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Topic: Never Played a Steel Before |
David Fields
From:
South Carolina, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 9:22 pm |
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I have played everything else to include sax, bass, six and 12 string guitar, drums, harmonica, and violin, but never ever a steel.
But I will......
To me, country is country because of the sound of a steel.
I love that sound.
I realize that FIRST of all I have to get a steel so I can then learn how to play it.
Hey, I am thinking of a student model.
Someone told me that a GFI model sounds a little better than a Carter starter. Anyone else heard the same, or different?
I am now an official member of the forum here, and proud to be.
I peeked in and out of here for about 2 months and couldn't stand it no more. Sounds like a great place. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 9:36 pm
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The sound is a subjective thing, but the nice thing about the GFI is it's expandable. With the Carter Starter, you're locked in to one copedent and the hardware that's on it. With the GFI, you can add pdals, knees, make copedent changes...it's just a better, more versatile by to me.
IMO the GFI is also much sturdier...it rivals some "pro" guitars.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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David Fields
From:
South Carolina, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 9:42 pm Thanks
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Thanks Jim....
What is copedents?
Bear with me please. Thanks! |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 10:15 pm
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Hi David! Welcome to the forum. I don't know where in the Palmetto state you live, but there are steel pickers all over the place there.
My advice to you is to visit one of the steel shows near you and get to know these guys. They can guide you with your guitar search and help with lots of other steel things too.
Maybe you can look at and try some of the guitars they play and see the differences.
If you are really interested in learning and playing steel, I would advise against a student model guitar... rather go for a used pro model. They feel and play a lot better and you can almost always get your money back later if you know what to look for and what to avoid. That's why I suggest getting to know the steel pickers in your area. I know they would be glad to help in any way possible.
Good Luck and welcome to the world of the Steel Guitar. Your life is about to change!
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 10:43 pm
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| Quote: |
| What is copedents? |
...this is why I never use that word! It's just another confusing term, invented by steel guitarists... another term that separates us from the rest of the music world! 
Dave, a "copedant" is a tuning chart for pedal steel guitar showing the tuning setup, the open strings, how they are tuned, and what the pedals and levers do.... which strings they raise and lower, etc. Some players use the word 'copedant' to simply refer to their particular setup ("my copedant").
If you want to communicate with other musicians in the world, don't use that word. Just say "tuning chart" or "my tuning setup".
"boo-wah" pedal anyone? 
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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Paul King
From:
Gainesville, Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 4:16 am David
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| David, Regardless what brand of steel you buy, you will find this is a great forum. I have in the past asked questions and had Buddy Emmons and John Hughey post the answer for me. Where else can you go and get men that are tops in their field respond to questions from other steel players? I would bet there is no other forum in any music field where you can get professionals to help other musicians. This is a great forum and there are great people here who are willing to help others. Welcome aboard and you are in for a blast learning to play the steel guitar. It sure has brought me many years of enjoyment. |
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John Coffman
From:
Wharton,Texas USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 4:38 am
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Welcome. Hope you have as much fun and enjoyment as I. Paul King set me up with a friend to help me get my first steel pro steel and I feel it was a fair deal and I am glad I dug a little deeper to get a older pro model. I did have a Carter starter and I was advanced enough in six months to need a better unit. If your dead set on making a steel part of your life. Take the 700.00 for the beginner model add 500.00 to it and get a good used pro model. There are many good used models. Doc Boddy Bowman can find you just about anything you would need and treat you fair.
Ask question and more question but most of all go to a place were you can try many steels. I did not have the time but if I had to do it over I would have made the investment of time to yeild a better understanding of what I needed verses what I wanted. It is very important that you be comfortable and have the steel set to you. Dallas show is March 8-11 this would be a great place to start. Glad to have you aboard and God Bless. Email me if you want to talk more.
_________________
ShowPro SD10, Mullens RP, Bose S1 Pro, GK MB200, MB500, Bugera T50 Tube amp with SlidgeRig, TC HOF reverb effect. |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 5:04 am
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Welcome David,
Lots of good advice above! The best I can add is to have fun with it!
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Ernie Pollock
From:
Mt Savage, Md USA
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 5:49 am
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I was lucky, when I started (in 1983) there was a store 2 miles from where I lived (it no longer exists) that would rent me a Sho-Bud Maverick student model for cheap. After two months I was hooked, and bought my first inexpensive used pro model. This way I didn't have to try to sell the Maverick.
Barring this arrangement, I'd go ahead and hunt down an inexpensive used pro model.
Doug, I entirely agree with you about "copedent".
I like "boo-wah" though.  |
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Les Green
From:
Jefferson City, MO, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 6:20 am
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| Here's another one who agrees with you Doug. I can't stand that word. I always use "tuning" or "tuning set-up" |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 6:39 am Re: Thanks
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| David Fields wrote: |
| What is copedents? |
I love this question.
Welcome, David.
I will say, if you purchase a Starter, particularly if you find a used one, you can recoup your money when it's time to trade up. It was designed (by Bud Carter, I might add, who's reputation in the steel world has gained Carter a place at the top) as a starter, a place to trade up from, and has all the basics of a pedal steel, including 4 levers arranged in their most commonly used copedent (there's that word again! 'I like setup'.) It is not to be feared as is the mighty MSA Red Baron and the much-maligned Maverick.
I would love to have a GFI, with it's modern looks and light weight, but I'll stick with my old MSA Classic, also designed by Bud Carter.
The Carter name stands pretty tall....
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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David Fields
From:
South Carolina, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 6:45 am Re: Never Played a Steel Before
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Hey Guys....thanks for all the information. I appreciate it so much. I like this place already. Do the new Emmons (Emmons latchey) sound as good as the old ones? I realize again that I am getting into more opinions, but thought I would ask.
