| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic What Was Your Main Instrument Before Steel?
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Reply to topic

What was your main instrument before you took up steel guitar?
Electric lead guitar
40%
 40%  [ 81 ]
Rhythm or acoustic guitar
17%
 17%  [ 35 ]
Bass
14%
 14%  [ 28 ]
Keyboards
2%
 2%  [ 4 ]
Drums or percussion
5%
 5%  [ 11 ]
Brass or woodwinds
2%
 2%  [ 5 ]
Violin, cello, etc.
3%
 3%  [ 7 ]
Ukulele
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Other (reply to specify)
9%
 9%  [ 18 ]
None
4%
 4%  [ 9 ]
Total Votes : 198

Author Topic:  What Was Your Main Instrument Before Steel?
b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 8:10 am    
Reply with quote

Most steel guitarists played at least one other instrument before they took up the steel guitar. I suspect that a lot of us were lead guitarists, but I'm not sure. I was a rhythm guitarist - never very good at lead.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Storm Rosson

 

From:
Silver City, NM. USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 8:50 am    
Reply with quote

I started on guitar both lead and rhythm played bass most of my "professional" life with maybe 1.5 to 2 yrs playing psg and guitar and vocals, both lead and backup Smile

Last edited by Storm Rosson on 15 Jul 2013 8:52 am; edited 1 time in total
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 8:51 am    
Reply with quote

I played lap steel and then migrated to rhythm and later lead guitar and bass. But, lead guitar was my main instrument. I would try to play pedal steel licks on guitar and finally realized the only way to play pedal steel licks was to have a pedal steel.

I bought a pedal steel, a Fender 2000, in Oct 1969.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Larry Rafferty


From:
Ballston Spa, NY
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 9:35 am    
Reply with quote

I may be the only one who played as a professional accordionist Whoa! for 33 years before I retired. During that period I would also switch off to guitar, piano, organ, or...for my own amusement...banjo Devil . I even tried the saxophone for a while.
I was 64 years young before I got my first pedal steel Very Happy . I took 6 years of weekly lessons on it.
_________________
Mullen D-10 8x5; Sho-Bud Super Pro D10 8x6; PedalMaster 5 Star SD-10 3x5; Dekley D-10 8x4;
Sho-Bud S-10 3x1; Fender Lap/Floor Steel; Peavey Power Slide; Supro Lap Steel; Peavey Nashville 400;
pair of Peavey Vegas 400's; Peavey NV112; Webb 614E with matching extension cabinet; Fender Twin Reverb and 3 cats.

They laughed when I sat down to play, cause' somebody pulled my chair away...
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Dale Rottacker


From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 9:45 am    
Reply with quote

Larry, accordian was my first intstrument too, when I was about 7 or 8...then guitar, taught my younger brother to play bass, though I didn't play myself, and piano, only in the key of C, and then highschool when steel guitar hit me between the eyes, and that and piano are the main things since the mid 70's, and yet somehow, after 45 years of not playing bass, I'm doing a bit of that in church now as well.
_________________
Dale Rottacker, Steelinatuneβ„’
https://www.youtube.com/@steelinatune
*2021 MSA Legend, "Jolly Rancher" D10 10x9
*2021 Rittenberry, "The Concord" D10 9x9
*1977 Blue Sho-Bud Pro 3 Custom 8x6
https://msapedalsteels.com
http://rittenberrysteelguitars.com
https://www.telonics.com/index.php
https://www.p2pamps.com
https://www.quilterlabs.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
chas smith R.I.P.


From:
Encino, CA, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 10:45 am    
Reply with quote

Buchla 200, then my Serge, shown here in my studio, at the time.
View user's profile Send private message
Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 10:54 am    
Reply with quote

You coulda smiled...
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tim Greene

 

From:
Athens Tennessee USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 12:37 pm     bOb
Reply with quote

I didnt see banjo as a selection Laughing
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Richard Sinkler


From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 1:25 pm    
Reply with quote

Drums. Then I decided to become a musician instead. Laughing
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Mike Heugel


From:
Taylor, Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 2:37 pm    
Reply with quote

Bass for me.... Rock bands, metal bands, until retiring from my last band in 2008 : http://www.metalblade.com/battlecross
_________________
"No officer, I don't even own a cat... "
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
David Nugent

 

From:
Gum Spring, Va.
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 3:01 pm    
Reply with quote

