The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi,

I'm in the market to purchase a first pedal steel. I'm after a 'used pro' model, in lieu of a student model. What are your opinions of buying a new (or newer used) model as opposed to buying a vintage model? Keep in mind this is for a beginner - I would much rather spend my time learning how to play the instrument and not having its mechanics give me problems. Am I being paranoid about this, or is there really nothing to worry about? I love the looks of the vintage ones, just wonder if a beginner would be better served in you guys' opinion with a new / newer model.

Thanks.

If it's your first steel, I'd advise against "vintage" (something 25-50 years old), and try to find a fairly recently made instrument, say...no more than 15 years old. There will be less wear and tear, parts will be easier to get, and you'll stand less of a chance of getting something that's been patched up or modded. Try to find an objective steeler to advise you on your purchase, as there's some who just want to steer you to only one or two brands, when in reality, there's over a dozen very good ones out there!

I agree with Donny. I'd probably stick with a fairly modern PSG - not necessarily new, but "modern". At first, I think having solid mechanics and good ergonomics - a guitar where one can comfortably operate all pedals and levers and address they strings properly - is more important than any small tonal differences. The guitar should fit you well and be easy to operate. The only way I can be sure of that is to try it - it is possible to make adjustments, but there are some steels that I just couldn't make work - I'm tall.

I also agree that it's very useful to have an experienced player or dealer with an open mind check this out with you if you can. Buying used can save a bunch of money, but you need to know exactly what you're getting. I have found the forum useful if I can establish a clear meeting of the minds with the seller. There are several good dealers that sell well set up guitars for significantly less than a new one. Although I admit that one can sometimes get a good deal on ebay - I, personally, would avoid that. I call it a "pig in a poke".

There are some older guitars which have pretty modern mechanics - for example, 70s - early 80s MSA's and 70s - early 80's BMI's. The nice part is that they also can be had fairly inexpensively. There are a wealth of other high-quality modern PSG's made in the last 25 years.

Hi Jeff, there are many steelers here in Minnesota that would help you with your questions. Where are you located? Bill Rudolph, the builder of Williams guitars is located in central Mn. He can also answer any technical questions you may have.
Geo

My friend Jon sent you a couple emails to which you never responded...I think they woulda been helpful with your questions and your quest...did you get them?

Hey Ben,

Yes, I did get Jon's emails. I'm a '.mac' user that is now trying to deal with Apple's new 'mobile me' interface, and I'm finding it rather annoying - some of my emails are being blasted into the ether it seems. I'd reply to him on my iphone, but that would take too long to type.

George Mc Lellan wrote:Hi Jeff, there are many steelers here in Minnesota that would help you with your questions. Where are you located? Bill Rudolph, the builder of Williams guitars is located in central Mn. He can also answer any technical questions you may have.
Geo

Hi George,

I've heard of Williams, I think that's in the Anoka area, right?

I'm a tad leery of just calling people up out of the blue to get their opinion on things. I mean, they're working somewhere, and I'm not entirely sure what I'm after just yet. I really like the GFI Expo, although I have no first hand experience with it. I haven't read any negative comments (that I can find) about GFI in general, let alone this model. Al Vesel has a guitar that I'm interested in as well, I'm planning on heading north this weekend. If the wife lets me slip away for a few hours, I'm hoping to cruise over to his place and check out what he has available.

The only steel resource that I have is this place, and a guy I chased down in the metro area here to give me lessons, his name is Kenny Wilson. Excellent player, and a super nice guy to boot.

OKay Jeff, he'll be glad to know you got em at least.
Good luck with your search...I think Donny and Georges advice are the way to go.

If you have the money, go with a new one. Otherwise, get a newer model used from a good PSG dealer.

Jeff, Bill is located in Oak Grove which is west of Wyoming about 20 miles. Al has several good guitars for sale up in Chisholm and I think that'd be a great starting point. Check out first hand what he has and what might serve you the best. I can't speak for the other steelers in Minnesota, but you can e-mail me and I'll try to answer some of your questions.

Good luck in your quest.

Geo

I don't know what your budget is, but I would recommend buying a really great used guitar that stays in tune as long as the strings are not at fault.

If you like the Emmons sound, get a great condition push pull that is well set up. The mechanics are sound and solid, the tone is great if that is what you hear in your head, and the resale value if you become disenchanted is comforting.

Other than the above advice, I would say get a quality guitar in black mica or blonde birdseye if you think you may be selling the guitar. No purple mica.