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Amps
Milkman HT15 15W 1×12 Tube Combo
A great amp for E9 pedal steel, I recommend this amp for practicing, rehearsals, recording, and smaller gigs. It has top-notch tube tone, especially for the mid-range of your pedal steel. Click here to view…
The Milkman 20W Creamer
Another great tube amp, the Milkman 20W Creamer is also nice to use for pedal steel at smaller gigs, recording, and practicing. It’s hard to beat the sound and tone of this one compared to other modern tube amps. Click here to view…
The Quilter TT12
Quilter Labs’ Tt12 Travis Toy 800W 1X12 Steel Amp is a nice choice if you’re looking for a quality sounding solid-state amp designed for pedal steel. You’ll have plenty of headroom and power with a clean, clear tone. Click to view…
Peavey Nashville 112 (Click to see on Amazon)
One of the most iconic pedal steel amps of all-time, this is a great amp to use if you’re looking for that classic, clean pedal steel tone. I’ve been using mine for over 10 years, and it is still my go-to for solid state amps. Click to view on Amazon…
The Milkman One Watt Plus
This is a great practice amp for pedal steel, and is also nice to have in the studio. With a lower wattage, you’ll be able to get a high-quality tone at lower playing volumes. Click to view…
Milkman The Amp (available on Amazon)
This is such a cool unit, and although it isn’t an amplifier with a speaker, it is so versatile and great for many applications (plus it sounds awesome). It can be run directly through the PA, into a speaker cabinet, into an amplifier, into your recording console, and has a headphone jack which is great for practicing. It has a nice tube preamp in it, and is 50 watts which is enough power for a lot of playing environments. Click to view on Amazon…
Volume Pedals
Goodrich Sound L-120 LowBoy (click to see on Amazon)
The 120 series Goodrich volume pedals have been a mainstay for pedal steel players for years. They have a great tone, nice action, and have a solid feel. This one is a lower profile. Click to view on Amazon…
Goodrich Sound H-120 HighBoy (click to view on Amazon)
Goodrich’s H-120 is one of the best options for passive volume pedals on the market. If you’re looking for a steady, reliable, great-sounding pedal steel volume pedal, you can’t really go wrong with this one. Click to see on Amazon…
Tuners
Peterson StroboStomp HD (click to view on Amazon)
This is one of my favorite to use for pedal steel, and I love the precision and accuracy of Peterson’s tuners. This is great for steel guitar because it also has sweetened tuning presets, but also works great for tuning straight up. Click to see on Amazon…
TC Electronic Polytune 3 MINI (click to view on Amazon)
This is a great tuner to use if you prefer tuning to Equal Temperament (or “straight up” at 440Hz). I’ve used this one for over several years on pedal steel, and really enjoy the display and how precise it is. Click to see on Amazon…
Peterson StroboClip HD Clip-On Tuner (click to view on Amazon)
This is one of the best accessories to have with your gear, and is the perfect solution for whenever you can’t use a stomp box tuner. It is really accurate, has sweetened tunings, and can clip right onto the leg of your pedal steel. There have been multiple times at shows and rehearsals where my stomp box tuner wasn’t accessible, and this was invaluable for tuning. Click to see on Amazon…
Finger and Thumb Picks
Fred Kelly Slick Picks (available on Amazon)
It took me a long time to find a thumb pick that I enjoyed using, so I was really glad when I discovered the Fred Kelly Slick Picks (link to Amazon), which I highly recommend.
All the other thumb picks I’ve used either didn’t feel comfortable around my thumb because of the band size and feel, or their picking surface would become scratchy really quickly through wear and tear.
Because this is a “slick pick” the picking surface on this lasts incredibly long and doesn’t start creating that scratchy feeling and tone.
Dunlop Zookies Thumbpicks (available on Amazon)
If you find that you’re picking the strings at a particular angle with most thumb picks that doesn’t feel comfortable, try Dunlop’s Zookies Thumbpicks (click to view on Amazon). These are great picks for this scenario, and I used to play with them for years. They come in different degree angles as well.
More Thumb Pick Options
Here are some other good options for thumb picks to try out and use:
National NP2 Nickel Finger Picks (click to view on Amazon)
National’s NP2 Stainless Steel Finger Picks (link to Amazon) are good to use with pedal steel due to their comfortable and smooth band size, as well as how they feel against the strings. These picks bring clarity to the attack of the strings when they’re picked, and they can give the pedal steel a nice projecting tone.
Bars
Smaller Bars – 2.75″x.75″ (4.5 oz)
If you plan on doing more slides on the neck, or moving quickly between positions, you might like the lighter feel of bars that are about 2.75″ by .75″ in size.
