The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been saying simply "steel guitar" for years to refer to EITHER pedal steel or steel without pedals. Especially when talking to someone who is not a steel player.

BUT... I do say NON-PEDAL sometimes when talking to another steel guitarist to clarify what kind of steel guitar I'm talking about. NON-PEDAL is definitely an inside term! For steel geeks only. I also play Non-whammy guitar

Funny how the forum lately has sufferred from another void of pertinent input, but let a Peyton Place debate pop up and the woodwork explodes. We're a livelier bunch when it comes to subjects of less merit, and that's NOT a compliment.

Aaaaw shucks Ma...We was just havin' some fun

1957 Fender price list says it all:

Like Doug, I sometimes use the term "non pedal" when talking to another steel guitarist to clarify what I'm actually referring to. What's a more acceptable term to use in that situation that won't offend your sensibilities?

When talking to anybody who doesn't need more information, "Steel guitar" is sufficient. I'll be more specific if asked.

For the last time folks, it's pronounced "Electric Table".
If it doesn't have legs, it's just a steel.

Raymond Jones wrote:Please everyone - HELP - we have been fighting to get our latest cast aluminum amplified guitar through the @#$%$@ U.S.Patent Office. They can't find a listing for it, other companies are making our product and we can't stop them without a Patent. PLEASE come up with a unique name so they will give us the Patent.

Aluminum steel... I can see how that contradiction could create confusion. Can't you just call it a guitar? How did Travis Bean do it?

Joe Snow wrote:... Never in the 50's or 60's did I hear the name lap steel. In fact, only a few years ago did I hear that designation. I.....

I may be wrong, but I think lap steel is a term borne out of the Rock era. It is very widely in use today and has been long before I found out about the instrument, probably 20-25 years ago.
Being more of a product of the Rock era than anything else, this is the term I heard first. I never even knew there was a console steel guitar or double and triple neck steels until about 12 years ago.
It was either a pedal steel guitar or in your lap, as far as I knew.

I was in the Hawaiian steel guitar camp until a few years ago, but I kind of felt it was deceiving--I didn't want to mislead anyone into thinking I was a Hawaiian steel player--
not because I was ashamed of that title, but because I felt it was disrespectful to those who really did play Hawaiian style. My attempts were a complete bastardization of it.

In 1980 my guitar teacher gave me a Gibson BR9 that I still have today and he called it a lap steel. He bought it outside of a bar for $5 and offered it to me. I had never seen or heard of the instrument before so that's the name I've stuck with... except for my hollowneck which I call a weissenborn

Mike makes a good point -- I first knew what instrument was making those sounds from listening to Lindley on the Running on Empty album, where he's listed as playing fiddle and lap steel (which might have been one word: "lapsteel" -- hard to tell). So that's what it's been for me.

But most people still don't know what it means -- most guitarists I talk to get it, but if I say "steel guitar," either I get a blank look or people ask if I mean pedal steel.

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"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet." That's Shakespeare.

Thanks Chris! That was pretty much my point.

Cheers,
Benjamin

What's wrong with the idea of those of us who play the instrument educating those who don't by calling it what it is? Don't be so lazy - when they say "you mean that thing on the Dire Straits cover", just say "no - it's played with a steel bar. It has been in existence since blah blah blah and has a long history in blah and blah varieties of music..."

Stand up for your instrument by helping people understand what it is! You think contrabassoonists call their axe of choice "just a big tube, sigh"?

I always employ the term "steel guitar". If some asks "pedal steel?, I always reply "nope, straight steel, no pedals". If they require more explanation I provide it.

For whatever reason, I avoid the term "slide guitar" entirely. I call the technique employed by Ry Cooder/Duane Allman for instance, "bottleneck". I attended a winter bluegrass camp where several folks employed their molded plastic Martin guitar cases to go sledding down a hill. I call that "slide guitar".

When it comes to automobile transmissions, they are either manual or automatic. The clutch, or lack of one is implied, and I have never had anyone question it further.

Speedbumps: this is the first I have heard of anyone transporting a steel guitar, set up in their van. A HSC is a good idea for safe transport.

