Transcript
So, where can you get a pedal steel guitar anyway?
Probably not at your local music store. Pedal steel is a pretty boutique-y kind of instrument. It does not have wide enough popularity to have really proven to be worthwhile for the big, big instrument companies.
You may have seen Pink Floyd videos with David Gilmour playing an old Fender pedal steel guitar. Don’t get it.
It’s, these are older instruments that really didn’t turn out to be really quite the thing. And you are going to have a lot of maintenance issues. It’s not for nothing that Fender doesn’t make pedal steel guitars anymore. Neither does Gibson. Their adventures in pedal steels were not really enduring ones.
There are many different small boutique labels. Zum is one of the best. Numerous other brands. Franklin, Rains, Fessenden, Derby. Emmons still very viable.
These are all basically smaller shops and you can contact them directly. Or you can go online. And that’s really the Internet has been a great boon for pedal steel players because it’s typically it’s the type of niche interest that is well served by the Internet.
There’s something called the Pedal Steel Guitar Forum where people sell their used guitars. I’d say somebody starting out would be well advised to get a used guitar. I’d strongly advise against getting a beginner model or anything that sounds, that’s got student in it or starter. Or anything of that nature.
Those are not real instruments for the most part. And you’re going to waste your money and be very frustrated keeping them in tune and in good working order.
But you should figure on spending at least, probably you know, certainty not less than 1,000 dollars on something that’s reasonably good. And make sure you get something that’s got at least three pedals and four knee levers.
Anything less is going to be a little, is not going to be really a modern setup and is going too limiting for your needs.
So that’s pretty much it for where to get a pedal steel.
