The Steel Guitar Forum

An old thread from another forum that I happened on...not to dunk on the original poster, but I remember my younger days thinking that gear was the solution to every musical problem:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/sho ... d-hawaiian

Synopsis: Guy thinks that if he finds the right pickup, his normal fretted Strat will sound Hawaiian like Jerry Byrd. Funny thread (although if someone invents a pickup that will do that, let me know!).

That reads like a a roomful of 2nd graders discussing where babies come from.

I think Jerry Byrd's own words say it all... "If you can play, it doesn't matter what guitar you use. If you can't play, it doesn't matter what guitar you use."

It's been proven over and over again. A good player will sound good on any adequate guitar. And a poor player will sound poor on any guitar.

Darn - I thought I was going to learn about a magical pickup!

Indeed Jerry Byrd said it.... "If you can play, it doesn't matter what guitar you use. If you can't play, it doesn't matter what guitar you use."

Nothing more true could be said and thats a fact, but I can't help wishing I had a switch with these five positions;
Byrd, Emmons, Day, Joaquin, Speedy

That is the funniest thread I have read in a long, long time. Obviously the OP should learn that slant steel..... THEN he will sound like Jerry Byrd

But it is true that certain guitars have an exceptional tone that enhances the playing experience.

Kidding aside.
While it's true that the instrument does not make the player...
The steel that improved my playing was when I got my Clinesmith aluminum lap steel last July.
The tone is so wonderful and the sustain is incredible to the point I play it every day now. It is just because of that wonderful instrument that I'm getting better day by day.
While it may be an expensive instrument it has been worth every penny.
I'll never be as good as the steel picking greats, at least now I am becoming a proficient player and learning more and more each day.
Clinesmith, worth the price and worth the wait.

Sort of the inversion of your scenario...the instrument that has helped me improve the most has not been my 50s Stringmaster, as fond as I am of it, but my extremely cheap old base model Morrell 6 string. The reason? It's always just there. The wife tolerates its presence in the living room and I'm constantly grabbing it and working on stuff with it. But in both scenarios its the same basic cause...what instrument makes you practice more? The Clinesmith inspires you to play it more by its tone, similar to how just the sheer convenience and presence of my cheap lap steel has me practicing more than I would otherwise.