The Steel Guitar Forum

...or give me advice on how to buy one...

If you don't feel like reading a long post:

Pretty much I'm a below average guitar player who for some reason is considering (and somewhat craving) buying a pedal steel. And so I either need you to tell me it can't be done and I'm crazy, or to give me advice on what/where/how to buy.

Now if you do feel like reading a long post:

*And after going back and reading this, I felt like it needed some dividers so people could skip ahead to what was important, or I'm going to lose all four of you who are still reading at this point*

1) Prologue (aka non-essential info)

I'm currently the frontman for a small time Texas Country band. I'm 23 years old. I've just about come to the realization that we're probably never going to go anywhere. Which is totally acceptable seeing as I never expected us to get out of the garage when we started, and I've been lucky enough to have some experiences and memories I would have never imagined possible a few years ago.

I didn't grow up with a music background. I always loved music, I was into it more than most of my peers in terms of actually listening and getting into the stories behind the music and the artists. But I didn't get involved in actually playing when I was young because I also loved sports, and because I came from a sports family that was my main activity during school. The summer before my senior year of high school, I picked up an acoustic guitar and taught myself to strum G,C, and D. Since then, I've been hooked. During my freshman year of college, I started writing songs, mainly out of boredom. Another long story (one for another time) later and I had a little band going that we started up about three years ago now.

I never expected the band to go anywhere, so the fact that I was able to make a little money, meet some of my heroes, learn about myself, learn about music, and pretend I was a musician for a while was totally unexpected and an awesome bonus.

We're still gigging, I'm still booking shows, I'm still somewhat considering recording another album and making one last go of it to see if we could get some radio play and a real fanbase, but with the current state of the band that very well may never happen. I guess I'm really just trying to look at what the next chapter of my music life is going to be. And when I say music life, music is my life. It's all I think about, it's all I want to do. I mean I have a good full time job, but music is what keeps me going. And that's what scares me about ending the band. I have to have something else to jump into or my life is going to be empty. I would love to join someone else's band or just work as a hired gun (full time would be my choice, but I'm not going to rush/force it).

2) Am I Crazy for Considering Dropping a CHUNK OF CHANGE on an Instrument This Difficult???

The problem is, I suck so bad at guitar... it's sad. I feel like the Rudy Ruettiger of music. It's all I want, I work so hard at it, but the talent just isn't there. I bet of all the guitar players who spend as much time as I do playing/practicing I would be in the bottom 5th percentile in terms of skill. Sure, I can play cowboy chords on my acoustic just fine. But for about a year now I have been trying to learn lead guitar, and it just isn't there. All I can do is play the same old pentatonic crap. I've tried YouTube videos, paid lessons, private study, learning licks, learning scales, learning CAGED, and nothing comes together the way I want it to.

So why would I want to try to learn steel guitar you ask? I don't know. I mean, I absolutely love the instrument. But with my talent level, it's probably hopeless. Maybe part of it is that I'm currently in such a rut on 6 string guitar that I have this wild notion that changing instruments is going to magically work for me. I know right now that my skill level on electric guitar isn't going to get me where I want to go. Yeah, I play a couple dinky solos with my band and there are some crappy bands I could go play with (and have). But I want to play something I can enjoy and be proud of; it's not happening on 6 string.

Part of my desire to learn steel is that there are so few steel players. This is probably a terrible way to look at it, but an average pedal steel player in Texas can get way more gigs than a great guitar player just because of supply and demand. I figure that I'm 23 right now; surely I could get to where I'm at least average on the steel guitar by the time I'm 30? I mean, if not, I might as well just burn all my instruments and start collecting stamps or something...

