6 string pedal steels?

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 9 Mar 2016 2:22 pm

Indeed. Just as the haiku, sonnet and limerick forms limit poetry. And some find inspiration in the limitations, while others find them, ummmm, limiting.
I don't think I'd BUY a 6. But if someone loaned me one, I'd enjoy finding stuff that sounds like me in it.

Paul Stauskas · Post by **Paul Stauskas** » 9 Mar 2016 2:27 pm

When I started from scratch a year and a half ago, it never occurred to me to try a six string pedal steel. With the abundance of information out there on more conventional setups like 10 string e9/c6 with 3/5 and 8/5, why would anyone want to play with less than that? There are great builders making affordable instruments with these setups.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 9 Mar 2016 5:50 pm

Paul

not everyone finds pedal steel guitars as " affordable "
as some rich people here do and the six is a less expense alternative ,
if money was no issue i'm sure most beginners would start out on top of the line 12 string 4 X 5s

Paul Stauskas · Post by **Paul Stauskas** » 9 Mar 2016 5:58 pm

Calvin,

If you can't afford a Stage One, Carter Starter, or Encore, you really should be asking yourself, 'Is this the right instrument for me?'

If you still think it is, build your own six-stringer.

I thought the point of the thread was to debate the viability of a six-string pedal steel, not the cost of existing builds by brands popular on the forum.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 9 Mar 2016 7:04 pm

Paul

its BOTH

a lot of would be steel players can't or won't shell out $1100.00-$1200.00 just to find out if its for them or not
the six can answer BOTH problems, cost and if its right for them

and thinking that if someone can't afford the cost of an instrument
then they shouldn't be playing it is a very poor way to look at things

Paul Stauskas · Post by **Paul Stauskas** » 9 Mar 2016 7:11 pm

Calvin,

Do you really think a six stringer would reduce the cost THAT much? I mean we are talking about the difference of a couple hundred dollars MAYBE.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 9 Mar 2016 7:18 pm

Paul
your profile says your an engineer ,
maybe a couple hundred bucks as you call it isn't much money to you
but many here are working class people many are even on fixed incomes
so to some its a hell of a lot !!!
but thats no reason to tell someone that they shouldn't learn to play
..thats just being an ____ (fill in the blank)

Paul Stauskas · Post by **Paul Stauskas** » 9 Mar 2016 7:36 pm

But Calvin, the physical nature of this instrument makes it different than those like under-arm guitars or keys. Someone interested in learning to play acoustic guitar or keys can find a huge selection on Craig's List for a couple hundred dollars or less.

PSG is a mechanical device, and anyone who buys something of inferior quality to today's starter guitars (Carter starter, stage one etc.) is going nowhere FAST.

Finally, every player I have met in my area has had extensive experience on other instruments, usually under-arm guitar. These players know what kind of sounds they want to make because they can make them on other instruments. These players are going to feel inhibited by something less than a 10 string 3/5 (E9). Beginners starting from scratch (like me a year and a half ago) don't have that experience and knowledge, should not be fooled into going down the wrong path when they don't know any better.

Saying that Ben Keith never used the chromatic strings and the lower register is shameful and an outright lie.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 9 Mar 2016 7:41 pm

"under arm guitar" ? well thats a new one ...lol

after you get your feet wet come back and talk to us

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Mar 2016 6:07 am

This thread has proved the subject has lotsa legs, that's for sure! The main premise, however, from those who deplore any kind of simplification seems to be "No, you should play what I play". How refreshing.

As for myself, I'm happy when someone plays any kind of pedal guitar. Whether they stay with an S6 2+1, or "graduate" all the way up to an S14 10+9 (and as log as they play it well), I can still enjoy their music.

Others, apparently, cannot.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 10 Mar 2016 8:23 am

When it comes to low cost pedal steels, 6 strings vs 10 doesn't make much difference. Less than $100. A pull-release changer finger is a single piece of metal, and you don't even need any changes on 3 of the 4 strings. Add a return spring for the 2nd string, 4 tuners and a wider pickup. That's about it.

A good 6-string with an all-pull changer and enough mass to keep it steady is going to cost more to build. A versatile pro-quality S-6 will be in the same price range as an S-10 because it's a custom order. If a company specializes in 6-string pedal steels, they might be able to undercut their 10-string competitors by $200 or so for a pro model.

There are several good reasons for someone to play a 6-string pedal steel, but cost isn't one of them. There just isn't that much difference in price.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 10 Mar 2016 10:11 am

b0b wrote:...There are several good reasons for someone to play a 6-string pedal steel, but cost isn't one of them. There just isn't that much difference in price.

Absolutely right. Anyone who could afford a brand-new 6-stringer could afford a used 10-stringer if he looked around for one.
Personally, I have 8, 10 and 12 string pedal steels, none of them new. I couldn't afford to buy a new 6-string.

