The Steel Guitar Forum

Greetings...

I'm looking to get into playing pedal steel. I have played lap steel for a while, and I have been playing guitar for 13 years now. I am currently studying jazz guitar at Indiana University, and so I have confidence in myself that I will be able to get the hang of the pedal steel given I put in the work. I've been hunting around on this site for something affordable, and for a college kid with no money, a good pedal steel seems out of reach for me. I am simply writing this to see if there are some instruments or brands I am not hip to, or if anyone has any advice. Thanks!

I guess it won’t happen tomorrow but it’s possible to find good instruments that don’t cost an arm and a leg, just a leg.
Save up some money and look at a used MSA or Carter or a new GFI SM, Stage One, Zum Encore or Justice S-10 Jr.
You will need lots of patience anyway in navigating pedal steel guitar so maybe a good first step is patience in finding and affording a good one.

Hi Alex,
Finding a low price pedal steel is a tough proposition, if you want it to be something that will play well. With rare exceptions, the cheapest playable steel is likely to be 1000 dollars and up.

Have you spoken with members of the music faculty to see if there might be a PSG around locally that you could rent or borrow?

And Alex, if you find a pedal steel locally, be sure to list the details here before you buy it. A lot of experienced people here on the Forum will help you evaluate it. You want to play, right? Not rebuild.

Brief advice: save up $2000 before you shop.

Chris Brooks wrote:And Alex, if you find a pedal steel locally, be sure to list the details here before you buy it. A lot of experienced people here on the Forum will help you evaluate it. You want to play, right? Not rebuild.

Brief advice: save up $2000 before you shop.

Alex, listen to Chris. He is 100% correct, believe me I know. I purhased one from an attic at a very low price and have spent the first couple of months getting it into playable conditiion.

If it wasn't for the people on this forum I might not be playing at present....A LOT OF GOOD ADVICE abounds on this forum

Sam

Thanks everybody for your replies! I found this listing on reverb (though it’s likely going to be sold soon) and was just wondering if this is a typical price range for something like a Stage One?

https://reverb.com/item/49681700-zum-st ... t=49681700

For the sake of comparison, this is a VERY well built all pull model and they are pretty fast in filling orders. Email or call Ron. They are good people to work with. I have one and love it. http://www.justicesteelguitars.com/S10%20Jr.html

Everything on Reverb is overpriced - some laughably so.
Here's the Stage One website https://www.stageonesteelguitars.com/ currently listing new guitars at $1275 which is the best deal out there. The reason used guitars sell for more than new is that there is a wait list for a new guitar.
Search the for sale section of the forum to get a feel for prices. When you see something posted that sold fairly quickly, you'll see what a good price for that guitar is.
Prices seem to have gone up a good bit recently but you can still find Dekley's, old Sierra's, MSA's and some others for around $1500. Those are all good guitars with the general knock against them being that they are really heavy. But you're young...
Best advice, more or less already given, is save up to buy the best guitar you can reasonably afford. A stage one is a great deal because if you decide you want something "more" later, you'll easily be able to sell if for what you have in it. Maybe more.

That Justice is also a good deal.

if you're a jazz guitarist, you may want to consider a double-neck or 12-string Universal as most jazz steel is done using the C6 tuning or "back neck"

Brian Hollands wrote:Everything on Reverb is overpriced - some laughably so.
Here's the Stage One website https://www.stageonesteelguitars.com/ currently listing new guitars at $1275 which is the best deal out there. The reason used guitars sell for more than new is that there is a wait list for a new guitar.
Search the for sale section of the forum to get a feel for prices. When you see something posted that sold fairly quickly, you'll see what a good price for that guitar is.
Prices seem to have gone up a good bit recently but you can still find Dekley's, old Sierra's, MSA's and some others for around $1500. Those are all good guitars with the general knock against them being that they are really heavy. But you're young...
Best advice, more or less already given, is save up to buy the best guitar you can reasonably afford. A stage one is a great deal because if you decide you want something "more" later, you'll easily be able to sell if for what you have in it. Maybe more.

That Justice is also a good deal.

Those Justice Jr's look very nice.

Alex,
The Stage One or Encore are great guitars. I adore my Encore and there are plenty of folks gigging a Stage One,/ As you've probably noticed though, he isn't accepting orders until the Fall.

Used, they generally they sell for almost what a new one costs or even more in the case of the ad you found. If you want to buy one used for a fair price, you probably have to watch the classifieds here like a HAWK. When one goes up for sale for less than retail, it typically sells in a matter of hours.

