Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets
The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
The Unfiltered History of Rolling Papers, Plus Tommy Chong's Big Fat Jamaican Vacation
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
Fightin’ Femmes: Unmasking Female Superheroes with Author Mike Madrid
Strictly speaking, a steel guitar is any guitar made out of metal, which means it can be a resonator guitar used for the blues and Americana music, a lap steel guitar popular with those who play Hawaiian music, or a venerable pedal steel, which is what gives country-western music and Texas swing their distinctive sounds.
While the first resonator guitars made in the 1920s only featured an aluminum amplifying cone where the guitar's sound hole would be, subsequent resonators had all-aluminum bodies. Resonators grew out of the popularity of the acoustic guitar in the 1920s—the amplification helped them be heard over louder instruments such as banjos.
The invention of the resonator is widely credited to John Dopyera who, in the mid-1920s, developed an amplifying system for ukuleles. He founded the National String Instrument Corporation in August 1926 with his brothers Rudy, Robert, Louis, and Emil, and their company would use John’s system to produce “ampliphonic” or “self-amplifying” guitars, known today as resonators. But Dopyera was frustrated with the sound his uke-sized resonator produced when fitted on guitars so, in 1929, he left National and founded Dobro Manufacturing...
Lap-played steel guitars produced by Gibson, Epiphone, and National were produced in the 1930s to cash in on the craze at the time for Hawaiian music. Fender and Gretsch also produced lap-steel guitars (some of which were misnomers since they had stands), but not until the 1940s. Because these guitars lacked sound holes for natural amplification, even the earliest models were electric—Gibsons like the E-150 and Roy Smeck Special, both of which had Charlie Christian pickups, are especially prized by collectors today.
Finally there are pedal steel guitars, single neck or double, which are mounted on stands and fitted with anywhere from four to 10 pedals, each of which can change the pitch of selected strings. Vintage Fender steel guitars, with or without pedals, are favorites of players and collectors alike, as are Sho-Bud instruments—the fingerboards of Sho-Buds are known for their inlay of diamonds, spades, hearts and clubs.
Regardless of the type of steel guitar played, one thing they all have in common is that the player needs to be adept at finger picking—these instruments are not meant to be strumed. In addition, instead of using the non-picking hand to push down the strings to produce chords, the player holds a tube—sometimes made of steel, sometimes glass—lightly against the strings. The tube is slid up and down the fingerboard, which is why the technique is also known as slide guitar.
by Interviews & Articles
Martins vs. Gibsons: The Evolution of American Acoustic Guitars
I started playing guitar when I was pretty young and bought my first guitar when I was 10 or 11. Like a lot of people of my genera… [more]
Archtops, Hollowbodies, and Jimi's Legacy
I grew up in upstate New York in Rochester, and started playing guitar when I was about 10 years old. We had this place in Rochest… [more]
Les Pauls, Strats, and Other Cult Guitars
I started out primarily as a collector and the business aspect of it evolved over time, almost by accident. I didn’t start out wit… [more]
Legendary Luthier Rick Turner on Howe-Orme Guitars
I first started coming across Howe-Orme instruments when I was an apprentice guitar repairman in Boston in 1963. Their guitars hav… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Vintage Guitars Info
This great reference site features detailed sections for vintage guitar makers including Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gr… [read review or visit site]
Vintage Guitar and Bass
Want to see all the old brochures and ads for your favorite vintage axe? Check out this great site, which showcases… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations
Other Great Reference Sites
Top eBay Auctions
Ribbecke 16" Acoustic Steel String Halfling
Gfi Musical Instruments S-10 Sm Pedal Steel Guitar New W/ Hardshell Case
1959 Vintage Fender Usa 400 8-string Pedal Steel Electric Guitar
Wilcox Pedal Steel Guitar
Pedal Steel Guitar (zb)
Custom Built Pedal Steel Guitar
Republic Delta Rocket Steel Resonator Guitar - National Shipping
Vintage National New Yorker Lap Steel Guitar...
1955 Fender Stringmaster Triple Neck Body Only Hawaiian Steel Guitar Blonde
Rare Original 1949 1950 Fender Champion Lap Steel Broadcaster Nocaster Parts Nor
Fender Fs-52 Lap Steel Guitar
Estate Fresh 1950's Vintage Gibson Electric Lap Steel Old Retro Br-9 Guitar
Vintage 1960 Oahu Steel Guitar Amplifier * All Tube * Free Shipping * No Reserve
Four 1955 Fender Stringmaster Legs Hawaiian Steel Guitar Original Excellent Set
Fender Telecaster Pickup 1954 From Lap Steel 100% Original Great Vintage Sound
Vintage 40's Rickenbacker G-6 G6 Deluxe Metal Hawaiian Lap-steel Electric Guitar
1946 Vega Lap Steel Guitar Art Deco Play Ready With Original Case
Magnatone Lap Steel
1950's Multi-kord 8-string Pedal Steel Harlin Bros. W/ Orig Case Rare 
Gretsch Lap Steel
Vintage 1948 Valco Supro National Lap-steel Electric Guitar W/original Case
New 2013 Custom Double Lap Steel Electric Guitar: Metallic Gold: Great Player
Glendale Stainless Steel Vintage 'double Cut' Telecaster Bridge Plate.
