The Steel Guitar Forum

Like Brett, my first psg was a 1974 Emmons student model 3X1, but I bought it new in 1974 for $500. I let it go in 1977 in favor of an Emmons S-10, bought it back in 1997 (long story but I found it in a pawn shop 20 years later with my band's name still stenciled on the case.)

A blond 1960's Fender 400, played thru a Heathkit TA-16 twin-twelve with all of 25 watts.

25 years ago I got my first guitar; a Sho Bud Maverick - paid $150, played it for a year or so, sold it for $200 (only money I ever made selling an instrument). Then 5 years later I traded a Yamaha guitar for a Emmons SD12 (6P/4K), then traded that guitar for a Sho Bud Pro III at Steve Lamb's Steel guitar store in White Settlement (Ft Worth) Texas.

I wish I would have kept them all!!

Mike Taylor
Sho Bud Pro II Custom / Professional

A 6 string,4 ped.,"Multi-Kord",circa '54.
It was a P.O.S.!!
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<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Smiley Roberts on 20 November 2005 at 09:45 AM.]</p></FONT>

First steel was a Sho~Bud LDG I bought new from German Village Music Haus back in 1980.I had them order it earlier in the year,and picked it up in May.A year later, I contacted Reece,and had him build me a new guitar,a Vintage XL which I sold back in July of last year. MSA guitars hold tune really weell,and are built like a German tank. I have Sierra D-10 I bought from German Village back in 1992,and a Zum I ordered from Bruce back in 1996. Love them Zum's.

A Gibson Electraharp. In the early 70's I saw Bobby Black playing in Rochester, NY. The next day I decided to sell my car and buy a steel guitar. The first one I found was the Gibson Electraharp.

It was either a green LDG sho bud, or a 70'ish white MSA.
Terry

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Zum D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

1975 MSA Semi-Classic, rosewood mica, which paid for itself some 10 to 15 times over.

MSA Red Baron in 1981. Here today gone later today! No wonder I didn't play steel again for 10 years! That rebuilt S-10 PP
3&4 did the trick for me in the early 90's though. I still dream of Buds (when I have dreams I could tell anyone about).

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Mullen D-10, Melobar Rattler, Nashville 1000, Alesis Midiverb, Too Many Guitars!

1st. a 1971 Emmons student model, 8 string 2 pedal E9. no knee levers or volume pedal (til later)


no major mechanical issues that i remember... it got me well on my way<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 25 January 2005 at 11:40 AM.]</p></FONT>

1975 MSA Semi-Classic, rosewood mica, which paid for itself some 10 to 15 times over.

1959 Madison Permanent SHoBud triple neck (8-10-9). Bought it in Honolulu from Len Ryder in early 1967. Have a picture of it, but don't have a clue how to post the pic.

Wow,
Sounds like between everyone here, we've covered the full spectrum, as far as quality of first guitars goes.

b0b, that's the first one I've heard about that sounds even worse than the one I started on. Would love to see a picture of that.

I've had several pedal steels over the years, but the first pro model I ever had was a B.M.I. S10 3 & 4.

Wish I could have kept all of 'em too!

Lem

Maverick - nuff said too

Sho-Bud Pro-1 3/2 Beautiful birdseye, narrow pedals. I had Duane Marrs add two more knees a couple of years later. $550 including the Sho-Bud pedal and a 3/4 stainless bar I still have.

Mine was a no-name S11 that only had 10 strings. It had been stripped of the 11th tuner and who knows how many knees. It was left with one lever that lowered the E's. Sorry as it was, it was plenty enough to give me a permanent case of "steel fever".
James
Zumsteel SD10 4+5

My very first steel, was a "Pierce". But, just the cabinet, with the changer, neck, and tuners ( all eight).I had to make the legs,pedal bracket, pedals, and pedal pull rods. It was given to me by a friend. All in all, it was a terrible steel.
My very first playable steel was a ShoBud Maverick. I bought it from a guy for $100.00 With 3 pedals and 1 knee lever, I was on my way to pedal steel heaven. At the time, I thought it was a great sounding steel guitar. I even did a workshop for the PSGA with it.The natural birdseye maple cabinet and neck were very pretty. It was a very easy steel to play.

My first pedal steel was an almost new Fender 400 8 string 6 pedal around 1961. It was blonde with a black metal frame. It came from Whitey Lunzar's music store in dowtown Columbus, Ohio. I played it about a year and traded it and $100 for a 1000 a guitar player friend had.

ZB Custom S-10 5p/5k -- 1971 Black lacquer with white fretboard and pickup.

My first of many steels was a 6-string Gibson lap. Then I had a Rickinbacker D-8, Tripple neck, Finder Quad,which I wish I still owned, then my first peddle steel was a MSA D-10. After I got out of the service and spent some time trying to raise my family I got a Sho_bud Pro 3 which I hauled all over the Mid-west after I retired. I now have a Rimington D-10 (8&4). I still have the Gibson.

An older ZumSteel Stage One 3+4 that a friend had sitting in his garage along with a shopping bag full of steel guitar magazines. Faux wood covering and a Barcus Berry pickup. Weighed about 20 pounds! I didn't know what to do with all of those levers, but was fortunate to have a first guitar with very good mechanics, stayed in tune, and sounded pretty good, too.

Many months later I bought a green laquer MSA Classic D-10 8+4 from Pat Ickes (thanks, Pat) which was also a great guitar and gave me lots to think about on the "other" neck.

I've been fortunate to have had two solid all-pull guitars with good tone and playability, and with straightforward changers that were very easy to understand and adjust.

Now, of course, I'm playing ZBs... where did it all go wrong? (:

In 1978 I was lucky enough to find a ZB student 3+1, and because it was an all pull I added the extra knees. Never had any tuning issues with it. 2 years later a pal of mine sold me his Baldwin crossover, it never quite sung and played like the ZB. No doubt Larry will agree. Dave.

Well the uniquenes winner, for my money, is Chick with a

1959 Madison Permanent ShoBud triple neck (8-10-9)

Whoah! That is some cool 1st steel.

In September of 1970 I drove to the Emmons factory in Burlington, North Carolina and bought a blond SHO-BUD double neck crossover from Ron Lashley Sr. I played 6 string guitar but didn't have the first idea how to play a pedal steel. I took it back home to PA and started the long arduous process of teaching myself how to play the darn thing. One of the best decisions I ever made since it has provided me many years of pleasure and enduring friendships.

A Norwood S-10 3 and 1