Ever own a steel you couldnt play ?

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

I have

A few years ago I purchased a (major brand Pro) steel, new and could never warm up to it as far as playing with ease and accuracy. I could never get the feel for the pedals just right. The pedals seemed to have a hard action no matter what adjustments were made. The string spacing trip me up all the time being just a minor bit close for me.
I tried to force myself through hours & hours of playing every day on it.
I would play this steel for an hour or two and struggle to stay tight and accurate till I would become frustrated to no end.
I would slide over to my other (major brand Pro) steel and it was day and night as far as playability for me.
After some soul searching, I sold it Sad

Anyone else ever been through this dilemma ?

Jody Cameron · From: Angleton, TX,, USA

Yes Richard, I have. Only one time, and it was with a relatively "unknown" brand. The string spacing was wider than I was used to, and I never warmed up to the guitar.

I sold it pronto. I firmly belive that if the instrument and you are no fast friends, you will not play up to your potential. You did the right thing, IMO. Smile

JC

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

I had a similar experience. I needed to borrow a guitar for a bit while mine was getting refurbished. I got along fine with the loaner, but really seen the difference when I got my guitar back. Sitting behind my regular guitar was like putting on my favorite broke-in pair of boots.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

I suspect most trained observers would say I have never owned a steel I COULD play!

Sad

_________________
Durham, NH
dbmCk mUSIC

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

A very famous player once told me that if you aren't "comfortable" behind a steel in 15-30 minutes, you'll probably never be. Of course, many things can be done to make a steel feel comfortable, but most steelers lack the ability or know-how to perform such modifications.

As an illustration, most left knee levers are located far too much to the left of the guitar because the Emmons setup almost requires such a location. I've converted a number of guitars from Emmons to Day setups, and in each case, the left knee levers wound up being moved closer to the center of the guitar. Playing, to me, seems more natural when your legs aren't spread apart like you were straddling a hogshead.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Richard,I have gone through that... one of the negatives about living up here is that you can't just try out guitars,so unless you go to a Steel Guitar show it's a gamble.I also fought the string spacing"Too Close Together" and forced myself to adjust,it never really happened for me tonewise either,I have enough friends who know what I like in a guitar so I have to rely on their feelings about it.The guitar that I play now just fits me right so I will continue to work with this brand.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Colby Tipton · From: Crosby, Texas, USA

I've been through the same thing with a U-12.
I still have the guitar setting here behind me packed up in it's case.
It's a good guitar but it just don't fit me.
I don't know why I haven't sold or traded it yet.

Colby

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

Yep, an MSA U12 back around 1983

Gary Preston · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Richard i bought a (new) custom made (for me ) '' brand name ''steel and it played me ! I never liked the pedal travel or the feel of the knee levers !The guitar was very well built and looked like a million dollars but wasn't my cup of tee ! Yes i sold it as fast as i could . I suppose i just love those Sho~Buds as i have two of them and they play better than any guitar that i have sat down to ! G.P.

Sho~Bud Pro-ll Custom --Sho~Bud L.D.G. Lexicon Processor ,Two Nashville 400 one Fender Vibrosonic w/15'' Factory J.B.L.

Russ Tkac · Posted 24 May 2007 11:31 am

All of them.

Joe Drivdahl · From: Montana, USA

I must say that the first time I got behind the wheel on my GFI SD-10, it was love at first E chord. The guitar seemed like it had been built just for me. I never made a single adjustement to the guitar - didn't need to. It just pulled the licks right out of me.

That's not the experience I'm having with the new guitar, which worries me some. I think we can eventualy become friends, but this guitar is not nearly as friendly out of the box as the GFI was. I'm glad I didn't trade in my old friend.

Joe
_________________
GFI Ultra, Gibson, and Fender.

Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

I bought a used, name brand guitar a few years ago that looked good and sounded good, but had very stiff pedal action. I kept it about a month, then sold it. I just couldn't play it and concentrate on what I was trying to play, because it was so hard to play.

Then, a guy brought a Zum into my shop for help in getting it to play in tune. After we got it adjusted, I sat down and played it for 5 or 10 minutes and fell in love. Not long after that, I ordered a new Zum and it is the best guitar I have ever owned.

Later, I played another of the same brand as the stiff action guitar I had... It played easily and was a nice guitar. I would guess a previous owner of my used guitar had set it up with stiffer action for some reason.

