All Things Lap Steel!

[lapsteel]

I tried to make an ebow with with a modified computer fan....but it was a complete failure. It was a modified schoolgirl circuit I got from the internetz but I couldn't get it to work. I suck. Probably gonna try again with a more conventional layout.

Right now I am finishing off a 24.75 scale lapsteel with a hollow neck and body. Cherry for the body and jatoba for the top. Trying to decide between soapbar 90s or the chromey grestch lapsteel pickups.
Anybody out there got those 20 dollar grestch lapsteel pickups?

[Chankgeez]

Thread holds interest.

Out now, back later.

[Chankgeez]

This thread seems to've stalled.

I like this site a lot, but Brad doesn't really update it very much anymore:

http://www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html

I've had and played a number of lapsteels over the years.

Lapsteel is amazingly awesome.

I've currently got:
a nice little Alamo (model unknown)
a groovy Art Deco looking Aloha (model unknown, kickass horseshoe in it)
Guyatone HG-188C (a double 8 console steel)

I used to have:
Gibson Roy Smeck (pretty similar to dev's Harmony)
a Supro (model unknown)
a Harmony (model unknown)
a Teisco 7 string (model unknown, maybe a EG-7L?)

I think that's it fo' now. I will return later to discuss lap steel at greater length.

[Mudfuzz]

I think that's it fo' now. I will return later to discuss lap steel at greater length.

please do! The things always interest me. One of these days I really want to build a bass VI - VIII steel..

[Chankgeez]

I think that's it fo' now. I will return later to discuss lap steel at greater length.

please do! The things always interest me. One of these days I really want to build a bass VI - VIII steel..

OK, twist my arm.

Back in the day Chandler was building a baritone lap steel. I've always wanted a lap steel that reaches down into the lower registers. John Paul Jones' Hugh Manson is an awesome freakin' monster. I'd love something like that. I don't think I'd want anything with more than 6 strings though.

I generally like six string lap steels. Any more than that and I really don't know what to do with 'em. (I don't play my double 8 very often.) I hardly ever play slants or anything like that, don't play that many chords, never try to emulate pedal steel bends and rarely damp. I tend to favor heavy strings, almost always flatwounds. I don't like the sound of the bar running along roundwounds. I pick with my bare fingers. Sometimes a thumb pick, never fingerpicks.

I usually play in open tunings. I'd like to explore some traditional Hawaiian tunings though. I've thought about taking lessons. I wanna learn how those Hawaiian guys play harmonics so well. It's totally surreal.

I listen to all kinds of steel guitar music: blues, western swing, old country, Bollywood film songs, Indian classical, Hawaiian, experimental/avant garde, whatever. I like it all. Some of my favorite players include: Hop Wilson, Gautam DasGupta, VM Bhatt, David "Feet" Rogers, Bennie Nawahi, etc.

My favorite slide is a vintage Nick Manoloff bakelite bar. It's showing string wear. So, I've been wanting to get a bar from these guys: http://www.tribotone.com/
I don't do many pull offs. So, I don't really need a Stevens bar. Bullet bars work for me.

What else?

Oh, yeah, lap steels and fuzzes are an awesome combination.

[lapsteel]

I play lapsteel to avoid damaging my left hand....I have had lots of problem in the past and I need my hands for work ... I can play on my lap, exploring all kind of musical landscapes for hours with no issues. So that is what I do.
Alot of popular contemporary stuff beyond country actually lends well too lapsteel playing, including Dead Weather, Black Keys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Joy Formidable, Band of Skulls, Manchester Orchestra...etc. Of course the traditional stuff is fun to hit to, pedal steel type licks feel good too. However, when no one is listening I like cranking it and messing around with scales and throwing (often weird sounding) slants down.

I currently play a 25.5 scale cherry lapsteel I made with p90s and a five way tele style harness, this is considered a deep sounding lap cause alot of them are in the <24" scale range (to facilitate slants and speed up playing). I also have a epiphone resonator left over from my fret playing days. I prefer ceramic tone bars. They feel really nice and they seem to sing better that everything else.

Effects are awesome with the lapsteel. Currently I am running a ABsynth-Super Puzzle-K-a-e-d-e-n- p90 phaser-Ghost echo- Nova Repeater. Totally insane. I used to be a purist and play pretty much clean (big blues/bluegrass fan, John Hurt is my homeboy) but you miss out on soo much with that kind of attitude...I am really loving the fuzz and everything else right now.

[Chankgeez]

I've been meaning to try a ceramic tone bar. I like regular ceramic guitar slides, but haven't picked up a ceramic tone bar yet.

Is there a particular brand you'd recommend, lapsteel?

[lapsteel]

Check out rockymountain slides those dudes were great and the product is top notch.
I am currently interested in paloma stone slides.

[Chankgeez]

Thanks, lapsteel.

I've been interested in Rocky Mountain Slides for awhile. I just glanced at the Paloma website. Those look pretty nice. As far as regular ceramic slides go, I like the Moonshine Slides Mudslide. I've been waiting for them to come out with a ceramic tone bar for years. Hasn't happened yet.

[lapsteel]

Yeah I got one of those Mudslides that I used to wear on my pinky, but it is a little short for lap playing. Your Bakelite bar must be interesting...

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, I like Bakelite the best. They've got a lead core which makes them heavy enough, but the Bakelite itself wears down from the string wear over time.
Those Tribo-Tone bars are supposed to be a good substitute. I'll pick one of those up eventually.

[Chankgeez]

Oh, and I also use an old pocketknife as a tone bar.

Ampwise, I prefer amps with 15" speakers, 1x15 combos or 2x15 cabinets.

[Mudfuzz]

I too keep thinking on a ceramic bar because I also use a mudslide a lot.. but I really like the whine you get on the high strings with a metal bar.. and yeah 15"s are bomb.

[lapsteel]

Anyone out there try a pitch shifter like the Nasa attribute? I was wondering how it would react to lap playing...could it track the blue notes and arppegiate them, or would it be unable to compute?

I like the idea of playing over one of those patterns....

[Chankgeez]

I borrowed jrmy's Red Panda Particle and that seemed to track pretty well. Lap steel tracks a lot better with many effects than I ever thought it would.

Maybe blooghost has some experience with pitch shifters?