The Steel Guitar Forum

just wondering if any of you forum members had a steel guitar Christmas this year. Anyone get a new guitar, amp, effects, volume pedal or even instructional material. Show us your presents!!
Nothing for me this year, but I did get a guitar earlier this year.

I bought myself a Musicman 212 HD 130 amp for $250.00
sounds great

I stopped by at the post office and picked up three Bullet bars on Christmas eve!
Nice!!!!

My new Franklin SD10 was delivered about a month early. Just couldn't wait til Christmas. Also got a 1957 Kay M-1-B upright bass. oh,, and just this past week a Taylor T5. I'll be busy trying to learn to play something this year.

As a matter of fact I did get a "New" 1992 Emmons Lashley LeGrande II D-10 8x5 Golden Oak Mica for Christmas. It was taken very good care of by the previous owner. Here is what it looks like. It sounds good too!

Not exactly a "steel" Christmas, but it was a guitar Christmas. Had to send my 67 Martin D28 out to have a new bridge put on, and the action lowered. The original bridge cracked, and was coming loose from the top. It was repaired, and back to me, right before Christmas.

I'm sorry I didn't really know where to post this.
I'm glad to see how many people got cool musical gifts!

Got one grrrreat amp cover from Leann...Sharp Covers Nashville....did I mention top quality... and purdy?

Got five (5) sets of them comfy "Coated Picks" from Andy Hinton here on the forum...they are grrrreat....and purdy too!

Got a custom set of videos from the great Mr. Georgeboards that the grand children can use in the near future when they come to learn on the old six-string lap....giving ole papa a break. Speaking of George, I had a technical problem for which can't be corrected at the present time and he did something that only a gentleman of the highest degree would do in these times....all unsolicited or expected. One fine fellow to do business with folks!

When the Blizzard subsides and Santa can get his ups truck out of the wharehouse I think he has a Band in the box for me!

I got a new tuner, a boss TU80 that has a metronome and a feature called ACCU PITCH. When the needle hits 440, when you pick the string while tuning it lets you know. And the needle does not fluctuate like it does on the others, that I have had.
Tommy

Mrs. Santa brought me a new 6 string . Plays and sounds great .

I got a Peavey Power Slide and some cool bars from Rocky Mountain Slides. Thanks Alex!

This year of 2009 brought me so much joy it's hard to list completely.

The Steel Guitar Forum was again, the center, of my world. During its down-time the other day, I was beside myself. My 'puter runs 24 hours per day and I found myself checking-in 10-12 times per day.

I've been blessed to make so many great new friends on this wonderful Forum. Got to visit Scotty's really BIG SHOE; the Texas Steel Guitar shin-dig; fortunately, I got to meet (the late) Rick Alexander & to see Jeff Strouse once again; delivered a beautiful 'new' Clinesmith lap steel to my friend from Florida; met an enthusiastic Chris Gabriel that's helped me install some great BIAB rhythm tracks on the computer; purchased a nice Jerry Byrd model, stand-alone Rick and a matching double-8 long scale;found another great friend that provided me with MP-3's of Jerry Byrd on about 25 old, old records that had languished on my want list since the early 1950's. Got to meet George Boards and his lovely/talented wife "PJ" who has helped me tremendously this year. Folks like "Keoki" Lake up near the Arctic Circle in Canada, Tom Palmer in Bellingham, WA.; Bigsby owner/pilot Art Alifano in New York; Billy Robinson in Nashville, David Hartly in the UK; and, more and more.

It's been a great year and steel guitar was at the core of it all. I've failed to mention all of the wonderful people with whom I've been in touch this year; all truly valued friends but simply not enough room here.

Perhaps one of the happiest events that occurred was a wonderful phone call I rec'd the other day from my long-time friend KENNY DAIL. Kenny helped me out here on the Forum during one of the bleakest times in my life, a generous effort on his part and the difference in my being able to sustain myself during that set-back. THANK YOU Kenny!

YES! Sally & I had a most enjoyable Christmas 2009.
Sally's weathered her health issues of this past year and while still not recovered fully, she's definitely getting better. My little dawg "MISSY" has been diagnosed with throat cancer which is breaking our hearts.

May this coming new year be as happy for all of my steel guitar friends and acquaintances as this past year has been for us.

I suppose it was a Steel Guitar Christmas in a way since it all started this fall.

A couple of years ago my sister brought me an old National resonator guitar that had been in the family for decades and ignored pretty badly for the last 20 years. It was in bad shape and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I have done instrument work in the past but didn't know if it was worth saving. When I found out it was a 1934 Trojan I decided to restore it.