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 10 Mar 2016 10:26 am

Alan Brookes wrote:
b0b wrote:...There are several good reasons for someone to play a 6-string pedal steel, but cost isn't one of them. There just isn't that much difference in price.
Absolutely right. Anyone who could afford a brand-new 6-stringer could afford a used 10-stringer if he looked around for one.
Personally, I have 8, 10 and 12 string pedal steels, none of them new. I couldn't afford to buy a new 6-string.

But someone who can't afford a used 10 stringer might be able to afford a used 6 stringer.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 10 Mar 2016 10:27 am

B0b

i disagree , today i checked the prices on "new entry level guitars "
Stage one $1200.00
Simmons $1400.00
there are others i'm sure all great builders and to be fair these are 10 string 3 x 4s
( i have owned both of these )

the Hudson six 2 x 2 new $700.00

yes you can find used 10 string 3 x 4s for $900.00
but when more used six sting come on the market i would think they would be in the $450.00 range

Paul Stauskas · Post by **Paul Stauskas** » 10 Mar 2016 10:35 am

Calvin Walley wrote:"under arm guitar" ? well thats a new one ...lol

after you get your feet wet come back and talk to us

It's interesting to note that Calvin, the stalwart defender of beginner players in this thread, responds to an actual beginner's comments with this kind of acerbic tone.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 10 Mar 2016 10:44 am

The Carter Starter, with 10 strings, three pedals and four knee levers, is cheaper than all the 6-string models. That's the instrument that people in recent years have started pedal steel with.

But I'm not sure that jumping straight into pedal steel is what most guitarists want to do. I'd been playing non-pedal since my teenaged years, but I couldn't afford a store-bought pedal steel at the time. I was nearly 60 before I took up pedals.
I think most guitarists who want to go into steel guitar start out with a cheapo 6-string lap steel, or, like me, they build them themselves.

Don Walworth · Post by **Don Walworth** » 10 Mar 2016 12:08 pm

I had a 10 string PSG - 12-15 yrs ago. Nice guitar but I was a complete failure at it and it was soon sold. Now have a 6 string and I play it and having a ball. It is not about the money -- look at what a professional accordion costs - that is what my wife plays. Now we are into instrument costs. $3,000.00 spent on a PSG would make 1/3 or less down payment.
Time to practice...

Oh - forgot to mention that the wife's accordion ($9,500) is not a full size accordion - does not have 120 bass buttons and a few less keys on the right hand. FWIW.

don

Tommi Toijonen · Post by **Tommi Toijonen** » 10 Mar 2016 12:27 pm

I thought Carter Starter isn't made anymore - and indeed I already have one. (And mine was really inexpensive, 300 euros brand new since I got it from realisation sale.)

Getting a six stringer will cost me more, that's for sure, but that doesn't stop me from wanting one.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 10 Mar 2016 1:37 pm

Paul

after i retired i made myself a promise
that i would never again argue with another "engineer"

i plan on keeping that promise !!!

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 10 Mar 2016 2:44 pm

Alan Brookes wrote:The Carter Starter, with 10 strings, three pedals and four knee levers, is cheaper than all the 6-string models.

The last Carter Starter that sold on Ebay was $850 (used, of course)

Overfelt 6 string PSG $650 (brand new)
Fessenden 6 shooter $595 (brand new)
Hudson 6 string PSG $595 (brand new)

Jerry Jones · Post by **Jerry Jones** » 10 Mar 2016 2:57 pm

Anybody researched cost of these 6-strings setup as a 3x4 with hard shell case?

Steve Lipsey · Post by **Steve Lipsey** » 10 Mar 2016 3:10 pm

Hudson 3x4, not sure about the case, $1,400. I just asked him last week...

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 10 Mar 2016 5:18 pm

Jeff Mead wrote:..The last Carter Starter that sold on Ebay was $850 (used, of course)...

Unfortunately that doesn't include the ones sold through the Forum, which we have no idea how much they sold for.

"Musicians' Friend" used to sell them for about $750 new. It's not that difficult to get one nowadays.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 10 Mar 2016 8:51 pm

sold withing the past year

Carter Starter S-10, 3+4 with case:
$650 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=294041
$750 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=293766
$700 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=283678
$600 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=281780

Stage One S-10, 3+4 with case:
$870 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=297462
$875 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=293950
$875 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=297988 (still available)
$900 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=291508

Nobody's making a budget S-10 with less than 3+4 anymore. It's the standard ever since the Carter Starter. But if they did make a 2+0 version of the S-10, I bet the price would be about $100 higher than an S-6. Maybe Jimmie Hudson could verify this.

My S-8 Desert Rose cost more than a similar S-10. Number of strings does not correlate directly to cost.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 10 Mar 2016 9:06 pm

More low-cost S-10's sold here recently. I was mistaken in my last post - GFI makes their student model with 2, 3 or 4 knee levers.

$750 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=297533 GFI 3+4 w/case
$750 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=296395 GFI 3+2 w/case
$700 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=287716 GFI 3+2 w/case
$750 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=286721 GFI 3+3
$800 http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=283481 GFI 3+2 w/case

The Steel Guitar Forum

6 string pedal steels?

Not about the money

S-10, 3 pedals, 4 knees

GFI Student Model