What was your first pedal steel?

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 4 Feb 2005 9:04 pm

Emmons Student S-10 3+1. It sounded great, but I found it a bit 'challenged' in the playability department. AB pedals worked OK, but C pedal and E-lever were problematic. But it did get me going.[This message was edited by Dave Mudgett on 04 February 2005 at 09:09 PM.]

kbdrost · Post by **kbdrost** » 5 Feb 2005 6:45 pm

A white mica BMI 3 & 3, bought new from Mr. Beck about 1977. A great starter guitar. I saw someone around here recently who got one from Bobbie Seymour and it brought back a lot of memories.

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Ken Drost
steelcrazy after all these years

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 5 Feb 2005 6:52 pm

A 1956, quad-8 (total of 32),six pedal BIGSBY steel guitar; rec'd it new in 1956, custom made to my order and still have it. It looks like "new"!

kbdrost · Post by **kbdrost** » 5 Feb 2005 7:04 pm

White mica BMI 3 & 3, bought new from Zane about 1977. Some guy around here recently got one from Bobby Seymour and it brought back a lot of memories.

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Ken Drost
steelcrazy after all these years

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 5 Feb 2005 9:35 pm

Student Model Emmons, purchased for me by the group I was playing for. I think they gave $225 for it. That was in 1977. I had been borrowing my Dad's ShoBud Pro 1 and he needed it! The tone of that Emmons was incredible! Two years later Dad and I both bought Emmons PP guitars, which we still have. I have tried to get the Student model back, but no luck so far.

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 6 Feb 2005 10:22 am

Bought an MSA semi-classic, 3 pedals, one knee lever, new in 1973. Played it at home and professionally for 20 years with never a problem! Then I traded up to get more knee levers - Wish I'd done that years sooner. Today I play a 2003 Zum, and a 1977 MSA with 4 knee levers. The MSA plays as smoothly and easily as the Zum, slightly longer travel in the pedals.

Tim Harr · Post by **Tim Harr** » 6 Feb 2005 1:25 pm

1. Sho~Bud Maverick 3p - 1k

2. Sho~Bud LDG 3p - 4k

2. Mullen S-10 dbl frame 3p - 4k

4. Emmons Lasley LeGrande II 8p - 4k

5 (current) Carter D-10 8p - 9k

Ray Riley · Post by **Ray Riley** » 10 Feb 2005 11:28 am

Mine was a National 6 string Mother of pearl black, which I still have and still works, a Fender triple neck, gone now, a Fender 1000, gone now , a sho-bud proIII,in the process of going and a Sho-bud s-12 which I still am trying to play. Have great day. Ray

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Sho-Bud S-12 and a brand new N112

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 11 Feb 2005 1:22 am

Natural maple Maverick 3+0 (cq--no knee lever; I think a KL was an option when these were new). Bought it used in '82, sold it, bought it back, sold it again. Say what you will (and many of you will and have) about Mavericks, at least I could make sound come out of that one. Not so my fourth PSG, the infamous and arthritic '69 ZB D-10 8+3. My 0-five New Year's Resolution (having already paid a furnituremaker friend $250 to build a custom case--yeah, go find an original >36" interior length hsc) was to get it fixed up (same story as in a previous thread, so feel free to bail if this sounds redundundundant). Early on the Saturday morning I was going to take it to Buckowensfield (to a respected Forumite), my car was totaled in the West Coast's Old Testament deluges (unfortunately, the ZB was at home). A month later, I have no settlement and every penny I can shake out of the sofa cushions will have to go toward a replacement 10-year-old Olds (or Buick) of some sort. Restoration and lessons are now a distant pipe dream in the financial wake of towing, rental and repairs to my '86 Astro van (bought for my Sept. '03 move and never intended to be a passenger vehicle.) Twenty-three years later and I'm way downhill from where I started--and no better a player, despite all intentions and expenditures.

Jim Florence · Post by **Jim Florence** » 13 Feb 2005 6:19 pm

A Gibson Console Grand, some welding rods, a door hinge, a 1X4, and a drill bit. Played it til I found a Fender 1000.

db · Post by db » 13 Feb 2005 6:44 pm

Built it:

www.bigsbypalmpedals.com

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Dan Balde
U-12/8&5, S-7/D 3&1, S-6/E,A & G3

[This message was edited by db on 13 February 2005 at 06:44 PM.]

