What setup/accessories do I need

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 31 Dec 2004 3:59 pm

Howdy guys, this is my first time posting, but I have been lurking for the past few weeks. I have been amazed at the wealth of information on this site. I have decided at the young age of 48 to try my hand at the PSG. I have had no training what so ever when it comes to music, but I do know what I want to do and I am bound and determined to learn to play a PSG. I have been reading about the members recommendations on guitars(i.e. used pro's versus starters, etc...). My question is, what other items are needed to get started, such as amps and such?

My wife plays a banjo and has a bit of music background, so she will be helping me learn some of the mechanics of pickin'. I will be trying to find some courses/reading material on the PSG.

Any info you can give me would be great. Is this old dog too old to learn new tricks??

Delvin Morgan · Post by **Delvin Morgan** » 31 Dec 2004 4:19 pm

Welcome Don,
I just started the PSG also at the age of 58, although I have played the 6 string for 30 years. Good luck on your choice of equipment, it is all good. I bought an old '78 Emmons, works great.
Have fun!!!

Daryl Stogner · Post by **Daryl Stogner** » 31 Dec 2004 5:02 pm

I just started learning PSG this summer, had a break in my practices, now I'm back at it. We all use such a wide variety of equipment, it's best to figure out what you need just to get started and not worry too much about buying tons of stuff.

Still it won't be long and you'll figure out you will want one of everything. When you get that, you'll want one of everything else. Then you'll sell part of that stuff here on the forum, so you can buy one of something more.

In the end, you'll have lot's of stuff, and you're buying list won't ever been completed. There's always more of things we all wants. One never has enough guitars!

Daryl

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 31 Dec 2004 5:24 pm

Thanks guys for the quick replies. I guess what I mean is what all do I "need". Do I need an amp?? if so, what do I need as the bare minimum? Can I use an amp from a home stero and run the sound thru my speakers or will that not work? Is a volume pedal a must? forgive me if these are dumb questions, but as I said, I am a newbie

Jim Peters · Post by **Jim Peters** » 31 Dec 2004 5:57 pm

Don, I'm a one year newbie myself. Get a good used pro guitar,S10, figure 1200 bucks. Get a used Nashville 400 or new Nashville 112(my choice)around $400, and get a used volume pedal,under $100.You can get most of your money back if you give it up Then get the most important item, a real live teacher! Just my opinions! Enjoy! JimP
edit: check the for sale categorys,there is anS10 MSA right now for just $850 that would be great to start on, as well as many other fine guitars and amps to browse.JP[This message was edited by Jim Peters on 31 December 2004 at 06:01 PM.]

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 31 Dec 2004 6:33 pm

That's what I'm talking about!! Now I, at least have some info to start my search. Thanks a bunch for the help.

Anybody with any other ideas...keep 'er coming!

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 31 Dec 2004 7:37 pm

Your home stereo won't give you a very satisfactory sound, but just about any little guitar amp will work.

A volume pedal will help you get the "pedal steel sound" that you've heard so much. You probably won't be too thrilled with the sound of your instrument until you start using a volume pedal.

Most important: a good bar and a set of picks.

Also, don't try to learn with less than 10 strings, 3 pedals and 3 knee levers. That's the minimum standard for the E9th tuning. Any less, and it's like learning to play guitar without all of your fingers.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra SD-12 (Ext E9), Williams D-12 Crossover, Sierra S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, C6, A6)

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 31 Dec 2004 8:22 pm

What Jim Peters said---a good teacher is worth his weight in gold, or platinum. A friend in the D.C. area spent hours making CD's of stuff for me to try, things he'd recorded, and now, two years later, I can begin to appreciate the work that went into them. And PRACTICE! Good luck, it ain't brain surgery(I think brain surgery might take less time to learn), have FUN!!!!

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 31 Dec 2004 9:00 pm

Don, about the best two pieces of equipment you can possibly have are your attitude and patience with yourself. The greatest part of your patience will be your willingness to practice as though you are addicted to it. There is not an accomplished musician on this planet who has made it without 100s upon 100s of hours of practice.

In fact, even the most highly rated musicians practice a lot more than they actually play.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 31 Dec 2004 9:06 pm

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the info. I have not started to purchase equipment, but wanted to get some ideas. I think I will look for a 3+4 as a minimum. Not real crazy with the idea of a starter/student model either. It seems like a waste to buy a starter and then step up to something better. I will save my pennies and start with a decent used model. I work three 12 hour days, so I will have plenty of practice time with 4 days a week off. Just me, the dog and the cats while wifey is at work. LOL

again, thanks for the help.

Eugene Cole · Post by **Eugene Cole** » 31 Dec 2004 9:10 pm

Don; I like Jim's advice. I'll ad a few thoughts of my own and tell you about a few things that were particularly useful when I first started.

Unless you live alone an amp with a headpone jack and a set of headphones would at the very least demonstrate a noble level of diplomacy.
I have also seen headphones with a built-in amp which plug directly in to the guitar. I have never tried them so I can not comment on their quality; but as I recall they sell for $15-$30.

