The Steel Guitar Forum

Hey Guys,

New member here. I've been looking to get into pedal steel for the past 2 months or so and have been scouring the classifieds and local craigslist with no luck. I am a college student and my budget is pretty small compared to what most of the instruments I've seen have been going for.

Id prefer not to spend over $1600 for the steel/volume pedal. I've seen Stage One mentioned a lot however they are not currently accepting new orders and I have not found any used.

I found this GFI student model on Sam Ashe for 1450. That puts it right in my budget. Has anyone played this guitar? From what I have read GFI makes solid guitars. Its a student model but it does have 3 pedals and 4 levers.

http://www.samash.com/gfi-musical-instr ... -gs10sm4kx

I would prefer to save some money and get a used Stage One but havent been able to come across any so this might be my next best bet.

It's roughly in the same ballpark as the Stage One, although a bit more expensive. You could, if willing to wait, order a new Stage One, and save enough to pay for the volume pedal.
The GFI Student model isn't widely loved, but it is perfectly suitable, so long as you the 4 knee version.

Lane Gray wrote:It's roughly in the same ballpark as the Stage One, although a bit more expensive. You could, if willing to wait, order a new Stage One, and save enough to pay for the volume pedal.
The GFI Student model isn't widely loved, but it is perfectly suitable, so long as you the 4 knee version.

Alright. The Stage One site mentioned they probably wont be accepting orders until the end of the year. I'm not really willing to wait that long. I might wait another week or 2 and see if anything comes up, but if this Student Model is decent enough to learn on I may just pull the trigger on it.

In that case, I'd get the GFI.

It's going to have some limitations, the changer fingers are aluminum instead of stainless. The pull release system I believe has a fixed copedent, but it's standard Emmons so that shouldn't be an issue. As long as your happy with that.
I have the Expo model and am totally happy with it. GFI make a good solid guitar.
Plus the fact it's brand new with factory warranty, probably a good choice for you.
Have fun and prepare for a new addiction!

I don't know for sure, but I've heard that the GFI student model suffers from excessive cabinet drop.
Best bang for the buck has been the Stage One, for awhile now. BUT, if you want the BEST SOUNDING student guitar ever made, get an Emmons GS-10. You may have to add knee levers, as most came from the factory with only one. But there are many out there that have already been upgraded.

I've owned 2 GFI Student models and found them to be terrific guitars. They provide you solid quality in a beginner pedal steel. I did find them to be extremely lightweight and a bit thin sounding but would definitely recommend it to someone just starting out. I have heard many good things about the Stage One however I've never played one. I currently play a GFI Ultra model.

Get the Stage One volume pedal, if nothing else. $110 shipped and it is designed for PSG.

Have a friend who may be offering up his near new GFI 'Expo' S-10 for sale on the Forum very shortly and it will most likely be priced in your budget range. Far superior to the GFI student model in most aspects. In this case, patience may prove to be rewarding as well as a virtue..FYI:You might check your local Craigslist for used volume pedals such as an Ernie Ball or Dunlop which are normally priced in the $50.00 range and will certainly start you on your way.

You could consider an Emmons PP student model.

With all due respect, I personally would not recommend an Emmons push pull (student model or otherwise) to any novice. While they may or may not possess superior tone compared to some others(it is subjective after all!), for a beginner, tone is most likely not a prime consideration. At the very least they would be dealing with a guitar that is approximately 40 years of age. Couple that with a mechanism that can be finicky at best and if not set up properly when purchased be virtually unplayable. For a first instrument, a newer unit with a simpler mechanism may be a wiser choice...JMHO.

Stone Preston wrote:Hey Guys,

New member here. I've been looking to get into pedal steel for the past 2 months or so and have been scouring the classifieds and local craigslist with no luck. I am a college student and my budget is pretty small compared to what most of the instruments I've seen have been going for.

Id prefer not to spend over $1600 for the steel/volume pedal. I've seen Stage One mentioned a lot however they are not currently accepting new orders and I have not found any used.

