Pedal-Steel Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I bought this as a Stupid Deal of the Day. I wasn't expecting great quality — just a serviceable instrument. Alas, even there I was disappointed. There were minor annoyances like absolutely no documentation — no manual in the box; no manual on-line; nothing. I still don't know what the little allen wrench that came with it is for. When I picked up one of the legs it fell apart. There is a press-to-fit collar that holds the screw which allows adjusting the length of the leg. It wasn't actually pressed onto the shaft it was supposed to be attached to. A little brute force (before I attached the leg) solved that one. The real problem, however, came when I managed to assemble it anyway in spite of these minor glitches. Within moments of me setting it up on it's legs, one of the legs fell off. Actually the metal plate into which the leg screwed fell off. Luckily I still had all the packing material because I hadn't actually managed to completely unpack it. I called Musicians Friend. They were very helpful and immediately sent a RMA and a return label. Back it went.Bill, W.

Excellent product, I found it to hold tune and appears fairly sturdy. Strings are adequate for practice will experiment with others later, but not bad. I ran this through my Fender Deluxe reverb and found very little hum. Practically none and this surprised me as it is a single coil pickup. My only grip is the legs, I could not even get them to screw in, but then I didn't plan to use them in the first place, this instrument is best in your lap. The legs will come in handy if there is a noisy cat in the alley, or I need something to sink a boat (they are fairly heavy and seem decent, except, they are impossible to screw into the dang guitar!) Overall I would highly recommend as a first lap steel for sure.Mike

I've played electric/acoustic/bass for over 25 years, but got curious to try a lap steel because I've always loved the sound; I know what a quality instrument should feel like, and this definitely met or exceeded my expectations. I tuned up to C6 easily, and the single-coil pickup gives a nice bright tone that is consistent in volume from string-to-string. I haven't noticed any hum from the pickup at normal practice volume, and no grounding problems. I expect I'll change the strings soon, but that's a personal preference. A few people mentioned tuning problems; the tuners aren't the best, but I'd suggest pulling on each string when you first get it, to get any extra slack out of them. After that, mine holds tune perfectly fine. It packs up really neatly in the included gig bag, which does hold the detachable legs as well. The gig bag doesn't have much padding, but should be perfectly fine for storing the guitar when not in use. If you need to gig with the instrument professionally, I'd suggest getting something more solid, but this is a fantastic option for someone looking to learn on, or for studio use where you're looking for some different tones.Sam A

Pros; fairly well made from a nice piece of American swamp ash, it sounds good, and plays as it should, great price. Cons; I don't like the set of the bridge posts. Worst part; made in China…slytone1

Nicely made. I did change strings as suggested by instructor. Has a nice case and everything went together well. Will be a challenge to learn…a lot to concentrate on while playing…good fun for an old man's brain..records1320

This guitar comes with a gig bag and legs. It has a sweet tone that will gives you the enjoyment and fun of playing a steel guitar.quane

Nicely built lap steel. Great sound. Way too much fun. If you are going to play country or Hawaiian you will need C6 strings made for that tuning. These wont work at all.wy03bay

Bought this for my wife as a second lap steel. I have bought the Recording King products before. This unit was not set up. The strings were floppy loose, that is okay as I restrung it. While putting new strings on I noticed the tuning machine were loose. All of the screws were stripped out and would not tighten. Started to send it back and decided to repair if and was successful. If we had not wanted to use it immediately, it would have gone back. Overall we like it and will continue to shop Musicians Friend.GWF

Nicely built lap steel. Great sound. Way too much fun. If you are going to play country or Hawaiian you will need C6 strings made for that tuning. These wont work at all.wy03bay

Bought this for my wife as a second lap steel. I have bought the Recording King products before. This unit was not set up. The strings were floppy loose, that is okay as I restrung it. While putting new strings on I noticed the tuning machine were loose. All of the screws were stripped out and would not tighten. Started to send it back and decided to repair if and was successful. If we had not wanted to use it immediately, it would have gone back. Overall we like it and will continue to shop Musicians Friend.GWF

While Ive been a professional musician for over 35 years as a guitarist, Ive never played lap steel, so I wanted a good first guitar that was solid yet affordable. This is it! Easy to play, sounds good, stays in tune. A great learning instrument that can also gig when Im proficient enough to do so. Thanks Rhonda Music!allerando

