Looking to learn pedal steel

Peter Barker · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Hi Y'all-

I've been playing guitar for most of my life now, but I'm ready to put my Tele on the shelf for a little while so I can step up to the challenge of learning pedal steel. Unfortunately, I have some really rookie questions to ask before I really get down to it. Please keep in mind that I've been an admirer of the pedal steel for a long long time, but I've never even been face to face with one. I don't even know anyone that plays, as far as I know.

1) Firstly, and probably furthest up on the list of rookie questions, is about the pedals themselves. I'm shopping around online for my first pedal steel and I'm seeing different numbers of pedals and knee levers for each guitar. What's the deal? How many do I even need? And most embarassing of all, what do they even do in the first place?

2) What's a good make for a starter pedal steel? I obviously don't need anything too flashy to start out with, but I want to learn on a quality instrument. Could anyone recommened a brand that would be a good, consistent make? Tell me what's the Fender of the pedal steel.

3) About amps - I use a Mesa/Boogie for my guitar rig, but it sounds like I need to get a new amp for the P.S. Is this really necessary? If so, what's a good quality and low/middle cost amp?

4) What am I looking for in a good bar? What's a good volume pedal?

5) I've been self-taught at everything else I've learned so far, so this will likely be the same. What's the best tuning to start with? Sounds like E9, but I'm up for suggestions. Is it worth it to get an instructional video, or should I just sit the hell down and play?

Thanks in advance for all y'all's understanding. I know these are total noobie questions, but your help is appreciated. I'm sure I'll come up with a ton of more questions, so bear with me.

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Bob Wood · From: Madera, California, USA

Hi Peter,

You sound like I did when I first started to learn the Pedal Steel Guitar. I not only put down my "Tele" for awhile. I tore it apart to (ahem!) re-finish it! Ha ha! My first Steel guitar was an "MSA Red Baron". It wasn't what you would call real quality, but it wasn't built for quality. It was a cheap ('er!) in-expensive guitar made for beginners. Not really a bad way to go. Shoot...! I only paid something like $400.00 bucks for it. It had 3 floor pedals, and one knee lever..., LKL (that means..., Left Knee lever, Left) for lowering my E's to get my minor. Later on, I purchased a Emmons single neck. Both of which I bought from a local guitar shop here in San Jose, California. As far as your question #1. The floor pedels operate the fingers on your changer at your right hand. They pull your strings up a tone or two depending on the setup. Which gives you different chords without having to slant your bar in your left hand. Pretty basic stuff! Most of us start out on an E9th tuning, and most of us still play the E9th tuning to this day. I do! I play a little on the C6th neck, but I'm most proficient with the first. Almost all Pedal Steels have three floor pedals that operate the E9th (there are a few odd or custom guitars that have four, but that is not considered "standard". E9th tuning, by the way is also called the "Nashville" tuning because most of all the country songs you hear are played with that tuning. Not all, but most! On to your second question..., Almost all Steel Guitars are custom made! So there really is no "Fender" of them, but every Pedal Steel Player has his, or hers favorite brand, and each one you talk to will probably give you a different answer, and all that will do is confuse the issue for you. They are all good. It's just a personal taste thing. I can remember a time when you judged a player by whether he played an "Emmons" Guitar, or not. Almost all the big players played one, and it was considered the "standard" guitar for all professional players, but that is not true today (well, to listen to a few players, that's still true). There are ump-teen Steel Guitars on the market, and I would chance to say that they are all great guitars. Personally, I play a "Franklin" Guitar, and that's the one that does the trick for me. Just find one that suits your budget. Question three...! Amps! Another personal thing. I play through two Pevey Nashville 400's. Some guys use Webb amps. And, I've even heard of some using "Mesa-Boogie's", so don't sweat that one too much.
Numero four..., Bars? That is a good one because a good bar will be worth it's weight in gold. I use a bullseye bar, and I think it is a 9/16". I may be wrong on that, but as far as brands go..., There's also BJS Bars that are good also, and I believe that if you go to bOb's catalog right here on this forum, you'll find some good ones here too. bOb won't steer you wrong. Last and final question..., there are a multitude of instructional materials out there. I believe that bOb can help you on that also. You can find lots of instructional CD's, instructional video's, books, etc. etc. I started out with a book by Winnie Winston, with a picture of him playing a Steel..., he was sure a good looking kid! Tee hee! Winnie is a forum member, and you can talk with him right on this forum. His book was a real good starter for me, and from what I understand, a lot of other players too. Most of all, get out and see who's playing in your area. I bet there are a few players real close to you that you don't even realize. When you meet these guys, pick their brains, most of them will be more than happy to help you out and guide you along your blissful way to mastering the Pedal Steel Guitar! I hope this helps. Good Luck Peter.

