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Topic: Modded Fender Advice |
Jim Pollard
From:
Cedar Park, Texas, USA
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Posted 26 May 2020 12:15 pm |
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Local ad: https://austin.craigslist.org/msg/d/austin-fender-s10-pedal-steel-guitar/7130388489.html
I've been looking for a starter pedal steel for a while now. Have been playing non-pedal about two years and very much enjoy it but haven't had the right opportunity yet to step into the pedal world. So I've got the obvious problem. To me that's a lot of money and I'm wondering about all the mods. They sound like sensible upgrades for a player that knew what he was doing and where he wanted to go. But I've got no idea. Gun shy because I've got a buddy who bought a Cougar a while back only to discover they're hard to get parts for, even if you can find someone willing to work on them. What do ya'll think? Am I being too cautious?
Last edited by Jim Pollard on 26 May 2020 2:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 26 May 2020 1:38 pm
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I’d like to know what the copedent is before buying. These days if you get a functioning instrument with 3+3 for under a $1000 you’re not doing badly. Otherwise bite the bullet and save up another 6-800 to get a used Pro model that has at least a 2 raise/1 lower changer.
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Kevin Maul: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Decophonic, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Jim Pollard
From:
Cedar Park, Texas, USA
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Posted 26 May 2020 1:59 pm
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| OK, so what I just learned there is that I need to do some more research. I've heard the terms 3+3 and 2 raise/1 lower changer but in the real world don't know exactly what those mean. With the copedent, since it's Emmons which is common I just assumed I'd get accustomed to whatever it was. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 26 May 2020 2:08 pm
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Overpriced! I had one like that from that time. IIRC I paid less than $200 for it new.Wasn't bad but it wasn't a professional model,either.Best thing you can do by way of long-term value is check out the websites of the major builders-GFI,Mullen,Show-Pro,MSA,Fred Justice,plus all the others I can't think of right now but which readers are invited to mention.The Forum's "Instruments for sale" section is worth a look-see,as well as the major retailers like Scotty's Music,Steel Guitars of Nashville,and Jim Palenscar's shop.
A couple of other points:Stepping up from six-string or lap steel always involves some sticker shock--PSG's tend to be built by small manufacturers and there's no such thing as a Squier or Epiphone pedal steel,so new prices tend to start off in Fender's AVRI territory and fairly quickly go up into Gretsch and Gibson Custom Shop's neighborhood.Second,a good used pro steel is more likely to end up being sold privately here or from a reputable shop rather than at Music-Go-Round or advertised on Craigslist, where the worn out,neglected,parts-missing ones find themselves. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 26 May 2020 2:26 pm
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Jim, that's a Fender guitar that was built by Sho~Bud, and it appears to be stock. (All the Fender Sho~Buds were made with some Fender, and some Sho~Bud parts.)
A 3+3 guitar is plenty to start with, and it appears to be in good shape. It's not an all-pull steel, but that's typical of many starter/beginner models. There's enough there to keep you busy for several years, and should you need parts, they can always be found...somewhere. (About 90% of all steels out there are made by companies that are no longer in business.) Your next "jump up" in quality would likely be an additional $300-$500, so let that be your guide. |
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 26 May 2020 3:42 pm
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| Jim Pollard wrote: |
| OK, so what I just learned there is that I need to do some more research. I've heard the terms 3+3 and 2 raise/1 lower changer but in the real world don't know exactly what those mean. With the copedent, since it's Emmons which is common I just assumed I'd get accustomed to whatever it was. |
Jim - 3+3 means it has 3 pedals + 3 knee levers. The "2 raise/1 lower" changer comment refers to an "all-pull" changer. All-pull is standard on most modern pro level guitars. This guitar has a simpler "pull-release" changer, which as Donny said is common on less expensive student level guitars like Stage One, GFI or older Sho-Bud Maverick. They work fine.
The pedals are standard A-B-C "Emmons" setup; levers lower strings 4&8 on left knee right, raise strings 1&7 on right knee left, and lower strings 2 and 9 on right knee right. These are all very standard E9 lever changes. Lots of learning material out there that would sync with these changes.
This would be a fine guitar to learn on, lots of music in there, the available changes will keep you amused for some time to come. If after playing it for a while the bug bites you, you'll know when it's time to upgrade. If not you'll be able to sell it for roughly what you paid.
$950 is probably on the high end for one of these, but not completely ridiculous for a solid guitar with a good case. $700 or $800 would be better. If Dave H knows where to get one for $200 in 2020 you should ask him to hook you up!  |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 26 May 2020 4:11 pm
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| Ian Worley wrote: |
$950 is probably on the high end for one of these, but not completely ridiculous for a solid guitar with a good case. $700 or $800 would be better. If Dave H knows where to get one for $200 in 2020 you should ask him to hook you up! |
I'll buy every one of those you can find for $200 each! 
I can remember Bobbe Seymour made a similar comment once about Red Barons, saying he'd either burn one he'd gotten on a trade, or sell it for no more that $50, as that was about what it was worth. I offered to buy every one he could find for $50. And strangely, I never heard any more from him about Red Barons!
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Brian Hollands
From:
Geneva, FL USA
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Posted 26 May 2020 4:18 pm
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For $174 more, you've got a brand new stage one. Get on Doug Earnest's wait list.
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'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's |
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George Geisser
From:
Branson, Missouri, USA
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Posted 26 May 2020 4:52 pm
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| What Brian Said, plus a lot more sustain![/img] |
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Jim Pollard
From:
Cedar Park, Texas, USA
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Posted 26 May 2020 5:03 pm
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| Thanks for all the wise advice ya'll! I'm currently thinking I let this one sit and marinate for a while and see how much he's willing to discuss the price. Funny how I just could not make the jump up to a Stage One til I saw a used steel for sale. That may well be just the right path. Anyone else got recommendations for similarly priced beginner steels? |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 26 May 2020 11:00 pm
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Another starter-type guitar I think well worth thinking about is the Justice S10 Jr. - http://www.justicesteelguitars.com/S10%20Jr.html
The best part is a solid, configurable, professional-grade build with a 2-raise/1-lower all-pull changer starting at $995 for 2-pedals and 1 knee lever (i.e., 2+1). As you can see, you can progressively add another pedal and anywhere from 1 to 3 more knee levers for $150 each.
If I was on a tight but not too austere budget, I'd probably go 3+2 or 3+3. But a lot of music can indeed be made on the basic $995 2+1 configuration and one can add the third pedal and additional knee levers later. I think one can spend at least a year or two just focusing on A and B pedals and one or two knee levers - first priority the E-lever lowering 4 & 8, and then the F-lever raising 4 & 8.
I don't know for sure, but they may even have some in stock ready to go. Fred's guitars get a lot of love on this forum, and I really think the absolutely most important thing in starting out on pedal steel is having a solid machine that won't drive you crazy spending more time screwing around underneath, and leave you all your time to focus on learning to play.
[Edited to add]There is a lot of useful info on this forum about buying a new steel in the form of previous discussions. You can't know too much, and it's easy to know too little to make an informed decision. I tend to use the google search function with the extra tag site:steelguitarforum.com to ferret out relevant information. But here are a couple of recent threads on this very subject - on one of them, I link to some additional threads on the subject:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=354304
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=357458 |
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