Be aware this will need some work. Raised pickup with more foam, leveled saddles, re-cut grooves, lowered bridge with pan head machine screws in place of adjustable posts. After all of that, it works great.melody1876

I have been a pedal steel player for many years. In my old age, I have become interested in the lap steel. It is a much more complex instrument than I expected. The Gretsch Electromatic is probably the nicest looking steel in it's price range, but there are some problems right out of the box. Keep in mind that I am talking only about my instrument. I cannot speak for others. First, the fretboard is plastic, and held in place with screws. The intonation is off slightly, (which can easily be compensated for by bar adjustment) and the fretboard, not being glued down, was bowed up off the base approx. 1/4 of an inch. This condition was easily taken care of with a little Super Glue. Next, the bridge cover had to be removed in order for me to hand block the strings. The bridge is very simple, but it looks okay, so that's not a big thing. And then there is the issue of the volume and tone knobs being too close to the position my right hand naturally takes when I play. This also interferes with string blocking. I am playing this instrument through a Boss ME-80 and into a Peavey Classic 50 2X12. I am very pleased and surprised at the wide range of sounds this little steel makes. The finish is blemish free and beautiful. It weighs less than I expected, but it stays nicely in place on my lap. All said, I am looking forward to the journey ahead, and learning to play the Lap Steel. The volume and tone both are responsive, and it sounds great. I can live with a few imperfections for what the Electromatic costs. I learned long ago that steak costs more than hamburger. I think it was a good buy.J Lindley

There are a gazillion of these everywhere on line. I bought one long ago for around $299 and that was too much I sent it back. The fret board is the cheapest PVC plastic. The looks is pretty good. That is about it. Five hundred bucks is way out of line. Recording Kings are a better instrument for half the price.wy03bay

It has nice tone with a few limitations. The tuners are very poor quality, it is Chinese made. The bridge is fixed, so there is no chance of fine tuning intonation or string height. If you lay the bar on the strings on the higher registers, the second and third lowest strings don't touch the bar without placing pressure on the bar, adding to the intonation problem. The finish is absolutely beautiful, high gloss and nice color. That being said, it could use moleskin or felt to keep it from sliding around on you lap. I used black adhesive backed felt, worked perfectly.cheswinster

This guitar is lightweight very well balanced, it seems to almost float when wearing it with a strap, As I heard in another rating, it feels like every single note on every single fret is available and reachable at any moment. It takes me back to the early 90's when I played a early 70's Gibson Explorer. What an easy guitar to play! It just seemed to fall off the frets into your hands, and this ESP SnakeByte is no different. I've heard James Hetfield talk about his love for his Gibson Explorers, so it's not a surprise that his signature series SnakeByte has that feel and tone! I really like the locking tuners, what a great invention! It makes the horrible business of replacing strings easy and painless! The locking bridge is also a delight, keeps intonation intact when changing strings. I like the tone of the JH HET SET pups, they scream when needed, and purr when needed. This guitar matches up particularly well with a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, or most any amp from Mesa Boogie or Marshall.mkcr33l

I was so excited to get this guitar and I hooked it up out of the box a played it for about 5 minutes. Unplugged it put it back in the case. The next day I hooked it up again and got a terrible flanger like sound out of the guitar so I switched guitars and my other one was fine. Before I sent it back I wanted to check the 9v battery in the back compartment for the pickups and discovered only 1.2 v of power coming out of the battery. I swapped the battery and now it's good. I just thought it was kind of annoying that esp would sell guitars with off brand dead batteries. I know it's not musiciansfriends fault but still.Chris

