Getting a pedal steel tomorrow...

VOLVO))) · September 20, 2011, 04:13:49 PM

Are all steel players self-important fuckheads?

I've tried to buy three steels in the passed month, and all of these guys have been arrogant fucks, wanting way too much for their piece of shit student steels.

I'll buy a StageOne, Fuck it.

Chovie D · September 20, 2011, 05:01:19 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on September 20, 2011, 04:13:49 PM
Are all steel players self-important fuckheads?

I've tried to buy three steels in the passed month, and all of these guys have been arrogant fucks, wanting way too much for their piece of shit student steels.

I'll buy a StageOne, Fuck it.

Holy shit, are you serious?

Congrats, thats a bold move. (buying the stage one)

I very well may be a self important fuckhead, probably am, but Id say MOST steelers have hearts of gold. ive never ever met a more helpful honest and outgoing group of musicians. That said theres assholes everywhere. Also , people selling steels are more often people who TRIED to be a steeler and gave up than an actual steeler. also , is it craigs list, home of the $15000 les paul junior with missing parts and broken headstock? and finally...no offense but if you arent an expert on pedal steels it can difficult to tell their actual value.

Before you buy anything, including the stage one. I suggest you join the Pedal Steel guitar forum. You will want to join anyway once you have your steel as its one of the best resources anywhere. I have watched them find steels for beginners and put them in touch with steelers from their area for lessons..not to mention the tab section, the for sale section, and the numerous postings by the most famous pedal steel players living today..solid gold brother. Its $5 for a lifetime memebership. well worth it. You can go there now and check it out for free,you just cannot post until registered.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/index.php The sections to pay most attention to right now are "Pedal steel" "steel Players" and "For sale:steel guitars"

another idea is to look for a Pedal Steel Guitar association in your area and contact them. If you live in the midwest as i think you do there is defnetly one in your area. Iowa, Minneapolis, St,. Louis, Ohio, I recall all these places having a steel guitar association of their own. Again I have seen such organization find instruments for beginners and lessons. Actaully this is how I found my guitar and my first teacher. They usually have scheduled events open to the public, jams and such...which if you ask im sure you could attend and check out steels first hand and ask for advice or if they know anyone sellling a steel.. THese old guys are usually thrilled your interested and eager to help.Typical scenario and how it happend for me was i told everyone there i was looking, and one guy said "oh I've had this extra steel Ive been using for several years to teach on....its yours for $900 if you like it"

Even if that fails to find you a steel, you'll have an entree into the steel commmunity in your area and i cant tell you how small and close knit these steelers are..and how helpful they can be to you.
ONe real life vendor you may wanna try is Jim Palenscar...he runs one of the few "steel shops" in the world and is a very nice and cool gentleman with may used steels for sale. http://www.steelguitars.me/
THEN when youve exahausted these posibilities...you can consider the stage one knowing full well youve tried your best to get a screaming deal on a vintage peice, but that you will still be getting a steel that can do what you ned it to and has decent resale value.
shit man, youve made me wanna go home and play my steel right now. Im excited for you.
Lemme know how it goes, and when you finally get one, I can be of further help.

if your in Iowa as seem to remember??? theres this coming up...this means there is an association inthat area that puts this kind of shit on. you should seek them out for help and try to attend this if you can and are close enough. (i drive threee hours each way to attend the closest one to me twice a year)
http://steelguitarnetwork.com/events/northeast-iowa-steel-guitar-show

and this
http://www.steelguitarnews.com/2011/04/central-iowa-steel-guitar-show.html they mention its yearly...

Worthless Willie · September 20, 2011, 05:20:04 PM

That's a shitload of useful info, Choves. SunnO))) is a Florida boy.

Pedal steel rules the midnight air.

Chovie D · September 20, 2011, 06:02:26 PM

Quote from: Worthless Willie on September 20, 2011, 05:20:04 PM
That's a shitload of useful info, Choves. SunnO))) is a Florida boy.

Pedal steel rules the midnight air.

Florida eh?