Be seeing you on the Forum.
Bob Wood

P.S. I almost forgot, volume pedals..., for years, almost everyone used a Goodrich, some guitars come with one included in the package, and they are also very good. Again though, it all depends on your budget. Check out the guitars for sale in this forum. It does have used guitars for sale section!

[This message was edited by Bob Wood on 29 March 2004 at 11:25 PM.]

RON PRESTON · From: Dodson, Louisiana, USA

Welcome, Peter,
You can Email me if you have any questions that I can help you with. I'm just trying to save a little "Drive Space" for "Master" bOb, which, you will get to know later on......

Just wanted to say that there is a few GREAT Steel Pickers that live in Portland, And, These Guys are Great Fellas to get to know. I'm sure they will see this post later, and holler at Ya.

Winnie Winston · From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.

Guitar? The best you can afford.
Knees/Pedals? Hard to think about doing it with less than 3 and 4. Normal 3 pedals, E going up and Down on two knees, 2nd lowering to a D on another, 1 and 6 coming up to G on another.
Bar? nothing smaller than a 3/4". I've heard that Bulleye are great. BJS too.
Amp? Mesa Boogie will do just fine.
Volume Pedal? Can't go wrong with a Goodrich.
Instruction? (uh-oh! Here's comes the crass commercialism!) My book by Oak Pubblications. Still in print and filled with useful info.
Videos are helpful to be able to SEE what is happening.
You are in an area that has steel players. GO SEE!!
Listen to records of the style you want to learn.
You already know how to play guitar, som you're not starting from ground level.

JW

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Welcome Peter.
All the adivice above is good.
Winnie's book is practically considered the beginners bible for steel players.
Just get it.

There are great videos and TAB, for steel.
Jeff Newman's courses are very well thought of, and he has TONS of stuff. One of the greats in steel instruction.

Anything with the name Buddy Emmons on it is a keeper. Though much is in C6, he has some fine E9 TAB too.

But also look for Doug Beaumier, Herby Walace, Jay Dee Maness, Paul Franklin and Joe Wirght.
Every one has something to offer well worth the time.

They are avaiable in the instruction section of the forum store.

Joe Wright has a DVD of all his courses, available from his website, and has an interesting take on steel logic, and great picking technic drills. I don't have it, but I saw it at a steel show. A bit steep, but then it's like 5 courses rolled into one. it would be years before you get it all down.

Shortly you are likely to have another Oragonian posting here, get together with them as soon as you can. There is nothing like a teacher for this instrument. Especially in your early days.

They can help you in picking the right steel, and give you a few lessons on their steel before hand. Don't knock that, this is an instrument that requiers thought away from the playing surface, not just when your practicing. Especially early on.

And they are also likely to have some TAB to get your started.

One thing I have seen is most steelers are SO happy to have anyone join the ranks they are always happy to help a newbie get going right and not get frustreated early.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 30 March 2004 at 02:58 AM.]

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

Check out this video for a simple explanation of the E9th tuning in terms of what you've been doing on 6 string.
http://www.steelguitar.com/resource/videos/vids6string.html

We also make an entry-level pedal steel guitar. You learn more about the Carter-Starter here:
http://www.carterstarter.com/

John Fabian

Carter Steel Guitars
www.steelguitar.com
www.steelguitarinfo.com

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Hey Peter..put the Tele' down but not away !

