A Hello

[Rick Rienks]

I just wanted to say “Hello” to one and all. After a lifetime in entertainment, I have reached a point where my hands are giving me trouble on the guitar neck so I decided to try to slide guitar. Recently I found a good deal on a 1961 SUPRO Comet lap steel. Looking to gain more knowledge and skill I signed up here. I knew there were a lot of great players out there from watching the videos. This resource is valuable for us all and I thank you all for your openness and contributions to the advance of the skills needed for this most beautiful instrument. The back issues of the magazines were great and will be read through as I learn from them.

[Brad Bechtel]

Welcome, Rick! Feel free to ask questions, or to search this section for many previous discussions and suggestions. I hope you enjoy it here!

[Gerald K. Robbins]

Hello back,
As another old guy new to steel I can agree that there are great players and good advice here at SGF.

I've not been pro, but still, 25 years with guitar, and 35 with banjo, and now 4 months with steel, that puts me at 75
and just starting out with something new to me.

IMO no matter how old or what the challenge, having something new helps make life worth it.

gkentr

[David Case]

Hi Rick, Yet another old guy trying to learn a new trick here! A bad hand, too. Go figure. I think there's a few of us out there. I'm looking at a Supro (allegedly 50s vintage) for sale on facebook. I did a search on the pedal steel forum and your listing came up. I'm wondering, how has that Supro worked out for you? I know nothing about these instruments!

[Tony Oresteen]

Welcome Rick!

I too am an old guy learning this art called steel guitar. May I suggest you that you invest in some teaching materials? There are a number of members here that have excellent material. I'd suggest you star with the C6 tuning and material that includes backing tracks/examples that you can hear & follow.

I stared with Doug Beaumier's C6 books & tracks. There are others here that have great materials as well but I started with Doug's C6 books.

Good luck on your journey!

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha Rick,

I'm glad that you have found the forum useful. It's a very helpful resource.

The cool thing about steel is that is still a very young instrument with lots of territory yet to explore.

But it's also somewhat of an unpopular mainstream instrument despite its influence. I'm glad that people are still discovering steel all around the world.

I'm grateful for the forum as well, because it allows us to connect.

I wish you many hours of fulfilling discovery. Music itself is a fun puzzle to unlock, and the steel is a very simple instrument that forces you to conceptualize music in a different, but very helpful way.

Enjoy!

[Rick Rienks]

Hi Rick, Yet another old guy trying to learn a new trick here! A bad hand, too. Go figure. I think there's a few of us out there. I'm looking at a Supro (allegedly 50s vintage) for sale on facebook. I did a search on the pedal steel forum and your listing came up. I'm wondering, how has that Supro worked out for you? I know nothing about these instruments!

Hello David,
I looked and found several responses, then decided to try to reply. What do you know, here I am. So the Supro I have took some familiarization since I received it with what seemed to be an Open E tuning. I had a small practice amp but would often fool around with it unamped to avoid making my wife crazy. Dry or in the small amp, neither prepared me for the sound I would get when i plugged it into my “Tube Driver 100 W/reverb &etc” amp.

Goodness me! What a strong pick-up. It had a Bakelite cover over the pick-up. Removing that I saw a plate covering the string path. It has holes for screwdriver access to the slotted pole pieces. This may be a1961 model. The tuners were a mess so I replaced them with locking tuners with a more favorable gear ratio. The headstock is thicker than conventional guitars so there is little room for very many windings. The locking tuners only nee a wrap and a half so that worked out well. With a bit finer tuning and minimal chance of slippage, it holds tune well. This is a pristine instrument and I continue to work towards developing the skill it deserves. So in short, and after looking at what others are doing with their instruments, what ever you start with, enjoy it and practice your scales. Your hands and ears will learn where the good notes hide. Best of times ahead. Rick

[David Case]

Hi Rick - thanks for your informative reply. Great stuff! You're clearly a handy tinkerer. Funny thing, I'm a serial renovator of old houses. From re-wiring to some pretty good finish carpentry, and all kinds of finagling. But my courage kind of fails me when I get to the instruments. Beyond some pretty basic stuff, I'm afraid to mess 'em up! So my take-away from your message is to maybe avoid something like the vintage Supro for the time being. So I do appreciate your replay. Too bad, since it sounds like you're getting some great sound - and having some fun! I think I'm going to order up one of these SX lap steels from Rondo music. They have the legs and everything so I can hopefully get used to sitting at the console and work on the picking.

"Your hands and ears will learn where the good notes hide." Ha! I love that. Thanks. Lord knows, those clams come jumping out all over the place.

All the best to you.

Dave