wilcoedmonton Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Hey Everyone, I was thinking I might buy an electric lap steel to fool around with. Does anyone here play one? Any thoughts on which brands are good or what to look for? What does Nels play? Cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fortuneinmyhead Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Sho Bud is a pretty well known brand for them. The pedal steel player in my old band had one w/ 2 necks (for 2 different tunings, one was more of a 'hawaiian' tuning). edit: oops .. you wanted lap not pedal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twisted Acres Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I've got a couple of early '50s Nationals (a 6-string and an 8-string... LOOOOOVE the 8-string), and a late '30s Gretsch... try to get an older one if you can (you'll find the odd bargain on eBay), and have a wonderful time discovering all of the magic and mojo that lies in that little bitty instrument! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 What does Nels play? Cheers! According to his cover story in Guitar Player magazine (March '05) his lap steels are "a '40s Gibson BR-9 and two Nationals". You can read the article here: http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storycode=1973 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilcoedmonton Posted June 29, 2007 Author Share Posted June 29, 2007 According to his cover story in Guitar Player magazine (March '05) his lap steels are "a '40s Gibson BR-9 and two Nationals". You can read the article here: http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storycode=1973 That's a great article, thanks! I was wondering if his 12-string was a vintage Danelectro, but I guess it is an imitation (it still looks like a great guitar, though). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilcoedmonton Posted June 29, 2007 Author Share Posted June 29, 2007 I've got a couple of early '50s Nationals (a 6-string and an 8-string... LOOOOOVE the 8-string), and a late '30s Gretsch... try to get an older one if you can (you'll find the odd bargain on eBay), and have a wonderful time discovering all of the magic and mojo that lies in that little bitty instrument! Yeah, a vintage one would be great, but eBay can be a bit difficult since I live in Canada and most good finds are in the states and we get killed on duty, brokerage fees, etc. for things coming across the border. Any thoughts on who makes good mid-range lap steel new? Out of curiousity, is it the case that most people use a volume pedal to get the really smooth attack on a note? Cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 I was wondering if his 12-string was a vintage Danelectro, but I guess it is an imitation (it still looks like a great guitar, though). Yeah, it's a Jerry Jones. It's actually a far better quality guitar than anything Danelectro has ever made. Basically, they're Danelectro copies with upgraded parts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 Yeah, a vintage one would be great, but eBay can be a bit difficult since I live in Canada and most good finds are in the states and we get killed on duty, brokerage fees, etc. for things coming across the border. Any thoughts on who makes good mid-range lap steel new? Out of curiousity, is it the case that most people use a volume pedal to get the really smooth attack on a note? Cheers!Yeah you're gonna want to get a volume pedal. Nels uses Ernie Ball. I use a Morley from the seventies which sounds really smooth. If you're just starting out I would get an Artisan. You can get them through Musician's Friend for 60 USD. They're not the sturdiest, but they sound pretty good. If you like it then you can always find a vintage gibson or national. Make sure you have the right strings. If they're too light, they wont work. I would use at least 14 gauge with a wound G (For E-tuning), or you might find some lap steel string sets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chadbrooks Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I have a POS artisan and it has worked out for me. If you don't know that much about guitar modification and or repair get ready for a headache...but I do so it wasn't that bad. with lap steel there is a few things you need. Volume pedal. people have already talked about that. I have some cheap no name pedal that I picked up years ago Reverb. Alot of it. It really makes it sound like great. I just turn mine on the amp up to about 8. Watts. I used a tiny little Gibson Skylark at first. It was about 11 watts. Then I got my peavey classic 50 head working again so I started running through the 4/10 cab. It sounded better. I was playing out with a band at the time and the bass player had a Fender Deluxe Reissue running through a Mesa 4/10 and I used that with my rig as well. IT SOUNDED HUGE. If you look at pedal steel amps most of them run around 150 watts. This helps them cut through everything else going on. A 2 by 4. For your left foot. Nels uses one and I started about 2 years ago. It helps you keep your balance because your right foot is going to stay on that volume pedal. Just get one about 10 inches long Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilcoedmonton Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hey all, Thanks for all of the tips and suggestions, I definitely have a better idea of what to look for, now. I am having some trouble locating lap steels where I live, though (Edmonton, Canada). I've only found one store that stocks them, and they don't have much. My choice there would be either a new Fender FS-52, or a vintage Gibson (they think 1950s). The Gibson is moderately beat-up. Any thoughts on either of these models? