Pedal Steel Guitar performance taught by Tony Douglas. Private instruction is available on a weekly or workshop basis. Contact Tony for more infomation.

Tony has been playing pedal steel guitar for 27 years and has played steel guitar & fiddle for over 60 bands.

This page of Tony's Fiddle Inn is dedicated to the pedal steel guitar and steel guitars of all kinds.

Tony says he began playing steel guitar on a Fender 6 string lap steel, learning how to bend and pull strings in back of the slide and twisting the slide into forward and reverse slants to alter the tuning while sliding.

Acording to Tony, he just loved Hawaiian steel guitar. He's owned 3 of them throughout the years: A yellow Fender, a blue swirly Dickerson with a blue swirly amp to go with it & now he has a grey swirly Dickerson.

Tony has owned 5 pedal steel guitars: A Show Bud Maveris, a purple 1972 ZB double neck (10 strings, 8 pedals, 4 knee levers) with Danny Shields pickups. He also has a S & L single neck (12 string, 2 knee levers, 4 pedals) made from beautiful oak wood and his very latest: A zebrawood double neck (8 knee levers & 9 pedals.)

In Tony's own words...

I just love pedal steel guitar, It makes me feel like I'm in a constant tropical island with an ocean of greens & blues & purples and a warm tropical breeze to sooth my soul. That is why I have named this page: Steel Guitar Heaven, ...because that is just what it is! When I went to Hawaii a few years back, I got a real panaramic feel a view of how to creat a steel guitar vibe that resembles that of tropical island living. I also like to capture those 3:30 in the morning evening swims in an 80° enviroment.

My first pedal steel I got from a friend up in Kent Washington for a couple hundred dollatrs. It was a natural colored Sho Bud Maveric that I played for a few months. Next, my instructor Butch Cromwell told me about a steel guitar that Ray Hadachels had for sale: A 1972 purple ZB double neck.

I was needing a double neck because I wanted to play both E9 & C6 tunings. I drove over to Ray's house with my mother & at age 14 handed Ray $900 for the steel & flipped the guitar upside down inthe case and as heavy as that guitar was I carried it out to mom's car and we drove off. A year ago I was talking to Ray and said: "Hey Ray, remember when I was a kid, ...that ZB you sold me?" And he said: "Tony, that steel was never for sale, You came in there with your mother, paid me $900 and left. You didn't even ask me if it was for sale. You just took it and I didn't have the heart to stop you. You just wanted to play pedal steel so bad and when you & you mother drive off with it I asked myself: What the hell just happened?"

My 1967 ZB came to me by a man by the mande of Arly Norton. Someone had stolen my 1974 purple ZB steel I had gotten from Ray Hadacheck. I had been going through the sweats and not sleeping at night when Butch Cornwells producer Arly Norton came to the rescue with this nice 1967 ZB steel guitar ---but don't worry, I got back the 1974 ZB. I had a friend Dave Flavin loojking on eBay and he found my steel & packaseat then we called in the tribal police and they made the arrest. I am forever indebted to Dave Flavin for giving me back my 1974 ZB.

Last year I had Lyne Colling just give me the L & L Steel Guitar that he custom built himself back in the 1960's. Its a beautiful 12 string single meds that I will forever treasure.



Next: The Impossible dream. The Mullen G2 zebrawood exotic steel guitar. This 9 pedal 8 knee lever came to me in a very very unique way... I got this student 1 year ago named Stan. Stan began pedal steel playing knowing nothing about play an instrument at all. So right off the bat he began putting just tons of hours of rehursing into the instrument and then it happened and he hit me with it. He said "Hey Tony, what is the greatest steel guitar in the world?" I said "The Mullen G2 of course, hands down, is the finest guitar on the planet made today." He said: "Fine, I am going to buy one." I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. After he left, I thought a lot about what he was doing. After a few days he called me and said "Tony, I got a problem. I just got off the phone with Dell Mullen. He doesn't want to build me a zebrawood exotic guitar." I told him to meet me at this restaurant and then I hit him with it, and told him I would trade him lessons if he would buy me a zebrawood Mullen. He told me to call him in the morning. So I did. And he said "Hey Tony, you got your guitar." I thought I was going to faint after that.

Now one year later, here they are in a picture that we took over at Stan's house.

I can't thank you (Stan) from the bottom of my heart enough. This act of kindness will live on in my heart forever. Maybe even longer.

Next we have my steel guitar instructor playing a very unique double neck 8 pedal 5 knee lever Rustler guitar.