Mike Neer wrote:I may be wrong, but I think lap steel is a term borne out of the Rock era. It is very widely in use today ...

I think you may be correct. I can see where those not familiar with the history of the instrument might have been searching for a good descriptor for their pawn shop find ... "you know ... that guitar you play in your lap"

For me, my non musician Father always called it steel guitar and thats what stuck with me. His appreciation / love for the instrument came from what he termed "Cowboy Music", the music he grew up with.

I would rather educate people by working toward playing good music on it and helping others do the same than arguing over terminology.
It smacks too much of "you kids get off my lawn!"

I didn't come to the steel out of any tradition--I just liked the way it sounded and wanted to play it.
The love of the instrument and its history came later.

Good post Ray ! I started out at Harlin Bros. in Indianapolis on a "Hawaiian Pedal Steel Guitar", namely a Multi-Kord. While there I learned that most people believe the term originated in Hawaii as that is where they believe it started by someone using a steel bar of sorts on a "Spanish Guitar", and it went from there.

In a conversation the other day with someone I mentioned that I had designed & built a "Steel Guitar" with a tuning changer in it. As he had no clue what a steel guitar even was, it led to my explaining to the best of my ability what it was and how it worked, and also the different types of steel guitars, ie., pedals, dobro, non pedal, etc. That led to much more interest by this fellow who then wanted to see what it looked like, so I brought him pictures of it the next time I saw him, and that furthered the conversation.

We need to be ready to take the time to explain to anyone who shows an interest in the instrument that we all love to play so much. Hopefully that will promote it and generate even more interest and help to keep "Steel Guitar" alive.

Personally I don't believe we will ever be able to educate the general public to the point of tying it down to one specific name such as "Steel Guitar" which I do in fact happen to like that termonology.

Jeremy Wakefield said to me one time that instead of trying to explain what steel guitar is, he just says, "Sponge Bob", and they get it every time.

Maybe it should be called Sponge Bob guitar....

lap, non-pedal, Hawaiian? NO, just STEEL GUITAR
speed bumps? NO, SLEEPING POLICEMEN

I call it a Crotch Steel......although some may say that I don't have a leg to stand on.....but when I do, I call it a Gam Steel......

Danny James wrote:We need to be ready to take the time to explain to anyone who shows an interest in the instrument that we all love to play so much. Hopefully that will promote it and generate even more interest and help to keep "Steel Guitar" alive.

I agree wholeheartedly Danny, "if they show interest." But many people's eyes quickly glaze over as their attention span is measured in nano-seconds. With folks like that you'll just frustrate yourself.
I'm not for changing the name of our instrument. I spend many hours each week enjoying playing on it, as we all do. But when some dumb dodo asks "What do you play?" I measure the depth of their interest, whether or not they knew know anything about music, & tailor my reply accordingly. I love to talk about music, especially Jazz, though I have to talk to myself about that, it's Rock or Country around here. But I won't go on about something that they don't want to discuss. So it may be 'slide guitar' & the conversation moves on to other things.
I've been able to show some of my guitar playing friends & relatives what we do with tunings etc. Some find it mildly interesting, others are completely disinterested. They love what they do. We're not going to change them.

HowardR wrote:I call it a Crotch Steel...

...that sounds like a product made by Pfizer!

For awhile now I have been telling people that I am learning "steel guitar" not "lap steel guitar." If they ask me if I mean pedal steel I tell them it is non-pedal or lap steel, not pedal steel.

Steve Ahola


P.S. I figure that if you are playing it in a rock or blues context it is lap steel, but if you are following in the traditions started 80 years ago it is steel guitar. Not that I play anything close to traditional steel guitar music but I am working on the traditional right hand and left hand techniques.

P.P.S. So does the name matter? I think it does because when I say "steel guitar" people say "wow!" and when I say "lap steel guitar" they get a puzzled look on their face.

...when I say "steel guitar" people say "wow!" and when I say "lap steel guitar" they get a puzzled look on their face.

Same here. We're better off just saying "steel guitar". That term alone is confusing enough to most people, so why add to the confusion with words like pedal, non-pedal, or lap. Sometimes I dumb it down even more and just tell people I play "guitar"... depending on who I'm talking to.