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Topic: **Pedal Steel Advice Needed** |
Tom Enderlein
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 9:38 am |
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Hello Everyone~!
I am interested in purchasing a Pedal Steel Guitar to be used for Jam/Blues/Rock music. I am a big Robert Randolph fan, and I would like to have something that would not only allow me to play his music, but also be used for some blues playing as well.
What should I be looking for in the Instrument Forum section of this website? And for the record, i'm a talented musician with minimal experience in the world of Pedal Steel tunings, configs, etc. I do have a schematic from Carter showing a RR style setup(see below). But I really don't need a 13 string custom job pedal steel -- just something to get me going. And in my opinion, since RR relies primarily on his slide technique -- maybe a ton of pedals/KL will not be needed...
Thoughts? Suggestions? Recommended Instruments? Min number of strings?
Thanks!
Ihttp://www.steelguitar.com/resource/tunings/sacredsteelers/ssrr_13strg.html |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 12:33 pm
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Tom,
You may want to consider this one that Mike has for sale. I want it but don't have the $$$ right now...Bill
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=169454
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Tom Enderlein
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Barry Hyman
From:
upstate New York, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 5:38 pm
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I would recommend an S-10 or SD-10 (E9th tuning) with at least three pedals and four or five knee levers. That's not what RR uses but it is a reasonable starting place for any serious musician, especially if you want to play blues on psg. You can get a lot of blues licks with just slide, but the pedals and knees add all sorts of additional options -- minors, sevenths, etc. Good luck!
_________________
I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com |
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Bill Dobkins
From:
Rolla Missouri, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 6:59 pm
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Tom, Billy Henderson has a Nashville LTD rebuild at very reasonible price. It's almost the same as a Rittenberry as it was made by the same guy. Gary Rittenberry completely rebuilt this guitar.
I play some blues on my Ritt and sounds great.
Check it out.
_________________
Custom Rittenberry SD10
Boss Katana 100 Amp
Positive Grid Spark amp
BJS Bars
Z~Legend Pro,Custom Tele
Honor our Vet's.
Now pass the gravy. |
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Raybob Bowman
From:
S. Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 7:03 pm
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If you are looking at cheaper models, try to stay away from anything that only has single raise and single lower. You will want at least double raise, single lower if not more.
_________________
Sierra U12 4+5 / 1933 Dobro / homemade Tele B-bender |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Tom Enderlein
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 5:17 am
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Thanks for the great advice! This forum is a goldmine of information for someone who is new to this! I was told a long time ago to also stay away from the "Starter" models -- mainly because they are very difficult/impossible to customize the pedals/KL.
I have a few questions.... Mr. Hyman made reference to a SD-10? Not too sure what that means... (double neck?)
And are we all agreed that for a relative SS beginner, the E9th or E7th would be best? Perhaps a min of 10 strings?
And for future record, Im not very familiar with the manufacturers or their reputations -- so comparisons are often lost in translation.
Thanks again for all the help and advice -- I think joining this forum was a wise decision~! |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 5:43 am
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Tom,
SD10/12 is a double neck guitar with the lower neck omited, mostly with a pad.
S10/12 is a single neck narrow width, sometime with a 2" or more ledge (sometime callad a 3/4 body)with/without a pad.
S10, 4+5 is reffered to a single 10 with 4 floor pedals, and 5 knee levers.
Take a look in "for sale", and also "show me your (brand) steel" postings for a good variation of different modles, and styles.
BTW...welcome to the forum...Bill
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Tom Enderlein
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 6:04 am
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Bill, Thanks for the information - that was quite helpful.
I have spent some time on the "for sale" section -- there are a ton of beautiful instruments out there. Should I focus my search on these ordered criteria....
A) Number of Strings -- 10+
B) Tuning -- SS E7 or E9
C) KL/Pedals/and how they are set up (which is, sad to say, mostly greek to me since i'm a self taught guitar player/mandolin player/squareneck dobro player)
D) $$$
Is that a good strategy to attack this? |
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Bill Moore
From:
Manchester, Michigan
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 6:30 am
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Tom, most used guitars will have 10 strings, some have 12. Most single neck guitars will be set up with the E9th tuning. Most S-10 used guitars will have 3 pedals, 4 levers is most common, some will have 3 or 5. The Emmons pedal set-up is most common, A,B,C, left to right. If you are looking for something much different then this, it will be harder to find. As far as $$$, you can find a good used guitar for around 1000, look for a used MSA, or BMI, either would give a lot of guitar for the money. The main thing is to find a guitar that's in good mechanical condition, one that can be changed later if you want to. Good luck.
Bill
_________________
Bill Moore...
my steel guitar web page
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 7:00 am
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Tom,
Rule #1...Don't get in a rush because you may wind up in a corner.
I would go with "B" first decide what tuning you want, then 10/12,etc strings. As far as pedal/lever setup, that is pretty much standard to Emmons or Day setup, I would recomend the Emmons if you decide on E9, or extE9 because all tab and instruction is written for the Emmons setup. If you decide on the "ss" tuning, I think that pedal/knee setup is also standardised(not sure about that).
Another thing you may want to do is start a topic,"any steel players in (your town PA)", talk to them and arrange to go hear them play and/or discuss the different aspects of setups,tunings,etc. Hope this helps without too much confusion...Bill
Edited to say, Bill was posting while I was typing, all good info so far.
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Oct 2009 1:23 am
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| Quote: |
| And are we all agreed that for a relative SS beginner, the E9th or E7th would be best? Perhaps a min of 10 strings? |
I'd be more likely to say a maximum of 10 strings. Try not to get caught up in the "more is better" mindset. I think a basic 3&5 or 4&5 10 stringer that can be changed easily is your best bet. Also, be aware that instructional materials for anything other than E9th are very limited. Unless you're quite talented and driven, picking some other tuning might be frustrating, due to the lack of learning aids or finding a teacher/fellow player to mentor you. Pedal steel is an instrument that's very difficult to learn without some help. |
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 27 Oct 2009 3:25 am Steel
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| Tom..."Desert Rose" guitars by Chuck Back is manufacturing a steel guitar model that has features specifically for players like yourself called the "Delta Blues". Locate the Links section at the top of the Forum Index page and click on manufacturers, there will be a heading for Desert Rose. These appear to be very high quality instruments. |
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