I'm a Steel Delinquent

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Since my last Steel gig back in March, I admit, sadly, I don't think I have sat down behind the Steel for a grand total of a couple of hours. Yes, I play the Tele's ( advanced fretboard study ) every day. The only gigs I have played and have booked until the end of this year, have me on guitar. DUO's .

I hope the Covid 19 Vaccine fixes this Sad

I actually moved my gig ready Legrande II which was down the stairs near the garage, back up the stairs to the music room. Thats a bad sign. Its been in the case since the middle of March. The practice Steel, ( 81 PPull) should I decide to practice, is set up in the music room.

This is reality quite a change. For the last 5 years I was on a Steel gig 2x month with no end in sight, our audience was growing . We even had some relatively new Steel players as well as seasoned players stopping by. The band was on this gig for 8 years NON stop. NOW..dead stop.

NC Gov just announced that NC will not move into Phase III until after a successful vaccine is available.
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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

Paul Wade · From: mundelein,ill

At least you have gigs I haven't had a gig in 4 yearsðŸ™
Been real slow around here but I play my super pro
Every day and telecaster couple times a week

P.w

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Paul yes I am kinda lucky in that regard, we have DUO gigs, outside, booked thru early DEC. Once we get into mid Nov though its just way too cold to play outdoors in the evenings or at night . These gigs will also fade away. Nobody sits outside socially listening to music or eating a sandwich when the temp is 30 degrees ! Shocked

Last year, Christmas time, we got hired to play at a Christmas Tree Sales thing, obviously outside. Lets just say, I ain't doing that again .

_________________
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

Paul Wade · From: mundelein,ill

LOL I remember doing those gig up in Wisconsin
Did it twice never again ðŸ˜Š

P.w

Kevin Fix · From: Michigan, USA

I did a outdoor gig at the end of November once. Never do that again. I showed up with a wool hat over my ears and dressed in Car Harts!!! I have been playing at home a few times a week. I have been video and audio my self playing cover tunes and what ever I could find on You Tube. Some songs I would go over and over to get them to where I thought they sounded good. I have the camera looking down over my hands. I like watching what my hands are really doing. The most interesting part is watching my left hand and vibrato. The volume pedal is sort of hard to see but it is interesting to watch.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

I try to play about an hour or so a day on my steel. My steel gets mad at me for not changing strings like I did. Since the 22nd of Feb. I have changed strings in June and about a week ago in August.
Before the VIRUS I played a House Band gig every Friday night 4 hours and a 1 1/2 hour gig one Saturday night a month.

All shows around here with a crowd inside or outside is closed down till further notice. The Sagebrush Roundup has some shows, Just the band and live on Facebook.

Bruce Bjork · From: Southern Coast of Maine

Iâ€™ve had three outdoor gigs in the past month or so in my new band with one scheduled for this Saturday. Weâ€™ve been offered indoor gigs but will not play indoors anytime soon. The outdoor gigs were scary, no social distancing or face masks, very drunk crowd, we put up police tape between our speaker stands to keep the crowd away. Iâ€™m new to this group on banjo, tele and steel, modern country which is not my favorite, had to learn 53 songs so Iâ€™m spending a lot to time practicing.
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Banjo, Dobro, Guild D-40, Telecaster, Justice Pro Lite 3x5, BOSS Katana 100, Peavey Nashville 112 in a Tommy Huff cabinet, Spark, FreeLoader, Baby Bloomer, Peterson StroboPlus HD, Stage One VP.
"Use the talents you possess; the woods would be very silent indeed if no birds sang but the best"

Bill Ferguson · From: Milton, FL USA

Sadly, I am with you Tony.

Played the Dallas show in March and have not touched my steel but once since.
It's my fault, but I just can't get in the mood right now. Just too much going on, plus building a house.

Hopefully the urge will come back someday, but if not, it's been a great ride.

In the mean time, I will continue to digitize my old convention tapes and share with the world.
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter.

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

My outdoor gigs have been increasing since the end of April. But here in Western Oregon we get a fair amount of rain. In the Spring I got sprinkled on a few times, but now it's very hot but mostly dry. When the rains return in the Fall I'll be out of work for sure. Then I will have to focus on building lapsteel guitars and praying that the virus subsides so we can all get back to playing music for indoor audiences again. Oh Well

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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

Tony I'm sorry to hear you are neglecting the steel. At least you are playing something. I do about an hour a day on steel and maybe twice a week on telecaster. My hands get out of shape fairly quick if I don't play. Old age is not very friendly to us. Local gigs are non existing right now in my area. I have plenty to do and lots of music toys to experiment with and a few to fix.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

Tony, Telecasters are great and I bet that new one is a dandy. Some years ago I modded my custom tele with a Hipshot B and E bender. The E is a drop to D on the bass string. Lots of fun to be had there. I was memorized by tele master Tim Wallis and his invention of the Tamara bender at the St Louis ISGC. We talked and he showed be how easy it was to install. I went back to buy one later and he was gone for the duration of the convention. His father passed away. So I got the Hipshot. I wish I had waited and found Tims cool gadget. Check out some of his videos. He's a master. I love the pedal steel too so it's a challenge to squeeze it all in. I hope we are not finished playing music. Not sure I can accept that.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Larry, I am very familiar with Tim, met him at a few shows over the years. Nice guy very talented. I've had several Benders over the years including the Hipshots, but my preference is the strap pull systems, be it the Glaser type ( neck plate) or the Parsons White style ( strap pull ) The Brent Mason Guitar has the Glaser system and my other primary Tele has the Forrest Lee jr system, ( strap pull) I recently sold my Fender Parsons Green factory guitar, that was also a very nice guitar as well. I still have a Gibson Music City Jr, which is a Les paul Jr with a strap pull Glaser system from the factory. These guitars were made for only two years . Its nice but I don't play it much. However, it looks good on the wall ! Very Happy

I've always been a 50/50 player, never abandoned the Telecaster, not sure how I found the time to walk in both worlds, I'm sure one of them suffered though.

I too sure hope we have not reached the end of the road, I'm beside myself with many of the things that are taking place, I sure hope Live Music , Theater and the Arts isn't suffering due to some political struggle for power. In NC the Gov has changed his "ORDER" at least a half dozen times. His latest order is not full time masks, or social distancing, or limited seating, its now until a "successful" Vaccine is on the market. How do Theaters, the Arts and Live Music adjust to that ?

This is worse than throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
_________________
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

Larry Ball · From: Airdrie, Alberta, Canada

Hi Tony,

Same here about the gigâ€™s lost and everything is shut down. Not any signs of things changing in the near future. I think until a Vaccine is available the public will be very reluctant to be in close contact at musical gatherings. So as our Band has halted all rehearsals I have devoted my Steel practice time to instrumentals rather than working on the Bands song list. Now I have a chance to satisfy my own song list. Also I bought a New Williams SD12 Extended E9 with the Franklin Pedal and extra lever so that will keep me busy figuring out there uses.

Also I must confess the Steel has taken me over and all my six guitars stay in there cases.
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

kool Larry, maybe over the next few days I'll sit behind the Push Pull , work out a few things just in case I get another STEEL gig over the next couple of years ! Laughing

I've been toying with Back Home In Indiana and also listening to some Buddy Swing Shift band CD's. They always get my attention !

Congrats on the new Williams ! Very Happy

_________________
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

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

Tony, you have some cool benders in your collection. What you said about walking in both worlds and one side suffers is so true. I spent so much time trying to play the pedal steel that my guitar skill was slipping away. With limited time to practice both, something has to wait. I get more time in now than ever but the motivation is less. Our community is now at high risk so any day the restrictions will come down again. It's been a long year. I hope some of the venues will survive this hardship.

Mike Schwartzman · From: Maryland, USA

Thanks for the topic Tony. I think lately I've been steel delinquent myself. Back in March when the quarantine began, I kind of went on a song writing binge, which included PSG, but the 6 stringers and pencil took up more time.
Then last month I tried to figure how this newer(new to me) recording software worked. I fried my brain on that learning curve for a week or 2 and realized my PSG practice was being totally neglected.
I saw this thread and remembered I needed new strings on the push pull. So 2 nights ago I put new strings on the E9th neck and got them up in tune today. Played them some and I hope I'm gonna get back on track now. My playing was pretty rusty, but the steel didn't care and sounded pretty as ever. Almost like the steel was saying, "Ya see what ya been missing".
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Emmons Push Pull, BMI, Session 400, Home of the Slimcaster Tele.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

I haven't played a gig since the TSGA Jamboree in March. I've had a couple of opportunities to work during that time and turned them down.

I may have touched the '64 wraparound in my music room, oh... maybe a half dozen times since then?

It seems like I've just lost interest in steel guitar, and I've not missed it very much, I guess.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Dale Rottacker · From: Walla Walla Washington, USA

Tony, that makes me sad, yet I sure do get it... I go through phases of that even though I have more time than I've had since I was a kid to dedicate myself to finally learning how to play... Sadly with age, it seems that my desire has waned a bit... I've been doing the Travis Toy Tutorial thing and that has really been an inspiration and seems to get me sitting at the guitar more of late than is normal for me... The Wednesday and Sunday Zoom "Get-to-gethers" help with staying involved with the "Community" and seeing so many younger guys so dedicated to mastering a somewhat un-mastering Instrument, I think has been inspiring as well.
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https://www.youtube.com/@steelinatune
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I did the delinquent thing back in the early 90's. For want of a better term, it was a hiatus or so. I was building a new house upstate NY and it took up many weekends and vacations to do it. It was a second home, do to be retirement home. I almost gave up playing completely because I was losing interest and not having a gig to do, when, I was ready to go back in the saddle. I was persuaded by my wife and some music friends to get back at it. They didn't know, that, I had come THAT close to selling everything.
Luckily, I fell right back into the swing of things playing 4-5 nights a week again. And, I realized that I had filled that hole in my heart back up and I was doing what I really loved to do.
Since I've been retired, I've played almost regularly for about 7 years and it felt good.
However, this pandemic thing and no music venues has pulled the energy right out of me. I have been lucky to play 5 gigs this year and it's just not enough to keep me excited anymore. I yearn to be on a stage or anywhere with the band, playing. I don't have the spark to set my steel up and just play for myself.
It's tough to put all my thoughts in writing, so, I guess I'll stop. But, there's so much more, that, I'd like to say.

Kevin Fix · From: Michigan, USA

Hey John, Post some videos on YouTube or Face Book. I have been doing this since last March. I have been playing along with YouTube just doing some cover tunes and recording them with me putting Steel in them. I have a lot of followers. Not like playing live, but it has filled the void for me and keeps me tightened up. We have only played 4 times this year. We had a fair amount of County Fairs and Festivals that all got canceled. Be a better year next year!!!

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

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