So, what is it? Acoustic or electric? Wanting to re-learn the guitar I started to look for acoustic guitars. I’ve had Yamaha in the past, so a safe place to start now. The ‘silent’ guitar fitted the bill perfectly. I don’t annoy anyone but can play for hours. But… You will see below the ‘would I recommend it' is NO, and 'is it comfortable to play' is OKAY. Why? The NO is because you must understand what it is. I didn’t know and you can’t quite tell from the photos and videos. I thought I was buying an acoustic guitar (PMT have it in the electro-acoustic and acoustic sections). But it is not. The designer has flubbed it for the desperately simple reason of the body width. Because you create the sound with the body of an acoustic they are wide, deep. Not so here. With no need for a body it is a shallow, electric guitar depth. So when I set up in a classical guitar position, I was all wrong; far too close. The designer should have made the outer body shell deeper, AS IF it were a classic guitar depth. So, what is it? It is an electric guitar you can play 'silently’. Hence the reason why the recommendation is NO, If you want a ‘silent’ acoustic, this is not really it, unless you are happy with the electric guitar body depth. And the OKAY recommendation is there because if you are expecting a classic acoustic depth, as I was, you will be disappointed, despite the excellence of the kit. This then brings along another annoyance. Luckily, I decided upon getting a strap. Handy really, but now the lack of body means a lack of good balance. In an electric guitar the body weight ‘holds’ the guitar down, here the neck is the heaviest item and it just feels a little odd as, sometimes, I get the feeling the my left arm isn’t so free because it is forming the chords/riffs AND ALSO supporting the guitar. That is probably just me being finicky, though. Or, at least, it is my excuse why I can’t form the chords/riffs quickly enough whilst re-learning. So I am now going to get some Ernie Ball electric guitar strings, as I had on the Gibson twin, and work it as a ‘silent’ electric guitar. As noted on PMT, it has been on stage and I would be happy doing so later, if that is where I intend to go. To end on some positives, the ability to dismantle it saves some great space when transporting it in the half-size bag. The electronics in the guitar completely fool the mind into believing you have a real, live acoustic guitar in your hands. The action is superb. Overall, do I like this kit? Am I pleased? Would I change? Yes, I do like it. Yes, I am pleased. No, I wouldn’t change. I now know what it is, what I am doing with it, and where we can go together.Mr R.

After touring with a full-size acoustic guitar for so long, and having to do too many fly-dates with it, I had to either accept that at some point I was going to wind up with a case full of splinters, or find a better alternative. The silent guitar is that alternative. It plays and sounds great. Would I record with it over my good dreadnought? No, but live through a PA it sounds fantastic. The on-board effects and tuner are decent. Nothing fantastic, but do the job if needed. It loses a star, however, because the strap buttons (which also double as the top frame set-screws) tend to loosen when using a strap. I'll have to find a way to keep that from happening in the future. Otherwise, though, this is my new touring acoustic, and I will accept the small infractions while making my travel life way easier.Mikey

Okay, so it sounds great. The neck is lovely. It stays very much in tune, and it makes a terrific practice instrument when I'm out of town. But it could be so much more! The biggest flaw is that when you put a strap on it, the strap actually loosens the bolts that screw the upper bout into the unit. Using a strap will potentially make the guitar come disassemble. I could probably rig something but right now I'm giving up on playing this standing up. Also, the jack does not work will with an angled plug, particularly when standing. Even when using the straight end, the cable can readily disconnect while playing standing up (highly disconcerting). Another oddity is that –for me — the instrument isn't particularly comfortable. I'm 5'8" and of smaller build and when playing seated in the classical position (yes, that's how I learned) the upper bout's contoured edge digs into the chest. After a while, you may find yourself looking for a cloth to drape over that edge to provide cushion. The reverb effects are over-the-top and not terribly useful. The chorus is nice, but I wish I could tweak the depth/speed on it. Finally and sadly, I'm discovering it hungrily eats batteries (AA), or at any rate it signals "low-power" after only about 5-6 hours of playing. The case is okay, just large enough to accommodate the instrument but not much else. I got mine used and it was a good price. I'm glad I own this, but I'd be disappointed had I paid full price. With improvement, this could be a gigging instrument, but in this edition, it is a fun travel/practice instrument.JD Cazador

I've owned one of these for years. It doesn't hang well (neck dive), has the sound that you'd expect out of a shoebox sized cavity (no bass), and is over priced. The only reason for owning one of these is if you are severly cramped for space. Get a Baby Taylor, instead of this thing. They are close to the same price, the last time that I checked.Ken

