Greetings from Sylmar, California. Michael Johnstone here. Pro musician since the mid 60s. My Stick awareness goes back to an article I read in Guitar Player magazine in maybe '73 featuring Emmitt, the Stick etc. I was living in Norfolk, Va at the time making a living playing blues-rock guitar and was fascinated with that article and could imagine what could be done on that instrument without even needing to hear it. I was about to drop everything and do whatever it took to become a Stick player when I heard someone play a pedal steel. Suddenly it was a choice between Stick or Steel and since the music store I worked in part time had a used Fender 400 pedal steel sitting in the window,I became a steel player. Later that year I moved to Los Angeles, told everyone I was a steel player, got it together pretty quick, started working clubs & touring and now 40 years later can play a pretty fair pedal steel guitar as well as mandolin, dobro,bass and of course guitar. A couple years ago I was talking about all this with another multi-instrumentalist friend Doug Livingston who then loaned me an early ironwood Stick which has been sitting around my studio ever since. A few weeks ago I picked it up,put a baritone tuning on it and had the epiphany that if I was ever gonna give it a serious shot - it better be right now. I've been shedding pretty heavy on that old Stick trying to build up my scalar instincts/muscle memory and just ordered a new Railboard which I'm looking forward to getting my hands on very soon.

Welcome, Michael - Emmett will surely be delighted that you are now part of the Stick Community - and a Railboard coming - very cool. I play a Rosewood Grand with Emmett's Stickup. Steel is one of those instruments that I plan to master some distant day. I came up on piano and then the synths (did fairly well with those). Now I spend my time mostly with my Grand. You will find lots of great folks here. Peruse the forums and ask anything. (I began on an Ironwood also.)

Sean Rhys Stirling

Welcome to the fiesta cap'n.

Welcome Captain Strings!

Is that a Flash Gordon pic for your Avitar? - (brushing off cobwebs from my memory)

Cliff

C'mon! It's Commando Cody

Captain Strings.

The Power of Now.

Congratulations on your convictions and Welcome......!

Hi Capt'. Interesting journey, I'm not sure how many Steel players we have on here, but they're rare. I'd be interested in how the Stick compares to the Steel. I know basically bugger-all about playing pedal steel guitar but I've always been facinated by the sound.
Anyway! Congrats on the Railboard, Welcome and have a blast in here.


Eric

I forgot about that guy, how many more flying men (person's) were there????

Captain,
Welcome to the the greatest, most intelligent and friendliest music community in the universe!
There is a real camaraderie here, no MIles Davis turning around when you want to see how something is done! We YouTube it warts and all!

Wow going from an Ironwood to ( what I hear) about the Railboard is like going from a Corvette ( respect to the props) to a Maserati. So I don't think you have to be doing PX90 to get back into playing!

There are a lot of great resources under links and website posts, phone apps and blank Stick Charts. Here's a tip I did for my Stick seminar attendees, go to Stick .com and print out the tuning chart for your instrument tuning and configuration, get it laminated at FedEx and then you can use it with a dry erase marker to help with chords, scales, and figuring out solos. plus it is handy just to keep on your music stand for those "where am I" moments!
http://www.stick.com/instruments/tunings/

and, thanks for saving us from the Radar Men from the Moon!
Wecome,
Dave Brosky

Welcome. I love the sound of pedal steel. Saw Steve Howe just tear one up at a Yes concert in the 80s. B.B. King described the sound of a pedal steel as "Heavenly".

Best of luck with the Stick. I love it.