The Steel Guitar Forum

I am a guitar player. I have done some research on buying a psg. Some say don't buy a starter PSG ( doesn't stay in tune). I am interested in a 10 string 3 pedals and 4 levers. Any suggestions or comments. I don't want to break the bank. Is 1,500 - 1,800 a reasonable range. Thanks for your help.
Terry

Doug builds fine guitars --- I sure enjoy my "Stage One". You might look into an "Encore" like this one:

https://reverb.com/item/4099771-zumstee ... eel-guitar

This one is sold, but you get the idea.

Don

Check this out Don. Sorry, I meant Terry. Fred is the best
http://www.justicesteelguitars.com/index.html

I agree with Don that Doug Earnest builds great guitars. The problem right now is they are so popular that he has stopped taking orders until he catches up on existing orders.

He has two models: The Stage One is a student guitar, but without the problems some other models have. It costs about $1100 as I recall. 3x4, and can not change the coped.

I would suggest if possible aiming for the Zumsteel Encore he builds - it is a basic model (economies like painted endplates vs. polished), but with a full-fledged pro changer that can be set up in whatever coped you want. These run about $1500 I think.

I started with a Stage One. Like me, if you take to it, you may want to upgrade at some point. If you buy a used one that is clean for about $100, maybe $200 less than the new price you can always resell it for about what you paid - your cost will be shipping only. Stage One's appear regularly on this forum. Encores, being much newer, are pretty rare.

The other option is to consider used guitars. Older MSA's, Carters, and GFI's, and many others go for very reasonable used prices. I only found one guitar in the first few pages that are priced comparable to the Stage One models that fit your criteria:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=316411

This section of the forum turns over very quickly, so in just a couple of days it could be very different.

Good luck!

welcome terry . here is one that is a good deal. would
keep you busy for a life time. its a d-10 8+4 BMI
check it out
https://olympic.craigslist.org/msg/6079717128.html and this one also.
http://bobbyreed.net/pedal_steel_guitars/mitchell_sd-10


p.w

Paul Wade wrote:welcome terry . here is one that is a good deal. would
keep you busy for a life time. its a d-10 8+4 BMI
check it out
https://olympic.craigslist.org/msg/6079717128.html and this one also.
http://bobbyreed.net/pedal_steel_guitar ... l_sd-10p.w

As a recent 1st time steel buyer, I can say that a D10 8 x 4 was out of the question. Too high on the sheer intimidation factor. It might have helped to have a better understanding of the copedant, but I still wouldn't have gone for it, even for that buyer-friendly price. Instead, I am another happy camper with a Stage One. Too bad Doug is on lockdown with new orders. That Mitchell looks good.

http://www.mullenguitars.com/discovery.htm#.WRS4Y4WcGUk

Ask local musicians. I got my Shobud 3&2 for several hundred dollars below what it should have sold for. Bought from a friend of a friend, the seller was much more concerned that the guitar wouild go to someone who would love and use it, rather than just put money in his pocket. Do be aware that older guitars may need some work. Mine was obviously played regularly, and within a year I had to replace the fingers, a common problem on Shobuds. Even with that, I still got a great deal on a on a good sounding solid guitar. If youdon't ask, you don't know.

The OP has his thinking cap on in planning to put real money into his first PSG.In the long run you actually spend less and get to learn on something that plays well and helps you get better.I personally like everything Del Mullen makes and Mike Mantey makes available,but there are a lot of fine builders in business.

Dear Terry - You have already made several correct conclusions, 3 pedals and 4 knee levers is a ton of changes; will be lots of fun and musical discoveries in your future with that set up; and $1,500 to $1,800 is a VERY reasonable range. I would say try and buy the NEWEST instrument you can get in your range. As a beginner you don't want to have to fix anything or have it not work. You won't know what to look for. You will have enough problems trying to play the darn thing without worrying about how to fix it too. It should work perfectly right out the box when you get it. Especially for $1,800 you can get a LOT. I think gently used steels that are 2 - 5 years old probably have the best value, but for 1,800 you're not gonna starve brother. You can get some pretty nice stuff at that price. For 1,500 the choices are way less. For beginners especially, I think the newest pedal steel you can possibly get has a lot to recommend. The newer an instrument is, the less mathematical probability that one of its several dozen moving parts has been dropped, dragged, busted, rusted, dented, scratched, or otherwise messed with.

Terry, Find John Widgren in Ct. Have him show you what you are getting into so you can make an informed decision. There are many factors that you will have no comprehension of without a little hands on experience. He can also he you find a steel.
Real good guy.

Douglas Schuch wrote:I agree with Don that Doug Earnest builds great guitars. The problem right now is they are so popular that he has stopped taking orders until he catches up on existing orders.

He has two models: The Stage One is a student guitar, but without the problems some other models have. It costs about $1100 as I recall. 3x4, and can not change the coped.

I'd say that the Stage One is the first economy pro guitar.
It does have a pull-release changer, which has one mechanism drawback that's irrelevant to students¹, but pull-release has a richer sweeter tone. Jim Loessberg still plays a Permanent (pull-release Sho-Bud), IIRC.
The rest of your post is good solid advice.

I've been playing only for a year, but I'm a full time musician. I was lucky enough to purchase a used Mullen from the early 90's. It's a top of the line all pull guitar and it only cost me $1,100. It's a 12 string Ext. E9 with 4 pedals and 5 levers. There's plenty of room for expansion. It has incredible tuning stability. My friend, is a PSG fanatic and runs his own website www.steelguitaracademy.com
He has piles of steel guitars and can take them apart, etc. He said my guitar is top of the line. It's a pleasure to learn on, especially once I obtained the Peterson Strobo Plus HD tuner. Barely anyone plays or services these instruments. I agree with Bob Hoffnar in that you should learn as much about steel guitar before you have to spend money. Reach to other players and they'll show you. I was lucky enough to borrow my friend's guitar for 6 months before purchasing it. If I had to buy new I'd look into that Mullen Discovery model!