Msa, Pedal Steel Guitar , Floor Pedal Assembly
1957 Supro Lap Steel Electric Guitar Red ~ No Reserve
Lap Steel Guitar, Lap Steel, Electric Lap Steel.
New 2013 Custom Double Lap Steel Electric Guitar: Metallic Gold: Great Player
New 3/4 Size Guitar Steel String Acoustic W/ Strap & Case Easy To Play Set-up
Vintage Harmony Stella Steel Reinforced Neck Acoustic Guitar
Vintage Electric Lap Steel Hawaiian Guitar Magnatone Gray Pearloid, Case & Slide
Vintage Jordan Bosstone Boss Tone Overdrive Guitar Effect Sho Bud Pedal Steel
Do It Yourself Builder Kit: Double Lap Steel Guitar: Great Project
Nice New Custom Made Double Lap Steel Guitar Natural Finish
Korg Mt-1200 Master Tuner!! Great For Steel Guitar!!
Rogue Rls-1 Lap Steel Electric Guitar W/ Stand And Soft Case Metallic Red 9/7839
New Lap Steel Building Project Diy Lap Steel Guitar Builder Kit
Artisan Electric Lap Steel Guitar 
Lot Of 5 Lap Steel Fretboard Fingerboard Electric Acoustic Guitar
Glendale Steel & Brass Telecaster Bridge Saddles W/ Mounts
Vintage Sho-bud Steel Guitar Volume Control Foot Pedal Works Good Condition
L.r. Baggs Ibeam Active Steel String Pickup System ***no Volume Control***
Gillett Razor Shape Stainless Steel Guitar Pick
Stevenson Steel Slide Brass? Vintage
Stainless Steel Jb Bass Guitar Pickup Cover Chrome
Vintage Electric Wooden Lap Steel Slide Guitar Homemade Wood Music Folk Art
Rare Rickenbacker Electro Lap Steel Guitar Shell Only 1940s Make It Your Own Way
Silvertone Artist Lap Steel, 1958
Fender Stratocaster Steel Saddles
12pcs Guitar Finger Picks Plectrums Stainless Steel Guitar Picks
Electromuse 1950's Lap Steel
Jazz Guitar Steel Watch New (rare)
Rossetti 6 String Lap Steel Electric Guitar Red 9/6531
Four Bars For Guitar, Electric Steel Guitar, Dobro Or Non Electric.
Recent News: Steel Guitars
Source: Google News
Go Picks: PBS Microbrew fest, garden tour, Dave Fry fundraiser, more
Allentown Morning Call, June 19thBromberg is known as an eclectic singer-songwriter who pens quirky songs and plays multiple instruments including violin, guitar, pedal steel guitar and dobro. His 2007 disc "Try Me One More Time" was nominated for a Grammy for best traditional folk album...Read more
Lead singer of Staind bringing country act to Evansville
Evansville Courier & Press, June 19thSongs like “75,” “Red, White & Blue,” “State Lines” and “Anywhere But Here” are built around Lewis' solid vocal melodies, with guitars, fiddle, dobro and pedal steel frequently adding even more of a country flavor to the songs. Those are, of course, ...Read more
Truckers behind her, Shonna Tucker back in Asheville
Asheville Citizen-Times, June 19thTo best share those compositions, Tucker recruited some of Athens' finest musicians: guitarist Bo Bedingfield, keyboardist Neil Golden, drummer Clay Leverett, and the guitar and pedal steel of fellow ex-Trucker John Neff. Under the name Eye Candy, the ...Read more
Counting Crows/Wallflowers folk-rock Beantown
Wicked Local (blog), June 19thInstead of the percolating folk-rocker that was a hit off their debut album in 1993, the Crows did it as a slow, introspective ballad with David Immergluck's keening pedal steel guitar making it sound like some spacey country dreamscape. Rather than...Read more
Second Helping
Valley Advocate, June 19thCello and vocal harmonies by Melissa Nelson and pedal steel guitar parts added by Bruce Tull (Scud Mountain Boys) bring a fluidity to the songs that hasn't existed so much before in the Figments/Goldwater tableaux of sonic pastiches, and Matt Cullen's ...Read more
Former Brooklyn rocker Kamara Thomas pursues a singer-songwriter future in ...
The Independent Weekly, June 19thThey sneak in practice time during Cherokee's naps or over the weekend, she on acoustic guitar and he on pedal steel. Thomas says they've managed to work in four hours of practice a week. And then there's paying for child care during a gig. "Your...Read more
Grantham drummer in Pink Floyd tribute band for Sleaford gig
Grantham Journal, June 19thTime Is Money comprises of two keyboard players, a drummer, bass player, saxophonist, one rhythm guitarist, one lead guitarist and a second lead guitarist who also plays lap steel and pedal steel guitars as well as further keyboards. The band boasts a ...Read more
New Orleans music 'Hot Picks' for Wednesday, June 19, 2013: Pat Benatar, Gal ...
NOLA.com, June 18thThey specialize in retro and retro-sounding rockabilly and Western swing decorated by pedal steel guitar and the pure country pipes of Vanessa Niemann, aka Gal Holiday. Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters, d.b.a., 10 p.m.. The Wolfman, one ...Read more