The Steel Guitar Forum

I am learning(slowly,but,hopefully,surely!)to play lap steel with the Dewitt Scott course. One thing not mentioned in the instructions and about which I am a little confused is: Is it better to support the right hand by resting the tip of the little finger on top of the guitar,or forget about hand s...

Why do the dobro players all seem to prefer grooved bars or bars with built-in handles or grips of some kind,rather than bullet bars? Why do bullet bars come in so many different weights? Does weight directly affect tone quality? Most non-resonator lap steel players use a bullet bar,I assume? Thanks...

Thanks to all who answered.By the way,I meant to say that I was referring to lap not pedal,so I posted the thread in the lap forum.
Thanks!
Malcolm

Well,I guess this question applies to both lap and pedal,but I am refering to pedal,in this case,so am placing it here. I am having a tough time getting my very large right hand to do either knuckle or palm blocking. Any reason why I should not simply block by just touching either the thumbpick or a...

That is a great book. Take your time and don't rush through it. Pay attention to the chords and chord progressions as you go. Scotty does not emphasize or even explain some of the basic stuff. You have to figure it out yourself. Sorry about you kitty. Pets are always tough to loose. Hi Gary, Thanks...

Page 11 is a continuation of page 10. Using pick blocking Method #1 or palm blocking Method #2 pick each pair of strings connected by the curved line. If he had shown the curved line connecting the two sets of notes on page 10, two notes at the second fret and two notes at the fourth fret, page 11 ...

If you are taking this course can you explain the blocking exercises on page 11?Am I suppsed to pluck two strings simultaneously while blocking them both?
I am not sure what the semi-circular line connecting each set of two strings is supposed to mean.
Thanks,
Malcolm

This appears to be light years ahead of my Morrell Pro model as it came from the factory. I stripped it of its ugly black,not-at-all smooth finish,made a new mahogany fretboard to replace the painted on one,upgraded the cheesy tuners to Grovers,changed the pickup to a P-90 and am on the final finish...

What is the best adhesive to attach a felt backing piece?My project steel is rock maple stained with Minwax oil stain and I will be rubbing on many coats of glossy tung oil as the final finish. I assume that the area in back where the felt will be glued should*not* have the tung oil finish applied a...

Just wanted to thank all who answered this post.
Malcolm

Oops!Did not mean "strandard" guitar;meant standard!Gotta give up those all night picking sessions and get some sleep!Gettin to old for that stuff!
Malcolm

In days gone by,converting a spanish guitar into a more or less "poor man's Dobro"was often done by placing a higher,accessory not atop the stock nut and retuning the guitar to (I guess) G major. Two questions please: Does this conversion place extra,undesirable stresses on the neck or bri...

Must be a pain in the tush if a customer calls out from the audience: "Hey,play "Steel Guitar Rag",buddy". and the club owner has previously told you not to play BMI stuff and that number happens to belong to BMI.Kinda puts the steel player in the middle between the audience and ...

I know more or less how author/publisher royalties are collected on CD sales but how are they collected and paid for from songs played by musicians on club gigs and other live performances? Also:Most guitar tab music for downloading from the internet carries a notice forbidding its use in live perfo...

One point of confusion in my mind that maybe somebody can clear up for me..........why do bass amps have a greater frequency range (and sometimes built in tweeters)than standard guitar amps have? Since bass amps are supposed to amplify just the bass strings as opposed to amplifying*both* bass and tr...

How would a bass guitar amp shape the sound of a lap steel?Anybody using one?
Thanks,
Malcolm

This pickup has been sold.
Thanks!
Malcolm

Removed from a Morrell Pro lap steel which is only three months old,so both cosmetic and electrical condition are like new. Model HRIR with twin hot rails. I changed it out for a P-90,so it is excess to my needs,now. For any of our members,price with shipping costs included to any of the 48 US state...

With reference to Gene's E string comment,the first and third strings on both standard and steel guitar are the hardest for me to tune and keep in tune,but I am not sure why. On standard,I tune the E 1st with a pitch pipe or Korg electronic tuner,tune the other five strings in relation to E 1st and ...

Maybe I am just a crazy old guy who needs to see a doctor about a hearing problem,but a fairly good percentage of the steel music(especially pedal) that I hear on TV,CD's,etc seems to be a bit out of tune,especially when the player is reaching for a really high note or suddenly sliding back down fro...

That Guyatone 1 reminds me of a 1940's automobile dashboard and the knobs are similar to older automotive cigarette lighter knobs!
Fascinating how steel guitars often have an art deco/antique auto flavor!
Malcolm

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If it's got more than three chords it ain't the real thing.

Nope not MSA at all.I can't imagine any company who builds such fine quality instruments as MSA having non-existent customer service. Only problem with MSA is not everybody can afford one. Hey MSA.....hows about a stripped down $500.00 "Super Slide Jr"? Maybe you could eliminate the real m...

Super cool!That p'up on the currently produced Fender is actually a standard Strat model isn't it?
Malcolm

I won't mention any names,but the outfit discussed here is a very well known maker of lap steel guitars. About ten weeks ago,I called them looking for a replacement string nut.A gentleman Whom I shall call Mr."A" answered the phone,took my credit card number and shipping address and promis...

I have a couple solid state PA amps that I bought cheap at yard sales.One outputs ten watts while the bigger,rack mount one claims about 50 watts RMS if memory serves. Am I wasting my time experimenting with this kind of amp connected to Jensen and Jensen clone guitar (not specifically steel guitar)...