Larry J.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Well when I first started out I had a ShoBud 6139 which was great, I then thought I would get myself a 12 string Sierra Uni ...this guitar was absolutely unplayable...the pedal action was so hard (despite trying every adjustment known to mankind), you had to dive off the seat with a 40lb bag of cement on your back to get the pedals to hit the stops. Not surprisingly I got rid of it fairly smartly and got a brand new Shobud SuperPro which I played for several years .....then a MCI which I played for 20 years which was also great.

Then I discovered Zums !!! These guitars almost play themselves they are so good.

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

I felt that way about an old D-10 push pull Emmons that I got in a trade for studio time back in the 80s. I know a lot of guys like those things but it was just stiff,sloppy and metallic sounding compared to my MSA. It just sat in my closet for years till I finally found someone who'd take it off my hands cheap.

Terry Kinnear · From: Erie ,Pennsylvania

my first guitar i bought,was a shobud pro1,[new]still have it,i had it repaired,so i bought a carter farter,just to get me by, till i got my pro back, what a piece of ---- the guitar was unplayable, you could tune it across ok, but when you tune the pedals , it sound like a train wreck, i trade that steel off, but i told Doug, that it was a piece of---- i bought a wilcox 3-4 just to get me by.which was a better guitar. by the way ,Doug got the carter working good.my shobud is also working great.doug Seymore , is a genious ..steel wondering

Mike Wheeler · From: Delaware, Ohio, USA

Gee, I feel sad for you guys. Investing in a guitar that should be great, only to find out it isn't, is a lousy situation.

I've been lucky, I guess. The only guitar I've ever had, that I grew to hate after a few weeks, was a brand new ShoBud Super Pro D10...gorgeous black guitar from HELL!!! Evil or Very Mad

Two knee levers broke on two successive, high-profile, gigs...infuriating and humiliating to say the least. It was gone two days later, replaced with a fantastic burgundy MCI U12 Very Happy

...which was so good I bought a duplicate 6 months later!! Laughing

_________________
Best regards,
Mike

Robert Harper · From: Alabama, USA

I havent played but 2 steel. One was a homemade I started with and this fender i have had for over twent years. I will say that I agree with the person that said the knee levers are too far apart. I really have dificuly unless I set just right with the RKL on 4 and 8 I wonder sometime, but I have been assured Emmons only supplies the guitar not the playing. Besides, I looked some where at a D10 the other night and it was a buck short of 6K. I look at carter starters and others, but wonder if it wouldn't be a step back. Heck I looked at a Peavy 1000 and it was just short of 1K. Darn guys it is a hobby. I only paid 8K for the truck I drive. Shees

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

T. C. Furlong · From: Lake County, Illinois, USA

I ordered a new Sierra D-10 a number of years back. I had the same experience as Paddy. I couldn't play it in tune. The pedals were not positive stop. I guess I must have a heavy left foot. I have owned and played a bunch of different steels and I could warm up to every one of them in minutes. The only thing I don't like is if the pedals are too close together and that is only an issue on C6th.
TC

Ernest Cawby · From: Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

I bought a new shobud d10 Professional in 1972, still have it and has been upgraded to John Coop parts. #1,500.00. I did not know I was having trouble playing it untill I got my Carter, I think the carter was made for me. The bud was not set up for me, to high,to stiff. I have solved most of the playing problems, still working on playability, it is getting better, but still has a way to go to be a match for the Carter. i play the bud at home and the Carter out, it is set up on a 2 night gig.

ernie

B.Jenkins · From: Parkersburg, WV...U.S.A

I purchased a B.M.I. from Zane Beck years ago, and he told what all he could play useing his setup.
So I ordered one, Very Happy

just like his,Lucky for me that I still had my Marlen, because when it came we were booked that weekend, and I thought by getting it in time for that show, I would use the B.M.I. wrong, wrong, Confused

outside of setting it up, thats about as far as I got, I had just about every steel player that lives around me trying to figure Zanes pedal setup and knee's and they all were as lost as I was, so about two weeks later Zane called me, and he asked me how the gig went useing his setup, and he started laughing and carrying on like he knew that I bit off way more then I could handle,

,after a few minutes he told me, to box it up and send it back to him and he would put my pedal and knee setup on it, and thats what I did,, but another fellow across town bought a jet black B.M.I. with Zanes setup and and after a few day's he gave up on it, and
it's been in the case and under his bed since the day Zane died,and ..
B.Jenkins

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic