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Topic: Australian citizen after a reasonable pedal steel. |
Jesse Williams
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 7:12 am |
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Hey all,
I've been really keen to get a pedal steel, but living in Australia it's quite hard. The only options on offer in the country are a Carter Starter, which I don't really want (as I've heard one generally replaces them within a year) or a new Emmons for $6500+. Are there music shops in the states which some of the members here work within that I may be able to import from etc. I'm looking to spend up to $2500 AUD (little bit more than the same in USD) for the right instrument that I'm not going to have to replace (obviously the shippings going to be huge $$$, so would prefer to only have to do it once)...
Are there any tips for buying also, I'm new to the instrument but am keen to learn. Have been trying to get my head around the E9 tuning and pedals looking at diagrams/videos and the like, mostly makes sense and I'm a quick learner for these things. |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Ned McIntosh
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 12:14 pm
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Hi Jesse and welcome to the forum,
Do you want a D10 or an S10? I've air-freighted five D10 steels from the US/Canada to Australia and the freight, customs, GST and clearance fees averaged $1100Aust, but keep in mind D10s weigh about 27-30Kg packed. That was on top of the purchase price of the steel itself.
Right now with our Aussie dollar where it is there has never been a better time to buy a top-quality steel from the US or Canada.
The three retailers I would be looking at are Bobbe Seymour at Steel Guitar Nashville, Billy Cooper's steel shop and Al Brisco at Steel Guitar Canada. In addition there are always great steels on offer in the "for sale: steel guitars" section of the forum.
Anyway, good luck with your search, and once you get a steel, life will never be quite the same again.
_________________
The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being. |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 2:02 pm
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Jesse you could also keep an eye on the Brisbane steel club website - a few guitars pop up on their occasionally
http://www.brissteelguitar.com/for_sale.html
Crowbear: Just a slight correction mate - I am not an Aussie, but from across the ditch -- I am a New Zealander or Kiwi !!!  We are close neighbours and cousins.
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Damien Odell
From:
Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 2:11 pm
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Jesse,
There is a double neck Excel pedal steel on the Australian ebay site at present. I have never played an Excel though I must add, but it looks nice enough..
There are several players based in Melbourne - Dave Moore is one. He plays with the Doug Bruce band, he's a nice guy and a great player - it may be worth looking him up.
I have a new steel arriving today from the USA and let me tell you that it's easier and cheaper if you can source one locally.... |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 2:13 pm
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Paddy, at first i thought you were Irish
only to find out (a while back mind you) that you were a Kiwi
since you're so well known down under, i could'nt resist...  |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 6:11 pm
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Hehe well I am Irish descent on both sides -- but New Zealand is down under mate ... Aussie is a small Island off our West coast about 2000 kms !! 
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Brendan Mitchell
From:
Melbourne Australia
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 9:41 pm
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For the price you are willing to spend you could get a brand new Stage one delivered with change .
Or this great looking CarpSteel : http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=197320
Or many of the very fine guitars on offer in the for sale section here .
Although the Carp and the Stage One are sold as "student models" I have heard nothing but good reports about them . They will both keep you very busy for a long time and your back will love you { they are both light weight guitars .
I live in Melbourne in I can be of any help .
There is an SD10 Emmons on the Brisbane site for a reasonable price if you prefer the vintage stuff . |
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Jesse Williams
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 2:10 am
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Hey all,
Thanks for the prompt and very helpful replies! Great forum too! That Carp one looks pretty fine, especially considering the upgrades. Have to work out what sort of prices shipping for something will be before I make any decisions. Much thinking to do, a lighter instrument would definitely be preferable, back's in a constantly poor state with all the gigging and stuff.
Just had a look on the brissteel website (there wasn't anything for sale last time I checked but now there's heaps!).
What are peoples thoughts on 8-string steels...? Is one likely to want the extra 2 strings after they master the 8?
Are Remingtons good instruments also????
Sorry for all the questions! |
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Jeff Spencer
From:
Queensland, Australia
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 3:58 am
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Welcome Jesse. As Paddy said, keep an eye on our Brisbane Steel Guitar site. They pop up at any time. This forum is the place for advice. As for the EXCEL, they are very good but you really should try a guitar out. Try not to buy unseen or at least get a player to vouch for one that is on offer. Not easy in Australia!!. I know there are quite a few of us on the forum. Be patient and be warned, your life WILL change.
Paddy, Paddy Paddy,
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| Aussie is a small Island off our West coast about 2000 kms !! |
Dont make me start on the Kiwi jokes |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 8:37 pm
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Jeff you guys have got more sheep than us - so be careful with the jokes ok
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Ned McIntosh
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 9:36 pm
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Jesse,
Looking at the photos of the Excel on the eBay Aus site, I think I'd be contacting the seller and getting some more info on it. There is no case for it, but the Excels are very highly respected and beautifully made. This one looks worth investigating. It may mean a trip to Tassie for you but I'd at least make contact.
_________________
The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being. |
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Greg Milton
From:
Benalla, Australia
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 9:52 pm
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Hi Jessie,
I live in Melbourne as well and got a lovely Williams SD10 shipped here - with typical bad timing it was just before the Aussie dollar went soaring against the US dollar - but I am so glad I did it because it is such an amazing steel, and the service from Bill Rudolph was excellent. Right now is the best time to buy a steel from the States due to the Aussie dollar being so strong. And there seem to be so many classic model steels for sale for very cheap on this forum lately.
