First Lap Steel Guitar hmmmm. . . . .

[ddp]

Hi everybody.

I've been playing resonator guitar a bit over the last year and really like it. I'm thinking of getting a 6 string lap steel guitar.
Any recommendations on them?

What makes a good one a good one?

[guavadude]

well the good thing about a lap steel is that you don't have to worry about the action or how well it plays.
You can take just about any guitar and put on of those steel nuts that fit over the regular nut and you're in bizness for slide.
If you want to go the true lapsteel route, then I suggest looking for one without pickup covers or pick up covers that can easily be removed. If not, then there's no way to palm mute open strings which really can get out of hand when amped.
Also if you can find one that uses a stock size pickup, then it's easy to put a replacement pu in it. The Fender champs are great for that since they use a strat size pu. I have Seymour D 'lil '59s in mine which are small humbuckers....quiet and versatile.

My fav is an old National with dual pu's that are like chromed P-90s. This thing will make any amp drool, but can be a little noisy.

There are some great new ones being made, but if you look around you can find something vintage and groovy for the same or not much more money.

[dacart]

Originally Posted by ddp

Hi everybody.

I've been playing resonator guitar a bit over the last year and really like it. I'm thinking of getting a 6 string lap steel guitar.
Any recommendations on them?

What makes a good one a good one?

Primarily the pickup. There's always a lot to be said about fit and finish but really it's more about how the strings are set up in relation to the pickup than anything to do with the rest of the instrument. You can still find a decent one for a few hundred bucks I would think.

Dan Carter

[doorknocker]

I love Lap Steels! Like others have said, it's basically a piece of wood with strings over it but I really find that there are big differences between specific instruments.

I got a 1936 Gibson EH-150 with the Charlie Christian pickup that is incredibly powerful, this baby sounds amazing when overdriven but I find it very hard to play with good intonation with cleaner settings.

On the other hand, I finally found a good National Dynamic from 1948 on e-bay and it's my fave now. MUCH easier to control that the Gibson, naturally this is all about palying tecnique but for some reason the National is closer in feel to a dobro/resonator and I find it easier to control. But it also delivers very nice pedal-steelish sounds when needed.

The string spacing can make a huge difference with lap steels so I would try a few models if possible to see what suits you.

Happy sliding!

[ddp]

Thanks for the replies.
Sounds like going out and trying a few and then buying one that is not too much money might be the way to go. I'm out and around today with my family so perhaps a stop in a music shop might be in the cards. There are a few pawn shops down town that I've heard have lapsteels.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by ddp

Thanks for the replies.
Sounds like going out and trying a few and then buying one that is not too much money might be the way to go. I'm out and around today with my family so perhaps a stop in a music shop might be in the cards. There are a few pawn shops down town that I've heard have lapsteels.

Good luck! I think it's not a bad time now to buy something because older lap steels are slowly but steadily turning from 'old' to 'vintage'....meaning that something like a National Dynamic that went for roughly $300 a few short years ago is now often seen for $600 or even more. Other steels like the Rickenbacker 'Frying Pans' are now in the 2k range or so......

[ddp]

Originally Posted by doorknocker

Good luck! I think it's not a bad time now to buy something because older lap steels are slowly but steadily turning from 'old' to 'vintage'....meaning that something like a National Dynamic that went for roughly $300 a few short years ago is now often seen for $600 or even more. Other steels like the Rickenbacker 'Frying Pans' are now in the 2k range or so......

I had a look around and there was not much. There was a new fender lap steel for about $500.

Anybody tried a rossetti lap steel?
They are selling for about $100.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by ddp

I had a look around and there was not much. There was a new fender lap steel for about $500.

lap steel, Musical Instruments, DVDs Movies items on eBay.com

Quite a few interesting ones to check out I'd say!

[popvulture]

I got a '50 National Chicagoan on eBay several years ago. It sounds amazing, and I only paid about 300 bucks for it. It's mother of toilet seat, great faux reptile OHSC... I bet the price has gone up, but it couldn't be that bad. Back then you could get others for even less.

Don't be afraid of buying one with the original phenolic input on it, and don't change it to regular 1/4", as that'll devalue it. Any good guitar tech at your local shop can make you a custom cord with a phenolic on one end and a 1/4" for your amp on the other.

Put some really heavy strings on it, try to find a BJS bar and have fun!

[ddp]

OK I picked up a new Gold Tone 6 string lap steel:
Lap Steel (LS-6 Lap) by Gold Tone

It sounds nice to my ear but then again I'm new to this. I've been having fun playing it!

[JPeters86]

I have a Gretsch lap steel, don't know which type, bought it for not that much money. Play it a lot, great instrument.