Steel Guitar Demographics... The Future

Steve Stallings · From: Houston/Cypress, Texas

From where I sit, I see an aging population (including myself) of steelers with few new young players entering the arena. For every steel player I meet who is under thirty, I'd bet I know 30 who are over fifty. I seem to recall that the average age here is around 52 or so. I personally think the average steeler may in fact be somewhat older. I'm 52 and when I go to conventions I feel like a youngster.
My earlier observations regarding a dwindling market for steels (all steels, not just push pull) is based on simple bell curve mathmatics. I believe that the entire steel market is at or very near saturation. Much of the current demand has been fueled by folks with 3,4, or even more guitars.
As these folks age, die, or simply quit, these steels will begin surfacing in ever increasing numbers. This will yield pressure on the new guitar market that over time will cause serious repercussions.
In an age of mass production, the steel guitar is still made in one, two or three man operations. Even the largest builder has only three or four employees. Recently, a builder told me of fairly ambitous plans for expansion. I was a bit surprised and asked if they felt the market was there to support it. He told me "we are creating are own market". I personally feel his assessment is incorrect, but I hope he is right.

Ok... I just throw these observations out for your thoughts folks. I'm interested in how others perceive this.

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

Not many kids taking it up,that's for sure...

Guest · Posted 12 Nov 2003 10:54 am

What I find particularly interesting is the number of new players who are older -- myself included. I know that, in my case, I had no way to even be exposed to the steel guitar before the internet and the forum came along. But if I try to get a kid interested in it, they look at me like I'm from Mars -- AND I'M NOT EVEN FROM MARS!

Well, I'll tell you one thing, my son is going to play steel guitar or else. (or else he'll do whatever he wants, I guess)

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Larry Chung · From: San Francisco, CA, USA

Hi Steve:

Great post - it's an important question to consider - "THE FUTURE OF THE STEEL"

I teach music here in the San Francisco Bay Area and have several steel students - several of them in their 20s and 30s. Most of them are looking for a first good steel, not a student model, and not a multi-thousand dollar instrument. They all check the Forum and many of them have bought instruments from longtime players who have several instruments.

When I got into steel, I knew there was no way that I could pay thousands of dollars for a new steel, so I looked and found some very nice used ones - I currently own three.

I see plenty of younger people interested in steel, but they're not typically on the bandstand or in the bar room; they're practicing at home just like me. The steel, unlike the electric or acoustic guitar, takes ALOT longer to feel comfortable playing. I think it took me about a week to know enough electric guitar to play on-stage - Bless those Beatles! - but the steel... it took months to get comfortable.

For every young steel player you see onstage, I would guess that there are a whole bunch of folks who are at home practicing... I don't think the steel will ever be anywhere near as popular as the guitar, or drums, or piano, or even the accordian (hee hee!), but there are enough young people with a good dose of curiosity out there listening to alt-country, old country, and progressive steel-friendly music to keep the instrument alive for a long, long time.

As long as I'm blabbing, I think it's important that each one of us that plays alot teaches alot, too. Go to your local music store and check out how many fiddle, guitar, piano, banjo, accordian books and teaching materials there are... and how much steel stuff there is. It's just not there. The Forum really helped me get on my feet, as I'm sure it does for other young players, but I've also been fortunate enough to be friends with some more experienced players who were always willing to share with me and pass on the torch. I hope I can do the same someday!

On a different note, I think that having alot of used instruments available in the future is actually a big part of the solution and not the problem. The steel is still an unknown instrument to many - it took me 33 years to actually figure out what that crazy cat-fighting sound was behind the country singers... I say, the more instruments are available, the more people who are interested can actually get MORE interested. And, over time, as older guitars start to wear down and age, the more people will want a new or newer instrument. Does that sound so crazy?

I have a follow up question, too - how many steel manufacturers are actually out there and how does that number compare with, say, 10/20/30 years ago?

ZBest,
lc

------------------
Larry Chung
ZB D-10 8+4
ZB Custom S-11 4+4 Dekley S-10 3+4

Gere Mullican · From: LaVergne, Tennessee, USA (deceased)

I think you guys are right about not many youngsters taking up the steel nowadays. I remember several years ago after I had been playing steel for many years there started to be a lot of kids coming on. Back when they had the DJ convention in Nashville, I would be there and I would see some kids come in (already playing good): I remember when Tommy White came in down at Little Roy Wiggins' music store (I sat in for Roy while he was out with his heart surgery), The a little guy named Paul Franklin came in one of the vendor rooms at the Hermitage hotel bringing his Sho-Bud. He even sounded like Lloyd Green. And speaking of Lloyd, I use to see him around 6th and Church when he was selling shoes trying to break in to the business full time. I think he was playing some with Faron Young then. Then there was another little kid that his daddy brought him to some of the place where I was picking. His name is Johnny Cox. I wish a lot more of those kinds of kids would start playing the PSG. I sure would hate to see it go totally out of style. Certainly not in my opinion. I have stated many times that there is not another human on this planet that loves the steel as much as I do. They might come close but not quite. Anyway just because I am old (71) I still try, even tho I know I will never make it. I still LOVE it. Thanks for letting me get on my soap box.
Gere

David Doggett · Posted 12 Nov 2003 2:38 pm

This is related to the question of the changing demographics for country music. That's not real clear to me. I'm not talking about what your individual definition of country music is, I mean: is the country music slice of the CD and airway listener pie getting bigger or smaller - in relative numbers? - in absolute numbers? While steel is not quite the completely omnipresent thing it was in the past in country music, steel is very much a part of most live and recorded country music (just not all of it, as it was previously).

Then there is the question of steel in non-country genres. The country-rock scene took steel to a lot of young rock people in the '70s, and that has clearly not happened since then. Alt-country has nowhere near the prominence country-rock did. The Robert Randolph blues connection is still too new to predict. There is a lot of discussion on the Forum of taking steel into jazz, but how big and viable is the jazz listenership?

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Moved to 'Steel Players" section.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I have 2 comments.

1- Things come and go in cycles. I don't know of many players in their 20's and 30's, but there seems to a resurgence of interest among teens. We have a couple of teenagers right here on the forum. Derek DuPlussey and Abraham. I think Johnathan Cullpepper(?) has posted a few times.

2-In a few years we will see the emergence of players who have been instrodiced to the steel and influenced by Robert Randolph. There might not be a lot of them at first, but Randolph's success is sure to inspire a few players to take up our instrument.

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