The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi - Im Mike from the UK and new to this site, and newish to lap style dobro playing having dappled with bottleneck for some time.
Im into acoustic blues predominantly - Im 50% of an acoustic blues duo The Rezzonators, although in bulk am more like 65%! - also getting more into bluegrass too.
I have been learning lap style on a squareneck Ozark which has been fine but now ready to "upgrade" to a Goldtone or similar, only problem is they are in very short supply in the UK (especially as Im looking second hand as finances are always tight).
Enjoying watching Mike Auldridge et al on Youtube, also the Transatlantic Sessions on BBC with Jerry Douglas, Aly Bain and loads of other top notch singers / players.
Impatiently awaiting the postman as Ive ordered a new slide (Shubb SP2)as the SP1 is a bit too long. Guess I'll be ending up with quite a few slides!
I play some mandolin and a bit of banjo too.
Cheers, Mike.

Mike,

Welcome to the forum and one piece of advice... you can never have to many slides or guitars for that matter either.

Tom

Welcome to the forum Mike. This group is a great resource when you've got questions. With regards to short supply of used instruments in the UK - I just priced shipping a Wechter Scheerhorn Rob Ickes model that I have for sale, to Ireland and it was under $100. I would check regularly the classifieds sections of the following sites:
reso nation
reso hangout
If you are interested in gold tones I would also call Beard guitars - sometimes they have trade ins.

Welcome, Mike. In addition to James Trout's suggestions, I would also check on the Michael Messer forum.

Your home page is interesting - I am also a 1/2er, although the two of us will welcome any and all who want to add a bit, but with one stipulation: NO DRUMMERS. As soon as a band escalates to that level, all of a sudden you're pricing PA's, basing a songlist on what sells, etc. I don't know the geography, but the U.K. boasts one of the finest slide and bar manufacturers on the planet, Diamond Bottlenecks.
http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/DB08/index.asp

They end up serving as something of a clearinghouse for just what you're doing, though I imagine you have to buy a bar to post pictures up on their artist page.

Thanks for your responses guys.
Slides - I seem to have collected 7 already (!), bottlenecks are somewhat fewer as I got one that suited about 20 years ago (I got two in fact) and still have these, I did get a Diamond bottleneck from Catfish Keith at one of his gigs but it doesnt suit as well as the brass ones.
With regard buying a guitar from the US, I take the point that $100 (£65ish) is not too great but I'd need to add 24% for tax and import duty and when it means I dont have a chance to play before I buy, I'd hate to get something that looked right but then dint either sound or feel right.
I have contacted someone about a 2nd hand Goldtone and have to wait till they're back in the country at the end of the month before taking this forward, but as Ive been let down at the last moment before (I was due to travel to see a guitar in the Midlands when the seller contacted me to say he'd changed his mind about selling, and another who sold it on to someone else who got there before I could - even though I'd made contacted them first) I'll have to be patient and maybe just keep on looking.
As to Michael Messer site, I've been a member of the forum for quite some time, the occasional guitar comes up for sale but no squareneck Goldtones as yet. As here, the members on that site are fantastically generous with info and support for all sorts of reso playing things.
Cheers, Mike.