From a six-stringer's point of view the terms "affordable" and "pedal steel guitar" don't go together very well...Part of the reason is the mechanical complexity; imagine a Telecaster with ten strings and 9 Parsons-White benders.

Another part is that PSG builders tend to be as close to boutique as makes no difference, and economy of scale doesn't play much of a role. The PSG community is very small compared to the six-string community, and the major manufacturers can't make any money setting up factories to build for such a niche market.

A third factor (IMVHO) is that unlike the budget-level American Danelectro/Harmony/Kay guitars of yore, current offshore budget-level Squier/Epiphone/PRS-SE/Gretsch-Electromatics, et cetera are visually almost identical to their USA counterparts at a fraction of the price. Who's going to want to pay 2 to 3 times as much for what looks like the same thing? That economy-mindset (again IMVHO) has permeated the 6 string culture,and tends to cause some sticker-shock when one encounters the realities of the PSG market. It's roughly equivalent to expecting a Piper Cherokee to retail at the price point of a Hyundai Elantra.

I had a Stage One, and it was a great introduction to the PSG. But I'd definitely buy from a forum member, rather than Reverb. I've bought two guitars here, and both transactions were flawlessly completed by super helpful, caring players.

Just be ready to jump quickly; inexpensive models go FAST, so check the site at least daily. Also, be prepared to pay via cashier's check, as a lot of folks don't take PayPal or Venmo. And budget for shipping, which can be high.

Finally, don't settle for a guitar with fewer than 3 pedals and 4 knees, or you'll soon be shopping for an upgrade.

Best of luck, and be patient -- your guitar is out there!

Dave Hopping wrote:From a six-stringer's point of view the terms "affordable" and "pedal steel guitar" don't go together very well...Part of the reason is the mechanical complexity; imagine a Telecaster with ten strings and 9 Parsons-White benders.

Another part is that PSG builders tend to be as close to boutique as makes no difference, and economy of scale doesn't play much of a role. The PSG community is very small compared to the six-string community, and the major manufacturers can't make any money setting up factories to build for such a niche market.

A third factor (IMVHO) is that unlike the budget-level American Danelectro/Harmony/Kay guitars of yore, current offshore budget-level Squier/Epiphone/PRS-SE/Gretsch-Electromatics, et cetera are visually almost identical to their USA counterparts at a fraction of the price. Who's going to want to pay 2 to 3 times as much for what looks like the same thing? That economy-mindset (again IMVHO) has permeated the 6 string culture,and tends to cause some sticker-shock when one encounters the realities of the PSG market. It's roughly equivalent to expecting a Piper Cherokee to retail at the price point of a Hyundai Elantra.

Those are all very good comparisons. It's a tough pill to swallow when one is a guitarrist/bassist playing one of the cheapest musical instruments to produce at scale.

One comparison I thought of recently is that in reality, buying a pedal steel is like buying virtually any orchestral (brass or string) instrument, except that there is no real cheap/disposable "Beginner/child" market and you have to jump right into "Intermediate". The prices we pay for a good playable steel guitar would be entirely unsurprissing (perhaps even seem affordable) to anyone who has ever purchased a classical string instrument, horn, or woodwind instrument for a serious high-school musician.

$1-2 thousand is the very bottom of the market for most folks looking to buy a non-guitar gigging instrument. I found a crazy good deal from a friend, but even my basic Englehardt plywood doublebass (the cheapest USA upright you could buy) is $1500 now!

You might want to contact steelguitarcanada.com. Al makes a guitar called the Brisco Bud at $1995.00CDN which is a pretty good deal in USD.
Checkout the videos of Al playing the guitar.
1995 CDN is about 1570 USD.
https://www.steelguitarcanada.com/

There is a Stage One package deal available in the forum for sale section. Comes with guitar, amp, seat, etc.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=378711

PM sent

To the OP - in all seriousness - what is your budget? In other words, what is the absolute maximum you can scrape together, by hook or by crook?

IMHO - forget about 'packages'. You don't need a special amp, a special seat, a special bar, or a special set of picks. A cheap, clean-sounding amp, any stool or seat of the correct height - most people have something in their own home that will suffice, or can find something for cheap at a local store - a thumb pick, 2 or 3 Dunlop finger picks, and a Dunlop bullet bar for a total not exceeding $100, and probably more like $50-60, can get you started. In fact, since you're a guitar player, your guitar amp will probably suffice just fine. Call it a total of $20-40 for accessories. Focus on the pedal steel. A crappy one will make you wish you never did it. Cosmetics don't matter as long as it stays in tune, pedals and levers go to pitch when engaged and return to pitch when released.

