2048...

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 20 Dec 2004 6:19 pm

...that's the year I predict the extinction of the pedal steel guitar as we know it.

Most of the pros will be retired or will have passed on.

Same for most of the sponsors of steel guitars shows and organizations.

George Strait and Alan Jackson will no longer be recording hits and Sponge Bob will be history.

The jazz world will not have accepted the Pedal Steel as a jazz instrument although some musicians play exceptionally good jazz on pedal steel.

Most of the pedal steel guitars sold today are being sold to current pedal steel guitar owners or to a generation that grew up with country music of the 50s and 60s. The steel guitar community is an aging community and few survive in the year 2048.

In addition, given the general direction of the music business and knowing who actually controls and decides what we listen to, it don't look good for the pedal steel guitar in the year 2048.

Fast forward.......

...it's the year 2048.

I'm on the SGF. I'm now 95 years old. The forum is now a tribute to some guy that started it named b0b. I still remember him but the new guys never knew him (b0b passed away 10 years ago when he refused to leave the stage during a rain shower until he finished his solo to 'Storms Never Last'). How ironic.

Someone posts, "when was the last time a song had a steel guitar intro." Most of us cannot remember that far back but one guy comes on that remembers his dad talking about Jimmy Day and Buddy Emmons kicking off classic country songs back in the 60s and 70s. Nobody does that anymore.

Nobody goes to St. Louis anymore. The last time anyone made the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame was in 2028. There are no more controversies about who should be in the HOF because they put just about everybody in before they closed it.

There are a few of us left on the Forum though. We mostly just talk about the old days and how the steel guitar is used as a novelty now days and not a serious instrument. Some of us still play and a few new players come along, but not many. Not enough to sustain guitar builders. The last builder went out of business around 2032. There are plenty of used guitars available though. You can get a pretty good used Fessy or MSA for $800. Some old collectable Sho-Bud and Emmons guitars that will soon be 100 years old still hold some value (but not as much as Bobbe Seymour said they would). Bobbe was another steel guitar legend that passed away in 2039 in the back seat of a restored 1969 El Dorado. The new SGF moderator won't let us talk about that on the forum though.

There's lots of old stories but not much new happening with the steel guitar these days.

....rewind.....

...present day, 2004.

OK, folks. I really love this instrument and I don't intend to give it up. I don't mean to be the doom and gloom mesenger, but what I really would like to know is:

What has to change to make the future brighter for the steel guitar?

Terry

[This message was edited by Terry Edwards on 21 December 2004 at 08:30 AM.]

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 20 Dec 2004 6:49 pm

In the year 2048 anyone that's interested will be able to read all the posts we've made here, since every word anyone has typed here is archived, and available via the Forum Search function. The search feature will be much better, and linked to the FAQ.

They'll say "those folks back at the turn of the century sure were a peculiar lot. Why didn't that Howard guy wear pants?" as they listen to their classic Jerry Garcia recordings, and search eBay for almost hundred year old Stringmasters with starting bids of $100,000.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 20 Dec 2004 7:02 pm

The instrument that we all love, that is so unexplored and so typecast deserves a much more optimistic prediction for it's future.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 20 Dec 2004 7:09 pm

The only thing that can kill the steel guitar is us who play it (well, lap steel in my case..). It must be allowed to evolve or else it will die, and therefore it's important to support those who introduce it to new audiences and musical styles, even when it's not in your 'favorite' style......

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Farris Currie · Post by **Farris Currie** » 20 Dec 2004 7:13 pm

This is all good stuff,but tell us more about BOBBE SEYMORE in the back of the Eldorodo!!!!! ha ha farris

Daryl Stogner · Post by **Daryl Stogner** » 20 Dec 2004 7:28 pm

Farris,

I've only heard bits and pieces of the story, but I can tell you the 2039 Forensic's experts were able to identify everyone that had been in the car within the last 12 hours of his death. DNA was all over the interior. Hair follicals and such... what was interesting when they found him was that there were numerous guitar type strings strewn about the car, from a package called Elixer 2020's. Maybe Elixir finally got around to making steel guitar strings in 2020???

I'm sure someone else can can pick up the story where my bits and pieces have left off? That's all I know about it.

You know you're in for it now Bobbe....hehehe

[This message was edited by Daryl Stogner on 20 December 2004 at 07:30 PM.]

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 20 Dec 2004 7:55 pm

..it is 2048...