A small plastic film canister will provide good protection to fingerpicks when you are not wearing them. These canisters are typically made with a plastic that is soft enough that it will not damage the guitars finish if you store it between the necks on a multineck guitar.

When I started with PSG I used a cardboard box as a mini-table and I kept it to my right (when seated) between the steel and the wall. This is where I setup my tuner, set my books down, and where I put down my beverage between sips. Having a small table (the box) sitting right next to the steel was helpful to me in inumerable ways.

I also urge you to shop for a good electroninc tuner. As you will discover changing a strings size by .001" or installing a same-sized string of a different brand will sometimes require you make a minor adjustment at the changer; an electronic tuner is makes this task far easier. Quartz clock tuners are readily available and given adequate battery power or an AC transformer they are pretty accurate.
While most electronic tuners have a long battery life it is very easy to forget to turn them off. For this reason I suggest you choose one which can be powered by an AC transformer also.
When I say "good electronic tuner" I mean a tuner which has a meter/display that is easy to read when you are tuning your guitar. So think about where the tuner will be located when you are sitting at your guitar. You want to be able to read the tuners display when you are seated at the guitar.

For adjusting changers which use plastic hex tuners which screw-on over the rods, the best tool I have found is a 1/4" drive flex handle (non-ratcheting) about 6" long, and a 1/4" drive 6 point DEEP socket for 3/16" hex head (your plastic hex tuners may be a different size). This tool for me is nearly essential because those plastic hex tuners can be very stiff. I have a couple of changer tuning wrenches from steel guitar accessories vendors which are hard to use if the hex tuners are at all stiff.
If you are not failiar with what the plastic hex tuners look like take a look at this picture. http://duanemarrs.com/images/3_16thnylonhextuner%241_00ea.jpg

I would also encourage you to decide whether you want to learn the C6 or E9 tuning first. Then focus on only one of these tunings. If you are want to play western swing C6 is the tuning. If your interests are primarily basic 3 chord songs the E9 tuning may be a better first-learned tuning. I hope that someone else will offer you clearer explanation of the distinctions between C6 and E9.

Bullet bars come in many shapes and sizes. It turns out that quite a few off-the-shelf bars cost more than having a bar cutom made. Currently $30 (including shipping) will buy you a custom-sized bullet bar from Bulletbars.com. http://www.bulletbars.com/ So if you get the urge to try or experiment with different bar sizes. Why not pay less to get exactly what you want to try.

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Regards
-- Eugene at FJ45.com
<a href="http://www.fj45.com/" target="45">

Click Here </a>
Sierra U14 MSA D10 and almost nothing in the Bank. 8^)

Winnie Winston · Post by **Winnie Winston** » 31 Dec 2004 10:21 pm

Get the best steel you can afford. 3+4 E9th would be a good start.
You really DO need the amp and the volume pedal. And, of course, picks and a bar. When I started I had borrowed someone's Fender Princeton. It worked fine. I would suggest getting an amp which has a reverb unit.
For a long time I used a Poly-Tone because it was small and light. It did very well and delivered a good sound.
Practice headphones are OK to hear yourself, but you will never hear *THAT sound* through them.
Do NOT get a crap volume pedal. Get one designed specifically for the steel.
Get my book. It is still in print. It has lots of info in there (although some a bit dated).
There are MANY other instruction things on the market. Ask around.

Good luck with it all. It *IS* lots of fun.

JW

John Fabian · Post by **John Fabian** » 1 Jan 2005 7:37 am

Everything you need other than the steel, seat, and amp.

You'll find all the courses you need to start here.

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John Fabian
Carter Steel Guitars

www.steelguitar.com
www.steelguitarinfo.com
www.carterstarter.com [This message was edited by John Fabian on 01 January 2005 at 07:39 AM.]

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 1 Jan 2005 8:58 am

Thanks so much guys, I am overwhelmed with the kindness and generousity with which you guys have responded with your knowledge and trying to help an old-fart with no music background learn the PSG. I have received numerous response both here and via email from beginners to pro's that have been playing for 40+ years. I have read all your responses and hopefully responded to everyone to express my graditude.

My brain feels like a huge sponge right now trying to take all this info in. I have decided that I will most likely purchase a good used Pro model and the best equipment I can afford. As one member stated in an email to me, "I would not learn to be a pilot by first flying a kite." I have received suggestions on personal gear, like seats, tone bars, picks, etc....... and I appreciate it all.

While I was posting this, I received an email from a member that is about an hour from me that offered to help in any way they can....Man, You gotta just love this internet thingy!!!!!

Thanks again to everyone, I really appreciate all the knowledge imparted by y'all

Jimmie Martin · Post by **Jimmie Martin** » 1 Jan 2005 9:45 am

see he has allready started out right. he said ya'll. i have a nashville 112 with ear phones and that works great.

Don Poland · Post by **Don Poland** » 1 Jan 2005 11:02 am

Yeah, I catch the dickens for that around here all the time. I was born and raised here but lived all over the south for about 20 years and my wife is from Texas, so I guess I just picked it up over the years and never lost it...LOL