One important thing that I'll need your help interpreting as it relates to pedal steel - my musical limitations are mainly mental and not physical. Physically, my fingers can do pretty much whatever I need them to on the 6 string. Same with other instruments I've messed around on (not to learn, just to experiment with), I got some good drum beats down pretty quick, I can play some stuff on the mandolin, and amazingly I got past the screech on the fiddle pretty quickly and could make some nice sounds on that. My problem is coming up with something to play. Like I mentioned earlier, I can't put together a solo using anything other than my same old simple little pentatonic shape. If my mind knew what to do, I think my body could follow. Now granted, the thought of a slide in one hand that has to get correct intonation, picking with the other hand that also has to do blocking, both knees operating levers, one foot pressing pedals, and one foot operating a volume pedal absolutely terrifies me. But I'm much more scared about the mental aspect of learning a new instrument than I am the physical demands of a pedal steel.

3) If I'm Not Crazy, Then Give Me Some Advice

If anyone is actually fool enough at this point to think I'm actually going to be able to even tune the darn thing, well then I guess I'm going to have to go get one... So what do I buy? Where do I buy? How do I buy?

Really my main question is should I go all out and try to get one I can gig on for a long time and financially force myself to stick with the commitment, or should I just get a cheap (haha, yeah...) beginner model?

Should I get one with two necks and be glad that I have them three years from now? Or should I just go with one neck and upgrade if I ever get to that point? Same with knee levers and pedals. 2 knees, three pedals? Or am I okay with one or no knee levers.

I'm sure there are lots of threads on good brands, models, etc for beginners - so if anyone could direct me to one or two of those that would be awesome.

As far as budget, it depends on the guitar. If you say I need to go ahead and get one I can stick with forever that has all the bells and whistles (necks, levers, pedals) I would ever need, I would cap my spending at $2,000. If you say I need to buy a cheap one first to see if I can play it, then I'd probably be looking in the $500-$800 range.

*If anyone actually made it this far, then you have my respect for your devotion to pedal steel, your literacy, and your bladder strength. And thanks for letting me join your community!*

As you're afraid of getting mentally overwhelmed, don't get a doubleneck, don't get a crazy loaded singleneck.
Get either a Stage One or MSA single neck with three pedals and 4 knees.
Learn about music theory: these things are harmony machines, and the more you know about how chords and scales work, the more sense they make.

Yes, it's a bitch and a half to learn, but a lot fun.

If you think it might make you crazy. ... then buy one and join our very interesting community. ☺

Do it! It ain't like getting a tattoo of some girls name..you can always sell it. Lots of good ones around for sale...maybe stay with a newer all pull type with 3 pedals and 4 levers..most any brand you've heard of would work. Sounds like maybe you're in Texas, and if so, lots of help available there, and if not, every state has players that would help you decide.. Good luck, and if you pull the trigger, welcome to the party!

I'd offer a different approach than Lane, regarding "don't get a double neck guitar." My first guitar was a D-10. Front neck was standard E9 and the rear was standard C6. Turns out that C6 was where I found "it." Had I gone with a single neck guitar I might have given up. Based on how you phrased your question, though...maybe you should be a blogger and forget steel guitar all together

"Indecision, is the key, to flexibility"
If you really are having doubts, I'd recommend you wait a couple of years, until you've become completely obsessed...but then again, what do I know?

Talk you out of it? I doubt it!

You seem to have a pragmatic approach to things.
You have a good understanding of your abilities and an acceptance of your limitations. It's a good start.

Also accept the fact it's not going to be easy. It's going to take some time and dogged determination on your part to tame this beast. But your strong interest and sensible approach will help you along.

Single neck E-9 with 3 pedals and 4 knees is the way to go.

Good luck!

You are right about the challenges being more mental than physical.
The initial problem of moving feet, knees and hands in concert is VERY frustrating to get through: the only thing preventing me from hurling the guitar through the window was the fact that I started on borrowed guitars that needed to be returned.

I played bass guitar in a country band in the mid 70's and then one night in 1979 we let a steel player sit in and it was like nothing I had heard before. I had to have one and within two weeks I did.

I got an MSA sidekick a Fender super reverb and immediately signed up for lessons on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. All I thought about was steel and I purchased all kinds of material related to steel. Luckily in those days D/FW was overrun with some of the best you'd ever hear so I went out and listened to everyone I could.

