Stand up playing lap steel

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 16 Mar 2012 11:02 am

I am looking for a lap steel that I can play standing up, and move around with. I've been playing weissenborn dobro-style (with a strap) but our stage volume is sufficiently loud that I get feedback. What is out there that fits this description? I've heard of melobar skreemers.. What else?

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 16 Mar 2012 11:41 am

you can put a strap on any small guitar shaped lapsteel. i've done it with a bakelite richenbacher...which i think looks really cool.

Charles Kleinert · Post by **Charles Kleinert** » 16 Mar 2012 12:13 pm

Tim:
You might check out the MSA SuperSlide;

http://msapedalsteels.com/html/homess.html

and see if it is what you are looking for.

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 16 Mar 2012 12:22 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. But that "freedom bar" looks pretty tacky to me. Is it really necessary?

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 16 Mar 2012 1:20 pm

I haven't played an MSA SuperSlide standing up with the Freedom Bar, I've been around a couple of them but they had legs.

The cool thing about the Freedom Bar is that it's retractable and others that use it with a strap no doubt will chime in but I would say it's a good idea to have - it's a pretty small guitar, and were it laying right up against the average guy's mid section I would think it's awkward.

Think about playing a weissenborn or dobro standing up. Once you get used to the idea as you have, Tim, since you're playing a resonator in your avatar photo, it's pretty easy to do, but remember that in the case of resonator guitars in particular, they are around the same width as a dreadnought guitar, so by turning it horizintally it's getting the strings and the fretboard out away from the body so it isn't awkward.

You didn't mention a budget so I guess money is no object. Jerry Douglas has been playing Lap King steels standing up in recent years, and that brand has a unit that comes out and braces against your midsection. It looks very stable.

And Bill Asher now has available for some of his steel guitars a "belly bar" to use for standup playing which was apparently designed by resonator guru Tim Scheerhorn.

Chris mentioned putting a strap on a Rickenbacher Bakelite, the talented young "dobroess" Megan Lovell has been playing what appears to be an old Ricky lately with a strap in her group Larkin Poe.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 16 Mar 2012 3:03 pm

I have a SuperSlide with the Freedom bar and it works very well...yes, it's needed to play standing up otherwise the guitar flips unless it's stabilized...it's contoured so that it fits flush to the shape of the guitar when not in use.....IMO, not the least bit tacky.....it looks much better & more professional than "belly bars", one of which I have on my Harmos......

Of course you can bite the bullet and if you woodshed enough you can do this......maybe.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzAM-I-e ... re=related

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 16 Mar 2012 3:26 pm

I have never been able to quite wrap my head around the design of the Harmos.

I've also never been able to wrap my ahead around standup lap steel playing where the guitar is in the same postion as a "regular" electric guitar, as in the video Howard linked above. Gary Morse makes it look easy, but then he makes any kind of playing look easy.

Here is a link from the Asher site of forumite Bruce Bouton using the belly bar (scroll down once you get there):

http://www.asherguitars.com/index.php?p ... r#anchupgr

And here is another forumite's website, Jason Dumont, proprietor of Lap King and his take on the matter:

http://www.lapking.com/belaire.htm

Bill Adams · Post by **Bill Adams** » 16 Mar 2012 4:51 pm

No problem using the 'Belly Bar' on an Asher 6 string. Gig with it alot...Never play out sittin' anymore. Actually like that position (little further away from body) than my reso. Gives plenty of room to play up neck, which in my mind is an important consideration when setting up your rig. Eveything works great, very pleased. Not cheap, but would assure many years of road use.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 16 Mar 2012 5:52 pm

Nice photo Bill! Tells the story very well.

Looks like you have the "full Monty" Asher. Bruce Bouton brings one of the Electro Hawaiian Juniors (basic guitar imported) with him on the road with Reba, or at least he did.

And he has the upgraded Lollar pickups in his.

Bill Adams · Post by **Bill Adams** » 16 Mar 2012 6:31 pm

Nice video of Greg Leisz playing his Asher w/belly bar...at about 3:45.
http://youtu.be/Gm_XebMavGk

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 16 Mar 2012 9:27 pm

Cool - thanks Bill. Do you have to have special holes drilled for the belly bar? Or can you just attach it?