I found this GFI student model on Sam Ashe for 1450. That puts it right in my budget. Has anyone played this guitar? From what I have read GFI makes solid guitars. Its a student model but it does have 3 pedals and 4 levers.

http://www.samash.com/gfi-musical-instr ... -gs10sm4kx

I would prefer to save some money and get a used Stage One but havent been able to come across any so this might be my next best bet.

For the price you are wanting to spend you could purchase an older MSA in good working condition. A true pro guitar that will more than likely outlive you !

Modern Pro model GFI here: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=316826

I have a GFI S-10 SM. They stay in tune, sound reasonably good and they're an excellent guitar for a beginner. Mine only has 2 knee levers so I would like to upgrade to something with 4 but for a beginner guitar they're as good as any.

David Nugent wrote::You might check your local Craigslist for used volume pedals such as an Ernie Ball or Dunlop which are normally priced in the $50.00 range and will certainly start you on your way.

I can't speak for the Dunlop, but the Ernie volume pedal I have is much too stiff for my foot on PSG. For guitar it is nearly perfect.

I had one...great guitar..you should find one for sale for considerably less than your budget..you should have enough to get a volume pedal and amp...just be patient! Might want to post in the forum wanted section.

Stone
Here is an MSA for a reasonable price 3 & 5 with pad. As mentioned, it could be heavy

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... hlight=msa

Steve

David Nugent wrote:for a beginner, tone is most likely not a prime consideration.

Well, sir, I most definitely DO NOT agree with you. If your instrument sounds good, you will play more often and be more motivated to practice. Being a novice at steel guitar doesn't mean you have a tin ear. I say find the very best sounding instrument you can possibly afford.

Steven..I agree,the tone factor comes into play if you are an intermediate or advanced player. My point was that a novice has many skills to learn when starting out so he may not have the ability to extract the best tone from even the finest sounding guitar. That skill will come from hard work and dedication. Beside, most all of the modern all pull guitars sound great and with their smoother action and ability to retain tune may promote more desire to practice than a guitar that sounds slightly better but is a bear to play and maintain. I stand by my opinion, a P/P is not the best choice for a beginning player.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=316858

One year old Stage One here! I hate to see a new player take an old heavy clunky MSA as the first guitar. Yes, they have a good history and there are tons of them out there, but they are not in the same league as newer, more modern pedal steels. That's my opinion...So shoot me

*Never mind, sold quickly. Not surprising.*

Jerry Overstreet wrote:http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=316858

One year old Stage One here!

Two good recommendations by Jerry. This one lasted 36 minutes, which is not a surprise to anyone.

Ernie Ball VP/JR is available (GC, Sweetwater), inexpensive, acceptable for steel. I have one for a backup. That pedal's jacks are in front, so use cables with right-angle 1/4" plugs.

7/8" Dunlop stainless bar avail. from the Forum Store/Accessories is fine.

Stone, welcone to the madness. It's a "nice little hobby."

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! Another forum member reached out to me via PM and offered to sell me a Stage One. Hes not too far from me and I should be picking it up sometime in the next week or two. Thanks again for all the help.

I also ordered the stage one volume pedal from Doug.

Are there any effects pedals/amplifiers I should keep an eye out for?

Congratulations! Hopefully your Stage One will work out fine for you.

I would encourage you to find an amplifier that is designed for steel guitar such as the Nashville 112 or the larger, heavier 15" Black Widow drivered Nashville 400 etc.

Others may very well work, but these Peavey steel amps have controls that deal with the critical midrange frequency associated with the steel guitar.

A popular accepted effects device is the Boss RV-3 for both delay and reverb. Another is the DD-3 for delay alone.

There are many others, of course, but these are some of the devices that are widely used and accepted by the pedal steel guitar community.

Welcome and enjoy the ride.

It is good that you ordered the volume pedal. The EB volume pedal is not as good, because the hinge is in the middle, causing your knee to rise at full volume. It is better to have the hinge farther back, not causing your knee to go up. Enjoy you new machine..........

................Pat

If you shop right to left, any Peavey with either Session, Nashville, or Vegas in the name will be a great steel amp. You can find them used from 2 to 4 hundred dollars.
Yes, there are great amps for two grand or so. But top pros still play those three hundred dollar Peaveys