Looking for a cheap steel to start on

[Omar Rashan]

Hello there,

I don't currently own a lap steel, but turned to here because I am very serious about getting one, but am having a very hard time finding what I want.

I'm a guitar player for the mostpart. I want to just get a lap steel to play some more wide-open, haunting, spacey, sometimes psychedelic stuff to add atmosphere to my music.

I'm thinking that I'm going to want a longer scale than shorter.. probably something 24-25"+.. I'm not really planning on doing bar slants or anything fancy really. I'm also really liking the idea of something that has similar tonal values to a P90 pickup in it. My budget is around $300 or less. Vintage would be cool to have, but not at all necessary.

Can anyone make some recommendations? I found an Oahu Diana on eBay, but the bid went up to almost $400 unfortunately, so I had to forget about it. I just want something decent that matches or comes close to the criteria I listed above. Your input is appreciated.

[Matthew Dawson]

I'd look for an old Oahu/Supro/Valco/National with a srting through pickup like this one:

http://www.lapsteeland.com/redloneyphoto.php

[Omar Rashan]

I'd look for an old Oahu/Supro/Valco/National with a srting through pickup like this one:

http://www.lapsteeland.com/redloneyphoto.php

Aren't the Supro/Valco/National all around 23" scale?

[Lynn Oliver]

The ones sold under the English Electronics label are long scale, I think 25".

[Matthew Dawson]

They are, but I think that might be your best bet for the money.

[Omar Rashan]

The ones sold under the English Electronics label are long scale, I think 25".

I've never seen one.. they're not terribly common I take it?

[Tom Gray]

The Oahu Diana is a long-scale guitar with a Valco strings-through pickup. Oahu Tonemasters, also long-scale, can sound wonderful but I've never heard two that sound alike. I'd recommend playing before buying, if you can.

It's easy to say now you don't want to get deeply into the instrument. I said the same thing once. Good luck.

[J Fletcher]

I think the Goldtone lap steels, which look to be copies of an Oahu, are long scale. At least the Oahu's were...Jerry

[Lynn Oliver]

I've never seen one.. they're not terribly common I take it?

Not that common, but they do come up for sale now and then. I looked for several months before I found mine.

[Billy Tonnesen]

Slants tend to be more accurate on the shorter necked Guitars, especially on the lower frets.

[G Strout]

Omar, I know you say that you do not plan to do any slants but, trust me, when you realize what you are able to do by mastering your forward and reverse slants, you will be amazed at the musical opportunities that will open up to you on the steel.

[Gary Stevenson]

If your interested, the lap steels I build are 25" scale and I have single coils and some with humbuckers,or I could switch out the pickup for a P-90 style. And they would be in your price range.I can email you pics if your interested.Sorry but I am unable to do a sound clip,but can assure that it will have good tone.

[Jon Nygren]

Slants tend to be more accurate on the shorter necked Guitars, especially on the lower frets.

+1 to this.

I wouldn't necessarily limit yourself to a longer scale guitar, you'll be missing out on some good guitars!

Besides the tonemaster and diana, look for the mid to late 50's magnatones- great sounding guitars, longer scale, and about in your price range.

[Jim Konrad]

Be sure to check here often..
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewforum.php?f=9

And also keep an eye out on your local Craigslist..

As an example..this one has been sitting a while in my area...
http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/msg/1578154487.html
Looks like a great price to get anyone started.

Good luck and have fun on your search!

[Tom Pettingill]

First off welcome to the forums Omar, lots of great people here with good advise.

I'm a fan of longer scale steels, but have made, played, and use short scale guitars that sound absolutely killer too. A string through pickup Valco made steel like Matthew suggested would give you the tone your after and make a fine instrument to learn on.

And as Jim pointed out, keep your eyes on the Instrument For Sale section of the forums, lots of good deals pop up there. For example there was a real nice looking Goldtone listed around your price point posted the other day.

[Chris Walke]

Hello there,

I'm thinking that I'm going to want a longer scale than shorter.. probably something 24-25"+.. I'm not really planning on doing bar slants or anything fancy really. I'm also really liking the idea of something that has similar tonal values to a P90 pickup in it. My budget is around $300 or less. Vintage would be cool to have, but not at all necessary.

Can anyone make some recommendations? I found an Oahu Diana on eBay, but the bid went up to almost $400 unfortunately, so I had to forget about it. I just want something decent that matches or comes close to the criteria I listed above. Your input is appreciated.

Cheapest longscale lapsteel you will find:

http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/4596

[Steve Ahola]

... Can anyone make some recommendations? I found an Oahu Diana on eBay, but the bid went up to almost $400 unfortunately, so I had to forget about it. I just want something decent that matches or comes close to the criteria I listed above. Your input is appreciated.