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I have a POS artisan and it has worked out for me. If you don't know that much about guitar modification and or repair get ready for a headache...but I do so it wasn't that bad.I have one of these guitars and frankly, mine's a piece of shit. In hindsight I would have just bought a better one. I wanted to use it for recording and it has so much hum it won't work. Oh well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rileykill Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I also have a 50's era 6 string National. It's great. My suggestion, FWIW, is to look around for vintage steels. Even the really cool older stuff like the Gibsons and Nationals are relatively inexpensive ($300 - $500). Mine even had a really cheap cable attached that I replaced immediatley with a 1/4" jack. If anyone is in town for ACL, check out Austin Vintage on South Lamar (across from the Alamo Drafthouse) they usually have 3 or 4 lap steels as well as tons of great guitars and amps. http://www.austinvintageguitars.com/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Groo Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I got an old Supro lap steel...now how the hell do I play it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
entropy Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 From what I gather you bash on it with a hunk of tailpipe and flick the bottom end. Seriously though, I had the fortune of trying out a nice new Fender at the store the other day, and I'm seriously considering one, I'm just worried about the learning curve being enough to frustrate me into not playing it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 They're actually not that hard because it's tuned in an open chord. I remember reading somewhere that they actually used to be sold door to door and marketed towards housewives so you don't need to be a music expert. You just need time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianshaw Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 for Lap Steels, I believe Chandler, Goldtone, Fender, and Gretsch are all making current production lapsteels in a $300 to $500 range. Morrell also makes steels in a $100-$200 range. 50's era steels are in that price range too. The may seem obvious, but even more essential than a volume pedal is a solid tone bar of some sort (aka the slide you use to 'fret' the notes). Yes, duh. My favorie place for a selection of tone bars is http://www.elderly.com - you'll also have an excellent choice of different steels here. All the brands I mentioned except Chandler are available. I'm partial to the DUNLOP LAP DAWG TONEBAR SLIDE. You want to balance weight, grip, and price. Elderly also has for about $7 an extension nut to turn any standard acoustic or electric into a "lap style" guitar. This is a good way to get a feel for what lap is like without buying an inexpensive steel (Artisan) or making a $300 investment. Lots of ways to tune a lap steel. Open E might be the most common. I use open D or sometimes drop to C, but all three have the same "shape." This way I can bar all 6 strings and get a major chord. Some of the books talk about odd variations of Cth and E7th being the most common. I think those are often the sounds for traditional Hawaiian and Western Swing sounds. I don't remember what Nels says he uses, but I think that it's been in some of the interviews and / or on his site. Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
entropy Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Elderly also has for about $7 an extension nut to turn any standard acoustic or electric into a "lap style" guitar. This is a good way to get a feel for what lap is like without buying an inexpensive steel (Artisan) or making a $300 investment. Where is this on the site if you don't mind me asking? I couldn't find it myself... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianshaw Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Where is this on the site if you don't mind me asking? I couldn't find it myself... http://elderly.com/accessories/items/EN02.htm I bought one of these some years ago when I first started to learn lap style playing. It was nice to have the option of such a small investment before deciding lap style playing was for me. Other stores have these too. Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stickman Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I've been meaning to get one for about a year and now I'm thinking about going through with it too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 Been playing lapsteel for a few years now...always open tuning...i have two, vintage gibson and something called a crown...both sound great but I have had to swap the single coil out on the crown because of output noise (60 cycles were louder than the signal), and imagine one would have this issue with many older models...never used a volume pedal, the volume knobs are in pinkie range on my picking hand, plus i use an Ebow on a lot of songs, just work the volume knob and tone alternately with free right hand. I'd highly recommend flat-wound strings, however...Good luck... j Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rileykill Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I'm selling my 50's-ish National lap steel if anyone is interested. Needs new tuners but otherwise ready to go. $250 plus actual shipping. Is it ok to post this? Sorry if it isn't ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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