Beginner Player looking for advice on 1st pedal steel

John Tharnstrom · From: Illinois, USA

Is an early 70’s MSA classic SD10 E9 Emmons for $1500 a good place to start?
Good tone? Do they stay in tune? Any known problems?
It’s white mica built by Bobby Carter.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Moved to the Pedal Steel section from For Sale: Steel Guitars.
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A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Bill McCloskey · Posted 9 Jan 2024 11:13 am

If it is your first steel, I would think twice about buying vintage unless you have a really good steel tech near you. Pedal Steels are mechanical. It is like buying a used car, things can go wrong under the hood. I'd stick to a manufacturer who is currently building so you have parts and support: GFI, Williams, Mullen.

Pete McAvity · From: St. Louis, Missouri USA

You anywhere near St. Louis, John? If so, there are knowledgeable hands on guys (not me) in our little local club that could help determine it's worthiness & get it set up if (likely) needed. That said, MSA's are known to be well engineered and good sounding machines, so the odds of this being a stable player are good. They made a lot (compered to many manufacturers), so they can be found at reasonable prices. You buy the weight, too- so there's that, They heavier than a lot of their counterparts. If you end up w/ it & I can help, shoot me a message here. Glad to drive a little way to check it out w/ you if it ain't far.

Be good,
-Pete
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Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.

They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!"

Doug Earnest · From: Branson, MO USA

That's how I got my start.

Those guitars sound fine, were made very very well, are nearly indestructible and they made thousands of them. At the time they were a top of the line professional grade guitar. There is nothing special about working on one. Videos you would find about setting up an all pull guitar would be applicable. If it is in decent condition that is a very fair price. They should bring more according to what everything else is selling for.

Yes, they are heavy. Mine didn't have a case and I transported it in a pine Army crate. Of course I was about 26 years old at the time. You could do much worse.

Tommy Mc · From: Middlesex VT

Vintage MSA's are very well built, reliable, and not too hard to work on. They tend to be valued less than some other brands because they are heavy and more importantly, they have a reputation for a "dark" tone which isn't popular with everybody. What this means is that a well maintained vintage MSA can be an affordable way for a beginner to get a pro-level guitar to learn on. But this all depends on condition. Remember, it's a 50 yr old mechanical device. Is it a true SD10 or has somebody converted a D10 by removing the rear neck and replacing it with a pad? Nothing wrong with this if done well, but it does indicate that somebody of unknown qualifications has monkeyed around with the mechanics. If it has 4 knee levers and 3 pedals, it could be a good buy at $1500....but best to have an experienced player take a look before you buy.

Keep in mind that if you don't mind the wait, for about $150 more, you can buy a brand new Justice S10 3x4. Stage One Encores are listing at $1899 with a 3x5 setup. Both the Justice and Encore have good tone, are lightweight, and have all-pull changers.

No matter which way you go in today's market, steels hold their value and sometimes even appreciate. As long as the MSA is in good shape and playable, you shouldn't worry about losing money when/if you want to sell.
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1980 MSA Vintage XL S-10, 1975 Session 400
1972 Dobro model 66s
Derby SD-10
Tom McDonough

John Tharnstrom · From: Illinois, USA

I’m in the Chicago area. Know any good techs up here?
I’m 65, very handy and have pretty good ears. I was a bit concerned about buying a vintage instrument that I know nothing about, but if it’s very mechanical and the workings can be visualized, I should be OK right? From what you’re telling me they are pretty bulletproof. Thanks for your help guys. Any additional advice would be welcome. I’m super excited to start this. I play drums, piano, guitar, and know theory, so this should be really fun.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

MSA are good guitars, My first modern steel guitar was a MSA S10 4 pedals and 4 knee levers, Born July 10 1973. I learned to play, And gigged the guitar for several years. They are well built, But heavy. I later bought a MSA D10.

If you can get a history of the guitar, And it has been taken care of over its life. It would be a good guitar for years. The problem with a 50 year old guitar is, Have the changers been pulled, Cleaned and lubed. 50 years of drying grease, Dirt and Sweat can be a problem.

Good Luck in choosing a guitar and Happy Steelin.

Andrew Goulet · Posted 9 Jan 2024 3:51 pm

Being very handy is very handy when you play pedal steel!

Do you have any photos (over and under)? That may help others identify any replacement parts, broken bits, etc...
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Yes, that's a very good guitar to start with! Winking

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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Yeabut, something often overlooked until too late is that there may be excessive wear on a 50 yr. old guitar...particularly the changer fingers where string grooves can develop and cause unpleasant zings and harsh overtones...things that can be costly or unrepairable.

It may depend on how much the guitar has been played and how it was maintenanced. Might be just fine, might not be.

I always urge new players to look for as recently built, if not new, still factory supported, well known brand they can afford. JMO.

James Holland · From: Alabama, USA

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Don't know of a particular source, but it's been discussed here many times...suggest a search on the topic.

Something Kelcey mentioned in the other thread, every aluminum finger guitar I've ever seen have some grooving simply from the strings riding on them. I wouldn't get too excited about the presence of any mild grooving.

I wouldn't go trying to sand them out unless they have a really bad zing or harsh overtone.

Another thing that mars fingers is laying the guitar upside down on any hard surface. This can be a major problem.

Basically, polishing with semi-chrome or similar is all that needs to be done.

It's very critical to the radius when one starts sanding down and removing metal. I would suggest anything of this sort be done by a professional.

Tony Oresteen · From: Georgia, USA

If you buy a vintage PSG, budget for a complete changer service and setup. Budget for replacement parts. Budget for shipment. Does it come with a good case?

Assuming you want an E9 PSG, you should have 3 or 4 pedals and 4 knee levers. How many pedals and knee levers does the MSA have? Budget for upgrades.

C6 is a different game.

Good luck!
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Tony
Newnan, GA

Too many guitars, not enough time to play
'72 Sho-Bud 6139, '71 Marlen 210
'78 Fender Stringmaster Quad black
PedalMaster D8

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Those MSA's are rock solid mechanically, very well built. Whats more important, my opinion, is the configuration.

How many peds, how many levers and what type of changer is it, how many UPS , how many Downs ? Sounds like a funny question but it describes how versatile the set up can be. It describes if each string can have a raise and a lower. The 70's MSA's that I had were 2 up and 2 down changers, thats pretty versatile. They were very easy to work on and set up. They were also pretty heavy to boot.

MSA also made a student guitar called the Baron. I would avoid that one.

Do you have some photo's ? Underside and changer end too.

best

tp
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Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
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jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Steve Malito · From: Illinois, USA

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