The Steel Guitar Forum

you won't get an argument from me going with a pro model
there is night and day difference from a student model to a pro....they might cost more but once you make the jump to a pro model you will be very glad you did

What are the differences? Wood, pickups, pedals and bars? At least in electric guitars the wood and pickups make a ton of difference. Probably the same concept between student and pro.

Ben

the pick ups are just one of many things different
the action on the pedals and knees are much much better, also everything is adjustable so that the guitar can be made to fit player and that alone makes them worth the cost , not to mention how much smoother and better the changer is
they are quieter the slack can be adjusted out of the pedals & knees the travel of both the pedals and knees are adjustable
for example : on the student GFI i played last saturday the LKR moved 4 inches on my mullen it only moves 1/2 inch at most.
there may be some adjustment to the GFI
i'm not sure how much, if any
the point is on a pro model you get to set it up so that its much easier to play

p.s

i used to wonder why such a big difference in cost till i got my mullen ..now i know

Just that LKR thing would be worth it for me. On mine, it seems like that move is about 3 feet. I have to preety much take my foot off the pedals and twist my whole body to get it in tune.

Rick

thats the beauty of the pro models .
they are easier to play

the student models are just to find out if
the steel guitar is something that you really want to do. they are just something to get you started
its true they can be played ( pretty well by a master) but i really didn't start feeling good about
how i was playing /sounding untill i made the switch

Calvin,

How do you like your Zum stage one?

This is what I am looking at right now.

$1000 is TOPS for me (this will actually be the most expensive instrument I own), and I don't want to have to buy a fixer-upper, or a used one that 'might' work because as a total newbie I will have no idea if it really does work or not.

Daniel

the Zum ws the best student steel i ever played
if i had to pick a student model again i would go with the Zum.

it had no mechanical problems ,it sounded better than any other student model i ever had
and played close to a pro model ( in as much as could be expected that is)

you won't go wrong with a Zum

Thank all of you for your posts! You all are helpful. I know more now than I did 12 hours ago.

I'll second that. Calvin I think my Carter has done what it needed for me and I'm on the hunt for a real instrument. I'm pretty sure I want a C6 neck so I'm thing D10. Just from what I've been I'm making a couple of broad categories in mind. On one side you have older ShoBuds and Emmons that are all about tone and mojo, but are heavy and you might need a good mechanic. On the other side you'd have newer instruments that have good, but maybe different tone, but are definitely lighter and easier to play. Am I thinking about this right?

Rick

i don't play C-6th, but my teacher does and he swears by the U-12
he likes the single neck
someone else would be better to tell you about the C-6th U-12 vs a D-10 than me

I think that learning to play is step one. A "modern" all pull guitar will let you do that without any mechanical worries. They all sound great, and with time you will develope ears to appreciate the differences in tone between the different vintages. Do your homework and get the best bang for your buck, and then don't look back.

I swear there was a thread a while back about the best starter guitars. I think Zum got high marks. Did Jackson make a starter guitar? Try the search feature up top. Also, there are a lot of dealers you could contact via the links page who will help. The best thing about the forum is you can trust everybody. But definately take your time if you can.

Hi, I'm a newbie. This is my first post! Been playing PSG for about 5 months now. I got started with Paddy Long's help and do regular sit-ins with the local Country Music Clubs. This has been valuable 'seat-time' and each month I (and others) have noticed a marked improvement in both my playing and my confidence. I have recently added 3 more knee lever kits and I am just starting to use them. It has opened up a vast range of licks and chord position for me. I am doing my first show next month and as this was my goal in taking up the PSG, I feel excited, but cautious. After I had been playing for a couple of months, I got 'cocky' and felt that it was easy but when I performed in front of a bunch of musicians and messed it up I realised I had a long way to go. It takes time, practice and 'seat-time' to develope the skills needed, and I love the challenge. I'd like to thank the forum, as it has been invaluable in my learning of this 'complex' instrument. This beginners corner is great as I feel more inclined to post here at the moment.