I highly recommend the Rondo SX LG-1 lap steel that sells for $115.95 with a hard shell case. I love those old lap steels mentioned in the other posts here but you never know exactly what you are getting in an eBay auction. Rondo allows you to return an item if you don't like it for 30 days although you are not refunded the postage.

I was so impressed by the one I got on February 6th that I ordered another which arrived the following Saturday. Can you spell G.A.S.?

These steels were recommended on this forum as something cheap that you can hotrod. I was not happy with the pickup and being single coil it can be rather noisy. So I put in a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails strat pickup that I has around and it works great. (I will be posting my mods here shortly.)

The scale is roughly 23 3/4" but for $115.95 who can afford to be choosy?

Figure on replacing the pickup- Lindy Fralin does make a steel pole strat pickup that is a lot like a P-90.

If you want a real P-90 you might look into the Recording King, another steel from China that sells for ~$150 without a case. That was what I was originally planning to buy before I read the thread here comparing the two.

Or go crazy and buy an 8 string Joe Morrell MJMP-8 from Morrell Music for $300. I just measured the scale and it is 22 7/8". If you watch their store on eBay they do have seconds available from time to time for $225-240.

Morrell makes their own steels, mandolins and dulcimers in Nashville, so you are supporting the USA.

If you still want an old one you might check craigslist; I like to be able to see what I am buying first. Even Guitar Center sometimes has bargains, especially if the steel has been on the floor for a long time.

Good luck!

Steve Ahola

[Laurence Pangaro]

I think that a Gibson BR9 is sometimes to be found in that pricerange on eBay (does that sound right Forum-Folks?). It's not exactly the premier Gibson steel and it's definitely a short scale, but it'll get you the P90.

On the other hand... If you're committed to a long scale maybe you could be a candidate for the Peavey Powerslide (I think it's a long scale, right?). I haven't tried one but given the amount of discussion time it's gotten here I'm kinda surprised it hasn't already been suggested. Brand new, super cheap and wild looking.

Does any one know what the scale length on the Chandler RH2 is? Sometimes these are to be found in the this pricerange as well.

ciao,
LP

[Tom Gray]

The key to finding a vintage steel at a low price, especially on eBay, is patience. I used to bid a set price on every decent looking Supro that came up -- about half of what I knew I could get for it on commission at a local store. Most times I got outbid. But every couple of months I'd snag one, and they were in no worse shape than the ones I'd missed. So if you're not in a hurry, get a nut extender as Chris Walke suggested (molded ones are better than folded) and keep your eyes open.

[RD Bennett]

Omar, I got into lap steel for much the same reasons you cite... I don't necessarily have much use for its traditional applications. I have had a hard time finding a vintage lap steel for a sub-$300 price, but Bob Allen may be able to build you a custom Allen Melbert steel for your target price range. I currently have one he made me with a humbucking pickup, and it's great for texture and noise work alike. The single coil pickups found in a lot of steels tend to be way too noisy for experimental processing techniques.

[Steve Ahola]

Does any one know what the scale length on the Chandler RH2 is? Sometimes these are to be found in the this price range as well.

I just measured mine and it was 23 1/8". These are a lot of fun and they do have a custom wound P90.

P90's are not humcanceling and I have noticed that they might pick up a bad hum from their horizontal postion while a P90 on a regular guitar oriented vertically will not hum as bad. Or that could be a coincidence. In any case the potential for hum in a single coil pickup many people will go with a humcanceling pickup because of that.

Steve Ahola

[Steve Ahola]

The key to finding a vintage steel at a low price, especially on eBay, is patience. I used to bid a set price on every decent looking Supro that came up -- about half of what I knew I could get for it on commission at a local store. Most times I got outbid. But every couple of months I'd snag one, and they were in no worse shape than the ones I'd missed. So if you're not in a hurry, get a nut extender as Chris Walke suggested (molded ones are better than folded) and keep your eyes open.

Tom:

That method works great especially if you know what you are looking for (Supros in your case). You can even set up an automatic search for what you are looking for, and you can receive emails with links to the hits on a daily basis if you like.

Some auctions just don't attract bids for one reason or another and you might be able to get them for a really low price.

One tip: especially if there are few bidders or none, I do not start bidding until the last few minutes. I could be wrong but it seems like once you make a bid, it may bring the auction to the attention of a potential competitor.

Like you said, figure out how much you are willing to pay and stick to it! It's not like you are bidding on the last one on earth...

Thanks!

Steve Ahola

[Jeff Watson]

I think you may be overestimating/valuing the sonic differences in short and long scales. I'd go with the cheapest Supro/Valco/National string thru model you can find