Looking for my first PSG

[palesummer]

Hi all

After the totally inspiring experience of having a steel player recording in my studio, I have decided ("I want to make THAT SOUND!!!!") I seriously need to get hold of a pedal steel guitar. I have negotiated what I think is a realistic budget of up to £600 or so, such that the spouse and childer will not starve. What I would sell my soul for is a Bennett Freshman, since that got the nod of approval from Mrs Pete, though I reckon she's also worked out that any such complicated instrument would keep me quiet for a good few evenings… Failing that I would be interested in any good beginners PSG.

Anything out there?

Pete Griffin

[Danny Mitchell]

Hi Pete,
My experience was exactly like yours. Got exposed to the steel whilst working in the studio and bingo! I was hooked.
If I could offer my tuppence worth? If you think you'll be serious about the steel and are willing to put in the work, then it would be better to save a bit more and get a 2nd hand pro model. A lot of really nice guitars pass through this forum. I went down the student model route and feel I wasted money in doing so. The difference in responsiveness and tuning stability was immense to me. You'll find this forum a great source of information and advice (better than mine) Good luck on your journey!

[rogerp1]

Hi Pete.
I'm in the same boat as you and have about £750 saved but I'm still a couple of hundred quid short of a decent guitar. Your only option for that sort of money is a student model or wait for something to come up on ebay(a rare occurrence).
Good luck in your search
Roger

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

I think I see more used steels than most on this forum, I have five for sale at the moment but nothing close to where you guys are at ...... If your serious about playing you have to "Bite the Bullet" and spend a little over 1k for a playable guitar and that is cheap in today's market.... If you do, on the other side of the coin, when you sell it, you will get your cash back because there are more buyers than sellers out there.
Roger, if as you say you have £750 saved at this time, talk to Dave Seddon and come to some arrangement, he is a reasonable man and the guitar he offers plays as smooth as silk, and is as nice to play as anything I have here.





Try to make it to my Steelies meeting on the 14th, talk to some other players....

[darren_john92]

What do you have for sale at the minute John? I have a sho bud ldg that I might move on if the right thing comes up for sale.

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

PM sent>>>>

[palesummer]

Thanks everybody for your input, and a super-big shout-out, innit, to ma homie Matt Park for sorting me out with a beautiful red Bennett. You are looking at one happy, though slightly intimidated, bunny.

And now the fun begins… Man, this thing is intimidating! How far from a regular guitar is this? My first thought is… no way will I master this! Pedals, hundreds of strings, and worse… knee levers. And of course my first impression was "hey, the action is a little high…"

And what is that crazy tuning all about? Now, the thing is, coming from a guitar, (and if you're coming from a flute, I can't help you) you're probably used to hitting most of the strings in one go, but there are too many on a PSG. I got the hang of the mandolin, because that's really a subset of upside-down guitar tuning - but this is a different ball game. I can feel my brain being stretched in all directions… they should install PSGs in old peoples' homes. It is beginning to make sense though, and you know that E-F#-G# sequence of strings? I'm already yearning for that on a conventional guitar!

More anon
Pete