No matter what you want to do and do well in life requires desire and determination to stay with it even when you think it's useless because that's a part of the learning process.No one can tell you to or not to do it because deep inside you are the one that knows if you have the real burning desire to do it.

In my case,I couldn't wait until I could get into a band and be called a steel player.In my case it took me about 5 months before I was brave enough to walk into a club on a Saturday night and ask to sit in but when I did I got hired immediately.

That made me have to knuckle down and start learning what was being played on the radio. There was no better feeling than to walk into the club,play the signature licks (or as close as I could) and see the guys in the band all smile and say that sounded great.

Over the months and years I steadily got better and it made me a really nice side income along with making a lot of friends and getting to know people I would have otherwise never known except for playing music.

Bottom line is to surround yourself with people who can guide you to learning faster and help you avoid bad habits that once learned can be hard to stop doing.

I started cheap and then got better equipment as I found I was making progress.

Music has allowed me to meet people,go places,see and do things I never would have had it not been for learning to play an instrument.

I say go for it but understand you have to have a plan to get to where you want to be and know it will be slow at first but with determination,you'll get there in due time.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

I took up steel in part because I wasn't a good enough guitarist to be accepted in a band. Pedal steel had a lot less competition.

You're 23 years old. Hell yes, do it.
You'll never be more capable of learning it than you are right now.
And like someone else told you, it's not a tattoo. You can sell it if it's not your thing.
Just do it
Jb

Go for it. I was a very good bluegrass guitarist and a fair lead guitarist before I started the steel. After I hit a few good notes on the steel I was hooked. Theres nothing else like a good steel guitar and theres nothing worse than a bad one.. lol.

Doesnt matter what you know now , its what your willing to learn. Good luck.

If you don't do it, you'll regret it.

Anybody who has the stamina and motivation, and is obsessive enough to write a post like yours could probably handle pedal steel. Go for it.

Just buy one, it's not that big a deal. Sell a couple of your guitars, if necessary. Lost of pluses with pedal steel. You don't have to grow calluses to play one. You don't have to worry about breaking the neck off. You never have to worry about re-dressing the frets, or changing the neck angle. You don't have to think about scratching the pick guard, or it falling over into the drums. No one's ever going to pick it up and hit you over the head with it, but a leg or your bar may come in handy as defensive weapons, should the situation require.

Lastly, should you need more encouragement and guidance, there's even some guy on the internet that says he can teach anyone to play one in an hour!

It's hard, but it's fun. Do it.

Just do it, Landon, and start playing it on stage on a few songs as soon as you can work up some parts. If you have the situation that allows you to do that, it's the best way to get going. It's great to have solo instrumentals and special arrangements in your repertory, but being able to play with a band is where it's at for me. I was playing lap steel in a band a month after I got it, and my Sho Bud Professional on the E9 neck two weeks after my dad loaned me the money to buy it. I got it to play it on stage, not to be a piece of furniture in my house.

As far as using the bar as a defensive device, you might think twice. There's a pretty well known player I know who found out that the authorities tend to look at the bar as a weapon even if the guy on the receiving end is being a threatening a-hole. I never had to use the bar for protection myself, though I did have it clenched and ready to go a couple of times.

I kinda felt like Jim was talking to us both.

You are young and have a lot of time to learn and perfect this amazing instrument. Find a good teacher and practice as much as possible.

Hi Landon,

Welcome to the madness. It's a nice little hobby.

Lane Gray wrote:As you're afraid of getting mentally overwhelmed, don't get a doubleneck, don't get a crazy loaded singleness.
Get either a Stage One or MSA single neck with three pedals and 4 knees.
Learn about music theory: these things are harmony machines, and the more you know about how chords and scales work, the more sense they make.

Yes, it's a bitch and a half to learn, but a lot fun.

I agree with Lane. Get a single 10 with 3 pedals and 4 knee levers.

And yes, you ARE crazy, or, if you're not now, you soon will be. We all are. Sanity is NOT an option around here.