Tim...Allow me to be the first to respond (openly admit)to being primarily a banjo player before learning steel guitar. Feel that I am in good company however as both Bill Keith and Winnie Winston were award winning banjo players prior to writing what may be the most studied book written on learning pedal steel.
View user's profile Send private message
b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 3:27 pm     I did include ukulele...
Reply with quote

It really never occurred to me to include banjo. Razz
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Mark Simpson

 

From:
Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 3:42 pm    
Reply with quote

I'm a recovering banjo player as well Smile Smile Smile
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Douglas Schuch


From:
Valencia, Philippines
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 4:25 pm    
Reply with quote

OTHER: HARMONICA. Mediocre blues harmonica player, mostly playing when alone at sea on my boat. I did play 6- string guitar as a teen, and remember enough for it to help a little in learning steel.

I know at least one other forum member was a blues harp player too....
_________________
Bringing steel guitar to the bukid of Negros Oriental!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jim Pitman

 

From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 5:00 pm    
Reply with quote

I know of two very good banjo players that migrated to pedal steel, Bill Keith and Gordon Stone. I'm sure there are quite a few more.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Bill L. Wilson


From:
Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 6:36 pm     First Instrument.
Reply with quote

Supro Lap Steel in about '52 or '53, Guitar in '59, Pedal Steel in '74. And now that I'm retired, I play every weekend, even though I don't make any money, I'm still having fun, and enjoying life.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Dave Mudgett


From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 7:31 pm    
Reply with quote

Classical piano growing up, ca. 1960-1967. Guitar from '67 on, all kinds of guitars and styles. Learned the basics of blues harp back then also. Worked on upright bass for a period in college, 70s. Bluegrass banjo starting in early 90s. Pedal steel starting ca.1999. Working on drums recently, want to be able to make my own recordings without using drum machines or software-based drums. People have actually hired me to play drum gigs this last year, I guess they must be desperate. Whoa!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Niels Andrews


From:
Salinas, California, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jul 2013 9:08 pm    
Reply with quote

Banjo? People actually admit to playing those? Accordion? Those Are only played in Polka and Mexican Bands. I can't recall the accordion on a major hit? There must have been one somewhere?
_________________
Die with Memories. Not Dreams.
Good Stuff like Zum S-12, Wolfe Resoport
MSA SS-12, Telonics Combo.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Howard Steinberg


From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 3:20 am    
Reply with quote

Guitar for about 18 years before starting on steel.
_________________
Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Tony Prior


From:
Charlotte NC
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 3:31 am    
Reply with quote

guitar, still is..actually if I had to offer up an "order" for today it would be...

1Guitar
2Bass
3Dobro
4Steel
5
6
7
8
9Mandolin

Which tells you where I fit on the Mandolin thing !
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
David Nugent

 

From:
Gum Spring, Va.
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 3:40 am    
Reply with quote

Niels obviously does not remember Pee Wee King's version of 'Tennessee Waltz' (who I believe is also the writer of the tune, band leader, and ACCORDION PLAYER!)
View user's profile Send private message
Dave Mudgett


From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 4:45 am    
Reply with quote

Quote:
Banjo? People actually admit to playing those? Accordion? Those Are only played in Polka and Mexican Bands. I can't recall the accordion on a major hit? There must have been one somewhere?

Here we go again. But banjo is much more popular as an instrument than steel - bluegrass is having no serious identity crisis and is much more popular in the mainstream than it was 40 years ago. Accordion is used in lots of styles - of course, polka and Mexican, but also Cajun, Western Swing (just watch the Time Jumpers if you want a great demo on how accordion fits in) and many Americana bands use them. I've played with an accordion for years.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Dick Wood


From:
Springtown Texas, USA
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 6:12 am    
Reply with quote

I've had some thoughts about Banjo's
_________________
Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 7:16 am    
Reply with quote

Maybe I phrased the question wrong. I didn't mean to ask for a history of what instruments people have played. What I meant was:

What was your main instrument when you decided to take up the steel guitar?

I consider accordion to be a keyboard instrument. Because of its acoustic nature, it's very common in today's folk-rock ("Americana") bands.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Dave Grafe


From:
Hudson River Valley NY
Post  Posted 16 Jul 2013 8:28 am    
Reply with quote

Jerry Garcia was a banjo player first...
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron