Pedal Steel "Shoes"

Brent Torgrimson · Post by **Brent Torgrimson** » 28 Dec 2012 6:58 am

Hi everyone. I bought some fuzzy slippers with soles from Keen and discovered by accident that they work real well for pedal steel (for me, anyway). Actually they work better than my standard steel footwear (Vans). Being slippers, they're extremely comfortable, obviously. Here they are if you're curious: http://www.zappos.com/keen-howser-black~2

I'm curious what kind of footwear y'all use...?

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 28 Dec 2012 7:28 am

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 28 Dec 2012 10:37 am

Brent Torgrimson · Post by **Brent Torgrimson** » 28 Dec 2012 1:02 pm

Those shoes look VERY comfortable AND make a great fashion statement... the moccasins too! I'll have to try some moccasins some time.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 28 Dec 2012 1:53 pm

Mocassins for me.
Genuine moose hide.
Sarah Palin shot the moose from a helicopter!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 28 Dec 2012 2:12 pm

Sarah Palin shot the moose from a helicopter!

With a rocket propelled grenade... Oh, and a Bazooka!

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 28 Dec 2012 4:00 pm

....and there was still enough of the moose left to make those?

Jim Pitman · Post by **Jim Pitman** » 28 Dec 2012 4:06 pm

What's a Woose?
I bought a pair of sketcher slip ons that work great for me. Gotta be thin soled and flexible.

Ken Metcalf · Post by **Ken Metcalf** » 28 Dec 2012 4:45 pm

Next to the swim fins...

I find the double nitrus set up to be the most effective.

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Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 28 Dec 2012 8:25 pm

I think you'll find that as you get better, it matters less.
My first few years, it HAD to be boots.
Then, I could add my hush puppies (I guess I never was meant for glitter rock and roll).
Now I can play in anything but barefeet or river sandals

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 29 Dec 2012 4:37 am

This subject pops up from time to time and my standard response has always been; wear the same footwear when playing as you would normally wear on a daily basis. I have read posts from players that stated that the pointed toes of Western boots have become caught up in the pedal rods. If you regularly wear and practice in round toe shoes and then attempt to be a weekend cowboy, that can very well occur. I wear boots on a daily basis and find no problem in that area whatsoever. Having also observed on occasion persons playing in thick soled tennis shoes or stocking feet(a tip of the hat to the Howington brothers), I am certain that I could do neither with any degree of proficiency. Long story short: simply wear whatever feels natural to you...JMOYMMV.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 29 Dec 2012 9:19 am

I wear thin-soled loafers.

I see some people wearing heavy shoes accidentally activating pedals and playing out of tune. They keep retuning their guitars, thinking that's the problem. They can't feel the pedal with their foot.

To me, a thin sole is essential for pedal steel footwear.

Gary Cosden · Post by **Gary Cosden** » 29 Dec 2012 9:31 am

I like what both Lane Grey and b0b have to say here. I would also say that in addition to soles being thin for good pedal feel they should also not be super rubbery and "grippy". I have a pair of driving shoes with thin soles that just have so much grip that they actually want to stick to the pedal which makes sliding off one pedal to go to another anoyingly difficult. I will play in almost any shoe that I own and sometimes practice in stocking feet only. I can adapt to almost any scenerio but I am looking forward to trying out a pair of soft sole moccasins I have on order.

Jack Ritter · Post by **Jack Ritter** » 29 Dec 2012 12:34 pm

I looked for some loafers here a while back and nobody seemed to have them. Any recommendations where to find them? Jack

Pat Wilson · Post by **Pat Wilson** » 29 Dec 2012 4:02 pm

Barefoot Is the Only way for me

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 29 Dec 2012 4:51 pm

Erv, nice minnetonka moccasin made right here close to our back yards......boots w/leather soles for me. Moccs for home use!

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 29 Dec 2012 5:39 pm

About the only thing I can't play in is bare feet - although I haven't tried my Jandels yet (flip flops)

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 30 Dec 2012 7:10 am

Kevin,
Yes, they sure are!
Sarah provided the moose hide.

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 30 Dec 2012 8:12 am

You can't beat a pair of Chuck's. They are very easy to adjust tightness where you need it, and flexible enough to feel half pedal moves with ease. Plus they look cool.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 30 Dec 2012 9:33 am

I'm hoping Mr. Barnhart is a (relative) young'un here, because I'm pretty certain that 50-and-60-year old men do not look "cool" in Converse All-Stars, at least to those people who are now in charge of such things.

(hint: it ain't us no 'mo

)

Tony Smart · Post by **Tony Smart** » 30 Dec 2012 9:48 am

Jeff Valentine · Post by **Jeff Valentine** » 1 Jan 2013 7:51 pm

Pretty much any shoes are okay. When we wear ABUs, (Airman Battle Uniform), I can't play in the combat boots. I tried for years and finally just gave up. We usually don't perform in that uniform, so it's seldom a worry. On deployment I had to change shoes often as we played in that a lot. I can't bend my foot at the ankle at all, which makes it really hard to rock my foot from side to side.

-Jeff

John Peay · Post by **John Peay** » 2 Jan 2013 8:58 am

Thin soles for sure, plus these soles are "flat". Some shoes have soles that "round up" quite a bit at the toe, which makes it harder to get the pedals engaged all the way.

Best part? Only $6
Worst part? My 16-yr old son has forbidden me to wear them out of the house!

mike nolan · Post by **mike nolan** » 2 Jan 2013 10:34 am

Kung Fu shoes for me. They are cheap and lightweight. The all cotton construction means that you can throw a pair in your case without fear of damaging anything or taking up much space.....
Another big plus is being ready to go when a bar fight breaks out.