Some thoughts from a non-pedal steel player about pedal steel guitars

[Gary Meixner]

As a non-pedal steel player, I visit the Steel Guitar Forum regularly. I enjoy reading the posts from my fellow forum members and almost always scroll through the classified section looking for my next obsession.

I have built many of my own non-pedal steel guitars, and own, or have owned several highly regarded models - Fenders, Gibsons, Clinesmith, Rickenbacher, National, etc. While I always appreciate a bargain, I have never begrudged a seller when purchasing one of these instruments at a fair market price. Rarely – at least on the forum – do I see a price, that is at all out of line.

Similarly, regarding pedal steel guitars, I am often surprised at the prices I see listed for most of the instruments being sold on the SGF. To my untrained eye, almost all seem like an incredible bargain. Certainly, there are some that aren’t up to the standards of pro instruments and some may need to repaired or require a proper setup.

In all my years playing non-peda steel guitar I have never sat down to play a pedal steel, so many of the fine points may be lost on me, but I do know a little bit about manufacturing. When I add up the cost of designing, engineering and prototyping: then the cost of materials, custom machining, fancy woods, electronics, assembly and adjustments I don’t know how they can be as inexpensive as they seem to be. This thinking might rile some but to me it is astounding.

Despite its niche status, and hardly benefitting from being mass produced, the pedal steel seems to be an incredibly affordable, modern marvel, for all that goes into making them. I am not likely to give up my Hawaiian guitars and take up the pedal steel, at least in this lifetime, but maybe someday if I get the opportunity I will give one a try.

Gary

[Bill McCloskey]

Well, Gary, never say never. I was also a dedicated lap steel player for decades and then at age 68 I bought my first pedal steel. 3 years later, and many pedal steels later, I could never go back and I wish I had started sooner.

[Rick Aiello]

I agree with Gary …

I have a ShoBud Pro III Custom …

In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller:

https://youtu.be/0wALArd2rvo?si=N-TwIao6GWgS5o91

[Nic Neufeld]

Just comparing lap steel guitars to, say, regular electric guitars....the neck is a big part of why they are simpler (and thus cheaper) to make. You don't have to worry about playability, really...neck profile, fretwork, truss rods, none of that is really necessary. As for why the vintage laps don't command "vintage guitar" prices, well that's just our bit of luck because the styles of music these are best for are not terribly popular.

The instrument that strikes me as the most "underpriced" in my experience is the sitar / surbahar. Even beginner models are highly intricate in decoration, and that is a complex instrument to build, for sure. But even the best makers (Kanai Lal, Hiren Roy, Rikhi Ram) are in kind of humble shops in India and the prices do not compare to what high end Western classical instruments command.

On pedals, I acquired a Fender 400 and have tried to learn a bit of Basil's A7 copedent but I need to practice more. It's tricky for sure, four limbs going at once is a bit of a challenge for me (never was a drummer!).

[Jack Hanson]

Gary, you CAN do it! I never even saw (aside from in photographs) a lap steel until after I had been playing the pedal steel for several years. On a trip to Hawaii in the early- to mid-eighties, I stumbled into a little guitar store in Oahu (Island Guitars), and purchased a Bakelite and a Weissenborn on a whim, and had them both shipped to my home in Minnesota. For me, the pedal steel was exponentially easier to learn how to play than the Ric. And the long-scale Weiss -- whoa Nellie! But I'm so glad that I stuck with it. Nowadays, I seldom sit down behind my trusty old D-10 Emmons.

[Jack Hanson]

Sorry... accidental double-post.

[Gary Meixner]

Hey Rick and others,

I appreciate the Ferris Bueller reference - he is a young man who is wise beyond his years.

I also appreciate the encourage to remain open to the idea of giving pedal steel a try. I am not likely to purchase one anytime soon but I really do marvel at how refined and complex the instruments are: and yet, for not a ton of money I could own a world class instrument same as used by the top players in the field.

My playing is heading in a different direction. After being convinced for years that I needed dual necks and eight strings to play the music I wanted, I have found myself going back to where I started, playing mostly six string lap guitars in the most basic tunings. In fact, I am waiting on a six-string lap steel I ordered months ago from Todd Clinesmith that will probably be played in A tuning. I am still fairly committed to six string C6, and find its utility unmatched for a wide variety of styles. It is really a beautiful tuning.

There are a lot of younger musicians in my area who are into country music and honky-tonk and I often get asked to provide steel backup. I can usually approximate the sound they need and occasionally play some nice music, but sometimes when I am struggling on stage, I will consider another tuning or guitar.

The great news is that If I do decide a pedal steel is for me, I know where to go to purchase one and who to turn to for encouragement and advise.

Thanks,

Gary

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha, just adding my 2¢...

In the end, demographics rule everything.

Hawaiian Steel guitar, like the accordion, used to be extremely popular instruments in their heyday. When you said "electric guitar", people really meant steel guitar because the Rickenbacher Frypan was the first mass produced Electric Guitar in the early 30's. This is long forgotten because all those people back then have long since passed.

Rock n' Roll took over in the 1950's, and the Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Les Paul took rose to prominence. Then "electric guitar" took on the meaning of playing strats, teles, les pauls, and all their various incarnations. That's when all the steel guitars started faded from prominence in popular music. Coincidentally, 1955 was the year ShoBud started to mass produce pedal steels.

