Age............makes one even more curious..............

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 22 Nov 2012 7:07 pm

A lot of SGF space of late has been devoted to discussions about the neck length of this guitar vs. that guitar; string heights above the pick up on this brand guitar vs. that guitar; distance between strings from one brand g'tar to another; and, which bar is the best; likewise which picks are the best for gospel music, etc.

Is there a common response that one might expect after all of these years........that might give a worthwhile answer to all of these questions in a single explanation?

For example: One doesn't really need a bar long enough to cover all 14, 12, 10 or 8 strings.........do they? Wouldn't it suffice to say that a bar that is comfortable and easy to control would be an appropriate response?

How would you approach answering these repetative quesitons by well meaning members?

Pete Conklin · Post by **Pete Conklin** » 23 Nov 2012 10:46 am

Hi Ray,

Yeah, I see what you are saying.

I also belong to a sailing forum and without fail, each week, 1 or 2 new people will come on there and say "I want to sail around the world. What boat do I need?" And without fail, the same patient people answer the newcomers question. The newcomer could easily search the archives and find 4000 answers to this same question.

It's the same on this forum. I've only been a member for a few years but I would bet that 99.9% of all questions and issues with the PSG have been asked and answered already. My percentage could be high, it's probably more like 99.8%. Or I could be all wrong.

I myself love to scour the archives of this forum. I spend hours reading the wealth of information there. Just type is "harmonics" or "bell crank" or "keyless" and off I go. Yes, for the most part, it's all been asked and answered.

But I also love reading the new posts and if I can, helping out new people.

I think it's a bit about patience with answering the same questions over and over. But more importantly, I think it's a way for us all to relate to each other. That's what I love about this forum, it's the kinship I feel, and I'm a nobody newbie. But I do love it. (which reminds me to make a donation today

) The brother and sisterhood we have is special. I know I'm preaching to the choir with you Ray. You must love this place as much as any of us.

To answer your question, I think we just keep answering the questions or kindly pointing them to a thread that has the answer.

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 23 Nov 2012 12:45 pm

There is a lot of re-hashing around here, but wouldn't it be boring if the SGF became an achived reference file only? I think people want to see live responses to questions and comments, that are relevant and "in the moment." Eventually, this place would go the way of the DoDo bird, if it wasn't for live interaction.

Christopher Woitach · Post by **Christopher Woitach** » 23 Nov 2012 7:50 pm

It's true that on this forum, even more than some others, a lot of beginner questions are asked and answered over and over again. I bet for you guys that have been around the block a few times, this gets old.

For me as a relative beginner, though, it sure feels welcoming when an experienced player takes a couple minutes out to answer for YET another time their thoughts on the most effective way to hold a bar, etc. I don't think anyone is obliged to answer anything, of course, but it has helped me in the past when someone has reached across the Internet and given me some info, even though I probably should've looked it up myself.

And on that subject, in case I've been forgetful, thank all you guys for your help! Players like Ray, Reece, Paul F, Rick Schmidt, Buck Reid, Dean Rankin, Jack Schults, David Wright, Mike Neer, just to name a few, have helped me more than I can express to progress on steel guitar. Thank you, and bless you all for your patience. I want to be like you when, or if, I finally grow up!

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 23 Nov 2012 8:16 pm

Well, b0b the above post is why we need a "like" button. This has been an awesome learning resource for me and countless others. I never abuse the privilege, but it's so cool to know I can ask a question of a living legend, and he or she will likely, answer it personally.

Bo Legg · Post by **Bo Legg** » 24 Nov 2012 7:51 am

If we are just dealing with the function and accessory of steel guitar it's a good thing we are rehashing things other wise that part of the forum would have been dead after the first day of the forums existence.
Other wise b0b could just list all the parts of the mechanism, strings, foot pedal and tone bar in one paragraph here and close it with a sticky.
But a Forum doesn’t function like a log on owners manual it’s about communication.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 24 Nov 2012 4:36 pm

Rick Barnhart wrote:...Eventually, this place would go the way of the DoDo bird, if it wasn't for live interaction.

Ah, but the Dodo went extinct because it was a delicious meal. Imagine a turkey but four times as big.

But I digress.

In answer to Ray's original question, I don't know how to come up with a simple explanation of the steel guitar for an outsider to understand. It has more tunings and set-ups than any other instrument on the planet. No other instrument even comes close.