When I first saw these in the CF Martin catalog, I thought how weird looking they were. When I asked at a local shop about them, I was told they would order one for me, but I would not like it! But I liked classical, nylon string guitars and I wanted to own something from CF Martin. Other than this, Martin GTR does not make anything else like that, unless they invented something since I quit looking. I was very fortunate to discover Musicians Friend, and they at one time had these with a passive pickup. These were on sale at a very good price! I ordered one, it arrived in very good shape, in very good time. I fell absolutely totally in love with it, weird shape and all. You could tell it was a Martin, it reeked quality. It's small, the tone is great, but the volume is not huge. Use it for travel, camping, hanging on the wall for odd moments of practice. It's not a case queen, fussy little guitar, but protect it from too much heat and moisture, it is made with wood and glue. With a pickup you could probably blow away a concert hall with it. Look in the sound hole, it will say where it was made there, and tell you to always use extra-lite nylon strings. No truss rod was standard for ages with nylon string guitars, the Backpacker does not have one. Most guitars eventually need the action adjusted to suit the player, including ones costing 10 to 20 times as much as this one. Mine came with a very nice strap and a special gig bag, both very useful. If this appeals to you, don't hesitate to give it a try. I've had mine for years and still love it. Check on you-tube.Still Learning

I have had mine for 10 years or more and enjoy it very much. It's not full body sound it's there to have something to practice and play when on holiday or outside on the deck enjoying a cold one. It doesn't take up much room when packing the car either And yes the one I have is an actual classical backpacker guitar that Martin made years ago. I use it with high tension strings DAddario Pro Arte at standard tuning and it holds up very good stays in tune never have a problem with it going outGerry

I've owned one of these for years. It doesn't hang well (neck dive), has the sound that you'd expect out of a shoebox sized cavity (no bass), and is over priced. The only reason for owning one of these is if you are severly cramped for space. Get a Baby Taylor, instead of this thing. They are close to the same price, the last time that I checked.Ken

When I first saw these in the CF Martin catalog, I thought how weird looking they were. When I asked at a local shop about them, I was told they would order one for me, but I would not like it! But I liked classical, nylon string guitars and I wanted to own something from CF Martin. Other than this, Martin GTR does not make anything else like that, unless they invented something since I quit looking. I was very fortunate to discover Musicians Friend, and they at one time had these with a passive pickup. These were on sale at a very good price! I ordered one, it arrived in very good shape, in very good time. I fell absolutely totally in love with it, weird shape and all. You could tell it was a Martin, it reeked quality. It's small, the tone is great, but the volume is not huge. Use it for travel, camping, hanging on the wall for odd moments of practice. It's not a case queen, fussy little guitar, but protect it from too much heat and moisture, it is made with wood and glue. With a pickup you could probably blow away a concert hall with it. Look in the sound hole, it will say where it was made there, and tell you to always use extra-lite nylon strings. No truss rod was standard for ages with nylon string guitars, the Backpacker does not have one. Most guitars eventually need the action adjusted to suit the player, including ones costing 10 to 20 times as much as this one. Mine came with a very nice strap and a special gig bag, both very useful. If this appeals to you, don't hesitate to give it a try. I've had mine for years and still love it. Check on you-tube.Still Learning

I have had mine for 10 years or more and enjoy it very much. It's not full body sound it's there to have something to practice and play when on holiday or outside on the deck enjoying a cold one. It doesn't take up much room when packing the car either And yes the one I have is an actual classical backpacker guitar that Martin made years ago. I use it with high tension strings DAddario Pro Arte at standard tuning and it holds up very good stays in tune never have a problem with it going outGerry

Overall: I ordered a from zZounds,received it super fast as usual,let it sit for a bit to get acclimated to the temp inside my house as I had ordered it in the winter. After playing it for over a year I’ve got to hand it to Epiphone for making sure they got it right. This thing rings forever and plays like butter,actually I could stand to bring the action up to make slide playing easier but I don’t want to mess with a good thing. You aren’t tied to one style of music with this guitar,yes it can very easily get that classic metal bodied sound but depending on your picking technique it gets a very decent folk sound and fingerpicking tone also. Intonation is right on the money and I’ve had no problems with build quality whatsoever. Yes it gets fingerprints super easy but it’s made to play,not just look at(although when shined up she’s pretty). I might try using heavier strings to play more slide but I love the tone it has already and I have a guitar already dedicated to slide anyways. Definitely a keeper,already won over some converts from the musicians who frequently visit my place.. I recommend it!Dave