Also, most of the new models are all pull. Are they easier to play than the old push pull? |
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Dave Little
From:
Atlanta
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Sonny Priddy
From:
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 7:04 am steel
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| GFI All The Way. SONNY. |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 10:58 am
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David,
Clemson is not too far from Saluda,"Come on down" Sat nite, or Sunday. Plenty of players that love to talk tunings/setups, what plays best,sounds best etc. John Hughey will be there,and that alone is worth the drive. You may find a bargain PSG there. Hwy 121..3 mi south of Saluda on left, look for the lighted sign.
oops didn't see the link already posted.
Bill
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 11:11 am Re: Never Played a Steel Before
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| David Fields wrote: |
...most of the new models are all pull. Are they easier to play than the old push pull? |
All pull guitars are not easier to play than a properly adjusted push pull, (The key words here are properly adjusted,) but they are more stable and easier to work on.
Push pulls may sound better, but the all pull guitars are so much easier to build and maintain that today's builders are willing to sacrifice that extra bit of tone in exchange for the many mechanical advantages they offer.
P.S. I like the term Boo Wah too. It reminds me of my mis-spent youth. (Boo Wah, Boo Wah, Boo-oo Wah-ah, Boo Wah. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?")
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 11:12 am
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David, you'll love the Saluda show! I play there and it's an awesome show! I started playing steel seven years ago. I started out on a 1974 student model Emmons and then switched to a GFI Ultra D-10. I have cerebral palsy in my left hand and I use a bar with grooves in it. The steel guitar is a wonderful instrument to play and you can learn a lot on it. You'll love playing the steel. There are several beginner's steels out there. You'll love every minute behind the steel.
Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel, GFI Ultra D-10-aka "Redgold Beauty" |
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Steve Riddle
From:
Spring Hill, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 5:38 pm
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| David, I'm a newbie to psg also. Played 6-strings for almost 30 years before taking the plunge into 10 strings. Like you, I considered the Carter Starter. I took a ride up to Bobbe's store to get a closer look at them but he'd sold out at the time. He did have a GFI SM-10, which I ultimately purchased. Since then, I've been able to get a closer look at the Carter and I'm glad I went with the GFI. I'm sure the Carter is a fine instrument, but I looked at little things like the fit and finish of the cabinet, pedals, etc., and was glad I went with the GFI. The only regret I have is waiting so many years before taking up the habit (read "addiction")of psg! |
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Lane Sandstrom
From:
North Dakota, USA
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Posted 11 Feb 2007 12:07 pm
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| David. I've only been playing PSG for about a year now. Definately go with a good used pro model. They play so much nicer and you are far less apt to get discouraged. My first one was an old MSA D10 Classic which needed work but, as I worked on it, it allowed me to understand how these bad boys operate. When I finished it looked and sounded great. I also have a Williams D10 that I purchased used but like new. These are great guitars and play so-o-o smooth. Bill Rudolph in Minneapolis builds them and he's great to talk to on the phone. Check out their website. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 11 Feb 2007 5:37 pm
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You should search the database for Carter Starter. It's been discussed in depth many times over.
My vote is to stay away from it. I bought one a few years back. The best thing I ever did was box it up and buy a Sho-Bud.
When newcomers compare cheap steels they usually seem to compare starter models, but if I were to be in that position again, knowing what I know now, I would buy a used professional model.
Do you know how many regular guitarists have bought a cheap-o guitar with awful action, which even an experienced musician couldn't play, and progressed no further because they thought the problem was them and not the instrument ? Buy the best you can afford, or better, one you can't afford... |
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Simon Stephenson
From:
Hampshire, England
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Posted 12 Feb 2007 3:00 am
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I started playing less than a year ago on an old Emmons starter model. It needed (and still needs) work doing on it but I am learning about this all the time.
I am now at the point where I am thinking of going on and getting a pro model. However, because I've been using a cheap student model, I am better informed about what type of guitar to go for.
If you get a 2nd hand starter model you can always sell it in a year. If you look at ebay, you will probably see that any PSG gets snapped up quickly as there is a very boyant market (probably a result of the alt country fad).
Don't ignore the advice of the experienced players about getting a 2nd hand pro guitar, but my view is that if you have a really limited budget, it's better to have a student model than to have no guitar at all. You'll get hooked no matter what model you buy.
I do not regret what I did although, I admit, it would have been better to get a 2nd hand pro model if I had had the money at the time.
Best of luck... |
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Chuck Hall
From:
Warner Robins, Ga, USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2007 1:41 pm
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David
Welcome to the forum. Brought yourself on over to Saluda this weekend. Maybe we'll meet there. This is more fun than you can shook a stick at....
_________________
Chuck
MCI D10 8/4 Nashville 400 and a Profex. |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 13 Feb 2007 2:04 pm
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David,Welcome..There is a used Dekley S-10 3 pedals+4 knee levers in the instruments for sale part of the forum...the price is a good one,I have a guitar just like it and it is a pro guitar,Check it out,Stu
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Brandon Ordoyne
From:
Needville,Texas USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2007 2:09 pm
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I started with the Carter-Starter...It did, for me, what it was designed to do, get the person familiar with the steel guitar, without spending a large amount of money. It was not designed to be a Pro guitar. But then again there are good deals on used guitars out there. If you want a student model I am sure the Carter of the GFI will work. I would personally keep an eye out on the forum for a good used guitar that suits your needs.
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'74 Emmons D10 P/P 8x5,'15 Rittenberry D10 8x5, Peavey Nashville 112, 400 & 1000, Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master, Hilton, Goodrich L120, Boss DD-3 and RV-3 |
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