To pad or not to pad?

Charley Paul · Post by **Charley Paul** » 20 Oct 2018 11:52 am

Hi all,

Iâ€™m wondering about peopleâ€™s preference of having a steel with a pad or without? Iâ€™m about to buy my first steel and am wondering if I should get one with or without a pad? I like the idea of a pad, but am not sure if is actually something I want since I am a new steel player?

Thanks for you opinions!

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 20 Oct 2018 12:06 pm

Charley Paul wrote:Thanks for you opinions!

Okay. No pad. Just in the way and promote poor playing posture IMO. MOF, if I were just playing a single 10, I wouldn't want or need a double wide body, although some makers only build SD10's...no S10's. Derby guitars were that way. I built the last few dozen pads for Charlie.

Though I currently play D10's, all my single neck and Universal 12 and 14 guitars were all on a single frame.

Also, if I paid upwards of 3K for a new guitar, I sure wouldn't want to stick a vinyl pad on it, all due respect.

Here's an earlier thread on the subject. https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... c&start=50

Ultimately, people are going to do what they want, so these discussions are generally without conclusions.

Johnie King · Post by **Johnie King** » 20 Oct 2018 12:28 pm

I like a wrist pad only like this shelf slips on storage under neath shelf.
[img]https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix ... B5E1_1.jpg[/img

Kevin Fix · Post by **Kevin Fix** » 20 Oct 2018 4:24 pm

No pad for me. Watch the master. Lloyd Green on his LDG.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 23 Oct 2018 5:14 am

If you want the lightness and compactness of an S10, it's a non-issue. Therefore, I think the real choice is either an SD-10 (double-body) or an S-10 (single-body). The overwhelming majority of SD-10s have a pad, and I can't think of any pro player who plays an SD-10 with no pad.

Johnie King · Post by **Johnie King** » 23 Oct 2018 6:32 am

Cowboys Plays S12 no pad. Zane plays s10 an s12 no pad. The sd10 has
The advantages of better knee leaver placement in my opinion.

Hugo Knef · Post by **Hugo Knef** » 23 Oct 2018 7:03 am

Charley, my williams that you said you were interested in has the minipad on it. It can
Easily be removed with 3 screws. Thatâ€™s how I was playing it. I found that
The pad affected my bar hand angle making it harder
To lift the bar. Maybe this is not so much a problem
With sd-10 as the deck is lower where the c6 neck would go.

Dennis Montgomery · Post by **Dennis Montgomery** » 23 Oct 2018 8:43 am

Definitely a pad for me. Been dealing with tendonitis for many years and playing without a pad (my Fender 400) makes my playing sessions much shorter than my padded Mullen SD-12 where I can practice pretty much all day

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 23 Oct 2018 4:28 pm

My S10 is big, heavy and awkward enough for me already so I don't want to add anything else to it!

Charley Bond · Post by **Charley Bond** » 24 Oct 2018 5:16 pm

The Chocolate & Vanilla syndrome is back. I like the pad, but getting old made me split my gear. The guitar is in one bag & the other stuff in another.

I bought another Sierra & then wanted a Pad, so I made one.

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 24 Oct 2018 6:45 pm

No pad for me but if your in doubt affix the pad with Velcro or double sided tape for a trial run (unless it's a lacquer finish).

Norbert Dengler · Post by **Norbert Dengler** » 25 Oct 2018 11:43 am

if I want a pad I sit down on my sofa

W. C. Edgar · Post by **W. C. Edgar** » 25 Oct 2018 12:18 pm

If you ever plan on graduating up to a D-10 go for the pad.
It will teach you to rest your arms on it like you will on a D-10.
Otherwise without one your elbows will drop and you'll be beginning with a bad habit.
Ask someone who plays for a living and not the guys who are bedroom players or seldom play out.
Good luck!

Steve Leal · Post by **Steve Leal** » 25 Oct 2018 1:58 pm

I find that single necks with pads typically weigh more and feel more solidly planted when playing. If guitar is too light weight, it can shift when using knee levers.

Also, the more weight and planted, the better the guitar will probably resonate.

With Pad vote for me.

Ed Boyd · Post by **Ed Boyd** » 25 Oct 2018 2:04 pm

The S10 I'm gigging with now has no pad. I thought I would want one after only playing D10s. But I'm fine with no pad. I like the S10 as is.

