The Steel Guitar Forum

I like reading this.

Bye...

I got my fist Pedal Steel Guitar back in 1969. A Fender 2000 model. The only thing is that I still sound like I've been plying for only five years.
Check me out on YOUTUBE if you will.

Find me under... "LATIN STEEL GUITAR"

Thanks.

Electric Guitar - 48 years
Pedal Steel Guitar - 40 years

Started playing a 3 neck fender steel in 1969 and playing guitar at the age of 9 or 10 , not real sure of that. I am 72 and still (steel) love it.

Been practicing & trying to play steel for 26 years. Started banjo when I was 9. Stopped banjo for 15 or 16 years. Started back dabbling in Bluegrass when country morphed into it's present state. There's a couple of groups close that still do great country, and some southern gospel groups that like to use steel. I thank God for the ability to play some. I'll always treasure the friends I've made through music. J.C. Norris

37 years guitar, 8 months pedal steel!

I started playing on a 6 string lap steel and then moved up to a Sho-Bud Maverick. Over the years I had, in order, Sho-Bud LDG, Sho-Bud Pro III D 10 and now I am playing a Sho-Bud Pro 1 S-10 3+4. I started when I was 33. I had to lighten up guitars because of age, back and heart problems. My Pro 1 and I have been half way around the world. It has been fun and have met a lot of great people!!!!!!!!!

Started in 1972 but five times in my life I put it aside . Probably 20 years actual playing time.
Wish I had stayed at it.

Playing guitar for 37 years, but it feels like I just started playing pedal steel 9 years ago!

44 years.. . Its interesting that there are several people listing 44. aah, The magical year of 1971!

Ten or so years. I should be much better. Was feeling pretty good till I read through this thread.

43 years playing pedal steel, 51 years playing guitar. The first 35 years of psg were rough; I only started feeling as if I had "control" of psg about six or seven years ago. (Many of those years I didn't play it enough, but I never quit. From 1983 to 2007 I couldn't find a band that wanted psg, just guitar.) What I mean by "control" is that I think of a melody, often with harmony (I do nothing but improvise; never play exactly the same thing twice) and it comes out of the instrument in real time, usually in tune, and always with sweet tone. For decades I couldn't think fast enough; now at last it flows easily. I used to get neck aches and back aches from the tension of fear of a wrong note; now I am exquisitely comfortable playing psg, it never hurts, and when I am driving home after a four hour gig I am more energized and comfortable than I was at the beginning of the night. And did 107 gigs last year; hoping for more this year...

Appreciating all your comments. Thanks.

Paul Heinonen wrote:37 years guitar, 8 months pedal steel!

Paul,
How are you doing after 8 months friend?
JB

Pedal Steel - 10 years
Keyboard - 48 years
Guitar & Bass - 51 years
B-3/Guitar with Bass Pedals, lugged around Philly from 1972 to 1979
Tenor Sax & Drums at times

45 years.

Amazing how many of us started in the early seventies.

The early 70's was when the New Riders, Poco, and other country rock bands were prominent. Also steel guitar with singers like Ronstadt. That leads to listening to older country. You can't help but love the instrument with those artists. Jerry Garcia and John Hughey. Were the reasons I wanted to play.

I've been a beginner for 13 years.
Spent hours and hours, through many tears.
Just when I think, I am progressing
I hear Mike or Paul and I need some lessons.
JR

Long enough to know that the more I learn, the more I know that there's a lot more to learn

Did the first "paid job" at 14 yrs old. Pretty well retired now but that would make it 68. Wow, how have the years gone by so quickly ????

Bought a Dobro in 73, Supro Lap steel in 77, borrowed a Shobud Maverick about the same time then had my own MSA by 1980 so 38 years on the PSG or so.

6 glorious years pedal steel.

Since August of 2008.

Fifteen years-it'll be sixteen December 25