Lap Steel MOCKBA

Janusz Achtabowski · Post by **Janusz Achtabowski** » 1 Oct 2021 1:57 pm

Someone played this instrument? Is it worth modifying?

Larry Carlson · Post by **Larry Carlson** » 1 Oct 2021 2:56 pm

If it sounds and plays OK I think I would leave it as it is.
It is just weird enough for me to really get attached to.

Phillip Hermans · Post by **Phillip Hermans** » 1 Oct 2021 3:44 pm

What a curious instrument!

Is that separate output for each pickup?
I watched a video of Billy Sheehan explaining how he uses that approach with his bass to great effect.
Although my guess is this is just the quirk of early instrument building?

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 1 Oct 2021 5:42 pm

Its pretty interesting as is!

I wonder, if it is a mono output but some kind of plug where you have the positive/negative output of the pickup in separate jacks?

Something that unique, I wouldn't rush to rip apart into a new instrument, if possible. But if it is completely unworkable or broken, then maybe...

John Rosett · Post by **John Rosett** » 1 Oct 2021 8:12 pm

It shares some features with this Resonet Arioso: https://reverb.com/item/10722206-resone ... 55-natural

Mike Stidham · Post by **Mike Stidham** » 1 Oct 2021 9:27 pm

Janusz Achtabowski wrote:Someone played this instrument? Is it worth modifying?

Looked up "Lap Steel MOCKBA" on Google. First thing that came up was a picture of an instrument that looked identical to yours. Here's a little background on the instrument...
"Soviet Lap Steel Guitar 1960-1965 made by Moscow Experimental Music Factory.

The Hawaiian electric Lap-steel by Moscow Experimental Factory of Musical Instruments is considered to be one of the first guitars in the Soviet Union.

In fact this is the usual transmission Lap-steel, which at the time was not enough, and many Western firms engaged in their production. Like any other Soviet guitar, Lap-steel of domestic manufacture began to be when the boom in these technologies has passed. The guitar was made from the 60's throughout the 80s in very small editions. Like any experimental guitar in the USSR it was of decent quality!"

Don't know that I'd "modify" it, but I would do what I could to restore it.

Kirk Francis · Post by **Kirk Francis** » 2 Oct 2021 7:47 am

please, DO NOT MODIFY IT!

if you don't like it, just sell it to someone who does. then you both will be happy.

Janusz Achtabowski · Post by **Janusz Achtabowski** » 2 Oct 2021 12:44 pm

OK. I do not modify.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 2 Oct 2021 4:01 pm

Kirk Francis wrote:please, DO NOT MODIFY IT!

Agreed. If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it!

Tom Snook · Post by **Tom Snook** » 3 Oct 2021 3:18 am

Cool!What's the scale length? Looks pretty short to me. What's it sound like? I've seen a couple different colored ones on Reverb.com or Ebay
Aloha

Rainer Schmidt · Post by **Rainer Schmidt** » 20 Oct 2021 1:26 pm

There are lots of stories about this instrument on the web. Some can be found in a 4 page thread on sovietguitars.com
Somewhere else some owner wrote that the case was its best part. To me it's a very useable instrument with a quite common scale of 580 mm. I'd say "modify: no! (in case you have seen my 7-string in the "valuable" thread: this one wass already stripped and parts missing) get electrical things sorted out: hell yes!"
Have a look at the schematic in this user's guide (Instrument "passport"):

tone pot is 100k which is low enough to suck tone, rolled down or not. There is an additional, unwanted capacitor in line (here the paper is torn away). Somewhere it was stated that it's there to protect the player from electrical shock if dumb enough to connect to mains via banana plug

. I modernized the circuit using > 500k tone pot.
Drawing of PU on the left shows the actual construction: magnetic poles are quite far away from each other. The tone is very warm and thick with a nice growl. I tried one of these in my amateur built 50s console which sounds a bit stiff, and it really came to life.
Oh, and do check position of the wooden bridge. Looks as if it should be moved back towards tail.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 20 Oct 2021 2:38 pm

"Russians invented Hawaiian music!"
- Ensign Chekov

Dom Franco · Post by **Dom Franco** » 20 Oct 2021 4:53 pm

perhaps this kind of plug would work

Bengt Erlandsen · Post by **Bengt Erlandsen** » 21 Oct 2021 4:38 am

I do have one exactly like that. Tuners could need an upgrade but they do work good enough to keep guitar in tune tho. It sounds all good and resonant played without turning the amp on. The pickup could need an upgrade but then you most likely would need to route away some wood underneath it as I seem to recall it not beeing same height as other singlecoils or humbucker pickups. The plug Dom Franco posted a pic of would most like fit as the original wiring was hot on on socket and shield on the other. The two controls are volume and tone. I modified mine to have the oval stratocaster type connector where the two brass plugs are shown on the original guitar. I also included a groundwire to where the ball-end of the strings are attached.

The black block of hardwood with the metalrod where the strings pass over is moveable so you can set your octave intonation correct in relation to the fretboard.

The lapsteel on the picture is missing a Mockba decal(blue w gold letters) that should have been placed on the fretboard(players side) between frets 12-24

Lightweight, sounds totally ok and looks cool too imo.

I have no idea how old it is tho.

B.Erlandsen

Rainer Schmidt · Post by **Rainer Schmidt** » 21 Oct 2021 5:59 am

Bengt Erlandsen wrote:

The lapsteel on the picture is missing a Mockba decal(blue w gold letters) that should have been placed on the fretboard(players side) between frets 12-24

Cool. But I never have seen any of those?

Original electric components are dated in plain Numbers. (I have '66 and '61)

Janusz Achtabowski · Post by **Janusz Achtabowski** » 21 Oct 2021 10:53 am

Thanks for the information. They are interesting. I read that the standard tuning is EAEAC#E. I am a beginner. Does it make any difference ?

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 21 Oct 2021 12:02 pm

that wood looks like it may be beech.

Janusz Achtabowski · Post by **Janusz Achtabowski** » 21 Oct 2021 1:42 pm

Bill Hatcher wrote:that wood looks like it may be beech.

I think so too.

But what is this tuning. EAEAC#E.

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 21 Oct 2021 1:55 pm

There is no standard tuning for lap steels. The tuning you mention was the first and was nearly the only one in use until the early 1930s. It is a good tuning, and you can use a normal pack of guitar strings.
There is a lot of learning materials in C6th tuning too, and that tuning has more chord possibilities, but you will need buy/make a special string set for that one.

Molin Oleg · Post by **Molin Oleg** » 21 Oct 2021 11:43 pm

http://sovietguitars.com/e107_plugins/f ... p?508974.0

http://sovietguitars.com/e107_plugins/f ... .php?84275

Peter Funk · Post by **Peter Funk** » 26 Oct 2021 11:29 pm

In case you didn't scroll down Molin Oleg's link, here is a MOCKBA in action: https://youtu.be/kmPB-5m_SPw

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 27 Oct 2021 9:57 am

The body shape is similar to this old Alamo lap steel guitar.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=330321

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