Bobby D. Jones · Post by **Bobby D. Jones** » 26 Oct 2018 9:45 pm

I have built pad for 2 of my steels. One for my MSA S10 with a like 3/4 body on it. And 1 for My GFI 12S U. I like a pad to anchor my wrist so I have better control of my fingers. That dead space along the key head is a good place to make a place to put bars and picks. With the 12 key head on this MSA S10 gave room for my steel bar and nylon (Do-Bro) bar a safe place to rest in easy access.

It is comfortable not having to hold my arm unsupported all the time while I play. Just an old mans way to save an arm cramp.

Marco Schouten · Post by **Marco Schouten** » 27 Oct 2018 9:50 am

I don't need a pad, but I need a double body. Knee lever placement is much more flexible.

Paul Pearson · Post by **Paul Pearson** » 28 Oct 2018 5:10 am

I have sd 10 & a s10 I dont need a pad knee lever placement is better on the sd 10 but I find myself liking the s 10 more & more

Johnie King · Post by **Johnie King** » 16 Jan 2019 6:24 am

Brooks Montgomery · Post by **Brooks Montgomery** » 16 Jan 2019 11:22 am

I've been really happy with this 3M gel pad. It's not fastened down, the plastic back side just grips my Bud's wood, never moves. I lift it off and lay it in the case. I know a lot of steel Jedi's say no to the pad, but on my Bud,
I play better with the pad (which is not saying much!).
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Leatherette-A ... +pad+25%22

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 16 Jan 2019 12:10 pm

The issue for me on a single-neck guitar isn't "pad or no pad"... it's a matter of wanting a double-width body no matter what.

* This means the knee levers can be mounted further back
* meaning you can position your seat further back
* meaning you can stretch your legs out a bit more
* meaning you can hold your feet in that cocked-back position for extended periods of time with less discomfort.

Try it where you are sitting now. Sit with your left foot just a bit forward of your knee. Now cock your foot back hovering in the air and hold it. That's your S-10 position, waiting to step on the pedals.

Now, slide your foot forward about 5 inches. Hold that for a minute. Notice that it is more comfortable to hold your foot in this position... the one you have with an SD-10 or D-10. A double-width body is more comfortable for me, so I'll accept the additional five pounds of weight as part of the trade-off.

As for the pad, the idea that it automatically leads to poor form is a false flag. If that's true, than having a C6 neck on the back leads to poor form, and for the same reason. Most of the world's great players lightly rest their arm on it when playing E9, at least some of the time.

I would go further and argue that having a light anchor for a forearm might improve picking accuracy for some. You just want to be sure and not get your arm into an immobile, locked-in position since you need to be deftly moving your hand up and back as you move to different string groupings. So briefly alighting on the pad for a short passage is better than digging in and permanently leaning on the pad, in my opinion. Locking the arm in position is the enemy.

Patrick Sullivan · Post by **Patrick Sullivan** » 16 Jan 2019 2:41 pm

So Charley Paul,

What did you decide?

Duane Reese · Post by **Duane Reese** » 17 Jan 2019 8:32 pm

How big is your vehicle's cargo space? Because if you don't have a whole lot of trunk space, you'll wish you had an S-10. S-10 is also lighter, but if you do a lot of gigging, you probably should be using a dolly. There are some dandy folding dollys on the market these days, but even those are going to take up some cargo space.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 18 Jan 2019 9:41 pm

Keyless Excel mica single 12 w/8+9. No pad. No knee lever placement issues. No unnecessary lumber. No ballast needed for stability. Breaks down into what looks like a tenor sax case. If you're a size XXL body type, or just into the "steel guitar as fancy furniture" meme, I get it. But me - I'm traveling light.

Tim LeBlanc · Post by **Tim LeBlanc** » 21 Oct 2020 7:43 am

Iâ€™m going to give that gel pad a try.

Brooks Montgomery wrote:

I've been really happy with this 3M gel pad. It's not fastened down, the plastic back side just grips my Bud's wood, never moves. I lift it off and lay it in the case. I know a lot of steel Jedi's say no to the pad, but on my Bud,
I play better with the pad (which is not saying much!).
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Leatherette-A ... +pad+25%22

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Looks good Brooks