making a lap steel sound like a pedal steel

Lap steels, resonators, multi-neck consoles and acoustic steel guitars

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David Mason
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Joined: 6 Oct 2001 12:01 am
Location: Cambridge, MD, USA

Post by David Mason »

Billy Robinson tunes

D
G
E
C
A
G
E
C
A
F

Besides pulling strings behind the bar, a major "trick" he uses is a back slant that brings the C string up to unison with the D and even more often, a forward slant that brings the D string up to the E. I stared at those videos a lot. :eek:

I would strongly suspect that Mike's special tuning* was the top 8 strings of Reece Anderson's non-pedal 12:

D
B
G
E
C
A
G
E
---
C
A
F
D

If it wasn't, that's still a bangin' tuning for this, with the two lower top strings and roughly four strings underneath for unison slants (depending on your bar length) - the opportunities for mischief abound.

*actually since he mentions C# and G#, his was probably the same relatively but with an E major base. Tonally you'd have -

2
7
5
3
1
6
5
3
Dennis Burling
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Joined: 27 Apr 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Post by Dennis Burling »

Bill Hatcher wrote:here you go. you can get some great pedal sounds from the non pedal

http://www.mediafire.com/?59jtbwwdmj4
Do you know which Lap Steel was used in this clip?
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chris ivey
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Location: california (deceased)

Post by chris ivey »

lots of instrument sounds can be mimiced by other instruments. or you can play the real thing.
Nicholas Dedring
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Location: Beacon, New York, USA

Post by Nicholas Dedring »

The key is bolting about 50 pounds of lead weights to the lap steel. I find that the main thing to the sound of pedal steel is derived from the agony of carrying mine. :)
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chris ivey
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Location: california (deceased)

Post by chris ivey »

right! it develops soul and dedication.
Bill Hatcher
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Location: Atlanta Ga. USA

Post by Bill Hatcher »

Dennis Burling wrote:
Bill Hatcher wrote:here you go. you can get some great pedal sounds from the non pedal

http://www.mediafire.com/?59jtbwwdmj4
Do you know which Lap Steel was used in this clip?
i think that might have been a guitar made by chet wilcox. maybe a 10 stringer. if its a 12 string, then i made that. i did a lot of recordings with 8 10 12 and now 14 strings so they all run together. i didnt make any notes on the recording sheets except they were all recorded using an alembic f2B tube pre straight into a vmp II preamp and a LA2 copy compressor by dimario labs. all the steels i have or have had use mostly E66 pickups. extended leavitt tuning.
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Dave Zirbel
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Location: Sebastopol, CA USA

Post by Dave Zirbel »

Loving all the examples. Been looking for a way to simplify my rig and still get the similar sounds!

You could always take a step further and add string benders to the lap steel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y88I5d1nEgA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv1_IBraeSg

I'm guessing this has already been discussed on here before....



There's a guy around here that has a wrist and knee lever on a lap steel to get E9 A & B string pulls.
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps
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