Calvin Walley wrote:you won't get an argument from me going with a pro model
there is night and day difference from a student model to a pro....they might cost more but once you make the jump to a pro model you will be very glad you did

this is correct. I just went from 8 months on a Student Fender to a Preformance pro. It is as different as night and day in many ways. The best I got out of my student was the 3 major cords of a key. Now I can play them all, including the 7th cord. Wow! what a difference! I was having to "fill in" with single notes to make up for the cords I couldn't make. I don't regret learning on my student Fender, but I still am excited about the steel guitar, so I moved on to the professional so I can now learn it all. There is alot to be said about starting at the beginning and working your way up. I know alot of players learned on a pro and they are doing just great. I guess it is what ever is available to you. I must mention that the student guitar was given to me free of charge. That's why I started there.

Even though I had to "thin out the herd" and recently sold the Zum StageOne I picked up last year as a "knock around" light weight guitar for jams and quick 1 set gig's, I would highly recommend them as just about the best student model guitar you can get for the money!!!! I saw a recent post from Doug with some very nice improvements he has made and they still are less than $1000.00. Anyone looking for a well made, easy to play and great sounding steel guitar to get started could not go wrong with the Zum StageOne, IMHO.
(I sold mine after getting a 79' S-10 PP Emmons that had been hiding under a bed for a while and the wife said 5 was one to many )
JE:-)>

someone needs to grab that d10 thomas on the for sale board....great pro model only 1600 bucks..

Had my first gig on steel Saturday night and although I might not have set the woods on fire, I think I was at least in the right woods. I did pretty good on the slow stuff, but on fast songs I kind of just went crazy and forgot what little I knew. Better next time. The biggest problem I had is that it seems I can only play with this one pair of orange Croc shoes. This was a wedding, so I bowed to fashion and wore different shoes. Next time it's the orange Crocs no matter what the bride thinks.

Rick

Rick

for the 1st 2 years i could only play in my socks
but after adjusting the pedals a little it seemed like overnight i could play better
with boots or whatever i was wearing just as easy
now i can't play in my socks, i have to have some kinda shoes on to play ...go figure

Hey Rick...about them orange crocs, are they the rubberized slip-on type of footwear? I'm looking for a slimmer type of shoe to put my 12D's in. I'm using a no name brand of comfy casuals which I feel is a bit too wide for the left foot peddle action. Can anyone else recommend what you're using?

Looks like you have found your beginners corner. Doc Rickels has found a pair of shose for playing in. He has ordered me a pair when they arrive I will do a post about how they work out, some kind of special shoes he found.

ernie

Bob Ousby
Glad my "EZ E9th Course" was some help to you.

As far as shoes go I have found that a pair of Dexter loafers works fine for me and makes it easy to roll my ankle on the pedals.
I used to wear western boots but as I got older I found them too stiff for my aging legs.
I have noticed that many pros now wear some type of light shoe when they play instead of the standard boots of the past.
Don

Hey,

Looking for opinions on a first time steel purchase between two that are currently listed in the For Sale section:

Shobud Maverick
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=134144

GFI Student
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=132145

Outside of the obvious hilarity of the Shobud ad, are these good? Will their age reflect repair issuers down the road? Is the GFI tone decent? Is newer better in this case?

My price range is 650-$1000 so maybe I should hold out for a low-end used pro model?

Anyway, as always, thanks for the help!

Ben

check out the Zum stage one before making your dicision, you just might be glad you did

Stage Ones look great. Looks similar to Beard's Gold Tone projects (dobro)which sound amazing! I e-mailed them. I would feel a lot more comfortable with a new setup. Hope they are still making these.

Thanks again!

there is a gfi student model in the for sale section CHEAP.

Someone better get it before I do.

Ben Cartwright wrote:Stage Ones look great. Looks similar to Beard's Gold Tone projects (dobro)which sound amazing! I e-mailed them. I would feel a lot more comfortable with a new setup. Hope they are still making these.

Thanks again!

I just ordered mine. Doug said he is a little backed up now, and my guitar will be done mid-July.

The wait is killing me, but at least it is giving me time to get together everything I'll need for my first session.