Dig it! Changed my pedal steel strings today. AMA

jrockbridge said:
What is the nut material? I read on TGP that anything other than a genuine bone nut will make the baby Jesus wail in deep sorrow.
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They're made of metal. They use roller nuts to accommodate the constant movement of the strings across the nut.

Baby Jesus loves the crying steel guitar because when it cries, he can take a break.
 
Motorik said:
That looks like a nightmarish task! How often do you need to change the strings? And do they come in different gauges, and if so, what would the point of that be?
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There are pros in Nashville who change them weekly. For me, it's been about 18 months, which is too long.
 
jaxn slim said:
There are pros in Nashville who change them weekly. For me, it's been about 18 months, which is too long.
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That seems excessive! What's the rationale behind changing them so often? Their grubby fingers don't make a lot of contact with the strings because they use the steel bar and finger picks, right? So what would be going wrong with the strings in one week? Is it just because they become a little bit duller sounding?
 
Motorik said:
That seems excessive! What's the rationale behind changing them so often? Their grubby fingers don't make a lot of contact with the strings because they use the steel bar and finger picks, right? So what would be going wrong with the strings in one week? Is it just because they become a little bit duller sounding?
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Is it because metal on metal? "they use the steel bar"
 
Honkridge said:
Anyone that can play steel has my respect. That is a hell of an instrument. There was a guy at North Texas that could play fast tempo be-bop on steel...weirdest sound you ever heard.
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This. I love the sound of pedal steel. I was tempted to get one a couple of times when I'd seen them pop up on Craigslist, but I knew I wouldn't put the time into it to learn how to play it. They're pretty intimidating...at least to me, and I already have my hands full with a basic 6-string. And as far as changing strings goes, I won't complain about doing it on a Floyd ever again. :lol:
 
dodgechargerfan said:
So, it’s a dedicated-purpose shoe?

I need to find a use case for that.
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If you get a Mini-Cooper you need special shoes... or at least I would. I drove one once and couldn't fit my feet into the clutch and gas without hitting the brakes at the same time. 3 tiny pedals in a space barely big enough for both of my feet.
 
Motorik said:
That seems excessive! What's the rationale behind changing them so often? Their grubby fingers don't make a lot of contact with the strings because they use the steel bar and finger picks, right? So what would be going wrong with the strings in one week? Is it just because they become a little bit duller sounding?
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The guys I'm thinking of, guys like Paul Franklin, are just playing so many hours per week in the studio, they fine tune every aspect all day long.

One guess is they don't pop back in tune as well with the changing tension from the pedals and knee levers after you're putting a lot of hours on. I agree it seems excessive. My goal is to get on the 6 month schedule.
 
jaxn slim said:
The guys I'm thinking of, guys like Paul Franklin, are just playing so many hours per week in the studio, they fine tune every aspect all day long.

One guess is they don't pop back in tune as well with the changing tension from the pedals and knee levers after you're putting a lot of hours on. I agree it seems excessive. My goal is to get on the 6 month schedule.
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That makes sense, the constant bending making returning to pitch more difficult. It sounds like a massive ball-ache having to change strings so often, but I guess when it's your livelihood you want to be on the top of your game.
 
I really need to get back on my pedal steel, a nice little Stage One single neck E7 I picked up a few yrs back. It's been kinda collecting dust.
I worked at it pretty hard for a year or two and then I just kinda quit cause the only chance I got to play it was by myself playing along with tracks. If somebody comes over Im always on guitar or bass because I cant really sing and play the steel at the same time.
If I got back in practice I could take it to the jam Ive started attending recently on Sundays, but there's already a steel player there. Not that he's any better than I would be, but Im kinda too lazy to haul it, set it up, and tear it down. I drop into that jam on my way home from my reg duo practice so I'm already hauling an upright bass and about all the extra gear I wanna deal with is an elec guitar and small amp.
But steel is very fun. I pretty much had the basics down but with 4 pedals and 5 levers theres a LOT to learn, lol.
If I had the chance to play it in a band Id be way more motivated to start back on it.
 
Pine Apple Slim said:
I really need to get back on my pedal steel, a nice little Stage One single neck E7 I picked up a few yrs back. It's been kinda collecting dust.
I worked at it pretty hard for a year or two and then I just kinda quit cause the only chance I got to play it was by myself playing along with tracks. If somebody comes over Im always on guitar or bass because I cant really sing and play the steel at the same time.
If I got back in practice I could take it to the jam Ive started attending recently on Sundays, but there's already a steel player there. Not that he's any better than I would be, but Im kinda too lazy to haul it, set it up, and tear it down. I drop into that jam on my way home from my reg duo practice so I'm already hauling an upright bass and about all the extra gear I wanna deal with is an elec guitar and small amp.
But steel is very fun. I pretty much had the basics down but with 4 pedals and 5 levers theres a LOT to learn, lol.
If I had the chance to play it in a band Id be way more motivated to start back on it.
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Yeah, it's a lot of fun. As much as I love playing guitar, I have way more fun on stage with steel than I ever did playing guitar.
Hauling, setting up, breaking down are definitely the worst parts. At least the Stage One is somewhat lightweight, though, for a pedal steel. 4 pedals and 5 levers is more than I have. I do think I could probably use a few more, but I really just use 2 of the knee levers as it is.
 
jaxn slim said:
Yeah, it's a lot of fun. As much as I love playing guitar, I have way more fun on stage with steel than I ever did playing guitar.
Hauling, setting up, breaking down are definitely the worst parts. At least the Stage One is somewhat lightweight, though, for a pedal steel. 4 pedals and 5 levers is more than I have. I do think I could probably use a few more, but I really just use 2 of the knee levers as it is.
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I had one lick down on the C pedal and a 7th thing happening with a knee lever, but I was mostly A & B pedals in different positions.
I was progressing pretty quickly tho, cause I'd been playing some lap steel and bluegrass sq neck reso for a long time prior.
Since I found this jam I'd def be brushing back up if there wasn't already a guy there with a steel.
 
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