The Steel Guitar Forum

Any resemblance to a "guitar" after all these years of evolution, is just a few string gauges...number of strings is different, spacing is different. No sound box, keys are disappearing...it's like if you don't call it a "guitar" of some type you can't use it in country music.

The closest descriptive name that I can think of is a "horizontal electric concert harp"....pedals and all.

Wait till you see what it looks like and does 20 yrs from now...a "rose by any other name"!

Electric Koto comes to my mind.

Looking at how most of my guitars were constructed, one of the band leaders I worked for started introducing me as the ALUMINUM GUITAR player.

Greg

I had to correct my mum today for the 1,000,000th time after calling it a "steel pedal thingy".I guess mother does know best.

When did this "thingy" get the name "steel guitar"? I first knew it as a "Hawaiian guitar".

Why was it called "steel guitar"?...because of the metal bar?

I still like TIFKATPSG. (The Instrument Formerly Known As The Pedal Steel Guitar.)

If I told you all the things I've called mine I would be banned from the forum. People really have a hard time understanding what the bar is for. I tell them it's for keeping unruly drunks in line.

Saturdays are always busy at the music store where I teach. Yesterday a guy was in the store with his young son, and he spotted a Carter Starter. He pointed at it and said to his son "that's a Garcia guitar".
I'm not kidding!! So Now I know how to describe this instrument to people.

Mike P,
You're very close, and I'm glad you found it entertaining enough to remember. What was actually said goes something like this.
We were playing a gig at The Jackson Rancheria Casino, In N. CA about 3 years ago. The club manager went over to our band leader and said "the overall volumes are good, but could you turn down the volume on that table top stringy thing?"
Marc

My good banjo pickin' buddy fondly refers to my Carter Starter as the "spaghetti machine" (after getting a good look at the underside of it). He also plays lap steel & dobro, but he gets really excited when I play my pedal steel....I think he wants one!!

Sometimes I think we just can't win.