Where to start...

[Great Mother]

Hello all and a happy New Year!

I'm a guitar player of many years and have always been a lover of the pedal steel sound. Having always been too scared to take the plunge on a pedal steel due to the price in the UK Vs. just how difficult people say they are to play, I've never had the pleasure of playing one, but I'm now as ready as I'll ever be. My question to you seasoned veterans is where should I start?

Should I invest in a cheaper lap steel before taking the plunge on a full pedal steel guitar?

If I go straight for a pedal steel, which model would you recommend, how many leavers would you advise for a beginner?

I'd also really appreciate it if you could point me in the direction of the best place to purchase a pedal steel in the UK.

Cheers guys, hope to be around for years to come!

J

[Willie Gamble]

Well now Great Mother, in my humble opinion, start as you mean to go on and buy a Pedal Steel Guitar, I would also recommend that you buy as good as you can afford. It would appear that you have hit this at a most fortunate time, at this particular time there are a few good guitars for sale on here, although they have not been advertised as yet.
I could possibly recommend a Mullen RP Sd10 ( that is a single neck on a double body) mint condition, polished pedals and levers, Emmons set up, a snip at £2500. This guitar new would cost around £3900.
If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know. as at the same seller there is everything that you would need,ie amp volume pedal, leads, bar etc all at reasonable prices and all in great condition.
Asleep at the steel

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Hi, GM welcome to the forum, as Willie says there are some nice guitars available if you have the "where with all" to purchase, my advice would be keep away from ebay unless you have someone that plays to look at what you are thinking of buying. If you are located within travel distance ( lockdown permitting) of St.Neots Cambs. you are welcome to come and have a play on an Emmons and learn a little bit about it though I have nothing of my own to sell at this time,

[Danny Mitchell]

Hi Great Mother,
Welcome to the forum. I was in a position much like yours, I'd been playing guitar for years and had always loved the sound of steel guitar. I, well my missus, opted for a second hand student model from ebay (yikes! with hindsight that was absolute madness) and it wasn't long before it's inadequacies started to appear. A year later I purchased a new, pro model and the difference was night and day.
On your levers query, the minimum to go for is 3 pedals and 4 levers, although having a fifth vertical lever is a great bonus.
Good luck with whatever you choose

[Zumbilly(Murdoch)]

Hi G.M, always a difficult question to answer. There are many things to consider.I think the most obvious is how much You can afford to pay.My own experience when I started on My journey was that I had little knowledge of the intricacies of the instrument,Steel guitars were not readily available in the area where I lived. I did come across a very basic "Starter" model and also a guitar built by a local guy at a fairly low price,I eventually dug deep and purchased a pretty expensive guitar. Had I bought any of the "cheaper" guitars I doubt very much if I would still be playing today. It took me ages to learn the basics of playing and I would have given up trying and borne the loss, having bought the expensive model I was determined to learn and stuck to the task and did eventually become quite proficient after a while.Buying a guitar of lesser quality and with limited playability will let You try, but be prepared to quickly realise the playing limitations of these models and You will soon need to upgrade.Three floor pedals and four or five knee levers are just about standard on modern guitars.Brands of guitars are subjective but just about every modern guitar is excellent,Go as high as you can if You feel You will work hard at playing and the rewards will be great. The Guitar which My friend Willie Gamble mentions is certainly a stunner. Good luck in Your quest. I bough Bert Weedons book when I was learning six string guitar and I was unable to "Play in a Day" as the advert promised,same goes for steel guitar,with luck you may be able to get it out the case on the first day

[Tony Russell Davis]

Hi GM, let's know whereabouts you live and we might have someone in your area to guide you.
The point has been made pretty firmly that it's a very bad idea to buy from an auction site or, for that matter, buying a second hand guitar that has not been evaluated by a decent player. Most of the regulars on this site will give you good advice and have a reputation to preserve.
Your budget really needs to be enough to buy a fairly recent guitar. While vintage guitars may be sought after by experienced players, they will be a minefield for beginners.
Second hand - buy a decent pro guitar and you can usually get your money back if you want to sell it later.
New - you will get a good instrument with aftersales backup, but you'll have to live with the devaluation; rather like a car. Available guitars in UK would be Mullen and GFI guitars. The new MSA guitars are very good (older ones need checking out) but I'm not sure if they or any other brands are readily available over here.
If you see something interesting, please check back with us before commitment.

[simon_f3]

Hi GM, and happy new year to all Steelies!

If it is any help, my personal experience as a beginner was that buying a cheap pedal steel was a waste of money. I bought a vintage double 8 'Denley' which needed a fair bit of attention, and although it would have been possible to get it playable I don't think my playing would have progressed very quickly. I was going to use it as a non-pedal guitar, but in the end I sold it at a loss and moved on to a pro pedal steel. I probably only lost £150 or so but it was still a great annoyance - I am not known for my excessive spending!

I would strongly advise trying out a pedal steel before making any kind of purchase, and also seeing if you can get a 'package deal' of guitar, volume pedal, tone bar, etc. as are often offered by several on this forum. Although you may have to wait a bit now we are all confined to our homes

I ended up with a 1975 Sho-Bud Pro 3 in the end as I really wanted the C6 neck and it was just within my budget. It is a great instrument and I don't think I am likely to reach the limitations of what can be played on it in my lifetime

There is masses of very good advice on this forum, and you have made a very good first move in asking the question before buying something unsuitable. Good luck in your search, and be prepared for the pedal steel addiction... I occasionally have to set alarms to remind me to eat and sleep when I am in the PSG zone

[Tony Smart]

I would say tell us where you are and ask if there is anyone (within reasonable travelling distance) who you could visit for perhaps an hour or so.
They would be able, at first hand to give you more advice etc. and see their guitar.
Good Luck.


p.s. Whoops, forgot about lockdown........but you get the idea when the time is right.

[TonyT]

Welcome! I echo all the above comments, if you buy a student model you will probably want to upgrade some time, buy quality, buy once, practice for the rest of your life!
We are spread from Cornwall to Scotland, everyone will help if required, it gives us great pleasure to have new steelies on board! Cheers

[TonyT]

I know ebay is not the place to buy. Rest of post deleted. Enough said.