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 16 Mar 2012 9:38 pm

Tim, if you went to the Asher link I provided you would have see an explanation of the belly bar under the photo of Bruce Bouton. There are metal ferrules that go into the body of the guitar and you connect the belly bar into those.

Here is another link showing the contents of the belly bar kit:

http://www.electrohawaiian.com/asher-belly-bar-kit.html

Dave Boothroyd · Post by **Dave Boothroyd** » 17 Mar 2012 1:49 am

It could not be simpler.
The guitar has legs which I extend until is is playable standing up for playing live, and I play it sitting down in the studio.
Get a console guitar, or fit some legs to your lap steel.
Cheers
Dave[/img]

Bill Adams · Post by **Bill Adams** » 17 Mar 2012 7:37 am

Tim, Yes I drilled the holes, always a little freaky taking a drill to a guitar.
Here is a photo showing the ferrules that accept the belly bar. Of course i drilled into the hidden 'sound chambers' that the Electro Hawaiian Jr has. This required a trip to the hardware store for some 'Collars' to keep the belly bar from going into the guitar too deep. Any way hope this helps. As far as the aesthetics, no one ever notices the belly bar, but you will have someone every night asking about the instrument...

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 17 Mar 2012 7:58 am

Or if one buys the guitar from Bill Asher, it's only a $35 charge above the cost of the belly bar to have him install the thing.

No freaky feeling, and no trip to the hardware store. Sounds like thirty-five bucks well spent.

Bill Adams · Post by **Bill Adams** » 17 Mar 2012 8:14 am

+1 Mark, laughing.

Bruce Terrell · Post by **Bruce Terrell** » 17 Mar 2012 9:25 am

I saw a guy play lap steel set up on an ironing board once. Its pretty funny if it fits your sense of humor.

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 17 Mar 2012 10:17 am

Cool. Thanks for the replies, guys. The belly bar looks good. I wonder if it works with lap steels other than Ashers? I've tried consoles (though admittedly no ironing boards - yikes!) and the thing I don't like about them is that they keep you locked down to one spot on the stage and I like to move around a lot.

Eric Gross · Post by **Eric Gross** » 17 Mar 2012 1:28 pm

I use a keyboard stand similar to this one:

http://www.amazon.com/World-Tour-Single ... B000BKXF4M

For around $20 you can't go wrong, I put a heavy piece of plywood on top, and cover it with a tie dyed sheet, it works great. It helps if you want to play a steel lead but keep the 6 string strapped on for the rest of the song.

Terry VunCannon · Post by **Terry VunCannon** » 17 Mar 2012 3:57 pm

Here are some thoughts from an old thread...

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ight=stand

Peter Jacobs · Post by **Peter Jacobs** » 20 Mar 2012 8:54 am

After several years of playing a Melobar with an "outrigger" (essentially, a Dobro-shaped fiberglass shell bolted to the back of the steel), I came up with a germ of an idea for a design to do just this, and found a great, adventurous builder willing to give it a shot.

Randy Cordle ran with the idea and built a beauty of a steel for me -- he played around with proportions, overall design and construction techniques and made it real. It's maple with big chambers inside (for weight reduction and tone).

The biggest thing I was concerned about was making sure there was enough room at the tail end of the steel to comfortably get my arm through -- if I'd put a strap on a normal lap steel, the bridge would be too close to the endpin. Randy came up with making the body asymmetrical, so there is less wood on the far side of the fretboard -- this saves weight and keeps the balance point closer to my body.

It could only be called "the StrapSteel." I love it, and I get comments every time we play out. It's in my avatar photo (it had to be blue!) and in several of the videos on our band site (www.splinterville.com).

Bill Adams · Post by **Bill Adams** » 20 Mar 2012 6:44 pm

Peter, Very cool. Thanks for sharing. Willing to give us a little closer photo of ya'lls design?

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 20 Mar 2012 9:32 pm

Peter, I've always wondered about that guitar in your avatar photo because I'd never seen anything quite like it.

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 20 Mar 2012 11:13 pm

Yeah, that is a really cool looking and sounding guitar you've got there, Peter!

Peter Jacobs · Post by **Peter Jacobs** » 21 Mar 2012 2:51 am

Thanks, guys -- I'll take a couple of shots and post them later today.