The Steel Guitar Forum

The Carter Starter was my first steel. It served its purpose, but it's a pretty flimsy instrument. We've discussed this. Did anyone else see that a used Starter sold for $970 on EBay?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261883575382?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Seems a bit high, to me.

Pure conjecture mind you; but may be that most anyone purchasing a starter guitar from an e-bay auction would be a six string player wanting to dabble in pedal steel. These are parties who are most likely unaware of the Forum and possess little or no knowledge concerning pedal steels and how they function. The fact that Carter Starters may seem to the novice to offer more bang for the buck than the ubiquitous 'Mavericks' and 'Red Barons'(a Tupperware bowl with strings and pedals,really?) coupled with the price gap between starter guitars and pro models being most times rather significant, may result in these (insert your own description here)bringing premium prices at auction.

Yeah I saw that one go.

$970 is quite a lot.

If only Pedal Steels would show up in Australia! any used steel guitar in OZ you are looking at 3000 bucks and upwards for a pro model.

I have seen the Car Starters here go for between 1000 - 1500 which works out about the same sort of money if converted to the greenback.

Pedal Steels here are as rare as hens teeth and are very expensive here in the land of OZ!

I purchased a new GFI Student Model 3X4 through a music shop in Sydney and this cost me Aus $2200.00, it is quite nice.

So I guess I'm a little prejudiced for saying this because I'm helping Doug Earnest build these, but for just a few dollars more you can get a stage one plus more guitar for the money. I can vouch for the quality and work that goes into these guitars plus the fact that I have never heard as big and great sounding tone as I have from these little guitars. Carter starters are fine for what they are, but not at that price. The stage ones and encores are really the way to go for quality and stability.

I'd agree. But how much is shipping to Oz, and what's the import duty?

keep in mind EBAY charges the seller 10%..Ebay is not really a reference for prices, they are inflated due to selling fees. No different than forum members here charging an additional 3% for PAYPAL.

I just sold my Carter Starter on eBay for $975. The person that got it got a really great guitar. Mine was in perfect condition and everything worked great. I have seen all the bashing of the Starter on the forum, but I have nothing but good things to say about it. I learned a lot about playing the PSG on the ol Starter. Of course it is nothing compared to the one I have now......Justice Pro Lite. In a whole separate class than the Starter.

But how much is shipping to Oz, and what's the import duty?

I had someone inquire about my Starter I had listed on eBay and I looked into shipping over there. What a complicated ordeal. I finally gave up. Never did figure out what the cost would be.

I've had two pedal steels shipped out here to Australia. A Fender 400 and a Sho Bud 6139. I don't seem to remember either causing the senders too much trouble.
Both are single necks and I seem to recall each costing US$300-$350 to ship, about five years ago. Both I think through USPS. The Fender clocked in around 60lbs. I think Lynn Stafford did say that it would cost up around US$1000 to ship a push pull out here, but I'm not sure who that was with. I ended up flying the push pull home with me from the States, so never did get to find out what that would've cost.

Correction: That was my Starter that Patrick was talking about that sold on eBay for $970.

Just to be clear, I'm not putting down the Starter. Like I said, it was my first guitar and I still own it. It serves its purpose. It was a much better guitar to learn on (for me) than a Maverick. It sounds good and has a modern setup. It just proved to not be a good gigging guitar. I currently gig with a Carter D-10, so the Starter definitely didn't turn me off to the brand.

I also started with a Carter Starter which I got for christmas. It sat in the closet for a year until I decided to learn how to tune it up. It was an acceptable instrument for learning .. I think I paid around $800 and sold it either here on the forum or eBay for around $700 .. a good deal for any beginner. Today there are more options for entry level guitars that may be better .. but the Carter is the only one I have seen marketed through mass consumer outlets (i.e. Musician's Friend).

patrick's story is a good example of smartness.
the carter starter got the ball rolling and the d10 carter moved him to a professional level.
i see no flaws in that progression.
and all at very reasonable cost.

I recently saw an early '70s die-board MSA with an asking price of over 3 grand on ebay.

My first steel was a Carter starter. I have only good things to say about it. It had three pedals and four knees, Emmons set up, and sounded pretty good. It sure served it's purpose for me, I learned to play on it and even gigged it a few times. I traded it in on a new GFI Expo,SD 10, which I really like.(I got a good deal on the trade also)

Yep, my limited advice for a new player: if you find a good deal on a Carter Starter, don't be afraid to go-for-it. It served me well and held its value for resale.

A lot of people complain about the price of steels but about the cheapest Tele you can buy new is $400 and they only go up from there (to $1,800+ if I'm not mistaken). Yet it seems to me it's easier to build ANY 6-string than it is ANY pedal steel. I understand the cost of materials varies by quality but the sheer complexities of any pedal steel, at least if it has a modicum of playability, seems infinitely more challenging than a 6-string. So in that context, the cost of pedal steels really doesn't seem to be that significant.

I think the problem for a lot of 6-string cross overs is that they are unwilling to spend much money on an instrument (1) they may never really get the hang of because they lack the time or desire to commit the time it takes to be proficient, and (2) they probably play in a band that will rarely use it, so they'd rather spend the time working the 6-string. So from that context, spending all that money for a challenging instrument you may rarely play may seem to fail the cost-benefit analysis, thereby making steels seem so much more expensive. Just a theory.

I think a lot of six-string players look at the steel guitarist spending ages setting up his instrument, and then, at the end of the gig, spending as much time dismantling it and putting it away, by which time the band have just slung their Telecasters, etc. in their cases and are waiting impatiently, and then struggling to lift the instrument in its case whilst towing along his seat, and wonder whether they really want to invest in such an expensive instrument that has the reputation for being the most difficult of all instruments to play, and which many groups look on as being a purely country instrument which even country bands often don't bother with.
When they see the Carter Starter, they want to dip their foot in the water to see if the water's too cold to jump into, and buying a cheapo steel is the best way. What they don't realise is that the difference between a starter steel and a professional model is the difference between night and day, between black-and-white and colour.
It reminds me of those who want to take up the 6-string guitar and buy the cheapest guitar they can find, with the idea of buying a more expensive one if they become proficient on it, not realising that they have bought an instrument with such bad action that not even the greatest guitarist in the world could play it.