Sometimes lighter bars like this are great to use if you’re playing a lot of harmonized sixths on the 3rd and 5th strings of the E9 neck. The Dunlop 919 (link to Amazon) is a good bar to use for this type of playing…
Medium Bars – 3.25″x.875″ (7.5 oz)
Bars that are closer to 3.25″ x .875″ in size can be effective “all-around” bars to use – they’ll give you enough weight to put solid pressure on the strings, and they will be long enough to cover a good amount of strings.
Medium-sized bars like Dunlop’s 920 (link to Amazon) can be good all-around bars to use…
Larger Bars – 3.75″x1″ (11.8 oz)
Oftentimes, larger and heavier bars can provide a warm and bold tone, as they give plenty of force to create a nice full sound.
Using a larger size bar can also be beneficial if you intend to cover a wider range of strings at one time while playing, especially if you play a 12-string pedal steel.
Check out Dunlop’s 921 Stainless Steel Bar (link to Amazon), which is a good 3.75″x1″ bar to use for pedal steel…
Cutaway Bars
Most pedal steel bars are designed with round noses, while many dobro and even lap steel bars have cutaway sides.
Some pedal steel players, especially if they’re utilizing a lot of slides and fast bar movement, will use cutaway bars like Shubb’s RR2 (link to Amazon)…
Strings
Here are some good options for pedal steel strings, and most are available for E9 and C6 tunings…
SIT Buddy Emmons Signature Series (link to Amazon)
D’Addario NYXL (available on Amazon)
GHS Custom Shop (link to Amazon)
Ernie Ball Custom Gauge (available on Amazon)
GHS Custom Shop for Extended E9th 12 String (link to Amazon)
Accessories
Nylon Pedal Tuning Tool:
3/16″ Klein Nut Driver (available on Amazon)
Cables:
Mogami’s Gold 3ft Cable (link to Amazon)
Mogami’s Gold 18ft Cable (click to view on Amazon)
Furman Power Conditioner (available on Amazon)
Recording Pedal Steel
Audio Interfaces
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X QUAD (click to see on Amazon)
This is an awesome audio interface to use for recording your pedal steel at home, or anywhere really. Honestly, just running your pedal steel directly in (combined with some of their plug-ins, which I can’t recommend enough!) will get you a top-notch professional recording tone. I’ve used Universal Audio’s plug-ins for over 10 years for pedal steel recording sessions, and love how intuitive and easy this unit is to use. Click here to view on Amazon…
Universal Audio Apollo x8 Heritage Edition (available on Amazon)
This is another great recording console from UA to use for pedal steel. It has great sounding preamps, plenty of channels for recording pedal steel and other instruments, and is top-notch all around. You’ll find these units in a lot of world-class recording studios, and it’s also a great one to have at your home studio for pedal steel. Click to view on Amazon…
Tube Preamps
Milkman The Amp (available on Amazon)
The tube preamp in this unit is great for recording pedal steel, and usually sounds better than miking amps for pedal steel. One of my favorite recording combinations is running my pedal steel into this, and then directly into a UA Apollo interface. This combination sounds top-notch and will usually rival any professional recording studio’s capabilities for getting a good pedal steel tone for a recording. Click to view on Amazon…
Universal Audio LA-610 Mk II Classic (click to view on Amazon)
This tube preamp sounds amazing, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’ll help produce a warm, defined tone with clarity and punch for your pedal steel (or any instrument really for that matter). If you run your pedal steel directly into it, and then into your recording console, you’re almost guaranteed to get a great sound for any recording situation. Click to see on Amazon…
Computers and DAWs
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro M2 Pro chip 16.2-inch Display (click to see on Amazon)
Effects & Pedalboards
Pedalboards
The Pedaltrain Classic Jr (available on Amazon) is a nice pedalboard to use for pedal steel because of its compact size and it has room for a power supply. You can place it on top of a smaller case or a raised surface next to your pedal steel.
Power Supply
I’ve been using the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus (view on Amazon) for over 10 years, and love how easy it is to use and how low-hassle it is. If you use a nice power supply like this, then you’ll likely never want to mess with the cheaper quality OneSpot cables and how messy the cords can be around your gear. Plus, powering your effects with a nicer supply is likely to make your actual tone and sound better (just like using nice 1/4 inch cables for your pedal steel or guitar.
Delay Pedals for Pedal Steel
Boss DD-8 Delay (click to view on Amazon): It’s really helpful to use a delay pedal that gives you enough options in regards to delay time, decay time, and levels. This is one of my favorite pedals to use for pedal steel, and it’s nice that it gives you plenty of control over these parameters.
Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo (link to Amazon): This is a good option if you’re looking for a warmer, more textured sound for your delay and reverb, especially if you’re playing pedal steel in more modern contexts like alt-country, indie rock, pop, rock and roll, or blues tunes.
EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run V2 (link to Amazon): This pedal’s knobs and settings will give you plenty of control over delay parameters like the DD8 pedal, and it will also have depth to it tonally.
Compressor Pedals for Pedal Steel
Cali76 Compact Deluxe (click to view on Amazon): When recording pedal steel, oftentimes producers and engineers will run the pedal steel through an outboard compressor or tube preamp, which can give it a nice and warm sound. The Cali76 pedal will give you a similar option in regards to tone and functionality, but in a compact stomp-box pedal.
Keeley Compressor Plus (link to Amazon): This is a nice and tidy compressor pedal, and is great to use for increasing your sustain without compromising your tone. This is a favorite among guitar players for its functionality and sound.
Distortion & Overdrive Pedals
Fulltone OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive (click to see on Amazon): This pedal will add a full range of distorted tones, and can be nice to use if you’re using a solid-state amp that only gets a clean tone. It’ll also sound great through a tube amp, and add even more harmonic richness to the tubes and distortion.
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer (link to Amazon): I like using this pedal whenever I’m using a tube amp that has a nice clean tone, but I’d like to push the tubes a little more for some distortion. This one works great with Fender tube amps, like Twin Reverbs for instance, and can be a quick and easy way to add grit to the sound.
Reverb Pedals for Pedal Steel
TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 (click to view on Amazon): This pedal was a real game changer for me as far as realizing that reverb effects pedals can actually sound better than some amps’ reverb. This pedal is simple to use, but has a lot of tonal versatility, and I use it a lot instead of the reverb on some of my amps.
Strymon blueSky Reverberator (link to Amazon): If you’re looking for more detail and warmth for your reverb, compared with other pedal options (or your amp’s reverb), this is a great one to use. I love using plate reverbs with pedal steel, because of their crisp sound and presence, and this pedal also has this option.
Strymon NIGHTSKY Time-Warped Reverberator (link to Amazon): A cool reverb pedal, which is almost like a toy to use with pedal steel because of how much reverb shaping you can do. This is a fun one to experiment with, especially using the glimmer, shimmer, voice, and mod options.
EQ Pedals
BOSS Graphic Equalizer EQ-200 (link to Amazon): This pedal is nice to have for pedal steel because of the 12.8kHz and the 400 Hz controls. I’ll boost the 12.8k setting to add more high end presence and brightness/sparkle if I need it, and cut the 400 setting if the room I’m playing in sounds muddy.
Boss Equalizer GE-7 (click to see on Amazon): This is a more compact EQ pedal, and can be nice for adding high end with the 6.4kHz control, and it also has the 400 Hz control if you’re trying to control some muddiness. For mid frequencies on my pedal steel that I’d like to sound more like an electric guitar, I’ll sometimes boost the 1.6kHz setting to help it cut through a mix of instruments.
Thanks for checking out this page, hope it is helpful and makes playing more enjoyable! If you’re interested in diving deeper into playing E9 pedal steel, check out these resources and guides…
Playing Pedal Steel: The Essentials
An easy and intuitive approach to mastering the pedal steel…
- Ways to Practice, How to Practice, What to Practice.
- Covers the 4 Fundamental Techniques of Playing
- Multi Angle Views – that you can always reference.
An online pedal steel lesson series, with playing tools that work. Includes a free pedal steel EBook!
The Chord Guide for E9 Pedal Steel (E-Book, Digital Download)
Learn the chords on the E9 neck in a way that makes playing simple and enjoyable…
- Almost Every Chord You’ll Ever Need for E9
- Intuitive and Easy to Use
- Make Use of Pedal and Lever Combinations
- Example Tabs of Chord Movements
- Easily Utilize the Nashville Number System
- Great For Any Key and Style of Music
Includes a bonus section of over a hundred pages of extra chord charts, key references, and more!
More Digital Downloads for Pedal Steel…
The Scale Book for E9 Pedal Steel
Over 1,000 Pages with Tabs and Diagrams!
- Easy to Use Reference for Practicing
- All Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales, Modes, Major Scales
- All Keys, and Covers the Fretboard
- Includes Pockets of Scales
The Art of Right Hand Technique
A detailed look at one of the most challenging and mysterious aspects of steel guitar playing: the right hand…
- An In-Depth Guide to Picking and Blocking
- How to Efficiently and Accurately Play Notes on Steel Guitar with Info, Advice, and Tips…
- Great for Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, and Console Steel Guitar
- Over 100 Pages with Graphics, Illustrations, & Practice Exercises
200 Country Riffs & Licks for E9 Pedal Steel
Add these country licks to your playing repertoire…
- Easy to Read Format
- Includes Rhythmic Notation
- Playing Over Chord Changes
- Great for Country, Alt-Country, & Honky-Tonk Styles
The Elixir of E9 Pedal Steel: Harmonized 6ths