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Topic: Is there a trick to playing in cowboy boots??? |
Alex Piazza
From:
Arkansas, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 3:00 pm |
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| I want to wear my new boots on stage, but ive found it to be so awkward playing in them. my toes slip of the foot pedals and its hard to control. I cant fit my right knee under the guitar. the heel + the volume pedal make my leg to high. |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 3:02 pm
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| It's hard for me to play in cowboy boots too, my wife bought me a nice pair and I feel bad I never wear them, but I can't twist my ankle well in them when I want to use a knee-lever and rock my left foot. I think the trick to playing in cowboy boots may be to remove them. |
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 3:27 pm
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I think its a matter of what you get used to. I play in cowboy boots. But then I wear them most all of the time. A lot of folks like the "Deck" type shoes. They can feel the pedals better through the thinner soles.
If you have the slick type pedals you can put some non-skid tape on them, that you can get at most hardware stores. But all in all, I think if you really want to play in boots,
get another pair for 'everyday" and get used to wearing them.....and practice, practice...
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SHO~BUDS,FENDER AMPS& GUITARS, TUT TAYLOR RESO'S
"What a long, strange trip it's been"
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 3:28 pm
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The trick to playing comfortably in cowboy boots is the same as for walking....Remove two or three layers of leather from the stacked leather heel....making it about the same height as a shoe.
The high heel was originally designed to keep your foot from slipping into the stirrup and getting hung-up if you were thrown. If you don't ride horses, the above modification will solve the problem.
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WEBSITE
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James Sission
From:
Sugar Land,Texas USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 3:28 pm
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| As a former bull rider, I can tell you this. Roper boots break in very nice and you have plenty of room to move in them. The rounded toe stays out of the pedal rods and you can feel the pedals through the soles of the boots. I rode in them for many years and never had problem with ankle movement. If they had been a problem, I might well be dead today, although sometimes my body aches so bad I wish I were. You just have to spend some time in them and let them form to your foot. The best thing to do is buy them where they fit a little snug, they will actually conform to the foot better and fell like you’re playing barefooted. Get an actual Justin soft leather and not one of the copies that are real stiff……James |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 4:47 pm
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Gene - There was a nice article about Rios Boots in the local paper a few days ago.
Lee |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 4:49 pm
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| I wear biker-type cowboy boot exclusively while playing pedal steel live. It hits the pedals just right, and doesn't touch on the rods. At home I just play in socks or slippers, but I then find that I'm actually using my toes to move the pedals. I like Joe Wright's instruction to rock the heel. With practice it gives you a lot of control. With a boot on, I am more apt to play this way instead of attempting to control the pedals with my toes. |
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Jim Park
From:
Carson City, Nv
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 5:22 pm
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| One word...... Tony Llama's ......they are the most comfortable boots to play in because the ankle is so flexible, I like 'em better than tennis shoes. |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 5:40 pm
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| I'm a big fan of Paul Bond boots, in Nogales, AZ. The "raked" heels ( I know, you thought I was a real cowboy) make it easy to move around the pedals. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 5:48 pm
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I play in cowboy boots, and they have 2 1/4 inch heels so they ain't Ropers with shoe height heels. They have an X toe on them -- pointy. They rock very well but I had to raise the height of the guitar.
The secret is the design of the boot. I had mine made for me and they are kangaroo, which is very supple for easy ankle movement. The heel is underslung so it is easy to rock.
I would caution against removing leather from a sole, or adding, for that matter. Boots, well good boots, are made to balance between the ball of your foot, through the high arch (the part that goes over the top of your foot at the arch, and the heel. In a good pair of boots the arch shank is made out of a 40 or 60 penney nail to fit each foot, rather than the prefabricated steel plates that Tony Lama and Nicona, Justin or Luchesse use, for example. Toe shape does not matter in comfort, because your foot won't should be held min place by the high arch. Again, in a properly made pair of boots, the leather will not stretch -- all the stretch in the vamp has been removed by days of mounting on boards.
So the secret, is get a pair of boots properly made by someone who knows what they are doing. Tell the maker what you want the boots to perform.
I will post a picture of my dedicated steel boots if someone will link me.