LOTS of steel clubs in the south my man.
Jack Stoner is a cool old guy, he runs this one...
http://www.floridasteelguitarclub.com/

Looks like you juts missed these folks "jam"
https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Florida-Steel-Guitar-Association/112000295500971
but oh snap! it loks like the next jam is juts around the corner
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=211773

http://www.manasotasteelguitarclub.com/

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=211147&sid=d85bffda1474118ab89df012c514491a

I post all this shit because imHO the absolute best way to get a pedal steel is via another steel player, preferably an elderly gentleman whos been playing since before they had pedals on the guitars.

Be prepared when you meet these folks that they are going to be very very conservative and god fearing and you should attempt to be respectful and if possible avoid ANY conversations about religion or government. Its not the place to wear your "yes we can!" t-shirt. Dont wear ripped jeans or a pentagram t-shirt. Being super polite "yessir" nossir" etc is one way to impress ...and for gods sake dont mention rock, metal or give them ANY indication you intend to do anything with the guitar other than play classic country. Dont discuss amps or pods, tehy will be offended if you diss SS or pods. The goal is to find you a guitar and a teacher, not to have honest discussions about "young folks music".

VOLVO))) · September 20, 2011, 11:05:23 PM

The value of the instruments in question was spot on, on my behalf. The only reason I considered picking them up (Two mavericks, and a Red Baron) was so I could sell them for more on ebay. Both guys with Mavericks wanted 800 bucks, I was trying to talk them down to 500 bucks, so I could make a hundred bucks without fucking someone with a stiff rod, on ebay. All of which would be going into my steel fund. I went and checked both out, one early one with the birds eye maple, and a later one with the stupid cardboard paper on it. Both in half-decent condition, just way over-valued. I can already play simple little shit on a steel, there's a local guitar shop here that seems like it goes under and moves every couple months, and the owner plays steel. He has no problem letting me sit behind his stuff and pluck away.

As far as being a respectable person towards others, It may not seem like it, with my long hair and sleeveless shirt collection, but I'm a pretty respectful young guy when it comes to people and their occupations/equipment/etc. I play solid state amps, and have recorded 99% of the music I've recorded on a POD. I own a business, there's three things you don't talk to your customers about, ever. Religion, Politics, and Football. I'm already well versed in folding when it comes to dealing with people and their politics, religion (I have to grit my teeth, but I have self-control) and I don't really give a fuck about football. Regardless of how I act here, I'm a pretty passable young adult.

Soon as I get one, I'll go into seclusion until I'm good at it.

This is proving to be more of a chore than finding my Model T.

VOLVO))) · September 21, 2011, 12:15:06 AM

It looks like I'm just going to have to save a bunch of money up, there isn't anything less than a grand on the steel guitar forum. I don't think there's going to be any way around having to pay that much for a steel that isn't going to hold me back.

Fuckin' way she goes...

Lumpy · September 21, 2011, 12:19:07 AM

QuoteHey dude, I am responding to your Craigs List ad "Pedal Steel for sale in Gainesville". Is it possible to hook it up to a phaser and Echo Machine, so I can use it during freak-out sections with my psychedelic rock band, Crawling Eye.

Get at me,
Sunn0)))

VOLVO))) · September 21, 2011, 12:41:59 AM

That ain't me...

Lumpy · September 21, 2011, 12:48:07 AM

I'm just goofing on ya'.

VOLVO))) · September 21, 2011, 12:51:30 AM

I'm a tad offended that you'd think I'd name any band "Crawling Eye" and not "Black Crawling Eye."

...besides, I already talked to my band, and they said they'd rather me play pedal steel, so they can watch me when I bullshit and improvise, so we can stay in the same key...

I'd play it tastefully... with lots of fuzz, and delay...

Chovie D · September 21, 2011, 11:34:29 AM

Buddy Emmons used phaser and echoplex as did Sneaky Pete, fuzz too..they experimented alot in the 70's when effects pedals were kind of a new thing. I own an old mxr flanger that used to belong to John Hughey the steeler for George Jones and Conway Twitty. So steelers use effects or did....they just dont care for rock so much in general and seem actually resentful of it somehow "noise! it ruined good decent music!!" etc.

