Is nonpedal getting more popular?

[Rich Young]

I've seemed to have notice a lot more nonpedal steel guitar around lately. There's a commercial on TV for some .com company where a woman is in a restaurant and she starts making a dress design out of mustard and catsup. The music in the background sounds like nonpedal to me.

And I was watching Letterman the other night and when they went to a break, I heard steel guitar in the music. When they came back, it was to a shot of Sid (I think that's the guitar players name) playing on what looked like a dual professional. I'd seen it in the background and thought it might be a stringmaster, but I'd never seen him play it before. Anyone ever heard him play it?

I've only been playing steel about a year and 1/2 but I've been listening to it for 30. I think I would have noticed but maybe I'm paying more attention!

I also noticed that on the commercial where the nun buys a Hank Williams CD, there's is steel but it sounds like pedal to me. Oops!

If it is a trend, I like it.

[Harry Hess]

Letterman's guitarist (Sid) is also a pedal steel guitarist. He probably caught the non-pedal bug or maybe feels it's easier to lug aroung and get a few licks in where he can.

I think he's an E9 only player, if I heard right. I think some E9 guys get into C6 on the non-pedal 'cause they feel it's a good way to get their feet wet on C6. And they're probably right.

I used to play it till I got my D-10 Emmons.
I no longer have any desire to play C6 without all the great options pedals and knee levers give you.

HH