The British Steelies Society

Hello everyone, I hope your all well.
I would love some advice. I've been playing 6 string guitar for years and years set up left handed. I am thinking of trying the pedal steel. As im sure your aware there aren't that many lefty models available (though there seems to be more than there used to be.) I did see that GFI could build me a lefty one for just under a £1000. Are these good steels?
Or should I learn right handed and have more choice about the steel I can purchase? Does anybody have experience of playing guitar lefty and then steel righty?
One more question, when learning/begining how many strings and foot and knee levers should I go for? I was thinking 10 strings, 3 feet and 2 knees. Too much too soon?
Actually one more question, I saw this on ebay, does it look like a risky purchase:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHO-BUD-MAVER ... 4d177a5d55
Any help would be amazing. I am just delving into this world.
Thanks
Laurie

Look on the For Sale section, Ted Nesbitt has just offered a LH pedal steel for sale - worth looking into.

Here's my thoughts.
I've always advised new left handed players (any instrument) to try the standard way first and only go the whole lefty thing if plan "a" REALLY doesn't work for them. But you're different because you already play lefty guitar and your hands/brain will be tuned to fretting with the right and picking with the left. So I reckon you're going to have to go the left handed steel guitar route or you'll be struggling with two opposing disciplines at the same time.
The Maverick is not a good buy, as you guessed. There were some guitars with that name that were ok (maple, separate neck) but the vinyl covered ones are very restricted. Fender put the same guitar out with their badge on and they are true beginners guitars that you dump for a more useful one sooner or later. Without a separate neck, they don't look right either. Check out photos on line and you'll see what pro guitars look like and what I mean.
GFI guitars are good and their student models are ok at the right price. ZB made a decent student model too, ages ago, which would be much better than that Maverick. Second hand guitars will be rare but probably worth seeking. New leftys cost more but are harder to sell, which might be to your advantage as a used-guitar buyer?
Keep in touch with forum and you will get sound advice - of course not all of us think the same way, but you can judge for yourself (check the members' past posts) and figure out a consensus from the different views expressed.
You might as well go for 3 pedals and 4 knee-levers from the start if possible. You don't have to use them all to begin with. Guitars with only 2 KLs may, or may not, have the same functions as the respective 2 out of a set-up of 4 and you could get stuck with a weird co-pedent after learning on an oddball setup.
I know one can do a lot with less (particularly with experience), but you will struggle to get tutor material using fewer than 3 KLs: and a beginner needs all the help he can get.

Lloyd Green is a lefty.

My two penn'orth:-

As a lefty who has always played the conventional way, i.e. pick/bow with the right, fret/finger/bar with the left, I agree with Tony. While there is a significant number of lefties who play this way, including well-known and eminent players, I feel that you should do what feels best for you. There are enough problems to overcome on our wondrous instrument without the complication of playing what is for you, the other way round. Our fellow Forum Members will be happy to offer the benefit of their knowledge and experience. I have never known musos to be so helpful and generous.
Please let us know what you decide.

All the best,

John H. (ps, fwiw Jimi and Sir Paul both write Right-handed!!!)

And Jimi even played a right handed guitar with the strings (to him) upside down!

Thanks everyone for the advice, its a great help.
I sat down and practiced picking with my right hand, which was hard but it might get easier with time. I found using a slide with my left quite easy as it is my strongest hand. I may play around like this for a while and see how I get on. I play a bit of piano and my right hand does more technical stuff than my left so there may be some hope with this method. But yes, of course after 15 years of lefty guitaring it does feel like it could get complicated swapping back and forth from guitar to steel.
Thanks for pointing out the lefty for sale. Because the pedals are on the left wont that make this steel a 'one of a kind' and thus I would only be used to playing lefty but with righty pedals? (Im probably wrong and confused about this.)
Anyway I know my options now, so I just have to decide. I want to go into this 100%, it looks so hard to play.
Thankyou again everyone, and cheers Tony for the heads up on what type of model to get. Much appreciated.
I'll let you know how I get on.
P.S. I did not realise hendrix played with upside down strings. So does Gryff Rhys from the Super Furry Animals
Pip pip.

Welcome to the forum Laurie. I told you they were a good bunch

laurie wrote:..................... Because the pedals are on the left wont that make this steel a 'one of a kind' and thus I would only be used to playing lefty but with righty pedals? (Im probably wrong and confused about this.).

No, you're not wrong - righty pedals are on the left. I guess maybe whoever put this guitar together had trouble finding parts and used an available undercarriage without converting? The spec is pretty decent though, 'Bud and Emmons parts isn't it? Much depends on how tricky it is to re-sell if you don't make it as a steel player - it could be the one Can you get to try it? Ted is a straight up guy.