The manner in which we all now ubiquitously refer to "Playing Guitar", used to be referred to as playing "Spanish Style Guitar", which can be noted in the naming of the Gibson ES-335. "ES" stood for "Electric Spanish".

All that said, there has been a lot of term switching and definition changing of named instruments over the years, and here we are in 2025.

To me, it's kinda silly to refer to a guitar as "non pedal steel". It's a steel guitar. Steel guitar is the general catch all term. Pedal Steel is a type of steel guitar. But I'm just a guy from Hawai'i, and we'll always be outvoted due to demographics anyways. Doug Jernigan calls it "Straight Steel" when there are no pedals. Seems like a good term to me as well, as I use it.

I certainly believe that the sound of steel guitar, in any of its incarnations, still has that magic to this very day. The human ear loves it and is attracted to it. Audiences know it, even if they don't know they know it.

Live music these days is so rare, and it's rarer still to hear a steel guitar live. People always walk up to me at gigs and ask me what it is with childlike curiosity.

At this point, when I observe steel players as they age, they tend to lose their faculties. It becomes harder to grip the bar as age and arthritis sets in. Their necks start to hurt, their backs start to hurt. Sometimes just gripping a bar can be a challenge physically.

So I look at that, and then I ask myself. "Self. Do you want to pay $10,000 for ShoBud, Mullen, Emmons, etc and then haul an 80lb instrument case everywhere? And then setup/breakdown takes 10-15 minutes?" That sounds like a whole lotta "NOPE" to me.

If old timers have a hard time grabbing a bar as they age, they CERTAINLY can't haul a 60-80lb instrument case around. Load it in/out of a car or truck. Nah. That's not for me.

Also, where are you gonna find a good Pedal Steel mechanic these days? You can't even find a decent piano tuner in most towns/cities!

Complex machines have complex problems. Simple machines have simple problems. You can't get simpler than a straight steel guitar.

I'll stick with my Frypans and Bakelites. Easy to travel with. I can easily hop a flight, go home, and sit in on gigs in Waikiki.

Jerry Byrd managed to play at a high level into his 80's. That's the direction I wanna head in.

Kayton Roberts could still sound country on his steel. I guarantee that 99.9% of listeners cannot tell the difference between steel and pedal steel. Probably 50% of musicians can't even tell the difference.

With guys like Luke Cyrus Goetze sounding great on his Duesenberg with palm levers, I really don't have any desire to mess with PSG. At. All. Luke is showing it's possible to get the quintessential PSG sound with palm levers. Lighter, cheaper, and easy to maintain. Yes, that's for me.

I love the sound of Pedal Steel. It's a beautiful sound. It's just that they're so expensive, heavy, and a pain in the neck to maintain. Then you have to live in a city where there is work for Pedal Steel.

I had an Emmons student model PSG that I bought from Tommy Hannum. I traded it to my buddy in Texas for a telecaster and a deluxe reverb. lol.

I may get another PSG someday, but I know that it will live in my house, taking up space. I'll likely never gig with it. I have enough gear to carry. lol.

At the end of the day, music is to enjoy, and I'm cutting out anything that diminishes that enjoyment.

Just my 2¢.

Enjoy!

[Rick Aiello]

One of the best Hawaiian style players I’ve ever seen … Mike Scott from Canada …
played a A25 frypan and a Harlan Bros. Multicord •

I asked him once why he dragged that Muticord around when he was so apt on the frypan (man, he could play in the style of Dick McIntire) … he said something to the effect …

“It’s just so fun … “


* He did equip it with a horseshoe pickup …

[Michael Kiese]

One of the best Hawaiian style players I’ve ever seen … Mike Scott from Canada …
played a A25 frypan and a Harlan Bros. Multicord •

I asked him once why he dragged that Muticord around when he was so apt on the frypan (man, he could play in the style of Dick McIntire) … he said something to the effect …

“It’s just so fun … “


* He did equip it with a horseshoe pickup …

yeah, but wasn't he also really wealthy? lol.

I'd play an 80lb instrument too if paying a roadie wasn't an issue.

[Michael Kiese]

One of the best Hawaiian style players I’ve ever seen … Mike Scott from Canada …
played a A25 frypan and a Harlan Bros. Multicord •

I asked him once why he dragged that Muticord around when he was so apt on the frypan (man, he could play in the style of Dick McIntire) … he said something to the effect …

“It’s just so fun … “


* He did equip it with a horseshoe pickup …

yeah, but wasn't he also really wealthy? lol.

I'd play PSG too if paying a roadie wasn't an issue.

I think all the wrecking crew players like Tommy Tedesco and Carol Kaye all paid for Cartage. They'd transport all their amps and guitars to their studio dates. Sounds like heaven. lol.

[Rick Aiello]

I don’t recall Mike S. as being particularly well off ???

He was in a Michael J Fox movie playing steel in a Tiki bar … “Life with Mikey”

Here’s his old website …. https://www.hawaiianaires.com/About.html

Hal Smith, Mike Scott, Ken & Ian Ufton and Jack Montgomery were all great players in that style …. They made going to Joliet Conventions so fun