Here's how it works. If you find something you think would be worth putting in an easy place for people to find in the future, either reply to this thread (which has the added benefit of bumping the thread to the top) and post the url to the page which contains the useful data, or e-mail me with the url (which has the benefit of less clutter). I will then take the url and add it to the FAQ section in the appropriate category. If needed, I'll make a new category to accomodate it.

(It occurs to me that the above paragraph and the one below should probably be in the FAQ itself...)

Linked threads could be current topics, anything you find while searching the archives, or even links to outside sources (the difference between the regular links page and the FAQ link would be that the FAQ link would be under a specific category; for example, under the heading of "The Universal Tuning" you might put a link to Larry Bell's site).

As for what topics to include, I expect to build it up gradually, with your help. If you have a suggestion for a FAQ section, follow the same procedure as for submitting a link.

This post will be subject to lots of editing, of course, and I'm open to any and all suggestions about how to organize the content (in fact, suggestions are encouraged).

I'm starting the FAQ with a list of proposed major and subcategories, which I will start to fill with content as time goes by. This list is NOT final! It's just a start! Your help expanding it is, of course, appreciated. So, please bear with me as we start this thing, and here goes...

---------------------------
Steel Guitar Forum FAQ
Latest update: February 28, 2005, 10:35PM
FORUM HELP
 New users
  1. I just joined, what now?
     Larry Bell's Newbie's Guide to the Steel Guitar Forum.
  2. How can I get better search results?
     Search ideas. April 2004.
PLAYERS
GUITARS
 Mechanical Issues
  1. What is "cabinet drop"?
     Short  description by Carl Dixon. March 2003.
     Exploring cabinet drop, long thread. March 2003.
 Starter Guitars
  1. I'm a beginner--what guitar should I buy?
     Good discussion on the subject. December 2004.
  2. Is the Carter Starter any good?
     Short thread, positive comments. December 2004.
    
TECHNIQUES
  1. Slants
     Discussion of proper slant technique. Links to Ricky
     Davis' page on the subject. December 2004.
 Pick Blocking
 Speed Picking
TUNINGS
  1. Temperament issues
     Long thread, w/ comments from Buddy Emmons and Paul
     Franklin. May 2004.
  2. E9
  3. C6
  4. Universal
  5. Universal vs. D-10
     Very good discussion. December 2004.
  6. Sacred Steel E7
     Dan Tyack's hybrid Sacred Steel/E9 tuning, discussion
     on "strummable" tunings. December 2003.
  7. Bb6
  8. A7
  9. Lean and Mean
     Al Marcus' ten string "universal" tuning.
TABLATURE
 E9 speed licks
 non-pedal C6
 blues on E9
INSTRUCTION
 Novice
  1. What is the best instruction for a beginner?
NON-PEDAL
 Tunings
 Guitars
 Players
 Techniques
ELECTRONICS
 Effects
  1. POD
     POD XT experiences, pros and cons. December 2004.
 Amps (general)
  1. Brad Sarno on tonal characteristics of classic steel
     amps.
 Peavey
  1. Session 400/400 LTD
  2. Session 500/500 Mark IV
  3. Nashville 400
  4. Nashville 1000
  5. Nashville 112
 Evans
  1. FET-500 (LV)
  2. FET-500 (HV)
  3. SE-150/SE-200
 Webb
  1. 6-14E
 Fender
  1. Twin Reverb
  2. '65 Custom Twin Reverb Reissue
  3. Vibrosonic
  4. '64 Vibrosonic Reissue
  5. Steel King
 Randall
  1. Steelman
 Sho-Bud/Gretsch
  1. "Christmas-Tree"
  2. Single Channel
 Volume Pedals
HISTORY
 The History of the Steel Guitar

  1. Who created the E9 tuning?
     History by Carl Dixon, with some comments by Buddy
     Emmons. July 2001.
  2. Who created the 'F' lever?
     History of the F lever by Lloyd Green.
  3. Who played on what?
     Who's the most prolific session player ever? With
     a good take by Paul Franklin.
 Nomenclature
  1. What does the word "copedant" mean?
     History and pronunciation, direct from the word's coiner,
     Tom Bradshaw. May 2003.
     Discussion on the merits of the term "copedant," w/ input
     from Paul Franklin. January 2004.
MUSIC THEORY
 Improvisation
     Improvisational theory. February 2001.
     Thought process--scales or chords? Jazz emphasis, Paul
     Franklin comments. July 2003.
 Definitions
     Definition of the word "dominant."
 Scales

  1. Modal theory for the C6 tuning
     C6 modal theory index. January 2005.
     Modal thinking for C6 lap steel--very comprehensive!
     January-July 2003.
     Modal thinking. January 2001.
 Chords
MUSIC
 Practicing
  1. Practicing with Band-in-a-Box.
 Genres
  1. Classical
     Classical music on steel. December 2002.
  2. Jazz
     Jazz steel players. June 2003.

Add to tunings
Sacred steel, A7, Lean and Mean, and
Reece's Bb6.

