Newbie needs HELP!

[Ryan Loetscher]

Hey everyone, first time post

So I'm a piano/guitar/harmonica singer/songwriter from Reno. My name is starting to build a little and I'm looking to add more variety to my sound for solo shows. I'm getting tired of my overly pop/ballad stuff, and I ADORE slide guitar, so I want to start up, but I am completely ignorant on the subject (on electric guitar instruments in general I'm afraid). So here's my long winded question about what slide and amp I should get:

I play mostly solo and my harmonica has been turning heads lately, so I got myself a loop station and want to lay down some slide riffs and loop harp tracks on top of it. I'm looking for more of a John Butler/Ben Harper/Iron and Wine type of sound. So I'm looking for a moderately priced lap slide (but one good enough that I wont need a new one if I show aptitude and start playing bigger shows)... and an amp that will work for both small solo gigs, and for bigger gigs with my band... and it would be nice if I could send my harps and acoustic guitar through it too (I don't know if its recomended to put vocal mics through an amp at the same time, but it would be nice to leave the PA at home for small shows!)

Thanks sooooo much for any help you can give!

If you want to check out my music I'm at Myspace.com/4ryanjamesmusic

[Ryan Loetscher]

Oh yea, I forgot... the only slide I've found at the local shops is a Fender FS 52... any good? Its $400 and I've been told sometimes used slides have better character to their sound.

[Steinar Gregertsen]

Welcome to the forum Ryan!

If you're into the Ben Harper sound then I doubt the Fender will be the best choice. Never played one myself though, but from what I understand they sound pretty thin and you'll probably wwant something with a fatter sound. You could of course replace the original pickup with something like the Seymour Duncan "Little 59", a humbucker in single coil size, that would definitely be an improvement but will add to the cost..

Here's a couple of budget lap steels I found on eBay, that may (or may not) be of interest:

Recording King lap steel

Another Recording King, with different pickup placement

A couple not-so budget lap steels on eBay:

Asher Electro Hawaiian Junior lap steel - my main lap steel, check "Angel" and "I Don't Live Today" on my MySpace site to get an idea of the sound.

Chandler RH2 lap steel

As for amp, I'd say get a small tube amp, like the Fender Blues Junior and a good overdrive pedal (if that's the sound you're going for). Forget about mic and acoustic guitar through the guitar amp, an amp for electric guitar focus on a much narrower frequency spectrum than what you need for acoustic guitar and vocals. Harp through a guitar amp is another matter, but I would recommend a seperate amp for it for better control over the sound.

Hope this is of some help!

[Stephen Abruzzo]

+1 on the Chandler RH2 as that comes in around $435.00.

The Asher is $675.00, so may just be out of your price range.

Another choice is from bluestemstrings.com. $450.00 and there has been recent posts about them.

Fender Blues Jr is a good choice but you can do just as well for less $$$'s with a Blackheart Handsome Little Devil.

Get a Bad Monkey for a mild OD pedal.

[Twayn Williams]

+1 on the Chandler.

Also, check out the Gold Tone Lap Steel.

Blues Jr or Pro Jr are great lap steel amps.

+1 Bad Monkey.

[Rich Hlaves]

Ryan,

You can't go wrong with anything suggested above. I have to second the motion for the Asher Jr. guitar and a Fender Blues Jr amp. An Ibanez Tube Screamer, say the TS808 reissue would be a nice choice for an OD pedal.

Although I don't own an Asher, I met the man at a Steel guitar jam and played the instrument, sweet. Another way to go would be a custom lap steel from Ryan Rukavina. I have one of his steels with a single humbucker (Duncan JB) and it just sings. It was about the cost of the Asher Jr. and all hand made with a cool looking flame maple body.

My third suggestion would be a vintage National/Supro/Valco guitar with a string thru pickup. Forum member Rick Aiello makes upgraded magnets for these pickups and they really change the character of the whole instrument. They get very blusey on demand. These vintage guitars can be found in the $250-350 dollar range.

I have played the Fender FS-52 and agree, too thin.

Enjoy! & welcome,

Rich

[Joel Bloom]

Welcome there Mr.! My pardner plays Iron and Wine a fair bit around the house and to me it sounds like an accoustic guitar set up with a high nut and played lapstyle. I have an old Harmony guitar that I've put a high nut on and it sounds SWEET! Any steel string accoustic guitar with a bit of strength in the neck will do (they usually have the truss rod anyway), and they don't have to be expensive to sound good!! Good luck!

[Joel Bloom]

I meant to add I play the Harmony accoustic lapstyle with a Bill Lawrence magnetic pick-up (cheap pickup at $100 Australian 2nd hand) through the above mentioned Blues Junior amp (with no pedals) and I love it, a different sound than my electric lappy.

[Ryan Loetscher]

You guys are awesome! Thanks so much... I think I might try that high nut acoustic deal sometime... I think the chandler sounds like the one, but I'm wondering if maybe I should go with something like the recording king for now since I'm not sure how much I'm going to be using this in the beginning. I didn't think you could get a guitar at that price and have it be OK... So is the Recording King really alright? Has anyone played it? Depending on how much better the chandler is, I may just go with that.

[Dennis Brooker]

Ryan - You may want to read this thread before you buy a Recording King http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=164799 - DB

[Ryan Loetscher]

Yea, that doesn't bode well for it. To bad you cant get quality for that price! I guess I'm better off letting go of the extra $300 for the chandler. I'm just sketchy about buying and instrument I haven't paid... but $320 on eBay with case is a pretty good deal... if it holds

[Steinar Gregertsen]

Another option is the Peavey Power Slide, I believe they sell for about $250..(?)



There's several threads about them on the forum, here's the latest:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=162678

[Stephen Abruzzo]

Peavey Powerslides are $199.99 at many online sellers (as opposed to buying it on E-bay). While not perfect, it's a far sight better than the Recording King mentioned.

$50.00 for the Bad Monkey Tube overdrive pedal.

The Chandler RH-2 has MANY excellent reviews. P-90 pup that responds well and appears to be a worthwhile investment in a quality lap steel while not breaking the bank.

[David Simenson]

My first lap steel was a Chandler RH2, and I like the sound. For a real fat sound, that sounds good overdriven, I got a Melobar Rattler, and replaced the Bill Lawrence pickup with a Seymour Duncan 59 model. Very nice sound. Eventually I got interested in 8-string lap steels and quit playing the 6-strings, but these two are good bets for you, I think.

[Buck Dilly]

I have 10 or more Supro/Nationals. My favorite sound. Even the student models sound good. Ebay from $250 -500 bucks. And they are in the forum all the time.

[Tom Pettingill]

I have 10 or more Supro/Nationals. My favorite sound. Even the student models sound good. Ebay from $250 -500 bucks. And they are in the forum all the time.

A solid recommendation for sure. Greg Simmons has some great looking Valco/Supro/National steels up in the For Sale section that are definitely worth checking out.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=165348

[Mark Bracewell]

What Tom said - everyone needs a Supro anyhow and those are some sweet deals.