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Topic: Another reso pickup idea... potential problems? |
Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 27 Aug 2008 10:08 am |
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I had an earlier thread running regarding a stand up lap steel. Since I have decided to continue using a resonator for this purpose because of playing comfort and ease of use, what potential problems do you see with the following approach for turning a resonator guitar into an electric wearable lap steel?
Again, I want to reiterate that I am fully aware that this appproach will not yield a realistic reso tone but rather an electric steel tone.
1. Buy a new cover plate so as to not alter my original in any way.
2. Mill out the appropriate sized hole for an electric guitar pickup of my choice.
3. Mount the pickup to the cover plate.
4. Connect the wires to the existing output jack.
5. Plug in to a guitar amp and play away.
Thoughts?
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https://www.facebook.com/ggefell/ |
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John Burton
From:
Manassas, Va
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Posted 27 Aug 2008 11:19 am
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Sounds interesting. I've often thought of doing a simular thing with an old banjo..
..anyway, The only problem might be one of feedback. Like you get sometimes with archtop hollowbody electrics. Maybe by putting a thin,solid plate under the reso cover, it would in effect nullify the body chamber and make it behave like a solid body electric. |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 27 Aug 2008 11:45 am
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Yeah - could be an issue, but I've heard that guys with the Lace pickup can get some pretty good gain before feedback, so I'm hoping this will have a similar result. I guess for the cost of a cover plate its worth the experiment. I have plenty of pickups and all the tools to do the job. If it bombs I'll just put the old cover plate on and no one's the wiser. 
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https://www.facebook.com/ggefell/ |
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D Schubert
From:
Columbia, MO, USA
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 27 Aug 2008 2:30 pm
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| Before cutting a pickup slot in the cover plate, I would experiment with pickup position to see where it sounds best. |
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Ron Simpson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Don Barnhardt
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2008 5:18 pm
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| If your objective is to have a lap steel shaped like a reso so you can play standing up with a strap, why not just pick up a cheap flat top at a yard sale, raise the nut and bridge and mount a pick up? You could mount a tone and volume control too. |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 28 Aug 2008 5:35 am
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Those would all be a good ideas but I actually have a 10 string reso.  All the prefab solutions won't work for me. 
Looking at it last night, I'm not sure I can go with this idea at all. There's not as much room under the coverplate as I thought before the pickup would hit the spider.
Back to the drawing board.
I've been in contact with Jeff Lace and he said he might be able to modify their reso pickup and widen it up. That might be the only way for this scenario to work.
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2008 10:00 am
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| Greg Gefell wrote: |
| ... Looking at it last night, I'm not sure I can go with this idea at all. There's not as much room under the coverplate as I thought before the pickup would hit the spider. ... |
A mounting ring on the cover plate would bring the pickup closer and flatter to the strings and might bring it above the spider as well. Whatever you wind up with, think about putting at least a volume control on the guitar. I've setup flattops with soundhole pickups and missed the volume control.
Good luck with this one. HTH.
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"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 28 Aug 2008 9:46 pm
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i've had several different pickups on my dobro that have all worked pretty well for what you're doing...a weird chrome one, a barcus berry and a lace sensor....all up by the neck where there is more room.
that hot plate costs more than my instruments! |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 29 Aug 2008 5:49 am
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That's good to know Chris. I'm still hoping the Lace pickup will work out, If not I'll try the cover plate mount option.
Were you able to plug it into a guitar amp and crank it up a bit? Were there feedback problems?
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https://www.facebook.com/ggefell/ |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 29 Aug 2008 7:57 am
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yes, i'd just pull the cord out of the end of the steel and plug it into the end of the dobro for a few tunes....
doesn't give beautiful dobro tone, but works. i never had feedback this way, plus i'm in line with volume pedal and delay. |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 29 Aug 2008 8:24 am
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Chris - 2 more quick questions since you've used the Lace pickup.
1. Does it have any single coil hum at all?
2. Would the pickup fit in between the screens of a reso like this without any problems? All the online photos I see show the pickup installed in guitars that don't have screens there.
Thanks!
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 29 Aug 2008 9:14 am
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greg..i haven't noticed hum, but i haven't used it in the variety of situations that i have with the pedal steel over many years.
my lace pickup fits easily between the screens, right over the 3 small holes on my '75 dobro...it is just a six string. i attach the pickup right against the end of the neck, sticking it to the body with putty for hanging pictures. the wire goes through one of the small holes back to the endpin jack a friend installed for me.
at open mic type venues at medium to low volume, the tone can be pleasantly dobro-like direct into a house PA system. |
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