PS, There is only one word in this entire topic that i really hate to see or hear, but i guess it's difficult to edit all the posts. I'm glad to see that these opionated topics can, for the greater part, be carried on with sevility and respect for each other.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL ----Skip

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"I Can Only Imagine"

I don't noticeably alter the outward appearance of the steel, just a little subtle tweak to the mechanism.

This is my ShoBud after modification:

Skip

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"I Can Only Imagine"

Terry

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Mullen RP D10 /8x5 / Nashville 112 x 2 / American Tele and Fender
Hotrod Deville 2x12's
Thank God for music.

It is like taking an engine, great as it is but you put a cam in it or something and you have more horsepower. All things excpecially guitars can be changed, almost everything done to a guitar will change the tone.

As for the tuning issues and sustain, sure the sustain may be able to be improved, but I have to take offense to the statment it helps the guitar stay in tune, as this is something Del has put countless hours to accomplish in a Mullen guitar. Del does not know everything there is to know about tone and how to get it, but I know he knows the Mullen guitar as it was built and designed by him. So who to say that it can't be improved, but which guitar can't be.

As for Tommy this sounds like something he has decided to market and capitalize on rather than making it known what you can do to improve your guitar. That is his right. This mod is not incorporated with Mullen in any way and like he mentioned that is what he plays and that is what he does the mod on. Perhaps a better title might be Tone and Sustain Mod, available for Mullen guitars. I know Tommy and know he doesn't mean harm here, but I know he cannot market this mod using Mullen in the name. We have worked extremely hard to get our guitars where they are at. Our G2 guitars are by far the best sounding guitars that we have ever produced, but that is not saying that there is a problem with the ones already produced. I think anything can be improved, you can try this or something else, but either way at least you have something amazing to start with. Again this is not a MULLEN name mod. If you want to try it go ahead, it's your guitar. Mullen is always willing to look at suggestions but I am not going to pay for someones inventions to our guitar. If they want to capitalize on our product, then that is their choice, not only directed at you Tommy.

To Bill M., Herby claims he likes his guitar better for tone, never does he claim his guitar is better. If it were better in other aspects then that would be our production guitar. It is all your taste and Herby likes his model, no biggy. There are several one way and several the other. I can't imagine anyone having either model Mullen feeling they got ripped off. Tone is an opinion, playability, sustain, looks, ease of mechanics, none of that can be mistaken on a Mullen. There, have a nice day.

It is not broke. Don't try to fix it. Mullen guitars are great as they are.

If it needed to be modded, the folks at Mullen would be addressing the issue.

I don't know guys, but it seems to me that if you're playing out of tune, and/or not getting great tone, I would have to say that the aforementioned would never happen.

I respect that fact that we all have a different idea of what good tone is, but I sincerely have to take exception to the idea that a Mullen guitar in particular would need any modification for better tone, or to keep the guitar in tune.

The new Mullen G2 model guitars have received some nice improvements, which is in line with what other builders do over time as they find things that can be improved on with their guitars. Carter and ZumSteel have done these sort of things recently, and with absolutely stellar results, and the same goes for Mullen guitar company today.

Although the folks at Mullen may or may not have the "ears" to define what is great tone, or what isn't, one thing is definate, the team at Mullen guitar have decades of experience in building steel guitars, and there's no question whatsoever that they definately know what they are doing. Like other builders, they have artist/endorsers who indeed can define what is great tone and what isn't, and it appears that there are certainly no problems with that on Mullen guitars, and that's whether being played live, or recorded!

To each there own folks, and I highly respect that, but I must adamitely profess that the Mullen guitars absolutely do NOT need and such improvements, or at least certainly not in the areas of tone or tuning.

[This message was edited by Danny Hullihen on 07 September 2006 at 08:28 AM.]

quote:

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As for Tommy this sounds like something he has decided to market and capitalize on rather than making it known what you can do to improve your guitar.

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I have been looking into buying one of those "Tornadoes"(Patent Pending) for the carburator of my car. Until I read an article about it being just hype..........

"Get the Mullen tone mod!....by Ronco!"

[This message was edited by Curt Langston on 07 September 2006 at 08:36 AM.]

I'm quite sure the Mullen steel is great, and NEEDS no mods. What Tommy seems to be saying is that SOME of the older Mullen MAY benefit from his mod. I saw no posting that said anything about all Mullen guitars having inherent problems or design deficiencies. I did see posts that allude to them being pretty near perfecton. Let's be fair here. He might have a worthwhile insight into an improvement/change that some would like to have.

Tommy simply has a product/service that may benefit some players who want a different, "better" sound and a "fatter" sustain in the higher registers. I see no reason to berate him for offering something that some players may find desireable...especially since most of us have never even heard what this mod does! And he has every right to proprietise it. Why does he have to give the knowledge away?

If I had a Mullen I think I would, at the very least, be curious and would investigate further into the viability of this mod...instead of taking such a defensive stance. If it is indeed bogus, then his endeavor will fail. If it's truly beneficial, then he will succeed.

Herby Wallace

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Chris Kennison
Colorado
www.book-em-danno.com

In a conversation I had with Hartley Peavey some years ago, he made a comment that I tend to agree with, and even more today than ever. He said that there seems to be a mind-set amoung people today in where they think if they pay more, then they will get more. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, and we have many good examples of that in practically everything these days.

As another good example of this, here's a quote from Lloyd Green that I also agree with completely....

"Ultimately the tone a player hears in his mind represents the bottom line. Mechanical aspects can be corrected, changed or altered but ‘essential’ tone is basically what the steel sounds like when it is built, and no amount of modification can change that significantly."

Truer words were never spoken, and there's certainly no argument whatsoever that Lloyd would most definately know what "good tone" is all about. Hence, my argument about modifying a Mullen guitar to get better tone.

As with the folks at Carter, ZumSteel, and a few others, the folks at Mullen most definately know what they are doing in building a very high quaility steel guitar.

I don't just play steel guitar, I also work on them... ALL brands, and what's high quality engineering and what isn't will show it's ugly head in a New York minute, and in my opinion, the aformentioned all build what I would consider to be the best of the best, and Mullen guitars definately ranks right up there with the best of them.

It looks relatively easy to use. In fact, you can take it on and off. I would not want to ever play without it.
Click Here

[This message was edited by Curt Langston on 10 September 2006 at 08:38 AM.]

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Excel 8-string Frypan, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King