The Steel Guitar Forum

P-90s are my absolute favorite pickups. They have that sparkle-y top end bite of a single-coil pickup, but also a midrange growl to them when you push them. They don't get muddy like humbuckers however, so you retain some nice definition. They are generally "hotter' than standard Fender-type si...

I play in a lot of local bars, and I have to say that the "electrical environment" is worse now than it was years ago when I was in college - also playing bars ;-), thus, I need humbuckers more than ever. Used to be the main problems were poor electrical grounds, neon lights and dimmers. B...

Josh - excellent demo, thanks. I've been vacillating between C6 and E or D major for a while. Between listening to you and Steve Cunningham, I'm not sure what to do :-) I'm going to stick with E/D for a while, then maybe get a second lappy to try C6. Your last point is a good one - you can play in a...

Without knowing what gauges you used for your open E tuning, I would say there's little chance you'll be damaging the guitar by raising the strings and using that tuning. For what it's worth, I took the nut adapter off my Fuller Winslow (cheap biscuit resophonic guitar) and switched it back for reg...

Hey Mike! Although I do smoke (everything), that is a clip-on Korg tuner..... Unfortunately, I need a magnifying glass to read the darn thing. I think I need a tuner the size of a wall clock. Ray - I suggest you try a pedal tuner. I am using the Planet Waves Chromatic Pedal Tuner, #PW-CT-04. It's r...

thanks Josh!

Hi Ray - two things: I've enjoyed all of your "Lap map" postings; they are very helpful! And 65 isn't old these days... I have the same interest in a new tuning that you do. I've only recently started playing lap steel, and my wife was nice enough to give me an early Christmas present of a...

very nice, well done!

My Strat has locking tuners as well, and my sustain comparison is with another similar Strat that does not have a roller nut. But hey, it works so what the heck.

I change from E to D to G to standard tuning throughout my sets.

I have the Hipshot Trilogy installed on my American Deluxe Strat for slide work - this guitar came equipped with a roller nut which I felt was critical for tuning stability. I can say this guitar sustains like crazy, especially now that it is essentially a "hardtail". I haven't noticed any...

LOL - "armpit guitar". very good.

That was great, thanks Steve.

No picks for lap steel or slide guitar, however I do sometimes use a thumbpick if I need some hard attack for some songs. Doug MacLeod told me to "do what's comfortable" whan i asked him about picks, and that was good advice IMO.

Mine arrived today in excellent condition. No warpage or twisting as some have experienced, and even the pickup is perfectly aligned! The only things I need to do are change the strings to a heavier gauge, lower the bridge height a little, and fix the intonation by adjusting the saddles on the bridg...

I received the Rondo email announcement a few days ago, and my absolutely wonderful wife said "OK" to an early Christmas present! So I've just ordered one in natural. I'm psyched to finally be getting a lap steel!

awesome stuff, thanks!

Terry VunCannon wrote:Lately:
"Running On Faith"...Clapton
"Knocking on Heaven's Door"...Dylan/The Warren Zevon version
"Ain't Waistin' Time" Allman Brothers
"One Love"...Bob Marley

I love the Zevon version of Knockin on Heaven's Door, we play that one

one of the bands I'm in plays mostly classic rock. I'm playing slide guitar and open tunings on about 90% of the tunes (Moondance and Come Together to name two songs not normally associated with slide, but they work). As soon as I get my lap steel technique down I plan on incorporating it into the s...

Ash Grunweld plays one. You all gotta keep your minds open to new ideas...

Just 2cents worth from another newbie: - I agree with the nut extender idea. I did it to my resonator, and it's given me the confidence to continue - I've been playing slide guitar a lot for the past two years, so I've started playing lap steel with the tunings I was familiar with - open D, Open E a...

Thanks everyone - I'm a beginning lap steeler as well and have been trying to figure out what instrument to get. That $79 Rogue was intriguing, but seemed too good to be true. I'll try to get one of these SXs. Either that or I'll build one myself...

I personally prefer single-cone biscuit resonators, but I do like the sound of a tri-cone. In my limited experience I wouldn't say that they are any louder than a biscuit (might depend on the guitar), but they definitely have a smoother tone. For me and the types of songs I play, spider cones are my...

i could not get used to playing with thumb/fingerpicks at all - Now I just use my bare fingers. I prefer to be able to feel the strings when I play. (I use a flatpick when I play standard guitar) I had an email exchange with Doug MacLeod about this, and he said "do what's comfortable". So ...

If any of this sounds daunting to you, then check out the wide variety of lap steels currently being made. I have a listing of a few of them on my web site. BRAD! hey man - I love your site, it's been very helpful already, especially your info about tunings. I laughed when I read your comments abou...

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll definitely keep my eyes open when shopping. I've been looking at some of the "build it yourself" websites as well - lap steel certainly looks like something I could build (If I had time!). I'll try the E7 tuning. I found that in C6 if I pull the 3rd string ...