I’m very happy with this resonator guitar, but there’s some initial work to do which any resonator owner needs to learn. All typical with any resonator unless buying very high end models and even then.,, After I made some tweaks my guitar is singing very nicely. I usually play in open tuning and play a lot of slide. You won’t find better for this price and you might find a guitar much lower quality for the same.If you seek a wood bodied reso with no electronics for under $800 you should consider. Oh and 13-56 strings should go on immediately after initial inspection/work. Your tone will immediately improve in open tunings like G, D, and C. I rated a 5 taking into consideration price and the fact it’s a resonator guitar. Rated as is for what it is.Mountain Rock

I spent a few months researching resonator guitars, and ultimately settled on the Dobro Hound Dog. I really like the simple, vintage look, as I really feel that it's the type of look that goes along with classic blues and slide guitar. Overall, I'm very happy with the look and feel of the instrument, and the sound is unique enough to be a welcome addition to my set of instruments. A few of the negatives: When I first received the guitar from MF, there were several rough spots in the finish, and what appeared to be some specks of glue that had hardened on the finish, and I was not able to remove them. I returned the guitar to MF for an exchange, and the experience was straightforward and hassle-free. Upon receieving the replacement guitar, I noticed a few of the same "rough patches" in the finish, although it had none of the same "glue specks". It's not really an issue; like I said, it is a vintage looking and feeling guitar, just don't go into it thinking that you'll be getting a 100% smooth, laminated-type finish. Again, not a big deal, I'm just overly particular, and I didn't know that was a fairly standard finish for this guitar. Like some others have stated on here, the stock strings are garbage. Just bank on throwing in some coated resonator strings in with your order. I was going to upgrade eventually; new guitars typically come with junky strings, so I wasn't too upset about it. Overall, it is a solid instrument with a great look and great sound. If it came with better strings, and would've been described as having a semi rough, "vintage finish", I would rate it 100%. In my opinion, it's hard to find a nice sounding acoustic in this price range, so this is a nice value, and a great addition to anyone's arsenal who is looking to throw in some slide guitar and unique twang.travis2013

Beautiful looking instrument well designed and easy to play ,with or without with the ashtray cover .Lovely warm tone made all the better with a little reverb.Is a nice weight to play on the lap rather than on a stand.A very classy lap steel.brianbarke

needed it to get in touch with my "da kine" roots. mahalo. sounds great, stays in tune, a pleasure to play and easy on my makas.Leighton

The hard part is finding one of these. I have had about every lap steel up to this price. But the Gold Tones have a really nice clean sound. I prefer Hawaiian and country sound. These are beautiful for that. It sits nicely on you lap and easy to play with the string spacing.walt

I'm also a dobro player. Had issues with getting the dobro loud enough for church praise band without feedback so I bought the Asher lap steel. Same scale length and string spacing as dobro and came with strings suitable for dobro tuning, Perfect fit. The tone is great with the neck pickup and neck/bridge pickups on but to my ears the bridge pickup alone is very thin and tinny sounding. Quality control issues: First thing I noticed right out of the box was that two of the tuner buttons rattled when I played it. Should be an easy fix by tightening the screws on the tuner buttons but these don't have any at all. Not sure how the buttons actually stay on. Anyway I used a little super glue on the two rattlers and that fixed the problem. I'll probably upgrade the tuners at some point but for $900+ after taxes I shouldn't have to. Also the plate around the output jack was loose and I had to tighten that up. No big deal but still…. Re stringing is a puzzler with the wrap around bridge. On the lower strings the ball end of the string wedges up against the plastic ring around the pickup making them difficult to change. There suggestion is to take the provided allen wrench and rais the bridge to make the strings easier to remove. Really? Raise and lower the bridge everytime you re string? Why not move the bridge pickup 1/8 up away from the bridge? It certainly isn't going to hurt the bridge pickup tone any…. Anyway, it is a good instrument that I plan on keeping forever, just keep in mind that it won't be perfect. Oh, the gig bag is very nice. Sturdy and nicely padded.cb56

Honestly… This instrument is very nice for someone learning to play lap steel. Drop the conservative amount now and as time prevails upgrades can be made to make this guitar road worthy. The tuners are cheap and are not going to withstand someone who is gigging. And of course… The pickups aren't going to give you that HOT sound most desire. These are an easy fix and you will be left with a great steel that will withstand many great performances. I would highly recommend the Junior to anyone that is still developing technique and style. Hope this helps…TOE

good solid feel. Decent tuners well worth. the price paid. I wish it shipped with the hard case…even if it added to the price. Being a dobroplayer, bluegrass style, the feel is very close to the same. this works out well with a gospel group im now helping out. where behind the barn dobro sound just don't fit. my guitar is teamed up with a Fender mustang 3…. man what a pair! 🙂 I am sure this guitar will handle the road just fine! 🙂Jerry Douglas want to be....

