Hi, David, I've sold quite a few of the Fouke Industrials over the last several years. They seem very consistent in tone and build quality, most people including non-steelers are knocked out by the looks...
I think the basic tone would be a love-it-or-hate-it deal for most players. They have their own unique tone, with sort of a "squonk" or midrange bite to the attack, I think because of the aluminum construction and hollow body. The body also contributes to the feel or "response" to picking, which resembles a small resonator or hollow body lap (which of course they are!), where you can feel the vibration of the strings more than some solid bodies.
I would describe the sustain as medium, compared to the longer sustain of, say, a vintage Ric or Sierra. There seems to be a greater tonal variation with a change in pickups than there is with solid-body laps, for instance between Lollar and Truetone pickups on the 8 string models. I would say the sustain characteristic brings the overall "clean" sound closer to a vintage Fendery vibe for country compared to a solid body like a Melobar.
All in all a unique feel and tone unlike any other lap guitar I've played.
Fouke has been making a special design for me with scale length, string width and height similar to a modern acoustic reso, which makes them very easy to switch off to for dobro players, and I think enhances the already great feel of these neat guitars.
I think they're very well suited for rock and blues styles, as well as having a tasty and individualistic tone for more traditional cleaner playing.
More pics and info: http://www.markvanallen.com/store_electric_lap_steels.html [This message was edited by Mark van Allen on 24 December 2006 at 03:27 PM.]
