The Steel Guitar Forum

Started on a 6 string flat top with a raise nut to make it hawaiian in about 1946 and so I have been at it 69 years. Jack

well the mathematical answer is 40 years but the factual reply is the first 10 years I was probably repeating the 2nd year over and over up to the mid 80's, ok, with some modest improvement up to the 90's. The real study took off in the last two decades. So two answers, 20 and 20 . if that makes any sense.!

36 years on Pedal-Steel.
JJ

Hoo boy have I got some catching up to do! 6 years or so ago I took up this amazing instrument. At 61 I think I left it 40 years too late, but what the heck.

42

Been playing since age 7, and that calculates to 71 years of playing 'at it'. I'm now 78 1/2.

Started pedals in 1956-Bigsby, 1972-Emmons.

They're all too heavy these days for me to even think of carrying them to the car, let alone an inside gig.

I bloomed even later than Fred Justice. I spent 40 years chasing that 6 string. Didn't find the steel till I was 55. Twelve years later, I'm wishing I had found it at 15. There's nothing I like more than music, and no instrument I love more than steel.

I started in 1976 at 21 years old. It's now been 38 years. My main influences were Gary Hogue, John Hughey, Buddy Emmons and Rusty Young.

Started Lap Steel in the early 50's, guitar in '59, Pedal Steel in '73. Now I'm retired, pickin' Steel and Guitar every weekend and still having fun.

29 yrs Was a late starter, but what a ride. Influences Lucky O, Buddy, John Hughey, Larry Sasser, a host of others

Lead guitar-64 years, bass 52 years, and PSG 20 years. Still gig at 76, but mostly on lead, and bass. Would like to get more steel gigs, but, over the years, one gets type-cast, and having lots of excellent steel players around my area, doesn't help my situation much! -Jake-

I started 60 years ago the Saturday after I got out of first grade. (and I am only 39--- oops I have two boys over 40 so that math does not work either - oldest Grandson turned 20 last week)

Long break but really got back into it again - wished I would have kept playing the steel and got rid of that NOW X-wife.

But that is a long story

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

69 years!

Started in 1950 with the Oahu Hawaiian Steel Guitar course at the age of 10. I got my first pedal steel, a Fender 400, in 1958. I'll have 65 years of playing behind me in a few months.

I started with 6-string guitar 15 years ago and lap steel 8 years ago. I bought an s10 pedal steel around 3.5 years ago but it's been in storage for the last 2 years as I'm living abroad. I'm itching to get back to the steel and hope it doesn't feel like starting over again.

Going on 2 months. 37 years old now, hoping to get in at least 40 good years of playing.

Going on 3 years. Learned a lot year one!! Stuck in a rut repeating the same old stuff for 2 and 3. Hopefully it will get better!

I'm going to start next week.

5 1/2 wonderful years on pedal steel now. wish I had gotten into it sooner. Been playing 6 string guitar all my life but havent touched it much since picking up pedal steel. I play a few other instruments, but pedal steel is by far my favorite

Started on dobro in 1962, non-pedal electric steel in 1965. Didn't really get into pedals until 1968, my first professional gig. So that makes almost 47 years on pedal steel, 52 years using a bar.

me????.. about 37 1/2 years...

Pedal steel 36, Dobro 32, Guitar 53

Let's see,
I had hair, and a Clark student model,
Yeah, that woulda' been about 1980
and I'm STILL tryin' to learn this darn thing !

I'll take the 5th amendment; I'm too embarrassed to say. stevet

I played my first bar gig in August, 1974. It was as a sit in during a Saturday matinee. I returned the next Saturday afternoon and sat in. I got hired by someone in the club from another band and did my first paid gig at the end of August or first week of September, 1974. I have been playing professionally ever since, with very little voluntary time off.

Now I only play two nights a week, plus some local studio sessions. In the beginning, I played 6 nights a week and a matinee.

I went on the road early into my second year on steel guitar and stayed on it for 10 straight years.

I wouldn't have missed it for the World! I still look forward to my weekend gigs.