Might as get all the main tunings in there at once.

Ah, just saw this htread on slants with a reference to Ricky Davis slants practice page.
Cool for most newbies
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/006204.html

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 23 December 2004 at 08:47 AM.]

Here'a a little discussion we had about the PODxt recently.
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/006319.html

Here's some interesting discussion, including some input from Paul Franklin:
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/006854.html

Here's THE word from the horse's (Tom Bradshaw) mouth. WARNING: this post includes humor from Carl Dixon.
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/005642.html

[This message was edited by Ben Slaughter on 23 December 2004 at 09:35 AM.]

David, because the search function stops at 200, and because it can be hard to figure out exactly what to search for, and because even when you do input the right search term you still have to look through dozens of posts to find the good stuff, and because the search function is underused for all the above reasons, because I think that this version of a FAQ is actually doable without a lot of work, and what work there is is distributed, because this way all sides in a controversy get heard... well, that's the because, in my view.

-Travis

[This message was edited by Travis Bernhardt on 23 December 2004 at 01:55 PM.]

Lets not forget threadzilla the C6 Modal theory site
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/003549.html

About as comprehensive theory anlayisis of C6 that exists.
and many forumites contributed.

Bobby Lee did a great analysis of Sacred steel, but it isn't always obvious how to find it from the forum. http://b0b.com/tunings/sacredsteel.html

And Reece Anderson did this great article on Unis relative to other tunings,
but again not always clear that it is there for a newbie.
The Future Of The Steel Guitar. ( well one view) http://www.b0b.com/infoedu/future1.htm

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 25 December 2004 at 12:27 PM.]

So can we have your ( or Reece's) permission to paste the relevant topics above onto a forum page?

Hey Larry Bell, nice little intro page.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 26 December 2004 at 03:04 PM.]

IMO, a proper FAQ would have a thorough definition of each topic or item, taken from the multitude of Forum threads that have spoken about the topic. Rather than link to all of those threads, it would make more sense to write up a good through description/definition using the info found on the Forum. Of course, this is a massive undertaking....but is really the one that makes the most sense (again, IMO).

As an example, in the Amplifier section of the FAQ, you could list all of the models, by brand, typically used by pedal steel players:

Peavey
Session 400/400 LTD
Session 500/500 Mark IV
Nashville 400
Nashville 1000
Nashville 112

Evans
FET-500 (LV)
FET-500 (HV)
SE-150/SE-200

Webb
6-14E

Fender
Twin Reverb
'65 Custom Twin Reverb Reissue
Vibrosonic
'64 Vibrosonic Reissue
Steel King

Randall
Steelman

Sho-Bud/Gretsch
"Christmas-Tree"
Single Channel

Then, when clicking on the amp, a good summary would appear. Say, something like this for the Session 400 (I'm guessing on just about all of the facts, btw):

Production Years: 1974-1980 (regular model), 1978-1982 (LTD model)
Specifications: 210W, 28V, 4 ohms, 15" single channel, 2 inputs, booster output, FET-driven (solid state)
Controls: Presence, Treble, Mid, Shift, Bass, Reverb, Phase, Vibrato
Speaker: JBL K-130 (1974-1977), Peavey Black Widow Version #1 (1975-1982)

Characteristics:
(Speaker characteristics found by clicking on speakers above). First pedal steel amp built by Peavey. Known for it's subdued midrange and sweet highs. Most of the early units used JBL speakers which had a power handling capacity far less (~65W) than what the amp could deliver, prompting Peavey's development of the more capable Black Widow speaker. Amp was in production for almost a decade, though in its later years was rebadged a Session 400 LTD, which added ??????

Most users dial in a good sound in this range:
Presence: 4 - 7
Treble: 4 - 7
Mid: 1 - 4
Shift: 6 - 8
Bass: 6 - 8
Reverb: 2 - 3

Again, putting together an FAQ like this, for EACH amplifier and EACH pedal steel would be a massive undertaking.....but, if all of us pitched in, we could probably make it happen.

Two problems, as I see it, 1) Who has the time to create this database, certainly not b0b or he probably would have done it already, and 2)We have opinion and we have fact. I would have to consider the author of a "synopsis." Now if Mike Brown were to present all the Peavey product facts, I'd believe it, but opinions and experiences with those products are as important as the facts. The best way get these opinions is through open discussion.

I believe what Travis is doing is the best we can hope for at this point.

The problem with colating everything and no links, is that it leaves out debate, and also if people SEE the link they can add their comments.

With links it isn't this written in stone thing, but a growing live thing.

We can add catagories, the amp list is excellent.
But remember the operative word FREQUENTLY.

And there is nothing to say we can't have more than one good thread on any topic in our FAQ either. Having links to existing threads, also keeps the FAQ page smaller and quicker to search.

Right now we can propose things, and unless there is a huge fight against, it is likely tro go in.

And we need not have EVERY possible topic,
but include the ones ALWAYS coming back.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 27 December 2004 at 02:10 PM.]

