The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi folks,

I am a non-pedal player inquiring on behalf of a friend who wants to buy her husband--an experienced guitar player, beginning steeler--a decent pedal steel and the essential accessories for Christmas. She also wants to set him up with lessons in New Jersey a little ways south of Philadelphia.

She is looking for the best value in an instrument to learn on. So, if I can tap into your humungous collective wisdom on a very basic matter...

Recommended guitars, volume pedal, bar?
Where/from whom to buy?
Instructional materials?
Any teachers in their area?

She (and on Christmas, her lucky husband) will be extremely grateful for your guidance. Thanks!

A decent used ShoBud LDG will keep him happy and busy for some time. Several forum members have rebuilt and reconditioned S-10 ShoBuds, guaranteed great sound and simple mechanics.

If he is an experienced guitarist he will come up with his own preferences in amps, pedals, etc.

The Justice S10-3x4 and the Zumsteel Encore are the best deals out there. Unless your friend is planning on playing at a professional level (and even then), either of those would be good choices.

So much depends on budget. The pretty much absolute minimum for playable gear is
$1000 for a working Pedalsteel
$80 volume pedal.
$20 for a cheap bar.

$2000 would get you more in the ballpark and give you many more options.

This used one is a bargain. http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=235711

I bought a brand new Stage One pedal steel that is excellent in sound and mechanical functions. I bought it for $949 + shipping. There is also the Zumsteel Encore built by the same man which is a step above the Stage One for not much more. One thing to think about buying used versus new is that with the Pedal steel, if you don't know much about them, it can be difficult to assess what is good and what needs a lot of work. If buying something as a gift, you want the peron to be able to start using it right away. There are several builders putting out new, very good sounding, and highly functional steel guitars at around $1000-2000. Some builders may have a two month wait, while some may have models ready to ship now. Another thing about buying new is that the builder will back up his/her work if any issues arise. Customer support is important with this instrument.

The Winnie Winston/Bill Keith Pedal Steel guitar book is a classic in pedal steel guitar literature and is what I am using to learn. Comes with a CD and I am learning enough to be able to play full instrumental songs after just 3 months.

An Ernie Ball or Ernie Ball Jr. volume pedal will get someone going for volume pedal work.

I use Dunlop 920 steel bar and fingerpicks/ thumbpick. Inexpesnive, but work very well.
Hope this helps and happy hunting. He'll be thrilled.

Good Luck!
-Dan

Many thanks for taking a moment to address something so basic.

She asked me where to buy, too. Any recommendations for reputable, helpful dealers?

Finally, any South Jersey/Philly steelers interested in a student?

Don't forget an amplifier.
I bought a Fender,with reverb,for less than $150. It's good for practice, and for a starter amp.
Dean

Mark, the thing is, buying a pedal steel is more involved than a regular guitar. There are very few places to buy them. You will likely need to deal with someone online or via phone and get it shipped, unless you can find one in the classifieds in your area. They usually don't have pedal steels in regular music stores, and if they do, they probably know nothing about them and it could be a rotten deal.

Also, a pedal steel is something you sit "inside of", and fit is paramount. I had to get a "lift kit" when I got my instrument, because I'm fairly tall. There are many things to consider and it's definitely trickier than getting someone a more common instrument.

a great little starter amp is the peavey blazer 158..bought a like new one for 35 bucks on ebay,,,as always be careful what you buy ,,,ken