If I was buying a steel now I would buy a nice light secondhand steel from a reputable forum member in the US and fly over and get it and bring it back as luggage*. When you add up the shipping and taxes you might as well go over and have a little holiday as an added bonus!
If you are wanting to try a cheaper steel before you jump into a big financial outlay the Carter Starter is a good investment. I started on one and when I thought it was time to upgrade I had no trouble selling it, and for not much under what I payed for it (check out the prices on the Brissteel pages - they always seem to be very high compared to the US). I think the CS gets a bad wrap because you can't change the tuning, but the fact is that after you've played a while you realise that the tuning on the CS is enough to keep you going for a long, long time. My tuning on my Williams started out very complicated but now isn't too far off what was on the CS. It was a good little steel, always stayed in tune and was very light and easy to carry around - I traveled with it a lot and it survived baggage handlers completely unscathed and still in tune!
Anyway, there's some food for thought...
*PM me if you want to know how this works |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 16 Jul 2011 1:56 am
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Jessie, as Greg mentions - going over and bringing one back is a great idea .... I am a regular visitor to the Dallas steel guitar show in March (as are a few Aussie players as well like Wazza) .. there is a hell of a lot of guitars on display and you can try them all out ...just about every manufacturer is usually there... if you find something you like you can just bring it back as luggage for no cost !!! I have bought several guitars back over the years, for myself and for others - and you get to have a brilliant steel guitar weekend as well.
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Damien Odell
From:
Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 17 Jul 2011 1:11 am
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What Paddy said....
My new 12 string universal Mullen arrived on Friday, courtesy of my in laws who kindly brought it back with them.....at no cost.
Having a steel shipped out here from America will cost you a bomb, buy something locally or get a steel if you travel to the USA.
I had a new steel shipped here a few years ago via fedex and by the time i took possession of it i had paid the best part of $800 for freight alone and then there was import duties etc, it is a joke.
Paddy, you're a comedian. |
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Damien Odell
From:
Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 17 Jul 2011 5:36 pm
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make sure the missing 5 pedals are still available before shelling out any dosh on that roughie ! Looks like it would be more trouble that it's worth - and it's certainly not worth 2k 
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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John Turbeville
From:
Carlsbad, ca
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Posted 17 Jul 2011 5:53 pm
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| the stage one guitars are great and inexpensive I would stay away from anything but a single E9 guitar. If you cant find anything local, see what shipping would be from stage one, it shouldnt be too bad, they are only about 40# in the case. |
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Jeff Spencer
From:
Queensland, Australia
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Posted 18 Jul 2011 1:13 am
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| Paddy's right. Be careful with that E-bay MSA one. 2k - ?? He will probably get it but by someone cashed up and little idea. |
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Benjamin Wolfram
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 18 Jul 2011 3:46 am
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Hi there,
I'm down in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to find a guy selling a S10 Rittenberry near new from WA which I got and I love. Like you I knew I was going to learn the instrument and I didn't just want to get a beginner model only to replace it in a year. Spend the money and get a good one and you won't regret it, and I even looked into shipping a nice one over from USA via a few different freighters and it wasn't that horrible providing you got a cheaper quote. USPS I found were the cheapest and I was looking at single 10s so a double would be more expensive. I rekon get something from overseas with our dollar at the moment it's hard to beat...just maybe have the sender declare it for a bit less on customs form to save on duties. If you can get something declared for under $1000 you're laughing  |
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Jesse Williams
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 19 Jul 2011 12:48 am
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Hmm, a holiday to the states is definitely on the cards. I was sorta thinking of heading over there early - mid next year, so I guess it could be a good idea to wait it out and make a week or two of it, and bring a steel back!
Thanks all! |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 19 Jul 2011 4:06 pm
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Jesse the Dallas steel show is on in early March and is well worth going to !!
http://www.texassteelguitar.org/ and click on "Jamboree" !
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Benjamin Franz
From:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Ned McIntosh
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 20 Jul 2011 8:02 am
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Jesse,
The Excel on eBay attracted no bids. Might be worth contacting the vendor, he may be receptive to an offer. At the very least he should be able to email you some high-res photos so you can see what condition it is in.
_________________
The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being. |
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Geoff Barnes
From:
Sydney, Australia
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Posted 20 Jul 2011 1:40 pm
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As a GFI owner I reckon these are great little guitars. Lightweight and responsive and every inch a professional ride.
The added benefit of buying a new guitar for a beginner is that the copedent would be unaltered which should make the learning curve less of a hassle from the "get-go". Most written tutorial material will be easier to wade through.
Also you aren't buying a "pig in a poke"... the seller of a used peice of equipment isn't necessarily gonna divulge the real reason for offloading their instrument.
An experienced player can navigate their way though this minefield a lot easier... Starting out you just need a guitar that does what it's supposed to. 
My experience with Guitar Factory is that they are more expensive than other music stores, but you may be able to negotiate a better price.
RRP is just a vendor's wish. A definite sale usually blows that B.S out of the water.
_________________
Too much equipment....I think I need help. |
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