The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi out there,
I'm brand-spanking new and looking to start playing-- Never even touched a pedal steel before, but am ready to go in.

I have had a lot of trouble just finding one here, and Carter now seems questionable-- they're not returning dealer calls & Starter is back-ordered (looks like they may be done until the company sells?) so this came up and looked good. The person is selling it for his brother, who is on vacation or something...anyway, he couldn't even find the model. Can anyone ID it? He says it has 3 pedals. It's a Sho-Bud, so is probably a Maverick? The color seems a little different than examples I found. He did find the serial number: 14372. From looking here, that leads to me believe it's something 1979-1980?

He's says it's in mint condition (a little dust) and wasn't used very much. One of the pedals had to have a switch put in (?) whatever that is.

No manual, but otherwise complete + 3 books. He said someone valued it at around $900-1000, but he's asking $650 to get rid of it for his brother, and I doubt he'll move on that much.

It's about a 2 hr. drive to go see it, and I'd need to go Friday afternoon. Any info/opinions? Hopefully!

Thanks a lot,
brian

Student model i think!
No $900-1000,
Maybe $300-450 if it truly is the model i am thinking it is.
Does it have adjustable legs??

I can ask...what do the adjustable legs indicate? What makes you think it's the student model? Thanks!

That's a Maverick, which is a student model. I'd stay away from it, especially for $650. You can do better. Google Stage-One or Carp-Steel if you want a new economy model. They are good products.

What Tony said

Hmmm...well, disappointing, but I'm hoping you guys helped me dodge a bullet. What are price ranges of the beginner models you mentioned? I have a good window now to be able to start, and I'm worried about being able to find anything feasible for me, but I'll check the models recommended.

I did read the FAQ, but what is the feeling about Carter in the fairly near-future? If they're back-ordered, is that a sign what they produced is gone and the future is unknown?

Many thanks,
brian

Brian..You may be able to locate a Carter Starter at a local "Guitar Center" store. In my opinion however, there are much better choices available (especially those previously mentioned, Zum Stage One, Carpsteel, GFI SM etc.) There have been several Forum posts on the subject of beginner steels in the past, so a little research may prove helpful...Best of luck.

Fazio's in St. Louis had a Carter Starter in stock the last time I was there.

http://www.faziosmusic.com/

Try 'em.

Student models of the day, dident have adjustable legs, as it was a very quickly made entry level model at a very affordable price, Just like a [Kay or sears Les paul].
I learned and gigged on an 'Emmons' for a long time with 1 knee, thats all you will need for a long time, so if you are wanting to play, it will do great. Anything with 10 strings and an E9th tuning is worth $300.00 just to get started on.
If you are wanting to buy it, it wont fetch money brian. This is a great place for great advice down to the core.
No offence brother, It's a 'maverick' it what it is

You might call him before you drive 2 hrs if he's adamant about $900.00, I'D SAY $300.00 TO BE SAFE.

Welcome to this great Forum Brian
yer gonna love it here

IMHO : the Maverick is outdated but cheaper than a modern student psg
nevertheless, one can play some fine stuff w: just 1 knee lever

on the other hand, a present day student model will be reliable & will stay in tune
you won't have to mess w: adjusting & tuning once you have it set up right for you
you can consecrate yer time on pickin'
last but not least : 4 knee levers
these will give you the necessary positions & inversions

ZumSteel Stage One :
http://www.stageonesteelguitars.com/

Carpsteel :

http://www.rainssteelguitars.com/Carpsteel_MAIN.html

some here, including myself, would suggest you can also cop a good used pro model

Budget's the boss & yer journey's at hand ?
so walk don't run Brian
keep askin' here
in due time you'll be happy picker

Hi Brian -

Welcome to the wonderful world of steel guitar!

There's no substitute for actually sitting down at a guitar but even if you did,as a pedal steel "virgin," you might not be able to evaluate it properly anyway.

Have you checked out the "For Sale: Instruments" section of the Forum? There are a lot of reputable sellers out there, lots of deals, get you started off right from the get-go. FF.

Wow, thanks a lot! I guess I didn't realize there were that many choices in the range I can afford. They all seem viable-- The Stage One looks great and has really glowing reports across the Forum. I would be a fan of buying one used...The issue is finding something and not taking 3 months to do it! I did quite a bit of looking in the last couple of hours across Google, eBay, Craig's List, this forum, larger retailers, etc. as-suggested. I guess I'll keep watching, and if there are other places that might not show up easily on Google, please do let me know. Thanks again!

