new lap steel day

[Michael Butler]

i'm new to the forum and after reviewing many posts, i purchased a new asher electro hawaiian junior lap steel. right now it is very difficult for me to get used to playing with my guitar on my lap, using a steel and using finger picks. however, it is a lot of fun and i'm sure i'll progress quite rapidly.

play music!

[John Mulligan]

Congratulations, you'll be rockin (or swinging, whatever) in no time!

[Dennis Anderson]

I bought an Asher EH Jr. 3 years ago and loved it so much that I sent it back to be upgraded with the Lollar Imperials, cts pots, and the better bridge (which I see you have and is now standard I guess). Can you believe the sustain on those? Wonderfully expressive instrument... welcome to the club! A whole new world of music making!!

[Michael Butler]

I bought an Asher EH Jr. 3 years ago and loved it so much that I sent it back to be upgraded with the Lollar Imperials, cts pots, and the better bridge (which I see you have and is now standard I guess). Can you believe the sustain on those? Wonderfully expressive instrument... welcome to the club! A whole new world of music making!!

thanks, dennis!

i thought about getting the upgrades but since i am new to lap steel, i thought i'd better learn how to play first and worry about whether or not to upgrade later.
ha!

did you find a considerable difference in the pot and pickup upgrades?

play music!

[Dennis Anderson]

I think you are wise to settle in and learn to play for a while. I played it for a year before deciding to upgrade. The bridge was the most noticeable playing improvement (which you already have). The Lollar pickups were a solid improvement... but I'm a big Lollar guy. The pots were hard to tell a difference.

It's a great instrument without the Lollars... so no hurry. Get a feel for the singing quality of a wonderful lap steel and go from there. Have a blast! cheers!!

[Bill Asher]

Michael,
So glad to hear my EH-Jr lap steel is working well for your newly found musical experience! Thanks for supporting Asher lap steels!

Just finished this one for a player in Spain, who started out years ago on one of my early Jr models. He has now graduated to his ultimate custom build. This was a really inspiring one for us to make.

[Bob Blair]

Bill that is just stunningly beautiful!

[Jim Williams]

Beautiful guitar. On playing on your lap, you might want to try it on a stand or adjustable height table. I don't know how you are built but some folks like me don't have much of a "lap" for a lap steel due to expansion that comes with aging . Anyhow, good luck with the new guitar. And the fingerpicks get easier with time...when I first started learning the banjo that was one of my concerns, but now I can't play without em.

[Michael Butler]

wow! bill asher, himself, actually thanked me for buying one of his guitars. can't get any better than that!

bill: i'm still a beginner on playing it, but it is so much fun. the problem i'm having now is getting the ideas from my head onto the guitar. oh, and still getting used to fingerpicks and steels. ha!

also, bill, the guitar for the guy in spain is stunning!!!

jim: thanks for the info as i've already been thinking of some sort of stand that i can use. the ones i've seen are very expensive so i'll have to come up with something else.

play music!

[Jim Williams]

A lot of folks use a simple keyboard stand with some foam wrap or tubing for the guitar to set on. These can be had for $25 or so. I would be very careful with that fine guitar though if I had pets or kids around.

[Kekoa Blanchet]

Just finished this one for a player in Spain, who started out years ago on one of my early Jr models. He has now graduated to his ultimate custom build. This was a really inspiring one for us to make.

Wow, what a beautiful guitar! Bill, would you mind answering a couple of questions about the instrument? I see three control knobs, is that a humbucker pickup? Are those horseshoes real magnets or just a palm rest like on the JB Frypans? Who makes that pickup?

[Bill Asher]

Wow, what a beautiful guitar! Bill, would you mind answering a couple of questions about the instrument? I see three control knobs, is that a humbucker pickup? Are those horseshoes real magnets or just a palm rest like on the JB Frypans? Who makes that pickup?

Yes, the pickup is an original Rickenbacker horseshoe from the late 1950's that I had stashed for years, and it delivers that great single coil punch they are known for! The controls are; Master volume, Master tone, and a blend pot to adjust between the horseshoe and acoustic pickups. The RMC acoustic gold pickups sound great and can be run directly through a PA or acoustic amp. I also offer this with dual output jacks for a stereo/two amp set up that sounds huge!

[Mark Eaton]

Geez Bill, you're killing me here!

Being in this state of "GAS Moratorium" is really bumming me out when I see a guitar like this. Let's see, what can I sell around here...

And I enjoyed the article about you by Jason Verlinde in the current issue of Fretboard Journal.

[Bill Asher]

Bending the wood bindings for the next one on order.
This is going to have the stereo outputs and is being made for a great Dobro and lap steel player Billy Cardine.
You can check out his music here. http://www.billycardine.com/BillyC/Billy_Cardine.html