hold the rod in place. Pedal numbers are stamped on the connectors.
Knee levers are rounded for comfort. Adjustable knee lever "Wing" is standard on D-10 Right Knee Right. Knee lever stops are mounted on their own brackets to eliminate crossrod deflection. All pedal and knee lever movement is smooth and accurate. All stops are solid and positive.
Our legs are also an extrusion of 3/16" thick aluminum wall. When assembled, the steel stands at a standard height of 26 1/4" from floor to the bottom of the back rail. Custom heights of 1 or 2 inches taller or lower are available at no extra cost if specified at the time of order. Front legs are fixed in length while back legs can be adjusted plus or minus about 1/2 inch for leveling. This leg assembly provides greater stability at about 2/3 the weight of conventional steel legs.
"Ultra" Models additionally feature one piece key heads, deflection minimizing crossrod brackets with teflon bushings, adjustable changer springs, and an improved knee lever system.
"Expo" Models additonally feature classic wrap-around styling, angled frame rails, and have all the mechanical features of the "Ultra" except there are no deflection minimizing crossrod brackets.
All GFI Pedal Steel Guitars have a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
GFI Student Model Setup Instructions
Each front leg has a hole at the bottom end for pedal board bolts.
1. Insert the front leg with the red dot near the threads into the hole with the red dot.
2. Insert the other leg with a bolt hole into the other front hole.
3. Insert the other two legs into the rear holes.
4. Attach the pedal board, inserting the bolts through the front legs and lock it into place with the wing nuts.
Tuning Instructions
1. Tune all the strings with the keys except the "E" strings (strings 4 and 8).
2. Press the lowering knee lever (left knee moving right) and tune the "E" strings to E flat with the keys.
3. Release the knee lever and now tune the "E" strings to E using the nylon tuning nuts painted red.
4. Press the raise lever (left knee moving left) and tune the "E" strings to F using the nylon tuning nuts.
5. Follow the same procedures with the appropriate strings and pitch changes if your steel has right leg knee levers (see chart below).
6. The floor pedals are tuned by pressing the pedal and tuning to the desired pitch with the nylon tuning nut.
Owner's Manual for GFI Pedal Steel Guitars
Your GFI Pedal Steel Guitar is designed to provide superior tone and smooth playability. Here are a few things that will help you get the most out of your steel.
– The guitar can be leveled by loosening the nut on the back adjustable leg(s), turning the stud up or down as needed and retightening the nut.
– Pedal height can be adjusted by loosening the nut that holds the pedal rod connector in place. Turn the pedal connector up or down the pedal rod as desired and retighten the nut.
– The thumb screw on the pedal rod connectors need only be loosened one turn to allow the connector to be put on or taken off of the delrin stud on the pedal. When connected to the pedal, the thumbscrew is designed to ride in the channel of the delrin pedal stud to keep the rod in place and allow the pedal to rotate freely. We recommend tightening the thumbscrews onto the connectors when disconnected during transport to prevent losing the screws.
– Knee lever angle can be set by adjusting the set screw in the knee lever shaft. Vertical knee levers have an additional set screw on the side of the lever shaft that holds the lever in place once it is adjusted.
– Moving parts are designed to need no lubrication or have been sufficiently lubricated at the factory to last the lifetime of the guitar.
– The nylon tuning nuts are designed to be hard to turn to ensure they remain in place once tuned.
– Use a soft cloth when cleaning to prevent scratching the mica or epoxy finish.
Copedent
http://www.gfimusicalproducts.com/Tables/Copedant%20Tables.htm
GFI keyless tuning System
GFI offers the ultimate in keyless tuning for pedal steel guitars.
Tuning knobs remain level. Twin shafts provide a perfectly balanced leverage ratio. No tools are required for tuning, however, a Phillips screwdriver is required when changing strings (no more lost Allen wrenches – click here to see the instruction sheet included with every keyless GFI steel). Fine tuning is much more precise than with keys. Available lever movement is more than twice the amount required for a more than adequate safety margin. No roller nut is required as there is no measurable movement at the nut. The problem of returning to pitch when raising and lowering the same string is virtually eliminated.
Keyless Tuning has many advantages.
When using keys for tuning, the excess string length needed to reach the keys from the nut absorbs vibration, taking energy from the main body of the string and decreasing sustain. This is eliminated with Keyless Tuning. Pedal and knee lever travel is decreased since there is less string to stretch. Pedal and knee lever action also feels more solid. The length of the instrument is shorter, therefore stronger, minimizing detuning while pressing pedals. Strings break less frequently since less movement of the bridge cam is required to acquire the same pitch. Undesirable overtones created by the excess string length are also eliminated with the keyless system. These overtones are detrimental to the pure tone of the instrument, as they will vary with string gauge, string length beyond the nut, and the location of the bar on the strings.
The GFI Keyless Tuning System is an additional cost option on any 10 string Ultra GFI Pedal Steel Guitar and is standard on 12 string Ultra models.
GFI PEDAL STEEL GUITAR PLAYERS
Promenade Music's very own Gary Thistlethwaite (who's a pedal stell player himself) came to deal with Gene and Bob at GFI through his old friend Bobbe Seymour who's a longtime Nashville session, touring player and the owner of his own Steel Guitar shop where Gary used to go in to when he lived in Nashville.
Here are just a few of the who's who of steel players who play a GFI model.
– Charlie Archer … with Loretta Lynn.
– Bucky Baxter … with Solal, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle etc.
– John Bohlinger … Band Leader for the TV show 'Nashville Star'.
– Carl Broemel … with 'My Morning Jacket'.
– Mike Cass … with Ray Price.
– Buddy Charleton … Hall of Fame member – Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson, Jack Green, Cal Thomas etc.
– Don Curtis … with 'Commander Cody'.
– Evan Ehgoetz … with Shane Yellowbird, nominee for Canadian steel guitar player of the year.
– Pete Finney … with Patty Loveless, Michelle Branch.
– Mike Fried … with Gary Allan.
– Doyle Grisham … with Jimmy Buffett.
– Norm Hamlet … with Merle Haggard.
– Don Herron … with Bob Dylan, BR5-49.
– Bud Isaacs … Hall of Fame member.
– Devin Malone … with Holly Williams, Will Hoge.
– Gaylon Mathews … with Gretchen Wilson.
– Ronnie Miller … with Charley Pride.
– Ralph Mooney … Hall of Fame member & credited with helping to develop the E9th tuning.
– Fred Newell … with Porter Waggoner on the Grand Ole Opry.
– Casey Prestwood … with Hot Rod Circuit, Rocky Votolato.
– Charlie Rose … with Johnny Irion, Sarah-Lee Guthrie, Mike Merenda, Ruth Unger etc.
– Pat Severs … On the Ralph Emery Show and "Nashville Star" TV shows.
– Mike Sigler … with Grand Ole Opry Tour, Holly Dunn.
– Tim Walker … with Jimmy Webb, Pete Yorn, Mini Bar.
GFI Pedal Steel Guitars at Promenade Music
For further information, call our resident pedal steel player Gary on 01524 410202