gibson skylark question

[Jac Rosenberg]

hi, i'm new here, and to lap steel. i was given a '64(?) gibson skylark. korina wood with a single coil p/u. the sound is a bit thin, and since i'm not a collector i'd like to change the p/u. any suggestions?

[Ian McLatchie]

There are certainly lots of pickups which can easily be adapted to the Skylark and which will give you a fuller sound. The Bill Lawrence humbucker is one. Personally, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to make the change, though. Skylarks can be pretty decent sounding instruments. Experiment with string gauges and pickup height. Also, if you don't make use of the volume and tone controls, bypass them - that alone will significantly improve the tone.