Steel Crazy
I took up the steel guitar in March of 2004. The more I play, the more I get sucked in to the world of steel guitar -- which is not uncommon for those who start listening to this incredibly expressive instrument. I recently heard it said on www.steelradio.com that the phrase, "steel guitar," refers specifically to all non-pedal varieties, be it lap steel, console steel, et cetera. With that in mind, I will be hereafter referring to my instruments simply as steel guitars -- no "non"- this or "lap"- that. "Pedal steel," of course, implies the pedal variety.
The first steel guitar that I got was a walnut 1952 Fender Dual 8 Professional. It is a classic, and I'm never going to part with it. Even if the walls of my home fall down all around me (God forbid), I'll just grab my Dual Pro, stretch a blue tarp over it, and that will be my new home...
As much as I love my Fender, though, after I bought the steel, I started poking around online for steel guitar information, which led to a fascination with Rickenbacker lap-steels. Through The Steel Guitar Forum (which is in my opinion one of the best online resources for steel guitarists), I started hearing whispers about Rickenbacker steel guitars and the legendary Rickenbacker horse-shoe pickup, so I just had to have a Rick, now, didn't I? (The answer is "yes.") I am just as enamored of my Rick 59 as I am of my Dual Pro.
Well enough jaw-flapping -- here are some pictures!
Here are some of my favorite steel guitar websites:
jerrybyrdfanclub.com Ray Montee's excellent site about the one and only Jerry Byrd, steel guitarist extraordinaire. Ray's site is the site -- bar none -- to consult for all things Byrd...
www.roysfootprints.com
Roy Ayres' home-page. Roy is a modern-day Renaissance-man and an excellent musician. Among his many achievements, Roy played steel guitar from 1946 to 1954 with Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys, the longest tenure of any of Pee Wee's steelers. Check out Roy's website! Roy is the epitome of "gentleman" and has been extremely generous with his time in helping a newbie (me) get started.
Rick Aiello's site Among other things (all of them good), Rick is a Rickenbacker lap-steel guru. Rick re-gausses steel guitar magnets at no charge -- all that he asks is that in return, a donation to The Steel Guitar Forum be made. Regaussing vintage steel guitar magnets makes an unbelieveable improvement in the sound/strength of the signal that the pickups put forth. (I know this first-hand -- he recently re-gaussed my Dual Pro mags, and the improvement is striking, to say the least.) Rick is a great guy, knows his stuff (and then some) and is a real asset to the steel guitar community.
Brad's Page of SteelA superb overview of all things steel guitar. A great resource for the steel guitarist, whatever the experience level.
John Ely's pageVery informative, with an invaluably informative section on string-gauges.
The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association
Great site. Great tunes. 'Nuff said.
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