The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi everyone, are there any good starter psg for under $1000 these days? Seems like prices on everything are skyrocketing! I’m looking for a S-10. Appreciate any advice and I apologize if this has been covered on other threads!

As far as I’m aware, the only builder making anything under 1k would be Justice. http://justicesteelguitars.com/S10.html

GFI 'SM-10' with two levers runs right around $1000.00.

I check at sites like Reverb, Craigslist, EBay, OfferUp, AmericanListed, Shoppok. Mostly used.

You can still score a Carter Starter for around $800; there's one on Ebay right now. It's not a pro instrument, but it's more than enough to get you started...or make you quit, depending on your perseverance.

A little more than a grand, but by all accounts the best “starter” out there:

www.stageonesteelguitars.com

The easiest to order and not have to wait so long are the Justice and the GFI mentioned above. The best deal is the Stage One, and the wait time is longer. Used Craig's, Ebay, Reverb is over priced Krapperoo. I don't think the forum has had more than 3 or 4 in that price range in the last couple YEARs. Carter Starter seems to work for some people, but I would never recommend one to a friend.

I would just hang loose for an older model professional grade guitar that may need a little work. You'll have something that you can play for a longer period of time in the learning process and keep it's resale value.

I agree with Dennis.

If you ask 100 people, you'll get close to 100 different opinions on this. And as the market changes, especially as prices go up, advice will change too.

There are lots of threads on this. Here are a few - this first one has lots of links to others:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=377146

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=331436

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=331436

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=379557

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=351993

Right now, if I was looking for a lower-priced S10 pedal steel - unless I found something like a nice used BMI, Dekley, Sierra, MSA, or Carter (good luck now with prices as they are) in the sub-$1500 range, I'd probably go with the Justice Jr. The 3-raise/3-lower all-pull changer is a bargain for the money, IMO. The Stage One is also a very good guitar, but as far as I know, availability is limited right now. You would have a hard time going wrong with a new Stage One.

As far as resale goes - I think the good starter guitars have good resale. I have actually seen people asking (and I think getting) more than the price of a new Stage One, owing to the limited supply.

The other issue with getting an older, used guitar is that there may be mechanical issues. Unless you can have someone who knows the drill evaluate it, it is not hard to get burned, even from a well-intentioned seller. Of course, if you're seriously mechanically inclined and understand mechanisms, and want to spend your initial time working on the guitar instead of playing, that can work in your favor. But I really think the most important thing is to get a guitar that you can immediately put intense focus on playing. I think the main issues are tuning stability, changes correctly going to pitch and correctly returning, and fitting you ergonomically.

Dennis Detweiler wrote:I would just hang loose for an older model professional grade guitar that may need a little work. You'll have something that you can play for a longer period of time in the learning process and keep it's resale value.

Be careful with this advice. Fixing older steels or just assessing their condition is no joke and if you can't do the work yourself, you can quickly end up well past a grand. Plus, there are places in the country where the nearest repair for old steel guitars are 4± hours away.

Far better IMHO to spend a bit more than a grand on a good quality new or recent production steel that you can start playing right away with no hassle. Even new instruments in the $1-1.5k range hold their value pretty well because there's always someone looking to get into steel for around a thousand bucks.

If you ask the same question with a $2000 budget cap, you will find so many more positive answers. While you might get lucky, a typical $1000 pedal steel is going to have a lot in common with a $1000 used car.

Karl Paulsen wrote: Far better IMHO to spend a bit more than a grand on a good quality new or recent production steel that you can start playing right away with no hassle.

Absolutely. Buying a $1000 used PSG that won't stay in tune or has hidden mechanical issues will end your journey to learn pedal steel faster than any challenge you may run into actually learning how to play a solid instrument

In 2017 I was in your position. I was set on getting a Sho-Bud Maverick 6138 entry PSG as I had one in 1973-74 and sold it while in college.

The folks here advised me not to buy a Maverick so I bought a used '72 Sho-Bud 6139 S10 that needed work instead. Ultimately I had it serviced and added a 4th pedal and 3 more knee levers making it a 4 + 4 steel. I am extremely happy with my Sho-Bud today but with the repairs and mods I spent $2,000+.

Having a PSG serviced is not cheap. Each PSG changer runs $500+ for labor depending where you live. Add $100 for parts, more if you add a knee lever etc. If you ship a steel guitar to a repair shop allow for $150 each way. That brings the cost to around $900 to fix a $1,000 guitar. I live a bit south of Atlanta GA and I drive 5 1/2 hours EACH way to have my PSG serviced by Kelcey O'Neil in South Carolina. Right now Kelcey has my D10 Marlin that he is repairing. It has two PSG changers so do the math. It is not cheap but I think it is worth it.