I didn't have a job, and I let a salesman named Tommy Bollinger at McCord Music Co. in Dallas talk me into buying an MSA single-10 w/3+1 on credit and the payment was $35bucks a month. He was a fantastic steel player, and showed me how the A&B pedals changed the I to the IV chord, and then move the bar up two frets for a V chord. I took it from there and started practicing, jamming with whoever would put up with me and after a few months I was recording, and started traveling with a gospel group. Being a guitar, bass, and lap steel player since I was a kid gave me a leg up on pedal steel, but it's still a very difficult instrument to master. I'll never be good enough to play in a top notch country band, but I stay busy almost every weekend pickin' guitar and steel in a decent country rock band for a $100bucks a night. If you have the desire, which certainly sounds like you do, don't give up on your dream. Somebody here on the Forum had a nice single-10 Sho-Bud for sale $1500 bucks, you might want to look at.

Hey; ya know what? I had always anted to learn pedal steel since I heard the New Riders back in '71. In '86 an aquaintance of mine had a pro model D-10 for sale. I didn't know the first thing about it, and he was moving to Austin like the next day & said if I wanted it,I hadda buy it TODAY! I tossed a mental coin, said OK; yea & he delivered it to me, showed me how to tune it, & the rest is history. Point is if I didn't do it, I never woulda become a steel player.

Since you don't know much about the instrument, make friends with a local player (gotta be a few in Texas) and take him with you when you go to buy. You'll be happy you did. Get a good guitar, NOT a student model. Unlike guitar, steel is highly mechanical & a student model will not perform well & be discouraging to learn on. If you decide it ain't for you, a pro model will be easier to sell.

Jim Cohen wrote:Anybody who has the stamina and motivation, and is obsessive enough to write a post like yours could probably handle pedal steel. Go for it.

My thoughts exactly.

First off, if you have a budget in mind (you never said what it was) of around $800 to $1000, you can grab a Stage One , spend a year with it, and should you decide to NOT go any further, that Stage One is still worth very close to what you paid if not exactly the same.

The thing you do not want to do is buy a minimal configured older student model instrument and pay a hefty price for it.

It's a balance , don't grab something because it is cheap and seems like a good deal, buy something that is current and popular, even if it costs a few dollars more. Be wise.

regarding learning, it's not magic , it's not an entity, what it is , is a musical Instrument that requires other physical actions to bring out the music.

Music study on guitar, piano, Pedal Steel etc, is exactly the same. You are not studying a different musical language,but you are going to have to get seat time to make your eye's, hands, feet and knees all work in harmony. The good news is at least you are sitting down.

Go for it , the worst that can happen over a period of time is you may lose a hundred bucks or so should you grab a Stage One or something like that.

Landon wrote....

"I guess I'm really just trying to look at what the next chapter of my music life is going to be. And when I say music life, music is my life. It's all I think about, it's all I want to do. I mean I have a good full time job, but music is what keeps me going. And that's what scares me about ending the band. I have to have something else to jump into or my life is going to be empty. I would love to join someone else's band or just work as a hired gun (full time would be my choice, but I'm not going to rush/force it)."

MY ADVICE!

DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!

Here is an other slant. Your a 23 y.o. college grad?

Join the USAF, let THEM pay for your steel. There are always bands looking for front men near or around most every military base, here and abroad. Sing, play, write, study steel, do your 20 years in the military. At the end of that time you will be an accomplished steel guitarist, if you approach it with your writing passion. The eagle will crap in your mail box every month for the rest of your life, your health care/dental will be free while in and they will pay for a masters in music when you get out. Those are but a few of the perks. Add spouse education, free medical, housing allowance, kids education, real life experience and then, job skills.

I'll bet there are very very good, carpet laying, drywall installing, roofing, pedal steel guitar players in their 50s & 60s that, if they were truthful, wish and would tell you, they had taken that route or one similar.

Look at the end game, it will be here before you know it.

Other opinions may vary.