The Steel Guitar Forum

I spend my time around the house 99% in Crocs........which are waaaaay too wide to play PSG with.

So, I've been practicing barefoot, more and more. Only a drag when your foot slips off the side of the pedal and gets scraped a bit. Ouch.

Live, I've had good luck with fairly thin-soled Hush Puppies.

Jerry, Yes I play C6 on a Super Pro D 10. 5,6,7,&8 no problem. The #2 pedal rocking on to the #3 was a little touchy until I put return springs on the changer.

Austin Stewart plays in his socks and does a mighty fine job doing so. What a fantastic young player.

Weird topic. Perfect for me

I would try to play barefoot if that's what the boss wanted, I guess. My narrow boney maroney bare foot doesn't do double pedals though. Besides, first time I saw someone play pedal steel in cowboy boots, I thought, that is so very cool.

I can if I had to play my push pull with heavy socks but my feet are way too tender to play that way all time. Several good players play in sock feet so I guess it's what you get used too. I have to have special feeling shoes to play comfortable. I use sorta loafers. Can't play in any kind of boots. In boots I'll play out of tune because at times don't come off pedals.

This thread smells worse every day!

I started in boots/shoes then got my Mullen pre RP and ran into Jim Lindsey who kindly gave me some lessons and convinced me to sock it. I have 12 1/2 EEE feet and shoes or boots make them just that much wider and of course hitting a single pedal is quite challenging. After Jim convinced me to go socks only I've done so ever since. My Mullen has buttery smooth action to begin with and I do so much better in just socks. And I can 1/2 pedal any pedal on it with just my big toe. 😂

I've only been playing about 4 years. Spent the first several months playing in Chuck's. A musician friend came by unexpectedly one evening when I was wandering around the house in socks. He asked for a demonstration and I haven't played with shoes on since.

I've played in my socks forever. I played on national television multiple times and was in my socks every time. People like to give me a hard time about it, but if I play better in my socks that's what I'm going to do!

Socks only for me from the beginning

always practiced home in my sock feet. then when i started playing out .i had to take what ever i had on my feet of at the time, always sock feet now.i find i get better feel for the pedals

It really depends on the guitar. I started on a Mullen Discovery and initially learned to play barefoot. When I had a Mullen G2 built I asked them to round over the edges of the pedals a bit. Total barefoot comfort. I made the same request to Gary Rittenberry when he built my Prestige and it is perfect for barefoot playing as well. The pedal shape of my MSA guitar doesn't work with barefoot playing (painful). The MSA pedals are smaller and have sharper edges that telegraph "feel" well through shoe soles. I use moccasins or boat shoes with that guitar. For me there is a definite feeling of being better connected to the guitar when playing barefoot. Fortunately I live in a warm climate and haven't had to play an outside gig when it's been really cold. Though I have had to deal with kind of icky stage floors in some bars at times.....