I bought this steel because friends decided to play Dark Side Of The Moon in it's entirety. I got to play all of the overdub parts and lap steel is featured on 2 songs. Fortunately for everybody David Gilmour's steel parts are simple to play. I took it right out of the box to rehearsal and was pleased as punch with the tone. It looks sharp, too. Just the perfect axe for that gig.Grey Haired Punk

Sounds Great. Balanced and not overly heavy, so it's very comfortable to play on lap. Beautiful to look at and stays consistently in tune.Ed

It's a great sounding lap. I've had many. Best 7 string I ever had. The price is very reasonable. It seems durable. Haven't had it out yet. But I really am attached to it.ridgely

Beautiful looking instrument well designed and easy to play ,with or without with the ashtray cover .Lovely warm tone made all the better with a little reverb.Is a nice weight to play on the lap rather than on a stand.A very classy lap steel.brianbarke

needed it to get in touch with my "da kine" roots. mahalo. sounds great, stays in tune, a pleasure to play and easy on my makas.Leighton

The hard part is finding one of these. I have had about every lap steel up to this price. But the Gold Tones have a really nice clean sound. I prefer Hawaiian and country sound. These are beautiful for that. It sits nicely on you lap and easy to play with the string spacing.walt

Beautiful looking instrument well designed and easy to play ,with or without with the ashtray cover .Lovely warm tone made all the better with a little reverb.Is a nice weight to play on the lap rather than on a stand.A very classy lap steel.brianbarke

needed it to get in touch with my "da kine" roots. mahalo. sounds great, stays in tune, a pleasure to play and easy on my makas.Leighton

The hard part is finding one of these. I have had about every lap steel up to this price. But the Gold Tones have a really nice clean sound. I prefer Hawaiian and country sound. These are beautiful for that. It sits nicely on you lap and easy to play with the string spacing.walt

I haven't yet built it, but it looks like it'll be a fun project. All parts included (except 2 x 4), and instructions seem pretty straight forward. I'll probably buy more of theses (to build & sell).jham8704

I haven't made it yet as I'm working on making a good body for it. But the instructions are in a large format making it super easy for someone my age to be able to read. Everything is well laid out. Will enjoy building it.derekkmartin

I upgraded the wooden parts with some shaping. Havent plugged it in to test it out. Great instructions that allow for customization.gonzo59870

I’m a guitar player, new to pedal steel. I experimented with a few tunings and settled on C6 tuning. The nut and bridge needed a bit of filing to keep he thicker strings in place, but that’s an easy and expected fix. The sound is pure lap steel. No build issues or quality issues at all. Very happy with the Epiphone Electar. 5 stars!Len D.

A lap steel isn't the most sophisticated of instruments admittedly, but this one does the job – I bought this as a backup for my Goldtone LS-6. String spacing is very comfortable (wider than the Goldtone), tone is sweet even if the pickup is a little underpowered and it looks the business. Scale length is much shorter than I'm used to but that's not an issue.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I have a few lap guitars. Just saying. Take the pickup cover off first. Next throw the strings away and get some C6 strings. If you want to play in standard tuning get some standard lap strings for that tuning. The nut slots may not be deep enough on 1 and 2 strings. Just take a small file and give them a couple swipes and quit complaining. The pickup is not super hot but is OK. I sounds nice. It is very comfortable to play with the wider body. It sits nice on your lap. As for string spacing in my opinion this is what a lap guitar should be. Not like about every lap guitar out there with standard guitar spaced strings at the nut. Of all my laps up to this price point and a bit more I will never sell this one. The gig bag is flimsy. I got a bit thicker one for it.AZ Lap Guy