Sunn, I didnt mean to imply you were not a clean respectful person. Just meant to warn you in case you were not prepared. Its a bit of a culture shock, or was to me at least, at first, and this is basically a drugrock website where we take Venom T-shirts with bloody satanic goat heads over upside down pentagrams for granted as our everyday attire.

and yeah, as ive kinda been saying all along, expect to pay $1000 minimum. how much does a les paul cost? sounds like your getting a feel for prices and models and the steel itself. steel is pretty diverse even if these old guys that play it are not. all kinds of styles and really you can go your own way as long as it sounds right to you so I know you'll enjoy yourself.

the psych guitar in this is steel also

have fun

The Shocker · September 21, 2011, 11:38:14 AM

I loved it on Ween's country album. Who played on that one?

Chovie D · September 21, 2011, 12:22:55 PM

Quote from: deaner33 on September 21, 2011, 11:38:14 AM
I loved it on Ween's country album. Who played on that one?

nashville session dudes... Russ Hicks on pedal steel ...and Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano<guy's a legend.
I bet its an album they dont brag about playin on t theri cuntry buddies much

steel comes in at about 1:50 or so on this one...

The Shocker · September 21, 2011, 12:25:10 PM

On the live tour they had Stu Basore (sp?). It's funny how the music was played straight, but the lyrics were typical Ween.

Worthless Willie · September 21, 2011, 01:16:00 PM

I saw that tour, it was phenomenal.

VOLVO))) · September 21, 2011, 01:32:30 PM

Alright. This and a combination of other things have me kind of depressed. I dont want to be the middle aged guy just now getting into playing a really difficult instrument. I want to get on this shit, so I can get motherfuckin' good, wet some panties, and meet some more awesome people.

Only thing helping me through my day right now is that Im getting an Acoustic 370 for 175 bucks in the morning.

The Shocker · September 21, 2011, 01:45:17 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on September 21, 2011, 01:32:30 PM
Alright. This and a combination of other things have me kind of depressed. I dont want to be the middle aged guy just now getting into playing a really difficult instrument. I want to get on this shit, so I can get motherfuckin' good, wet some panties, and meet some more awesome people.

Only thing helping me through my day right now is that Im getting an Acoustic 370 for 175 bucks in the morning.

Hey, that's what I am with guitar. I may never be good, but it's still fun.

VOLVO))) · September 21, 2011, 01:54:19 PM

I having an uncharacteristic depressive fit. It's fucking dumb. All caused by a bunch of shitty dreams.

If I could concentrate on playing a Steel, Id be able to be alright. Fuck...

Chovie D · September 21, 2011, 02:05:16 PM

go down to your buds shop and get to pickin!

Order the stage one on credit.

Dont worry about being middleaged and just starting. There plenty of folks just like yourself doing just fine.
We'll never be half as good as the steelers of yesteryear so dont worry about that. They were playing lap steels at the age of 9 and didnt have ANY of the numerous distractions we had to eat into their musical time, some f these people report that as kids they played all day everyday as kids and then as session musicans. Our generation wil never see master musicans the likes of which previous generations have enjoyed. OUr society has changed ot much, modernity has made some things ...worse? I dunno.
Just make some good sounds on the thing, and although its a difficult instrument, you certainly CAN be making some beautiful sounds within a couple months. You'll try it on some of your own recordings at first, then work up the courage to try it with other live musicians...and then your off and running.

VOLVO))) · September 21, 2011, 02:20:34 PM

im going to do that as soon as my card is down to zero,again. Wont be long.

Derelict78 · September 21, 2011, 02:37:35 PM

I have wanted a lap steel ever since I saw Floyd in 94'. The solo on High Hopes blew my mind. I live in Hawaii for now so I really should pick one up before I leave. LOTS of them around and the prices seem pretty good as well. maybe after I get to know the instrument I will look at pedal steels.

Metal and Beer · September 21, 2011, 03:12:25 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on September 21, 2011, 01:32:30 PM

Only thing helping me through my day right now is that Im getting an Acoustic 370 for 175 bucks in the morning.

Word.

Chovie D · September 21, 2011, 05:24:24 PM

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=212106

MSA is a decent vintage brand...

those knee levers sure look funky tho, weird angles to em...and the shipping will be $100 (no xtra charge for breaking the pickup in transit)
I suspect its $300 less than it should be simply because of the colored stains on the apron.

Chovie D · November 02, 2011, 03:17:23 PM

ya gotta be quick...
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=214569

VOLVO))) · November 02, 2011, 03:45:18 PM

Man, these arent even sitting for an hour before someone bites it. Once I get out of this bind, Im sellin' somethin, and buyin' one.

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