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Keith Murrow
From:
Wichita, KS
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 6:08 pm
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| .. [This message was edited by Keith Murrow on 25 May 2006 at 05:30 PM.] |
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Jody Sanders
From:
Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 9:39 pm
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| I have always played in boots except in the 70'S and 80'S when speed picking was the 'craze', I used a soft leather slip on shoe on my left foot. Occassionally on the band breaks I would forget to take the shoe off and put my boot back on. People in the club who were not familiar with steel guitar thought I was some kind of a nut. As I think about it, they were probably right. I am not in to speed picking anymore, so it is boots on both feet for me. Jody. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 10:04 pm
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Chas,
What's your cowboy name? Is it Deadwood?
Please email me when you get the chance. It's Bigsby-related.
Thanks |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 3:11 am
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I play in boots most of the time. Currently I have a pair of Nacona boots. I used to wear Olathe (Kansas) boots but the company went out of business - since I lived in Kansas City I could get them custom made. I wore boots with just about everything, including suits when I was working - but boots are common footwear in Kansas City.
But, you should be able to play with any type of shoe. That should be the least of your "worries". When I first started playing pedal steel I had to have "Hush Puppy" soft sole shoes but as I got more experience I found that "whatever I was wearing" worked. |
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Micky Byrne
From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 5:31 am
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Hi Gene Jones, I did exactly as you mentioned, I removed some of the heel on a pair of "snake skin" boots I got in the States in 1991.....actually they were copies of snake skin, but who cares  I've only used these boots for gigs and the sides are nice and supplle now for rolling my ankle.I dread to think what to use when they fall to pieces.They are sooooooo comfortable and look good
Micky Byrne, Carter Universal and soon to be ressurected Sho-Bud Universal. http://mickybyrne.50webs.com/index.html |
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Joey Gaskins
From:
New Bern, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 7:15 am
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| I love the look of my boots but when it's time to play, I have an old loafer that I keep in the back of my amp and I put it on. Looks kinda stupid with one boot on and one shoe on but no one has ever complained. |
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Jon Jaffe
From:
Austin, Texas
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John Daugherty
From:
Rolla, Missouri, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 7:53 am
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The only problem I have encountered is "ankle flexibility". As Jack said, the more experienced you are, the less important the equipment is.
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www.phelpscountychoppers.com/steelguitar
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 8:49 am
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I had to wear cowboy boots as part of the band's "uniform". The trick is to buy boots with WALKING heels. They are a shorter heel and allow your leg to fit underneath the steel just fine. Of course, the upper material must be able to be broken in so as to be flexible at the ankle...I always chose some form of soft hide like cowhide.
To break in a brand new pair that had to be used right away, I'd wash them with saddle soap then stand in a tub of water filled to just over ankle height for a few minutes till they soaked up some moisture. Then manually work the leather to loosen it up, then apply neatsfoot oil to keep them soft. I'd wear them the rest of the day so they'd form fit to my foot. Worked like a charm. YMMV |
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Greg Simmons
From:
where the buffalo (used to) roam AND the Mojave
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 1:52 pm
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quote:
So the secret, is get a pair of boots properly made by someone who knows what they are doing. Tell the maker what you want the boots to perform.
I will post a picture of my dedicated steel boots if someone will link me.
Here you go Chris - very nice"
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Kenny Forbess
From:
peckerwood point, w. tn.
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 2:45 pm
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I mostly wear boots made from Elk, they're soft ,very flexible,,
Other than that, if you wear spur's, be extreemly if you squat !
Kenny |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 3:25 pm
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| Steel playing aside, if you look at the picture of my boots (posted above by Greg)on the inside pull on the left boot you will see two spots, or studs. In the middle of the night without my contacts on, I can feel which boot belongs on my left foot. No more climbing out that rear window and running down the street with the wrong boot on the wrong foot. |
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James Lombard
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 3:35 pm
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| Along with Chas Smith, I am also a Paul Bond fan. I've played in Paul Bond boots since 1986, cockroach-killer toes, and 2" very undershot heels. they are as soft as moccasins, and manipulating my ankle has never been a problem. |
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Tyler Hall
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 6 Feb 2006 6:59 am
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I've got to the point where all I can play in is boots. Once I got used to them, I like playing in them better than the flat-bottom shoes I used to wear.
"The Kid"
D-10 Fessenden, Nashville 112, Session 500, Goodrich LDR |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 6 Feb 2006 11:23 am
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| Nice kicks, Chris! |
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