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 14 Feb 2005 9:32 am

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 14 Feb 2005 11:47 pm

My first Steel with (1)-pedal was an early ’50's Fender Stringmaster, but; my first Real PSG was one of the first–(5) Sho-Buds in ’57.

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“Big John” Bechtel
’49-’50 Fender T–8 Custom
’65 Re-Issue Fender Twin–Reverb Custom™ 15” Eminence

Russ Hicks · Post by **Russ Hicks** » 15 Feb 2005 6:59 am

Gibson Electraharp---four pedals between the two left legs---on-off button and bass to treble button on top front of the guitar....'burnt' up in a fire in a club in Chicago, along with a '59 Stratocaster, amp, trumpet and stage clothes...fire set by clubowner; no insurance,

Eddie D.Bollinger · Post by **Eddie D.Bollinger** » 15 Feb 2005 8:42 am

Hey Lem! This is a neat Thread.

I started with a Little Buddy 3+1 with
a built-in volume control.

#2 a (Sho-Bud Made)Fender Student 10(3+1)

#3 a Emmons D-10 (8+4) push-pull

#4 a 1984 Sho-Bud Super Pro (8+6)(Stolen)

#5 a 1995 Emmons Legrande II (8+7) Should
Have been yellow (lemon)

#6 Currently a 1998 Carter D-10 (8+5)

Ed

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 15 Feb 2005 11:47 am

A 1969 ZB Custom D10 8by3 bought new in that year and am still playing it but rarely. The pedals still mash as hard as they ever did but the tone is fantastic. I recently bought a BMI S10 3by 4 which has a better tone and the pedals mash too easy. We yankees say push.

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Lem Smith · Post by **Lem Smith** » 15 Feb 2005 2:18 pm

Hey Eddie,
The Carter you've got now is the only one of yours that I've heard, and man o' man does that one ever sound great! I remember hearing you play it at some of Jimmy Roby's steel shows and always thought what an awesome sounding guitar it was.

Lem

Walter Hamlin · Post by **Walter Hamlin** » 15 Feb 2005 3:20 pm

Sho-Bud Maverick, Fender Twin amp. In 1977.

Ronnie Burks · Post by **Ronnie Burks** » 18 Feb 2005 10:39 am

a fender 400 in the late 50,s---

David Ziegler · Post by **David Ziegler** » 18 Feb 2005 11:07 am

I have only been playing for 4 months now and it has been on the much maligned "Maverick". I have read all of the venom spewed at the maverick but I am here to tell you that it was in my price range and it sounds great and if it wasn't for that sweet little blond(maple that is)I probably would not be playing steel right now, I would still be saving up and wondering if the plunge is worth the investment. Thank God fo my little Maverick!

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 31 Aug 2005 2:55 pm

I too started on a Sho-Bud student. Only it was 30 years ago !

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 31 Aug 2005 7:19 pm

MSA Sidekick and a few months later a ZB Custom SD-10 3x4 Beautiful to look at and hard as heck to keep in tune.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Les Green · Post by **Les Green** » 31 Aug 2005 7:58 pm

Don't know if this counts or not but my first pedal steel was a 3 neck Rickenbacker, 2 eight string necks, 1 ten. I managed somehow to rig up the Bud Isaccs(?) change on one of the eight string necks. Crude but worked rather well. My first real pedal steel was a Fender 1000.

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 31 Aug 2005 8:01 pm

A Fender 1000. (Excluding homemade pedals on a Rickenbacker triple

. Jody.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 31 Aug 2005 9:39 pm

A Fender made by Shobud. It was a Maverick with black tolex covering and an amp nameplate on it.

Hated it. I was too tall for it, instructional materials (there were no teachers around here then) called for the second knee lever almost right away, it didn't stay in tune - kept it for about a year but really only played it a few times. It was far too frustrating. This was at least 15 years ago.

My next was an MSA D10, about which there have been several threads on this forum. It was a disaster. Finally got it playable, but it's just not my style.

Now I'm playing/learning on a Fender 400 in A6 with 6 pedals and loving it.