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Topic: Fender consoles vs fender lap steels |
Nathan Laudenbach
From:
Montana
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Posted 11 May 2016 7:10 pm |
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| Just curious if there are any differences in sound and physical dimensions of a Fender console steel guitar with the leg sockets and a Fender lap steel without the leg sockets? In pictures the consoles appear to be thicker. I haven't had the chance to play either one but I would like to purchase one in the near future. Thanks. |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 11 May 2016 7:29 pm
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Get one with legs... not that much more in price. Eight strings are better than six... again, not that much difference in price. Good thing is, you can always sell it for what you have in it. Prices are down, it's a good time to buy right now.
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Too much junk to list... always getting more. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 May 2016 7:09 am
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I really haven't noticed the difference but some players prefer the guitar on legs.
They feel that holding it on your lap sort of muffles the tone. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 12 May 2016 8:48 am
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| If you have one with legs, you still have the option of not using them putting it on your lap if you want to of course. |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 13 May 2016 6:05 am
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What Doug said. I think I play better on a console guitar.
_________________
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Rick Barnhart
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 13 May 2016 6:46 am
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I use the universal stand from Deluxe34 for my lap guitars. It offers stability and security. You don't have to worry about your guitar, if you stand up and walk away. I think there's something to the tone theory, lap vs. on a stand. I'll never add leg sockets, there's no need.
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Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe. |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2016 2:32 pm
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| I have more control over my guitar when it's on legs, it doesn't slide around on my lap that way. Also, if you use a voice pedal the guitar will constantly be moving up and down as you work your volume pedal. The angle of my left hand over the fretboard is better with the guitar on legs, too. I have to bend my wrist too much when it's on my lap when I play up high past the 12th fret. |
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Nathan Laudenbach
From:
Montana
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Posted 18 Jun 2016 7:03 am
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I appreciate all the replies, but my questions were about the sound and dimensions of a Fender lap versus a Fender console specifically. Is the console a thicker piece of wood? If so does it have a different or better tone?
I have played steel on my lap and on stands, personally the tone is much more important to me than one being slightly more comfortable to play then the other.
So if anyone here on the forum has both a Fender lap and a Fender console would you please enlighten me as to how they compare?
By the way Chris, I saw a video of you playing Coconut Grove and it just blew me away! |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 18 Jun 2016 11:09 am
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It depends on the model.
The early style Deluxe 6 and 8 and earliest Dual Professionals (from the 40s) came without legs and have thick bodies and good pickups. If you are comparing a Stringmaster style (two black pickups) Deluxe 6 or 8 to the Champ, there is a big difference in tone. The Champ has a thinner body and a single pickup which is would pretty weak (like on a Mustang or Musicmaster guitar) while the Deluxe has a thicker body and two strong pickups which can be blended with each other. That being said, a Studio Deuxe is just a Champ on legs and has all the same features as a Champ.
You will find Fender lap steels that have more desirable features and Fender guitars on legs that have less desirable features. If you want a strong tone that a steel player would typically chase, avoid the Champion, Champ and Studio Deuxe steels and stick to Deluxe 6/8, Dual Professional (early double neck), Custom (early triple neck) and Stringmaster style guitars. If you want a thin guitar like tone for bluesy electricity slide type playing, the Champ and Studio Deluxe (again, just a champ with legs) would work fine.
However, those cheap student guitars aren't cheap these days. For just a little bit more you can get a nicer Fender model and you can coax those "rock" tones out of those guitars too, if you must.
Regarding the tonal difference of lap vs. legs, on your lap is actually more resonant because the guitar is sitting on a soft surface, on legs the vibration goes into the legs and into the floor. This is the same philosophy behind drummers using rim mounts and snare stands for their tom toms these days, instead of mounting them onto the bass drum with hardware that goes directly into the shell. It chokes the resonance of the drum shell. A steel has so much natural sustain, and the tone is electric and not acoustic, so I don't think it makes a noticeable difference with an electric guitar, though. I wouldn't worry about that on a steel.
I hope this better answers your question. |
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Nathan Laudenbach
From:
Montana
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Posted 18 Jun 2016 5:12 pm
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| Yep that about does it. Thanks Chris! |
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