Stage One is a LOT of guitar for the money.

That's what I gather...and it sounds like the money could be a decent amount under $1000 if I can find a used one?

Brian....

30 years ago I had 2 Mavericks....1 Maple and 1 Burl like in your picture . Next week I hope to order a new black Stage-One.

I love old Sho-Buds (yes even old Mavs),but I don't want to deal with tuning or repair issues .

I have been checking all makes for awhile now and like what the Stage-One offers.

Check out what Michael Douchette has to add to this also his sound clips . He was a great help .

GOOD LUCK !!!!!!

****Bob****

Too bad you don't live in Washington State..

No affiliation...

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/msg/1752471582.html

If this is what it looks like, this is a steal of a steel...

Here are websites of 3 Steel Guitar stores/dealer. They all ship.
Al Brisco of Steel Guitar Canada is, I believe, Carter's primary dealer now. I've ordered from him and he's a good guy.
Bobbe Seymour at Steel Guitar Nashville has had some good prices on GFI Expo's (a moderately priced guitar a step above student model).
Billy Cooper has treated me right when I've ordered things from him.
The 4th website listed is for Jeff Newman's instructional material. If you're just starting out, you may not know of him. He was an outstanding teacher of steel guitar. Although Jeff died recently, his wife Fran still sells his instructional material; you may find it helpful as you start out.

http://www.steelguitarcanada.com/
http://www.billycooperssteelguitar.com/
http://www.steelguitar.net/
http://www.jeffran.com/
Good luck,
John Ely

Brian,,that Emmons that shows up on the link looks like it's a push/pull, (it's a bit hard to tell in the pictures)..Most of these steels have a great tone, and push/pull refers to the type of mechanism it uses to raise and lower the pitch of the strings...As a beginner,,I am not sure if it would be a good idea for you to start out on one of these guitars...Once the guitar is adjusted properly,,you hardly ever have to touch it. But like every other steel,,it won't stay that way forever, and if it needs to be set up, the process is quite involved...Others may disagree with this, but I think you should look for something with an all-pull changer on it.......Welcome to the world of steel guitar.....Carson

Thanks so much for point me in the right directions!

I passed on a Sierra Artist around $900-- Seemed like people liked it, but for that I might as well just buy new for a little bit more.

But I came across this Dekley Student (3x3) for around $400 (US), which might be a good balance? They seem to come up here less often, but still with praise. One question is how "student" is it?

-Brian

Any opinions on the Dekley? I need to inquire about its condition, but it's posted on Steel Guitar Canada (thanks for the links!). I'm tempted by it because it seems reputable & somewhat more solid than Carter (although there are a lot differing opinions!) and less than 1/2 price of the Stage One.

A Dekley is a very good steel. I'm not familiar with the student model, but if the changer is the same as the pro models, I'd say go for it. A quick call to Al would answer that question.

i have a carter starter. i'll sell it to you for 600? Brand New it cost around 1200. It's way better than a mav.

to put it up on the forum for sell i just haven't got around to it.

As much as i need to sell it. I'm an honest guy and you should hold out for a pro model if you know for a fact that you want to stick with it.

I would have done the same thing. I just had a tax return and i was dying to get started. I could not wait to save that much money. I had to start playing right then and there. It served it's purpose though. i got started....Now i've got a d 10 mullen i bought off the forum and i'm totally centent. But however i do owe money on it and need to finish paying for it.

I paid 900 for it used from South Austin Music.

It's yours if you want it. you can always resell it when you get done with it. You can atleast get your 600 back.

I"m not trying to steer you in any one direction but the offer that Brandon just made is not only extremely fair but honest! Thats one great thing about the forum... there is an endless wealth of knowledge, talent, and friendship from all of these musicians. Unlike some hobbys / sports.. everyone here wants you to succeed to the best of your ability and they will give you honest heartfelt advice. No matter what direction you go or even if your planning on being a long time road musician.. you can always turn here to the forum. Welcome to your new home and Good Luck!

Just wanted to post a follow-up thanks to everyone who gave me even-handed advice took the time to steer in a good direction. I'm getting off the ground...slowly, but methodically, which is my way of doing it.

Particular public thanks go to Brandon Wright, who sold me his guitar and dealt with a fair amount of hassle in order to get it to me in great condition, as well as "after-sales support."

This forum is a productive, great resource!