I`m 80 years old and don`t give a $%$#@ about a steel guitar.I can smell that steak from the kitchen but can`t get out of the bed, and even if I could ,I have lost my dentures again so there is really no point to try to get to the kitchen.I`m watchin` the news, democrats win the election ,my wife is happy and I have to hide my guns in the basement.My grandson got a new mindputer (wich is same as the old computers but you get on the line thru your brain conected directly to the net)and he is reading a SGF discussions.Nobody agree about anything,huh,at least some things never change.Some young guy bought a SGN store from Bobbe years ago and turned into a strip bar.I`d like to go and see that but the tire on my wheelchair is flat.Tommy White is not on the Opry anymore,after he set behind his webb instead of his steel they said he was gettin` too old and they replaced him with some young kid from Mexico City who plays for half a pay.I hear they play a lot of good old traditional Mcgrowe-Chesney tunes lately overthere.Now days you don`t get $20 to play on lower broadway,it is $20 charge per hour if you want to play.Some guy from Abesinia made a push pull out of bamboo, so he end up getting sued by US department of labor and Promat.I bet that is the last S%$# he`ll try to push-pull.Next year I`ll be 81,I would love to go to Croatia but I`m scared since they stoled my artoficial leg last time I was there and I ended up jumping around on one leg for two weeks.My foot was so big when I got back,I could play with one foot A,B and C pedal at the same time.I got 2 1/2 Euros for $300 ,so I gues those Europeans are doing pretty good these days.However,it`s time to go to sleep,I hope I can find my dentures in the morning...

Db

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"Promat"
~when tone matters~

[This message was edited by Damir Besic on 20 December 2004 at 08:13 PM.]

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 20 Dec 2004 8:02 pm

2048

I'm 106 years old, still playing the annual retirement complex Christmas party that I've done for 53 years. Advances in nano medicine that began early in the century have come to fruition allowing illness and disease to be cured and even reconstruct the human body to excellent health.

Much to my displeasure, social security failed in 2020 and I've had to go back to work as a test pilot and skydiving instructor. Due to the increased memory capacity and co-ordination I can now play 17 different instruments, tho still only one at a time.

******************************************

...........I feel a nudge at my shoulder. The nurse wakes me up. I'm groggy from my nap. It's time to roll me over and change the Depends.
I resist, but it is soon over..... and I return to my reality.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 20 Dec 2004 8:15 pm

They'll laugh and shake their space helmets when they talk of the Great JI vs ET War of 04'

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 20 Dec 2004 8:24 pm

Farris,

I don't want to get into too many details about Bobbe's demise for fear of topic drift and risk of closure. I will say that the '69 El Dorado was discovered in the year 2039 parked outside a Toys 'R Us (not the same store we know today).

Terry

Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 20 Dec 2004 11:06 pm

1988...that's the year I predict the extinction of the banjo as we know it.
Most of the pros will be retired or will have passed on.

Same for most of the sponsors of banjo shows and organizations.

String Bean and Uncle Dave Bacon will no longer be recording hits and the Martha White Flour Hour will be history.

The jazz world will not have accepted the banjo as a jazz instrument although some musicians play exceptionally good jazz on banjo.

Most of the banjos sold today are being sold to current banjo owners or to a generation that grew up with banjo music of the 20s and 30s. The banjo community is an aging community and few survive in the year 1988.

In addition, given the general direction of the music business and knowing who actually controls and decides what we listen to, it don't look good for the banjo in the year 1988. What has to change to make the future brighter for the banjo?

Fast forward.......

...it's the year 1988.

No -- wait a minute! It's 2004? It can't be 2004 already, can it? You mean it's 2004 and the banjo's still around? Unbelievable!! Aw Heck, just forget what I said.

Heh Heh! Juz havin' some fun!!!

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 20 Dec 2004 11:49 pm

The last time anyone made the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame was in 2028.

That would be me & Reece Anderson. HOWEVER,I'm 110,& still around to harrass everybody's ass,only more so now!!

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 21 Dec 2004 12:54 am

Terry, that's a pretty pessimistic viewpoint. Remember, things always go in cycles or phases. Music in 2048 will probably be as different as music now is to that of 1960. Things go out of style but usually come back in a different way. The banjo comparison is pretty apt.

"What has to change to make the future brighter for the steel guitar?" A truly great inovator to take the instrument in a new direction.

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 21 Dec 2004 5:37 am

I always planned to live until 2061 to see Hallys comet again. I'll only be 109 in July of that year. One thing for sure is I'm going to keep that Stringmaster for post retirement!

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 21 Dec 2004 6:21 am

2048 I will be a young 88 years of age, double my age right now. Of course no one knows where they will be or if we will even be here on this earth, but I hope I can still sit down and do something on the steel. If not maybe my children will be playing. The steel guitar is one thing I hope I can pass on to another generation. Who knows, maybe this stuff they call country music today will be gone and the new guys will be playing the old stuff again.

