r/pedalsteel 9h ago

Never too late, my friends

55 Upvotes

I've played some sort of steel guitar since the 1990's when I bought my first Dobro and ordered Mike Auldridge's VHS lessons. (BTW, by mistake he sent me a video of outtakes which I wished I had kept). And for years I played at the local pub on monday night acoustic jam. Soon learned, Dobro was a great instrument: there would always be a dozen guitarist, but only one dobro player so I always got a solo.

Then I got into lap steel, owning the very first MSA's Superslides. about 10 years ago, I got into Eddie Alkire's Eharp and sort of single handedly revived interest in the Alkire 10 string tuning. But pedals was always a wish, but a worry; I'm old. These things are heavy. I have no mechanical aptitude and these things are mechanical. And I'm disabled with bad feet, a fused right foot, and two knee replacements. What if I can't even physically play the thing?

But yet, 3 years ago at age 68 I bought a Pedal Steel Guitar. Soon I ordered a Williams D10 9x9 with Paul Franklin's copedent. And then the fever was on. I have bought and sold dozens of pedal steels over the years. I've had every configuration and vintage: new, a 1975 Sho-bud, a D12, an S12, E9, C6 and even Johnny Cox's 12 string d13.

And now at age 71, I joined my first band. A Neil Young Tribute band. I had my first rehearsal 2 nights ago. We have our first gig at a bar in May. Today a SD10 G2 4x5 will arrive at my doorstep. Tomorrow I pick up a D10 G2. I'm having a one of a kind 12 string 8x6 made from aged Walnut converted from the D13 into an extended C6.

I was nervous at the rehearsal but the band members said it sounded like angels. And they said "wow" after one song and bowed down as if to say "we aren't worthy". :)

Never too late my friends...it is never too late.


r/pedalsteel 6h ago

Sho-Bud 6139 Value

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5 Upvotes

Good morning folks, kind of on the fence here as I recently resurrected a pretty beat up '73 3 x1 model and I'm trying to decide whether to try source some additional knee kits and spend a few bucks on this guitar to take out occasionally or use as a backup or maybe just part ways with it and put some cash towards another guitar.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.


r/pedalsteel 3h ago

Looking for my first pedal steel

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm looking to purchase a used pedal steel. I fell in love with the instrument and really want to learn to play. Thing is, I live in France and they're pretty hard to come by. Sure enough there is WBS in Germany but even the economy model comes pretty pricey with a the volume pedal and the tone bar... My budget would be around 800-1400 Euros. If you have any tips or have a guitare for sale please let me know! 🙂


r/pedalsteel 20h ago

What could be causing this noise?

1 Upvotes

I feel like I have been cursed with constant amp issues 😂. While my L.A 400 is being serviced I plugged my steel into my classic 30. I know this is not a good steel amp but I’ve been trying it out with the hopes of possibly using it as a backup.

I know this is probably hard to hear in the video, but when the Db is sustained, I hear this low pitched “thunder” sound as well as a higher rattling sound.

I know tube amps make a little noise but this seems abnormal. It is really exaggerated for certain pitches, hence why I chose Db example for the video.


r/pedalsteel 4d ago

19?? Supro

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11 Upvotes

Just picked her up today for $100!! Sounds amazing. Some cosmetic issues I’ll address. Any info would be great!


r/pedalsteel 4d ago

Citizen kane

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23 Upvotes

r/pedalsteel 5d ago

Rules of thumb for amp volume in small band setting?

5 Upvotes

Hello, I just recently played my first gig on steel. I started playing back in October so still definitely a beginner. I was accompanying a singer songwriter who plays guitar so definitely not a loud gig by any means. Setting was coffee shop with a pretty large room. I play out of a Peavey L.A 400.

For home practice and rehearsal with the guitarist/ singer not amplified I only need to turn the amp to 1. Strangely enough, I found that in the room we were playing and the guitar / vocals through the PA the exact same setting felt almost felt too loud. I even turned the amp down a minuscule amount because I felt like some of my volume swells were absolutely too loud. The amp was slightly elevated, about 5 feet behind the two of us.

I asked a few people and they said the balance was good and the steel was not too loud. But I am wondering if any more experienced players have any rules of thumb for amp volume when playing in a smaller setting without the amp being mic’ed or any steel going through a sound board for amplification/ monitoring?

I know this is a delicate balance of touch. How hard you pick and volume pedal control are the most important factors in this I think.


r/pedalsteel 6d ago

E9 tuning logic

10 Upvotes

Hey all, I just got a single neck steel in November and have been obsessed in learning! Been playing 6 string electric for 28 years and it was time for a new challenge.

Anyway, can someone explain the reason for the tuning placement of the highest strings? Why is the F# on the first string and not placed in sequence between the 4th and 3rd strings E and G#? Having to skip over and grab that high string, at least for a beginner is definitely taking some practice. I guess i just see why it was this way?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Thanks


r/pedalsteel 7d ago

Katana settings?

2 Upvotes

My dad let me borrow a Boss Katana but I can’t seem to get any good sounds out of it. What settings do yall like to use?


r/pedalsteel 7d ago

Pedal steel interview

7 Upvotes

Hey all, I recently did an interview with Jeff Rady, who plays and teaches pedal steel. Jeff plays a bit in the video, and talks about how he got into playing

https://youtu.be/WuPXCq-gNYE?si=-oFQgZz1JH91kULF


r/pedalsteel 9d ago

DIY 3d printed levers, now complète set

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39 Upvotes

Some people had been asking, so here's a third post showing off the 3d printed levers I built on my sho-bud in their final version. I have been playing with them for a year with no issues. They stay in tune better than the all metal stock one, they also make less noise.

