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WTB: E9 Pedal Steel Guitar

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CryptidCryptid Frets: 411
in Guitars £
I've been wanting to learn PSG for years but wondered if it'd just be another expensive distraction. Finally took a lesson last night as an introduction and to see if I have any aptitude for it before buying one. Totally hooked already!

Looking for something solid and well maintained with 3 pedals and 4 levers. Budget up to £2250 or can offer a Gibson SJ-200 Studio (maple B&S) in trade. 
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Comments

  • koss59koss59 Frets: 876
    PM’d
    Facebook.com/nashvillesounduk/
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  • Cordite50Cordite50 Frets: 5
    If you check out the British Steelies Society, you will find everything you might need to know. They have several pedal steel guitars on the website for sale at the moment. There is also much helpful advice there also. Worth checking out before you spend a lot of money.
    Pete
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  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2441
    Contact John Davis through the British Steelies website. He's usually got instruments available and is a super guy. 
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  • CryptidCryptid Frets: 411
    Cordite50 said:
    If you check out the British Steelies Society, you will find everything you might need to know. They have several pedal steel guitars on the website for sale at the moment. There is also much helpful advice there also. Worth checking out before you spend a lot of money.
    Pete
    Stuckfast said:
    Contact John Davis through the British Steelies website. He's usually got instruments available and is a super guy. 
    Thanks chaps. I've been on the British Steelies forum a while absorbing as much info as possible, and have been in touch with John who's kindly invited me over sometime to share some wisdom. Such a supportive community. 

    My teacher looked over what was available on the forum with me after my lesson and suggested I should hold fire for something quality with original parts that I wouldn't quickly outgrow, whilst being a potentially easy sell should I throw in the towel. 

    I thought that posting a wanted ad here might be a good way to find something nice that hasn't been offered up yet. 

    Do you both play PSG?
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  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2441
    Not sure I'd go so far as to say I play it, but I own one and sit in front of it quite often! Mine is an old 1970s MSA Classic D10, I bought it in an auction on the south coast a few years back and John fixed it up for me. He even made new rods for the pedals so that it could be raised to accommodate my long legs.

    It's definitely worth getting a pro or semi-pro instrument and not a crappy student model. A friend of mine had an old Carter Starter which was both very limiting in terms of how it could be set up, and unstable in tuning. The MSA weighs a ton but it is built like a tank.

    Oddly there are quite a few self-built instruments around. Some of those can be pretty decent by all accounts. I think as long as you pay a fair price in the first place it shouldn't be hard to move any decent pedal steel on -- there are so few of them around, especially single-neck E9 models like you're after. 

    Who's your teacher? I had a couple of lessons with David Hartley who is an incredible player and very generous with his time and materials.

    It's worth researching the Day vs Emmons setup question too. Emmons is more of a standard in the US but Day seems more common here. Mine is set up in Day. Student models may have a fixed copedent that can't be changed and that will most likely be Emmons.

    A good volume pedal is really important.
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  • Cordite50Cordite50 Frets: 5
    Beware getting into pedal steel guitar…..it is extremely addictive !!
    I have  been playing for over 40 years and have owned  seven steel guitars of varying makes and my current one is an Emmons SD10 push pull….pure classic unique tone supplied through John Davis. All the others sound much the same to my ears.
    I built my first one in the 1970s with absolutely no information or guidance and had to devise my own copedant. I settled on a DAY setup because it is very intuitive to learn. Most players however play an Emmons setup which  to my mind is all back to front. If you play a guitar, you get all your higher notes towards the bridge, and lower notes towards the nut. With the DAY setup your knee levers work in the same direction eg. Higher notes moving right and lower notes moving left. All very logical.  Of course I am totally biased !!
    That being said it really doesn’t matter which you choose, you just get on with what you start with and you soon get used to it.
    John Davis plays a DAY setup and there is nothing wrong with his playing. Any modern steel guitar can convert to either setup quite easily with half an hours work.
    Good luck with your search.
    Pete
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  • Cordite50Cordite50 Frets: 5
    You could also have a look at Bob Adams website. Pedalsteel.co.uk.
    Pete
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  • CryptidCryptid Frets: 411
    Stuckfast said:
    It's definitely worth getting a pro or semi-pro instrument and not a crappy student model. A friend of mine had an old Carter Starter which was both very limiting in terms of how it could be set up, and unstable in tuning. 
    I've heard that from a few people - unstable and uninspiring student instruments putting them right off. Would rather get something decent from the outset so I've got nothing to blame but my own shortcomings! 

    That's why I took a lesson first, to make sure it's something I could see myself really getting into before making a huge purchase. My teacher is Stewart Johnson - great guy and seasoned player who lives just 5 minutes walk from my house. He gave me a thorough introduction to PSG and showed me as much as he could to whet my appetite and get me on my way. Once I get a steel sorted, I really won't need to see him again for months.  

    I spent most of the lesson on a rickety student steel he'd been fixing up, with him on his double neck Kline. Towards the end we swapped so he could study my technique from a different angle and give me the chance to compare instruments. Of course, the difference was night and day. 

    @Cordite50 ;

    I'm addicted already and I don't even have a steel yet! It seems like a real commitment and steep learning curve, but I can only imagine how immensely satisfying it is to play one well. 

    I've read a lot about the Emmons vs Day setup debate. My teacher uses Emmons and suggested I learn with that, but mentioned, as you say, that a good instrument can be easily converted to either. 

    Kudos to you for building your own and devising your own copedant without any guidance, seriously impressive! 

    Thanks for the advice chaps. 
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  • icu81b4icu81b4 Frets: 372
    I have a Bennett’s which is built in the UK, so all the nuts and bolts are available if you happen to lose any. The American models will be harder to repair as they use different thread standards 
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