The Pedal Steel world is pretty amazing once you jump in. First and foremost in my opinion, buy as much Pedal Steel Guitar that you can afford. This is not where you want to cheap out buying a novice Steel and claiming that you will buy another in a few months. The first 6 months on this instrument are pivitol. Like Winnie mentions above it is my feeling that you should buy a PRO Steel, if it's a single neck E9th it should be a minimum of 3 Pedals and 4 Knee levers. If it is a Double neck , no less than 8 pedals and 5 Knee levers. IF you are going to purchase and use any of the modern Steel Guitar courses, and you should, these are the standard setups that pretty much all Instrunctional packages use. Also avalibale on the market is a Carter Starter which is a fairly low priced Instrument , single neck E9th with 3 pedals and 4 Knee levers.

If you have any interest in the lower neck tuning what-so ever..(C6th) jump in right now..the urge to play the big chords and low fat notes never goes away..it gets worse ! SO maybe a D10 is the answer if this is the case.

The biggest issue you will have with a so called student guitar, 3 Pedals and 1 knee lever, is that as you are learning and using the programs which you purchased, the Steels are not capable of playing the material as written and these Steels cannot be modified, or at least not easily. A nice used Professioanl Steel, just like a nice Tele'..will hold it's value and will for the most part always have pretty good market appeal.Or if are fortunate to part with about 3 grand..a new D10 will fit the bill..

These are expensive Instruments as you know..but well worth the investment if you stick with it..

Ask away..this forum is the right place to ask..welcome aboard..

good luck
t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 30 March 2004 at 03:29 AM.]

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 30 March 2004 at 03:31 AM.]

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Peter - Welcome! As a guitar player, picking up the steel (10 years ago) for me was like discovering a new continent. Lots of territory to explore, but what a fascinating challenge. I've loved every minute of it.

You will get great helpful responses to all of your questions from a lot of great players. Don't forget to utilize the Search function at the top of the page. Over the years we've discussed inumerable aspects of the steel guitar and you can access all of those threads any time you want, using Search. Enjoy your new instrument!

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Peter, you've already got some good advice from some solid psg heads. Yep, get Winnie's book. Try to get a pro-quality axe if you can afford it. Think about what Tony said - if you want to get that C-6th sound, the earlier you start learning it the happier you will be. But most importantly, there are some great players in your neck of the woods. Four names that are frequent Forum contributors come to mind. My good friend Pete Burak, a "universal" player with great skills and some unique approaches. Ray Montee is another. Larry Behm, who I believe has produced some instructional material. And the most prolific Forum contributor of the bunch - Eric West. These are the names that come readily to mind, and I'm sure there are some others around. Find them by doing searches on the Forum, e-mail them and find out where and when they are playing, and get out to introduce yourself and let them show you around the instrument a little bit. All these guys are well-respected players, and I suspect any one of them would be glad to give you a hand figuring out what you want to do. So, find them and e-mail them right now. Have fun.

Peter Barker · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Ho-Lee sheep chit! Thanks for all the input, guys! Keep it comin'!

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

It would also be good to check www.onlinesteelers.com and look at the list for oregon... there ought to at least be a couple of people up there who play and would, I'm sure, be more than happy to give you advice and such on your quest

Be determined, and be patient... it does get easier. While you can do a lot of the work yourself, and really "self-teach" on a lot of this, it's really important to get some initial instruction, just to avoid building bad habits. A couple of face to face lessons with somebody will do you a world of good; instructional material doesn't tell you what you personally are doing wrong, and it's real hard to learn the right habits once you've learned the wrong ones.

By my count there are three pickers in portland, according to the online steelers list.

Best wishes and good luck...

Peter Barker · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

I should probably mention that I'm moving to the Sacramento area in a couple of months, so I'll probably try to make some connections there first, although any help I get between now and then while I'm here in Portland is still appreciated, of course.