John McGann · Post by **John McGann** » 21 Dec 2004 6:35 am

Nah. The instrument won't disappear as long as people have ears and souls. However, we (I'll be a spry 89) will be around to bitch about the newfangled instruments that let you make changes on a keypad- sure, very easy, but how about TONE?

Besides, by then, classic country will have been back in and out of vogue a few times!

One thing that could change would be some attitudes towards the steel in other kinds of music. I was really surprised to hear some drunk guys bitching about the jazz playing of John Hughey and Doug Jernigan at the show in Ct. in '03...they were grousing how jazz is a bunch of BS and that E9 country was the only good steel music. Incredible!!!

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http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff. Joaquin Murphey transcription book, Rhythm Tuneup DVD and more...

[This message was edited by John McGann on 21 December 2004 at 06:38 AM.]

Farris Currie · Post by **Farris Currie** » 21 Dec 2004 6:47 am

oh yea,i know the kids are interested,because they ask all the time,how much that thing will be worth when you die!! oh oh,mabe shouldn't said that!!tell us more about BOBBE!!!!
farris

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 21 Dec 2004 7:52 am

John,
Those guys in CT and similar attitudes are what could kill the instrument.

Reminds me of the folks I saw walk out on Paul Franklin's set at the ISGC. He was just inducted into the HOF and perfomed a super hot, non-traditional set. They didn't just walk out either, the expressed their dislike for the music in loud and vulgar terms.

I never could understand that type of mentality. There's some stuff I don't like, but I'm not going to yell at peoople who are enjoying it.

I believe these folks are a minority, so the instrument will live on past 2048.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 21 Dec 2004 8:30 am

Do you really think the steel guitar is in decline? I see more interest in it every day. The Forum gains about 25 members a week, all of them players and maybe 25% of them new to the instrument. It's a shame you guys can't read my mail.

The home recording boom has resulted in a plethora of new steel CDs to choose from. There's so much steel guitar music out there, it's hard to keep up!

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra SD-12 (Ext E9), Williams D-12 Crossover, Sierra S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, C6, A6)

Roger Edgington · Post by **Roger Edgington** » 21 Dec 2004 8:33 am

It's 2048 and I'm now 102 but not all is lost. I'm still playing the same old songs that you can't get on radio. My old LP steel records are very worn. Now I'm playing on the new 15 lb S-14 with micro processor. You don't actually have to push pedals or knee levers anymore. Pitch is simply changed by linking brain waves direct to the instrument. Kids have finally discovered pedal steel and know all about them like they do computers now, but I still don't like their music. Of coarse some things never change. Black steels still sound the best.

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 21 Dec 2004 8:52 am

The home recording boom has resulted in a plethora of new steel CDs to choose from. There's so much steel guitar music out there, it's hard to keep up!

Yea, b0b, but it's usually a rehash of the same old tunes. A very small percentage is really trying to be innovative. I love new interpretations of old country tunes and jazz standards but that can sustain the instrument only so long and for a narrow music demographic.

We are talking about an instrument that costs way more than any other instrument and has a learning curve that is astronomical. Add to that the less than stellar popularity with the younger generation (the generation that has no money but could buy a cool looking electric guitar almost like the ones they see on MTV and CMT for $300).

Most, if not all, of the teaching material available uses old country or jazz standards from decades ago to teach new students.

b0b, why were you playing 'Storms Never Last' when that surge of electricity hit you in 2038? I would have thought you would still be playing original tunes or some Greatful Dead song!

Terry[This message was edited by Terry Edwards on 21 December 2004 at 08:53 AM.]

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 21 Dec 2004 10:19 am

I have to agree with b0b. Just look at all the steel shows that happen all year long. Some can't find enough time for all the players.There are more Steel Guitar builders and choices of equipment being produced.And there are many great young players coming up that have not reached their peak of exposure yet.The greats have set a standard for many to follow,improve on. (if at all possible)There will be others who become greats to pick up where those that leave us leave off.Certainly this Forum shows there is a Steel Guitar future.It certainly reminds us of it's great past.

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Smiley 15-4 Crank&pull pro model Deluxe with auto string changer.200 ft. roll.

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 21 Dec 2004 10:58 am

Back to my original question.

What has to change?

What I'm hearing so far is that...

1. "attitude" has to change. We have to accept new ideas and ways of playing the instrument instead of being critical of new styles.

2. We must continue welcoming newcomers to the forum and encouraging more young musicians to take up the pedal steel guitar.

What else can we do?

Terry