The Steel Guitar Forum

Just an observence here. I just saw a thread where a "'sposta' be" professional Nashville player only has one steel guitar.

I know hundreds of non-professional players that have several guitars. Do you have to have a reason to own more than one? I can think of several. After all, there are many reasons to own steel guitars, like the love you have for them, different guitars for different occations and purposes, investment,(Bigsby, Sho-Bud, Emmons P-Ps, etc. were and are great investments)

If you making a living with a steel guitar, you'd better have more than one, and this goes for amps also, maybe even more so. A player that can fix his guitar and get through a night, can't fix a blown amp.

Yep, I just can't understand a professional steel player that's raising a family, paying kids through school, making house and car payments, along with 100% of expendable income, depending on only one steel guitar.

It would be like flying across the Atlantic ocean in an airplane with only one engine, having one pair of pants, a car with no spare tire on a trip to Alaska, huh?
Most families have more than one car, and a motorcycle or boat.

You pros owe it two your family to have a way out if you lose a guitar, no matter how you lose use of it. It's the guitar that's buying everything else in the pro's life.

I know, I know most of you DO have several, but if you pretend to be a pro, you better have more than one.

In this day and time, it is pretty near impossible to lose money on a well cared for steel guitar if you buy and sell wisely, so why not have several, they will make you money in several different ways.

Investing in steel guitars is a great, usable way to "store" money and keep you working at the same time.

Now, how about some comments?

Bobbe
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 01 June 2006 at 12:42 PM.]</p></FONT><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 01 June 2006 at 12:45 PM.]</p></FONT>

and if you need another one theres no better place to get one than from bobbieeeeeeeee

I have a Mullen RP, Emmons PP, and a ZB

cause they all play and look great, I cant sell one of them. I want a keyless D-10 GFI, but Bobbe never has them on his website so I can make a spur of the moment purchase.
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mike Vallandigham on 01 June 2006 at 12:59 PM.]</p></FONT>

Spoken like a true retail steel guitar dealer!

There's no question that a pro should have more than one guitar. Think of the popular acoustic member of the steel guitar family, the dobro: Resonator guitar master Jerry Douglas reportedly owns more than 50 instruments.

It probably comes down to funds and a very understanding wife, if you're married, when it comes to part-time gigging steelers and amateur players.

I think some amateurs own 10 different steels, and sell three each year and acquire three new ones to replace those sold because G.A.S. is sort of like being addicted to a drug like cocaine.

After the bag has been snorted up, the cokehead is on the phone to the dealer to find some more.

Thrill of the chase kind've thing.

One thing I 've noticed about some of those G.A.S. guys is that they don't really develop an emotional attachment to an instrument until it's gone. I wish I had a dollar on this Forum for every time I've read a post where someone writes, "I sure wish I hadn't sold that Zum" or "Fessy" or "push-pull."

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Mark
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 01 June 2006 at 01:01 PM.]</p></FONT>

Well, lets see now..I have eight pedal steels,six lap steels, nine amps, five flat tops,three electric leads, two Dobros,four fiddles,two harmonicas, three volume pedals, a black box,numerous effects pedals,three mikes, a vocal harmonizer,One Tascam recorder, four pac a seats,twelve sets of Jagwires,fourteen bars and a bunch of picks.
If and when I come into some real money I will buy some back ups for these.
I try to keep a little cash reserve because I don't want to be caught short when that Black D-10 ( Insert your favorite brand here )come by my door looking for a home.
Someday I will sell it all and buy another 195 Cessna. ha ha

Old Bud

PS: Eat your heart out Bobbe ,I know you love old airplanes too..
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Willis Vanderberg on 01 June 2006 at 01:01 PM.]</p></FONT>

Willis, you are obviously a G.A.S. (Gear Acqusition Syndrome) kind of guy - I get the part about the guitar lust...but why FOUR pac-a-seats?

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Mark

I liked the part best about where "you owe it to your family" to buy more steel guitars. Those pore, starvn' l'il BAYBEES....

Back in the days of endorsements (ie. free guitars), wasn't it quite common to have only one guitar. Wasn't there a story about Jimmy Day having his guitar sold and having to go pick up another one at the Sho~Bud factory? Or something to that effect?

Of course if you were Jimmy Day, you could just put strings on a board and get by.

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

Well, I'm not making a living playing music these days - I'm a college teacher. But I do gig a fair amount, and have 4 steels (1-Zum, 2-BMI, 1-Sierra), not to mention an old rack and barrel Bud on the way. I've had a couple of push pulls - still looking for the right one for me. Bobbe, that '66 bolt-on looks mighty attractive, even to someone who is mostly playing universal.

If I'm gigging at all, at the very least, I need one packed up for gigs and one set up in my music room. If there isn't one set up to play, lots of short but useful practice opportunities slip by.

As far as G.A.S. goes, well, I spent quite a while as a vintage guitar dealer. I fight it one day at a time, but, well, I have a few guitars and b@njers too. I won't go into the gory details.

I'm cutting down and just sold a 66 Emmons so you know I mean it. I'm down to only two pedal steels and that's it from now on. There's one Dobro, one D-8 Stringmaster, one Marrs RGS and one cheap six string lap I use for r/r. There's four amps and I'll always keep that many. I may trade one here or there but for what I do, I use all of them. There's a number of Boss effects and only one processor. I sold the other one so that's it for me. I've got two sets of drums including a 66 set of Ludwigs I bought new and a bunch of excellent Zildgian cymbals all with stands and all the hardware I need. I only wish I had more room. One whole room of the house is only music gear so you see what I mean about cutting back.