Since it sounds like my current amp is sufficient (whew...) then my next hunt is for a good Steel that I can buy. I'm probably budgeting up to $800. I see a lot of stuff for more than that, so should I save my pennies until I have more to budget? Keep in mind that this isn't a flash in the pan for me, so I don't mind spending a fair amount of money so I can get a good instrument that I'll still enjoy playing in a couple of years.

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James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

If you can get a nice steel like the above forum members suggest, you can probably use your guitar amp for awhile to practice at the house. The amp you own already may even be a nice amp for steel. Spend your money on the best steel you can afford first, then upgrade your amp if you need to. You will find that about any amp that gives you plenty of good "clean" tone will do just fine. I use a Traynor 30 watt amp for practice at home, and it has a headphone jack. It cost me about $100. When you feel ready to go out and gig live, you will need at least about 80 watts(if you mike through the P.A.) to 300 watts. Peavey has a new Nashville 112(80 watts) built for steel guitar that has phenominal tone and head phone jack--for $400--$450. The Nashville series Peaveys are designed for steel and are very good and are standards in the steel communinity. They are solid state and give a certain tonal quality. I (and many others) personally love the sound of my '71 twin reverb---I love the tube sound of the old Fenders. Many of the old country recordings were made with a twin reverb. Have fun!!!

Bob Wood · From: Madera, California, USA

So there you go Peter, lots of invaluable info! You won't find that kind of advice anywhere else. Sounds like the Carter-starter maybe your best bet. Check with John Fabian on the prices. I bet a volume pedal might even come with that! Also, there are a lot of Steel Players in the Sacto area. You might even find one that teaches. Once again..., Good luck.....Bob

Robert Porri · From: Windsor, Connecticut, USA

Peter,

I started playing PSG 3 months ago after wrestling with the whole commitment idea for a bunch of years. I've been playing guitar for a long time also. I still play guitar a good deal and teach, but a lot of my practice time is now on my pedal steel. I've been using some course materials mentioned in previous posts and also taking private lessons. You can do it with good material on your own to a degree, but I would really recommend hooking up with a good teacher for awhile if at all possible.

I'm going to not even try to answer your questions that have already been covered very nicely in previous posts. But I will mention that I don't think it would be a mistake to buy the best PSG you can reasonably afford. I personally think new is a good idea for your first one because of support you'd get from a reputable company. I ended up with a new GFI guitar after meeting Gene Fields at a PSG show. They have a very good quality student model, although I went with their Ultra model. I'm very pleased with it. I've been playing a Carter Starter in my lessons and it's OK for the money, but I think you'll be looking for a pro model in a fairly short time if you stick with it anyways. If Carter is your choice, I'd really think about getting one of their pro models. I've read on this forum that the GFI student model is almost on a pro model level and some use it for that.

Feel free to email me if you want to correspond before you jump, or if you want to "commiserate" once you start playing. Just kidding! Playing is a blast and you will find much carry over knowledge from your guitar with the E9 PSG. But also tons to learn and get used to.

Bob Porri

Scott Hiestand · From: MA, U.S.A

Peter -

Lots of great advice here so I'll just add a little to it:

I highly recommend Bruce Bouton's instructional video "Learning Pedal Steel Guitar". It's what got me started, and I think it offers the most "bang for the buck" in terms of what you come away with. This isn't in any way a knock against Jeff Newman (or anyone else), I have a few of his videos too and he is a great instructor, but his tapes tend to be more specific in nature, i.e "the D lever" or "minor chords", etc.

The tape covers tuning, A-B-C pedals, E and F levers, pick-blocking, vibrato, a few nice ending licks, etc. To this day every once in a while I pop it in, if nothing else to re-visit tone, vibrato or just for a little inspiration.

It's available from Homespun Tapes.

Good luck on your new venture, you won't regret it. (P.S. I haven't picked up my Tele in years!!)

Dave Van Allen · From: Souderton, PA , US , Earth

David Cobb · From: Chanute, Kansas, USA

Welcome to the Forum, Pete.
Getting together with an accomplished player would be a real leg up, as helpful as any educational material.
Expect to spent many hours however, just you and the steel.

[This message was edited by David Cobb on 30 March 2004 at 03:38 PM.]

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