Can't have an instrument sitting around without being able to play it (at least a little) so I figured I had better learn some Steel (though I have never played guitar).

Now I didn't want my fine old National sitting out in the living room, subject to dust, dog slobber, and possible damage so I picked up an inexpensive electric steel from Al at Steel Guitars of Canada, a little SX, to learn on - sweet sounding little machine, quite amazing for the price! (That was a "plug" Al! LOL!) I also picked up a lessons program from Homespun by Cindy Cashdollar, "Learning Bluegrass Dobro".

Funny how things turn out. I had no interest in Steel six months ago - now I have two of them and I am learning to play (At my age this could take awhile LOL!)

This was my christmaspresent for me! I bouhght it by myself from Al Brisco! This Fender 1000 Serial No #280 arrived Dec 24th and it has the ultimative Ralph Mooney Sound!!!! Yeeeehaaaa!!!

I was allowed to buy a lovely little Fender Bronco .

Hey Brendon......
you must have a lovely wife
cheers to down under!

Well, Christmas came early for me this year. My dad sold his house and gave me $3500. I bought me a new pack-a-seat, gave my wife the same amount of money I spent on the seat,we went on vacation to Nashville and had a good time. At Christmas we spent the day with the inlaws and then went and visited my dad. My wife and mother-in-law did a fanstastic job on our Christmas dinner. I did receive a new pair of shoes which I needed for church. The main thing for me is that our children had a good Christmas. Last but not least, the Good Lord blessed us with a rare White Christmas. We had snow a foot deep in some places. The gifts are nice but the birth if Jesus is what it is all about.

I didn't get a "steel guitar" item but I got a new Behringer BCF2000 "control surface" unit for my recording studio.

Picked up a Peavey Nashville 1000 pedal steel amp! Now all I need is a guitar and I can get started. Looking at a Fessenden SD-10.
Les

Just got this Mullen 8x5 for Christmas. Mickey Adams completely rebuilt this one. Looks like it just came from the factory and has tone to the bone.

Last Christmas I had first "discovered" this forum and lamented that I had sold my Emmons S10 p/p many years before leaving me with no steel. The support, instruction, tips, stories, etc. of the members only made matters worse (especially the prices for good used Emmons p/p's) but I kept coming back. Then, lo and behold, last April I found an Emmons S10 p/p almost identical to the one I had sold all those years before for sale at a great price on the forum. Better yet, the fellow selling lived close enough by for me to drive over and see and touch this instrument. As I sat behind it I realized I had lost any steel playing abilities I once may have had, but I knew I may not get a chance like this again, so I robbed Peter to pay Paul and bought it on the spot.
Since then I have obtained some great lesson material from Fran Newman, Buddy Emmons and incredible resources on the forum (free tabs, videos, repair and maintenance advice, links to other steel sources, just to name a few). I discovered a fantastic steel guitar mechanic lives about 45 mins. from my house who did a proper setup for me and continues to be a great resource. I have a new Peavey NV 112, learned about Jagwire strings, JF pics, and even picked up an old used Emmons 'pak a seat' that once belonged to one of the legends!
This Christmas I feel truly blessed! Without the forum and all the members I am sure I would still be missing this truly great instrument and the music it can produce as I did last Christmas. I am still far from where I want to be playing wise, but I now feel part of a bigger thing that didn't exist in the 80's and no longer feel a solitary soul wandering in the darkness.
So, Merry Christmas to everyone on the forum and thank you for what you all do!
BTW, Santa Claus is bringing a new Jeff Newman course for me as well as a couple from Buddy Emmons Music AND a fresh set of Jagwire strings. I am blessed.

I got a nice surprise. My little wife, my youngest daughter, another Steel Picker Buddy, and of course, Santa, all conspired, and got me a Steelers Shoice Sidekick Pac-A-Seat, with all the whistles, and bells. It has an extra side storage area, a back support, and a power strip, and Man, does it sit good. I haven't had it behind a Guitar yet, but will Today. It sits so good, I might forget to play. (HA) If I can slide over just a little, I might have room for my little Welsh Corgi, who sometimes likes to help. Hope everyone else had as great a Christmas as I did.
George...

Carl Heatley wrote:I bought myself a Musicman 212 HD 130 amp for $250.00
sounds great

I've been playing though one of those since 1977. I bought it to use as a guitar amp, before I started playing steel, and lucked out in that it's also a great steel amp.

I got the best present of all. I had a check up in early December, and received a 100% clean bill of health.

Larry R. I think that was Mickey's personal guitar??
Also, I got a great matching set of amp & steel covers from my lovely wife, made by Leann Sharp. See pictures at amps & acc. Larry B.