However, Joe, I don't think that this format precludes doing it the way you suggest. Any time you or anybody else wants to contribute a summary of a thread's contents (or a summary of multiple threads), please feel free to do so. I won't be doing that any time soon, because I'd rather get the present idea filled out a bit more, but I'm sure any contribution of that nature would be appreciated by everybody.

The current concept takes work that's being done anyways--searching the archives--and uses that work to build the content. It takes very little effort for somebody to copy the URL from a given archived page and post a message here, so I'm hoping that people will start to develop the habit.

But thanks for the input, it's early days yet and all ideas are welcome.

-Travis

[This message was edited by Travis Bernhardt on 27 December 2004 at 10:46 PM.]

quote:

---

Some how I suspect the tonaly chacteristics of the old BMI's isn't that frequently an asked question. Nothing agains the BMI's but a bit too specific and esoteric. A Nashville 400 will have many more repeated questions.
The problem with colating everything and no links, is that it leaves out debate, and also if people SEE the link they can add their comments.

---

I wouldn't disagree that there are topics that might seem too specific, but I fully believe that just about every topic is relevant and necessary. I look at it this way....any time someone is in the market for a new steel or amp or whatever, they will immediately come here and do a search on that steel/amp and read all they can about it. I'd say in the past year alone, I have looked up info on MANY items....just about every amp, every Sho-Bud model, and various technical aspects of Zums, Mullens and Fessendens.

I'm sure many others do the same. Problem is, every time you want to come back to what you were researching a couple of months later, you then have to read through, in some cases, HUNDREDS of threads (especially concerning Sho-Buds and old Peavey amps).

While it would be good to have an open debate on the FAQ for each item described in theory, it would be difficult to maintain that every user that has an opinion post to the FAQ's thread versus starting their own. And linking to the hundreds of threads talking about the LDG model would just thwart the ultimate goal of having all info summarized in one place.

My thought basically is this. Anything that CAN be discussed pertaining to pedal steel guitar already HAS been discussed, barring new products coming to market and new technological developments in our electronic and pedal steel products. Just about all of these discussions have been spread out over dozens of threads. In general, there is usually a consensus from each topic that one can reach from reading all of the posts......

*The older Sho-Buds have pot metal, and these parts will break: knee levers, etc.
*JBL K-130 and D-130 speakers have the same basic characteristics, and both are susceptible to being blown in use in a Peavey pedal steel amp
*Older Evans amplifiers are regarded as much better in tone and performance than the new production models

See? What I'm saying is that we could have a good FAQ that gives the FACTS, as well as the generally agreed upon OPINIONS (knowing full well that there is always a minority group of a differing opinion). This basic info would be a great reference point, and anyone wishing to dive in further could then use the Search function to see ALL opinions, etc.

For more complex subjects, such as ET vs. JI, a thorough description of both, followed by the merits and disadvantages of each in various situations, followed by a list of the pros who use each, would be a great summary of a topic that is completely subjective.

Joe

[This message was edited by Joe Alterio on 28 December 2004 at 07:29 AM.]

quote:

---

I fully believe that just about every topic is relevant and necessary.

---

Oh yeah and we might explain searching in this forums context too.

quote:

---

linking to the hundreds of threads talking about the LDG model would just thwart the ultimate goal of having all info summarized in one place.

---

Most FAQ's are for newbies, and those new to the subject, and how the forums function.

If we keep it informative, but not totally detailed, they can find details an opinons,
and importantly, key words and phrases for further searching from the links expanded info.

Basic point being... if they KNEW what to ask,
they would have.
The threads can give them a range of ideas.

But on the main page, if we keep it concise,
we will get fewer refugees from a bloated front FAQ page asking AGAIN.... the same questions.

And it is LINKS to threads that really is the motus operandi of the NET and this DBMS that we call the SGF.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 28 December 2004 at 01:45 PM.]

but I think if nothing extended beyond

Larry Bell's Newbie's Guide to the Steel Guitar Forum.

this would work on most anybodys screen including laptops

One thing NOT to put in the FAQ, for example,
is the ongoing question of
TONE.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 29 December 2004 at 06:19 AM.]

Who created the E9 tuning.
perfect fro FAQ
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/002738.html

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 02 January 2005 at 02:10 PM.]

Another newbie question : How do I tune pedals. http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/009291.html

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 04 January 2005 at 05:47 AM.]

I am the author of the material that kicked off the C6 Modal Navigation Threadzilla discussion chain. Much of that discussion chain is quite advanced music and modal theory (we had a ball!). A number of people seeking the more-basic and simpler practical postings in that huge chain, have expressed concern over having to "wade" through the considerable volume of advanced stuff to find the simpler stuff. So I combed the discussion chain and made an index page of it's simpler practical postings; And I posted that index list here. You might want to add that addendum to your Master Listing of "Threadzilla".

Aloha,
Denny Turner

[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 05 January 2005 at 08:36 AM.]

-Travis

I stand correected, guess it's time to look for a fe more.
Good Job ,, pat on the back T