My First Lap Steel

[Doug Henderson]

Hi all ,

I just got in my first lap steel.....8 string tuned to c6. I did not have much of a budget at all so I bought an SX import. There is a little hum but I have a friend with a shop he might can take care of that. I have been playing DOBRO a little while, but I must admit this is intimidating.


I have a question I had a Charlies bar made to my specs but at an urging also bought a Dunlop bullet nose.
I had ulnar nerve damage to my left hand and holding this at the moment seems impossible...............does anyone here use a Stevens styled bar or should i tough it out. I can get it (the bullet nose) to the strings but lifting it is cumbersome.

thanks

a NEWBIE

[Steve Green]

Lifting the bar shouldn't be an issue . . . . as there is not as much "lifting" done on lap steel, compared to dobro.


The thing with "grooved" bars, like the Stevens, is that slants (especially reverse slants) are much more difficult. A round bullet bar makes slants much easier. SPLIT slants are almost impossible without a round nose bar.

IMHO, there's far more slanting in lap steel than there are hammer-ons, etc. which require lifting the bar.

There are a few BIG NAME playeers who use Stevens style bars, like Don Helms (steeler for Hank Williams). Don rarely ever used slants though. He would move the bar up or down up to 7 frets, to avoid using a slant.

By and large, though, most professional steelers use round bars for steel, and grooved bars for dobro.

[David M Brown]

dup post

[David M Brown]

A round bullet bar makes slants much easier. SPLIT slants are almost impossible without a round nose bar.

IMHO, there's far more slanting in lap steel than there are hammer-ons, etc. which require lifting the bar.
.

I agree, particularly if you want to use split slants. Besides, you can lift a round bar, you just have to use good bar technique to do so. With a hand injury, though, you may want to consider a grooved bar with a rounded tip:



Good point about Don Helms, though.

[Roman Sonnleitner]

I use a Shubb SP2 - that one combines the best elements of a Stevens type and a bullet type bar. I do slants all the time, no problem with that one, since it has a rounded nose.

[Doug Henderson]

well the grooved bar I am going to try for awhile since I had it made just for this. thank yo all, might get him to make me one with a rounded nose