I faced this issue back in the mid 1970s. The crappiest Sho Bud Maverick I could find in 1974 was $425 ($2564 in 2022 dollars). My first car in 1975 (a 1961 Pontiac Tempest) cost $150 (about $900 in 2022 dollars). You can probably guess where this is going .... I got the car and started playing pedal steel around 2000. When you consider inflation, things are much better. But I figure you will need to scrape together around $1000 for a decent steel, and I suggest more if you can find a way to wing it. A Justice Pro Jr. with 2 pedals and 1 lever is $995, and that's probably as good a place to start as any. If you can afford a bit more, extra pedals or levers (any combination) are $150 apiece. And that is a solid all-pull pedal steel with a 3-raise, 2-lower changer. The only risk you take with a steel like that is that you might just not like playing pedal steel and will have to sell it, and you can probably then get most if not all your money back.

This is really not that complicated these days. Do you wanna play pedal steel? If so, you need to belly up a little bit of cash - the cost of a fairly middle-of-the-road electric or acoustic guitar - not some piece of junk, but a decent guitar.

Some values in used professional-grade pedal steels - BMI, MSA, Dekley are the obvious choices to me. They appear here on the forum for around a grand to $1500 periodically. But I think that Justice Jr. is pretty hard to beat for a new steel.

Good advice (as usual) from Dave. I would add all pull Marlen as a good bang for the buck.

I started on a Sho-Bud Pro II Custom... great Steel Guitar no question BUT it's a beast to haul around because in the case it is easily heavier than a Twin Reverb, LOL.

This past November I got a Stage One pedal steel from Doug Earnest in Branson, MO and couldn't be happier. Plays & sounds great and stays in tune. I have Doug's standard Stage One with 3 pedals and 4 knee levers. I'd say it weighs 35 to 40 pounds in the case. As mentioned by Brian Holland the 2022 price is $1275 and there is a wait... if you don't want to wait it may be worth your while to try and find one used.

Happy Hunting!

Find the money and get something that you don't need to tinker with. Or skip it. You are not going to find any secret great deals. Budget around $1500/$2000 if you are serious.

Alex Turner wrote:Thanks everybody for your replies! I found this listing on reverb (though it’s likely going to be sold soon) and was just wondering if this is a typical price range for something like a Stage One?

https://reverb.com/item/49681700-zum-st ... t=49681700

On Reverb do a search, then ignore the listings for now - click the "filters" box , scroll down and check the "sold items" box.

Then you'll e actual prices buyers PAID. Listing prices can be ridiculously high, and you need to do research & get a handle on which lower-priced steel are good and which suck - and what they SELL for.

DON'T be in a hurry!! Virtually every impatient, hurried steel buyer gets stuck with either a crappy steel model or a decent model that's so thrashed it will cost as much to repair it as the purchase price! I've been there and know 2 dozen others that went thru the same thing!

IMPORTANT - Don't ask for "reasonably priced" steel recommendations. Thee is no such thing Reasonable to me is $2,000; you might think $1000!

And if you live near a steel service shop (or person) add $100-200 to your budget to have it set up, cleaned (many are gunked up with old oil or slightly jammed with hardened lubricants)and adjusted to your liking; if you don't live close add at lest $250 for 2-way shipping to the service price.

Only about 20% of the lower-priced steels sold on reverb re in good playing shape unless sold by a reputable steel shop most are sold by guitar stores that know little or frustrated beginners that are selling a POS steel that frustrated THEM!

You will pay a premium for a nicely adjusted, set up steels - but things like pedal height (because you need to rock between them) and tension; knee lever "rest" position; and overall height should be worked out WITH you by a steel mechanic - and it can be done by phone.

But just buying a first steel and trying to learn on it "out of the box"rarely works out well!

Good luck!

I would definately check into the Justice steels. The Jr model is a great steel for an extremely reasonable price. I have one and actually have another one coming soon, that is tuned to C6th pedal. I have played mine out a lot and people are really amazed at the sound of it...and its not my playing for sure ! I have never had any problems with it and if you want to add more pedals or knee levers later you can do it. Ron Anderson and Fred Justice are great people to deal with...

http://justicesteelguitars.com/

Alex, it would probably if you could get with someone local that already plays steel. They could answer a lot of your questions. Here is a link to an old thread with some Indiana steelers;
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 3df073854f
Good luck.

couple more links:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 387e952da4

https://steelguitarforum.com/Archives/A ... 06594.html

Check out Jackson. They have some well built inexpensive options that are solid and play well.

Hey Alex,

Check this one out... https://www.briscosteelguitars.com/