Why do we do what we do?

[Dom Franco]

I personally feel that steel guitar, (pedal, non-pedal, and resonators included) are the greatest musical instruments in this world!

However I find several different ways to look at our beloved family of instruments...

"All steel all the time", or "I double on standard guitar and steel" ... "Non-pedal is for beginners"
"Pedals make it sound too Country" etc.

So I guess it's time for a poll.

Dom

[Mark Mansueto]

Dom, I submitted "other" because, although lap steel is my primary instrument, I also play standard guitar. My steel playing ranges from clean acoustic/electric to distorted blues/rock.

[Hugh Crumley]

That is a hard one. I do indeed play other instruments, but I spend a lot of time working on the old Hawaiian stuff (Sol Ho'opi'i, King Bennie). Maybe a poll with multiple answers would better show what we all do.

[Dianne Best]

Why do we do what we do?

Like most of my other hobbies ..... a touch of insanity!

[Roman Sonnleitner]

I chose "many instruments" - my first, regular, and most-played instrument was, is, and will always be the regular electric guitar (Telecaster, to be more specific).

But in the music I like (alt.country, "Americana, and classic honkytonk country), lap steel features very prominently, that's why I started to play it (not many LS players around in this part of the world, yo you gotta do it yourself, if you want it in your band...).

I love the sound of pedal steel, but haven't gotten very far playing it, and its cumbersome nature (hard to transport, needs lots of space, needs lots of time to set up & get in tune) doesn't help either...

I also play other stringed instruments in the guitar family (baritone guitar, electric bass, mando-guitar, 12-string electric, etc.), and dabble a bit with the chromatic button accordion, but as I said, my number one will always be the Telecaster, and the lap steel a close second!

[Richard Sevigny]

Like Dianne, there's a little madness in everything I do

Seriously though, eletric guitar's my first (and main) instrument but I also play acoustic guitar and electric bass, and I'm (slowly) learning piano. Lap steel was an extension of years of slide playing.

I may yet pick up pedals, but the cost and complexity of that instrument are likely to keep me away for a while yet

[Peter Jacobs]

I went with "I play a lap steel, overdriven, more like a slide guitar" even though the full answer is I play other instruments. My main instrument is banjo, although I recently picked up reso guitar, and I've played standard guitar (badly) for a while. But I wanted to give a shout out to the players who focus on steel in a more Americana/blues/rock context -- this is the music that got me interested in steel.

Trying to play it well is worth all of the struggles and frustration. And hearing some of the terrific players on this forum keeps me inspired.

[Peter Jacobs]

I went with "I play a lap steel, overdriven, more like a slide guitar" even though the full answer is I play other instruments. My main instrument is banjo, although I recently picked up reso guitar, and I've played standard guitar (badly) for a while. But I wanted to give a shout out to the players who focus on steel in a more Americana/blues/rock context -- this is the music that got me interested in steel.

Trying to play it well is worth all of the struggles and frustration. And hearing some of the terrific players on this forum keeps me inspired.

[Tom Cooper]

I started with dobro, then went to D10 pedal steel, and now play mostly a D8 no pedal consolette. Spend 80% of my time on the D8, pedal only when called upon, and dobro just to sit in with bluegrass friends. I am into 40s and 50s country, rockabilly and west. swing so the D8 makes most sense. I am only 4 or 5 yrs playing steel, and have never had more fun. People love it and I am enamored with the sound of a steel guitar, pedal,non, or reso. But count me as an electric straight steel, no pedal guy. TC