Never receive any money for playing, mostly church band - but have a new farmer's market/coffee shop/evening on the town green band as a work in progress.

1 pedal steel, 1 lap steel, 2 squareneck resonators, 1 acoustic, 1 electric, 2 amps.

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Mark

Well, for me personally, I normally keep two guitars. A S-12U and a S-10D. I usually swap them in and out when one needs strings changed. I sell and trade quite a lot through my steel shop. This gives me the chance to look at and work on several different brands. I try to keep around 30 guitars in stock but lately that's been hard to do. As far as amps go, I keep a NV-400, Session 500 and a FSK all the time. For steel seats. I have two. One at wherever I'm playing and one here in the shop. Peterson VS-II is my choice for tuners. I have two of them also. I really like the Cobra Coil strings for steel but since I'm a new GHS string dealer, I'm slowly using up the CC's and replacing them with GHS.

I have 2 Sho-Buds (Pro 111 and LDG) but I am fixing to get a 3rd steel next year. I have my eyes on an MSA Legend.

I have 3 Peavey steel amps and 3 Volume pedals just in case the unforseen happens. Bobbe's right. If you have no back up and depend on one instrument or amp, you are tempting providence.
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Ken Byng on 01 June 2006 at 02:10 PM.]</p></FONT>

My point here is this so called Nashville steeler that plays for a living and only has one guitar when I know many guys that don't play at all have several.

I don't know a standard guitar player in Nashville that has less than ten guitars, and many have more than forty.

I know one older gentelman in the far north that plays not a note, and owns six new steel guitars. D-10s. He loves them.

Then there is a wonderful friend in TX. that owns twelve first generation Emmons P-P guitars, and one unplayed new Sho-Bud LDG. I don't know what he does for a living, but he won't lose any money on what he bought. I don't know how understanding his wife is, but she's gonna' be rich,--------- someday!
Bobbe



<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 01 June 2006 at 02:21 PM.]</p></FONT>

When I was a professional steel guitarist, one pedal steel was all I could afford. Now that I'm out of the business, I have three!

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<font size="1"><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b2005.gif" width="78 height="78">Bobby Lee (a.k.a. b0b) - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Williams D-12 E9, C6add9, Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop S-8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6 or A6)   My Blog </font>

Bobbe, I ain't no pro, can't even play very good, but I only have one steel, one amp. One of most things. I probably wouldn't even have this GFI if Bobby Hicks hadn't given it to me. Oh, I do have two MXR Dynacomps.

I have been playing for 60 years. I still play three times a week and I have never owned more than one steel at a time. My first PSG was A new Sho-Bud Professional D-10, 8 + 4 that I played for 27 years and it got to heavy. I have been playing a new HWP Mullen D-10, 8 + 4 for 7 plus years now and still have no need for more than one PSG. I have never had one break any thing or go bad. If you use the best why have something you can't trust? Just fooling of course! I would like to have a couple more but at 72 plus years who has the time.

Lloyd Green has never been one to own a lot of guitars, I think he's back up to 2 now. And he's done ok.Not as well as some who own 6 or 8 guitars.But he's scratched out a living I guess.

Four: Emmons SD-10 Legrande-II, Dekley SD-10, Dekley SD-10(student), Dekley D10.
Maybe buy a Bud when the time is right...
Guess I'm trying to compensate by using quantity to make up for lack of quality? <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 01 June 2006 at 03:13 PM.]</p></FONT>

Bobbe, I've got a harem of pedal steels, electric and acoustic laps and love them all equally: D-10s: two Zumsteel, a Kline, a Mullen, and a ZB D11, and am in the process of acquiring an Excel S-10 (nice and light) from Billy Carr. Two Style 1 National tricones (one from Jon Zimmerman) two Ricki Bakelites (one from Bob Hoffnar)and a Silver Hawaiian, one round neck Dobro and another no name Squareneck Dobro. All the steels were purchased off The Forum (Thanks, b0b).

The steels are spread out between North Dakota, , China and Thailand, so I don't have to move them around when travelling. yes, I have a pretty understanding wife. b0b, I even have an Ibanez Artist banjo (from Larry Behm), something dear to your heart, right? steve t

What a funny thread.

Bobby, Lloyd has always had at least two guitars, plus he always knew that I have a store full that he could use if needed,(six miles away) and Duane would also help him anyway he could (five miles away).

Like Lloyd, If a person is nice to everyone in this town, he can have all the help and assistence he needs. So Lloyd doesn't really need a lot of guitars, he's a great guy, besides, no more than he plays and considering how tiny his little house is, he really only has room for one.
Poor Lloyd, he has our best wishes,(ha! is this ever silly!)
I love your humor Mr. Boggs! Just had to join in.
I know I have an email coming from LLG on this one!
Bobbster

Dave Potter, you are correct! Funny stuff.




It's not how well you play or how big a star you think you are, it really just comes down to how nice you are!<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 01 June 2006 at 03:36 PM.]</p></FONT>

BOBBE, with your 1949 fender i have four steels and six amps. also need you to check two e mails i sent you. DONNY

Donny, thanks to you I have one less guitar! I really love that ole' Fender.

NOW, what emails? Oh yea, the Fender cases, I do have an original one if you want it, or I can make you a new one, the choice is yourn! Yep, yourn!

Bobbster