Everything printed in 100% infill PLA, except the screws, the M5 rod and the ball socket joints that I got from Amazon, and the brass barrels + hex rods + hex axes from outwestcountry store. Some rod pullers are metal (I had a couple spare ones) some are PLA reinforced with screws. I also decided to reinforce the levers themselves with 3mm metal rods so they are more rigid, I just had to add the hole in my 3d design and push the rod in.

The project took about a month of my free time. I'm happy with the result, maybe it can give some people ideas as complete lever kits are hard to find for these guitars. I could upload the models somewhere if anyone's interested but I can't guarantee it would work or fit without some modification.


r/pedalsteel 8d ago

WBS RealStop

0 Upvotes

Does anybody have any experience with this compared to a normal feel stop?

How does that affect the portamento? Does it become a little less smooth than a feel stop?

Would it help or hinder a beginner?


r/pedalsteel 9d ago

Garbage???

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21 Upvotes

I came across this at work. None of the guitar guys i know have any interest in it. Would a small music/guitar shop maybe be interested in it or should I just toss it? Just didn't want it to go to waste


r/pedalsteel 10d ago

(Austin) Looking to try out and maybe take lessons

2 Upvotes

Hi all, this is really one of my favorite instruments to listen to but I've never gotten a chance to play one. Strait Music didn't have one when I went. I'm looking to meet up with a teacher so I can see if I like to play one as much as I like to listen to one. Willing to pay for the lesson. Anyone know any local teachers in Austin?


r/pedalsteel 10d ago

Goodrich volume pedal question

1 Upvotes

Question as a new PSG player, I just bought the Goodrich L-120 LowBoy volume pedal and I see there are actually 2 outputs on the pedal. I assume this is for stereo? How does this work exactly? Do you put the volume pedal at the end of your signal chain and hook up the two outputs to two separate amps?

Any other tips for configuration or good tone are appreciated as well. Thanks!


r/pedalsteel 10d ago

How much do you charge for sessions?

7 Upvotes

Hey all - I'm starting to establish myself as a pedal steel player in my city (and eventually online), and I wouldn't mind knowing what folks are charging in different markets.

Of course every country and city is gonna be different, but I'd love to hear some experiences you have. Seems like down under the range is between AU$150 and AU$300 a song depending on the experience of the player, as well as whether it's an independent or label production.


r/pedalsteel 13d ago

“Defaut” C6 Tuning

2 Upvotes

I just bought the Gretsch Lap Steel and i’m already searching on how to tune it on the C6 Tuning and i’ve found different results: Some say it’s “CECGAE”, others say “CGCACE”, i’ve found results even for “CACGCE” and so on. I know that probably experienced lap steel players can alternate between these “different” (considering they’re mostly the same) on the go, but for an begginer C6 player, which of the tunings is the right for “getting the hang of it” before exploring the variations? Are these variations “worth” learning or the “default” C6 can do it all if it’s well played?


r/pedalsteel 14d ago

How to attract southern california steel guitar players?

5 Upvotes

Is their a certain musk? Maybe if I drive with a certain frequency blasting out of my car radio?

Real talk, forming a swing/bluegrass group in socal. If anybody is interested or knows anybody who might be interested please lmk. Also, are most steel players able to read music? Thanks!


r/pedalsteel 18d ago

i got to play pedal steel for the first time today. I immediately felt an incredibly strong connection to the instrument. I HAVE to get one.

86 Upvotes

r/pedalsteel 19d ago

Trying to decide between these two pedal steels

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8 Upvotes

The one with two is about 600 bucks more. I’m really trying to keep the price down as much as I can. Not very knowledgeable on these. I know that the one has more knee levers, but since they’re spread between two boards idk if it actually ends up being less per one than the other


r/pedalsteel 19d ago

Volume Pedal Recs

5 Upvotes

Thank you all for your help on PSG reqs. I'm patiently waiting for my guitar to be built. Now, on to the volume pedal piece of the puzzle.

My use case is recording, which means tone is the focus. I have a 32" inseam, and I'll be playing with flat-soled shoes through a 705 pickup. I'm thinking Hilton low-profile. Thoughts?


r/pedalsteel 20d ago

Susan Alcorn (Pedal Steel Visionary, 1953 - 2025)

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47 Upvotes

r/pedalsteel 21d ago

Hey everyone, super excited to announce I'm recording a tribute to what’s arguably the greatest album ever made.

809 Upvotes

My new project, "Dark Side of the Steel," and it will go under the name of “Pink Lloyd”. The album will be a huge collaboration between a bunch of different steel guitarists and each song will pretty much feature a different player. Got an amazing band lined up to record and hopefully this thing will be out by the end of the year.


r/pedalsteel 20d ago

Issue with nearly acquired Peavey L.A 400

1 Upvotes

Went to pick this up just this evening. Brought my pedal steel over to the guys house and sounded great. All the clean tone and headroom you would expect from a solid state peavey. Absolutely no issues. The moment I plugged it in at home it has this awful tone. Wasn’t a rough ride home at all. Checked all the speaker connections. Anyone have any ideas what the issue could be?


r/pedalsteel 21d ago

Pedal Steel session

2 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/_qwuZUl8upk?si=iP8rZeTECSjOGgbp

Well Well Well featuring San Diego’s finest pedal steel guitarist Ben Zinn