My advice is to buy the best PLAYABLE S10 3+4 you can find that has been serviced (or very young) AND has all the pedals & knee levers you want. You are saving $900 by not buying a PSG that needs service. So by spending $2000+ you are getting a much better guitar. Prices are going up on PSGs as you noted. That means that in a year if you decide to sell you PSG, you will get more for it than you will spend today to get a decent PSG. It's a no-risk asset purchase.

If you still want to get a $1,000 PSG, it will NOT play like a pro S10 costing $2500+. Get the best S10 PSG you can find NOW and enjoy making music.

Also, get a proper PSG SEAT! You need a "chair" that is 20 or 21" high. I just bought a new one from Steelers Choice after suffering with a 19" house chair with two pillows on it. There are other makers of PSG seats so check them all out before you make a choice. Consider a PSG seat a necessity! Budget $350 + for a new seat. Watch the classified here as used seats pop up regularly.

Good luck in your quest.

Colin Swinney wrote:As far as I’m aware, the only builder making anything under 1k would be Justice. http://justicesteelguitars.com/S10.html

Including a case!!
Really I don’t understand how it can be this cheap

Colin Swinney wrote:As far as I’m aware, the only builder making anything under 1k would be Justice. http://justicesteelguitars.com/S10.html

With a 3 x 4 config it's $1600 and that is a great price for a NEW PSG w/case.

P.M sent

p.w

Regarding steel seat, I was pretty happy for a few years with a cheap adjustable folding keyboard bench that could get up to a good height. But once I upgraded to real steel seat w/ storage there's really no going back.

IMO, if you're trying to cheap out with a starter steel for $1000, you do not need a specialized steel seat that costs in the hundreds of dollars. If you have extra money, spend it on getting the best steel you can get.

Once you get a few things figured out on a good steel, you can think about fancy accessories like premium seats, bars, and so on. You won't really know what you need until then.

Also - think about ergonomics of whatever steel you buy. Are you 'normal' height (let's say in the general median += 20% of 5'8"-5'11"), or significantly shorter or taller? It makes a difference. When I started out, I was over 6'4" (I've shrunk a bit), and couldn't cram my legs under a normal-height steel enough to work the levers. I eventually figured out how to make things fit, but it was a total mess until then. I still use an adjustable drum throne, they can be just fine.

Fessenden Steel Guitars has a 2 pedal beginner model for under $700.

https://www.fessendensteelguitars.com/guitars.html

Matthew Kresge wrote:Fessenden Steel Guitars has a 2 pedal beginner model for under $700.

https://www.fessendensteelguitars.com/guitars.html

Interesting but it is 6 strings.
Purely on paper the justice comes with a lever and 10 strings and potential to upgrade to a 3x4. That has to be worth $295

The big 6 string manufacturers don't seem (so far) to have interest in building PSGs in Communist China, so Squier/Epiphone pricing hasn't gotten to our neighborhood, and it always seems as though someone new to the pedal steel game gets at least some sticker shock...Unless they're familiar with the cost of brass and woodwinds.

Having gone the budget-steel route, I'm firmly convinced that it's better to bite the bullet and get into a full featured (3X4 at least) PSG and plan on keeping it for the long term.

John Hyland wrote:

Matthew Kresge wrote:Fessenden Steel Guitars has a 2 pedal beginner model for under $700.

https://www.fessendensteelguitars.com/guitars.html

Interesting but it is 6 strings.
Purely on paper the justice comes with a lever and 10 strings and potential to upgrade to a 3x4. That has to be worth $295

It is, but it's worth contacting them to see what a 10 string might cost. To be honest, I am a beginner and I just purchased a Justice custom lefty. A custom lefty job from Fessenden was $1200 which is a great price to get something to learn on but he was taking the winter off and I really wanted to get started in the new year so I paid a bit more and went with Justice. Fessenden is probably your best bet OP.

$1,000 is a terrible price point. It won't get the job done anymore. Just go up to $1,500 or $1,600 and you can get a brand new student 3x4 10 strings with reputable builders GFI, Stage One, Justice. I didn't know about Fessenden, had not heard anything about them for years. 10 strings, 3 pedals, 4 knee levers, new guitar should be the objective, not an artificial price point that really doesn't work any more.

Here is an example for the original poster of how many more good choices there are by going up to $1,500;




$1,500 is the new 1,000;