Just got my first Pedal Steel

Randy Keiser · From: Indiana, USA

Been looking for a couple of months now and found a good price (at least I think it is) on a Carter Starter 3x4. I have been taking some theory lessons to get a very basic understanding of it and will continue to do so.

I have a bass amp for now and a slide/picks. I am going to get a volume pedal but not sure what else I should get to set me up for success.

I love the sound of PSG and have always wanted to learn how to play it so I am excited (even knowing it will not be easy not having much musically background at all).

I plan on signing up for Freeman Arthur's steel lessons in a month or two once I get some basic stuff down I guess.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Congrats on the axe acquisition and welcome to the forum.

Great bunch of folks here. Feel free to hit us up regarding any questions, mechanical issues, technique and/or otherwise problems or discussion.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

Volume pedal, good reverb, a clean sounding amp and lots of practice. All you need right there.

Randy Keiser · From: Indiana, USA

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

Welcome to the wonderful world of steel guitar! It is an awesome instrument to play!

Bill McCloskey · Posted 31 Jan 2025 10:42 am

Congratulations Randy.

Reverb: have you noticed people like to sing in the shower? The reason is reverb: your voice bounces off the wall and creates a nice full sound that people like. A pedal steel will sound very dry without reverb. It will sound fuller with reverb.

Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

In time you may wanna get a slide (tone bar is actually what you are needing) that is comfortable for you so definitely make sure its not too heavy or long for your particular instrument.

I feel like your amp will be okay for now just focus on playing. Moyo makes a good and reasonably priced volume pedal (got mine on reverb)

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

All about reverb

https://youtu.be/ZyOqgwmaJ8k?si=LXjFdnh4Y8ul2KGE

Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

Most people consider reverb a big piece of the pedal steel puzzle, but personally, I'm not in that camp. I would definitely consider the volume pedal essential, however. Due to its relatively steep learning curve, the sooner one gets started with it, the better.

Also, this particular book, even though it's a half-century old, I would consider nearly essential for a beginner:

Tom Sosbe · From: Rushville,In

I set you a p.m . about the indy. steel club jam

Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

Randy, welcome to the madness! Under "Steel on the Web" there is a Pedal Steel Beginner Page with lots of good information. There is also an index of lessons from Mickey Adams that you can watch for free. Have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

Randy, congrats on your new adventure! I'm pretty new to pedal steel, too, but I'll tell you one thing you can do to very quickly start making musical sounds on this device is to look up "Harmonized scales for E9 tuning." I found several (possibly in the resources page here...can't remember for sure) and they've really helped. It's amazing how you can come up with very musical licks just working with these two-note scales and then adding things here and there.

EDIT: I looked it up again. Pretty sure I found them at playpedalsteel.com. There are also diagrams for chords.

Dave Stagner · From: Minnesota, USA

A Carter Starter 3x4 is a great instrument! It doesn't skimp on the knee levers like some other beginner instruments, so you won't hit limitations as quickly.

Your volume pedal is critical for playing pedal steel effectively. I recommend finding a volume pedal designed for pedal steel rather than guitar. They're designed to play from a sitting rather than standing position, so the pivot point is different, affecting the feel. Goodrich and Sho-Bud pedals are easy to find used. The Moyo pedal others have recommended can be found new on Reverb for $139, and it's awesome! Looks like a toy, feels like a tank. My favorite, by far.

As others have said, reverb is also essential for a classic pedal steel sound. Reverb is basically just a bunch of very short echoes of varying lengths that creates a sense of space around your notes, and a "trail" as the echoes fade. Reverb pedals are a hugely complex topic, but doesn't have to be for you! Literally any reverb pedal will do, and cheap Chinese mini pedals can be had on Amazon for as little as $29. Add a $20 One Spot power supply and you're set. (If your amp has reverb, that will work too, but most bass amps don't).

A Carter Starter, any volume pedal, any reverb, and a bass amp is enough to sound completely professional and get gigs! The rest is just hard work. Smile

_________________
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1967 ZB D-10
1990 OMI Dobro
Recording King lap steel with Certano benders

Bill McCloskey · Posted 7 Feb 2025 9:10 am

When looking for instructional material, there are a number of great resources out there, with various cost points. One of my favorite is this one: https://www.youtube.com/@SteelPicking No cost, but he does have a very reasonable patreon page worth checking out.

Jimmy Moreland · From: Maine, USA

Welcome to your new expensive hobby/obsession! As a fellow Carter Starter owner, I have some tips for you:

Get comfortable doing some basic routine maintenance. The little nut/bolt pairs holding each knee lever in place come loose very easily. If you find your knee levers wobbling or feeling like they're slipping/not engaging properly, this is probably the culprit. A pair of needlenose pliers and maybe a small crescent wrench are good things to have in your kit.
Get a phillips head screwdriver and tighten up every single screw - mine needed it badly when I got it.
Become comfortable with making simple adjustments to your taste. For example, I set my B pedal to sit slightly lower than my A and C pedals, making it easier to rock on and off the A. No tools required for this.
Ignore the call of wanting to throw more money at this. The Carter Starter is a perfectly adequate instrument - you can absolutely learn, gig, and record with it. I kept mine after acquiring a nice D10 because it's (comparatively) lightweight and I'd made a nice case for it - perfect for jams and low-profile gigs. The D10 stays in my studio. The biggest gripe I have with the Carter is that there is enough flex in the pedal bar when pressing B&C together that it's hard to properly tune. Replacing that wood with aluminum and coming up with a better method of attaching it to the legs is a priority for me.
Order some spare hex nuts before you need them. The ones on that page are shorter than what you likely have, so you may need an extra long wrench (also on that page).

Other random notes:

If you're at all a bigger guy or have long legs, you absolutely want a low-profile volume pedal. I have the Goodrich low profile, and that's barely low enough with thin-soled shoes to play the Carter Starter. No cowboy boots for me, sadly.
The Winnie book is good, but is only available in paperback on Amazon. This DeWitt Scott book is available on Kindle, and was a good first step for me before I got the Winnie book.
Your bass amp will be fine for practicing and jamming. As others have said, having some reverb will make practice feel much nicer - you can get a cheap pedal or watch out for an amp that has reverb. I bring a Roland Cube 30 to jams, and I'm quite happy with it.
Start working extra hours so you can afford all the money you'll wanna keep spending 😅

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