New Gibson Lap Steels, Coming soon,

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Only six string models will be available at your Gibson dealers, be on the look out.
Rumored retail price is $599.00. Should discount nicely. Lets see,,,,,,,
bobbeseymour

Loni Specter · From: West Hills, CA, USA

Gee. I wonder what they will re-hash. BR-6, BR-9, korina? Something new? I doubt it.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

I find this interesting.

So after a hiatus and total blackout of all steel guitars, they reenter the market with a 6 string lap steel? I wonder if they are also going to get rid of all their other products except acoustic spanish guitars?

Why does the PSG have such a stigma to it that promotes this kind of blatant discrimination? Was traditional country music "that" bad? Here it is 2003; and we have an instrument that has evolved into truly, the world's MOST incredibly beautiful instrument; and one of the world's most renowned guitar manufacturers reenters with a 6 string lap steel?

And did I hear somebody say, the steel guitar should enter other types of music. Well, if the only steel guitar that is going to enter those "other" genre's is a 6 string lap steel, I suppose we will next be bringing back outdoor plumbing.

Sad,

carl

Wayne Carver · From: Martinez, Georgia, USA

Does Carter or any of the other big pedal steel companies make six string lap steels?
Wasn't early country music played on six string lap steels?
Why doesn't Gibson make a solid body electric dulcimer?

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

Carl,
A lot of instruments that people today are encouraged to play, are very portable ..You can grab a 6 string lap and take it with you any place you go... Pedal Steel would survive if there was something that made it different or if MORE PEOPLE would use it in different music....When you see people like Johnny Cash
( may he rest in peace ) who travelled with all sorts of different musicians, it allows you see how many diffent groups of people he touched... Variety is the spice of life !!
Put midi on a pedal steel at a reasonable price, and they will come !!... If more county musicians put a twist on rock tunes using a pedal steel, more people would take notice..What I am saying is that pedal steel players should be more open to different music....I am NOT saying that country music is bad !!...I LOVE IT , but it's not the only music that's out there !!...Look at Robert Johnson ...That man can WAIL on pedal steel...
A few more visible people like him, and you will see the sales of pedal steel sky rocket !
Just one mans opinion .....Jim

Larry Phleger · From: DuBois, PA

Why don't they reissue a 7 or 8 string model? Even Resinator guitars are going in that direction? I would think that would expand their market.

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

I can't believe I'm hearing all this negativity around Gibson coming out with a lap steel, especially in the "No Peddlers" section of the Forum.

I think we should be happy about this.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I personally am elated that Gibson thinks there is sufficient demand to warrant building a 6 string lap steel. I have been building myself one the last few weeks to play some blues/rock stuff on. PSG players who do country probably won't be so interested even though they should. You can play rock/blues/R@B licks on a lap steel that sound much better/more authentic than on the E9 steel.

Chris Lucker · From: Los Angeles, California USA

". . .Look at Robert Johnson ...That man can WAIL on pedal steel..."
So Jim, that's you theory on what he got from the Devil at the Crossroads? I heard that he wasn't really stabbed with an icepick, but that he got done-in by a broken 3rd string.
Chris

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Whenever somone brings up the topic of a new lap steel........someone else inevitably raises the question "how many strings"?
There seems to be a driving force to always have more strings (now, it's 7 or 8 or 10!); more pedals 8 + 4; 9 + 5; 10 + 8;
RV trailers or boats 20 ft.; 22 ft; 26 ft., etc.; pickups 300 hp; 350 hp; 425 hp; 500 hp;
transmissions, 4 on the floor; five speed;
8, 10, 12, 15 or or whatever.
QUESTION: How many of you can really get "EVERYTHING" there is to get out of a six string lap steel? Not too many, I'd have to guess.
How many of you can get all there is out of your standard 8 + 4 pedal set up? I wonder.....
After many, many years, I learn a new "this or that" nearly every day, out of one of my decades old six string Ricks tuned to C6th with the C# on the bottom one. Yet, here on the Forum, seldom a day goes by that someone is proclaiming their ambition to "look into" or "examine" C6th tuning on their multipedal steel guitar.
Where does our minds take us? Something to ponder, eh?

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

It's easier and cheaper to produce non-pedal guitars. This is obvious.

Gibson has many reasons for NOT producing a pedal steel.

1. The authorized Gibson repair shops do not know how to repair the intricate mechanisms that comprise a pedal steel. Repairing a lap steel is easy for the established authorized repair shops.

2. Building a non-pedal guitar can be accomplished on Gibson's current equipment. No outsourcing of parts or new equipment is needed.

3. They are cheap to build and can return a high profit margin (think the Gibson Les Paul family of guitars

)

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

Man, this is great, I bet it starts something new with the Fender RD I hope. Carl, PSG is so expensive many cannot afford it as a first instrument beyond a Carter starter which is List? $699.00 now? 6 string laps are pretty powerful portable instruments and even tho I think Gibson is way over priced on all it's stuff, this is good news. Old country, Rockabilly, Hawaiian, blues and rock all get a shot in the old arm with non pedal steel I think. Right on!

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 07 October 2003 at 11:02 AM.]

Chuck Fisher · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.

this is great news, hopefully it will be an eh-150 -looking 8 string.

I think there is an elegance to 6-sting non-pedal, and non-pedal in general. Its a B-3 and the pedalsteels are like a synth, maybe too-polished. my feet dont work, so I'll never know for sure but this is my opinion and its stickin' to me!

CF

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

This is great news for the steel guitar community and a wide marketing decision on Gibson's part, as Gerald outlined. Personally, I think a beautiful sunburst, guitar-shaped 6-string Gibson lap steel will have more appeal to musicians and collectors100 years from now than the latest U-12 or double-neck pedal guitar. Too bad I won't be around to see if I'm right.

Jeff Strouse · From: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

They probably want to test the market to see if there is enough interest before offering more models. But a six string only? I can't help but think that the person in charge of this project knows very little about non-pedal steel if a 7 or 8 string option isn't available.

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

You can do a lot with six strings. Listen to Sol Hoopii and Dick McIntire.

------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

6 string.......it's a start. A start in the right direction. If it's worthwhile for them, you can bet your chrome bar that there will be more strings to follow.

I suspect that they are going for the young standard guitar playing crowd who would start on a 6 string instrument. Maybe that's where the volume is.....no pun intended.

On second thought, pun intended..

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

If you have your heart set on a new, beautiful looking 6 string lap steel, you should check out the "Gold Tone". I recently purchased one from Folk of the Woods and it definitely is a keeper. It looks just like the old Oahu electric guitar and the quality is exceptional. If I'm not mistaken it was about $400.00
Erv

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Good news indeed

i'm w: Howard R
Gibson's liable to get some new players steelin just like it did w: many way back when .....

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Steel what?

Donald Ruetenik · From: Pleasant Hill, California, USA

I would say these companies are 'following the money'. If they think there's a market for a product at a profit, they'll respond.

This may 'evolve' into an expanded offering if enough new customer interest is generated.

This also poses a dilemma for the average music retail store. Aside from the usual sales person having little knowledge of Steel guitars, the availability of steel bars to play them may also be a problem. A store could 'lose' alot of guitar picks to inadvertant pilfering loaning them to curious customers to play their inventory unattended but $10 -$20 bars are a different story. Those that are in the market for a steel guitar usually show up with one in their pocket. Those that want to try one because they see one hanging on the wall may pass on the purchase and the opportunity if they can't try their hand at it.

Any thoughts on this aspect?

Chris Walke · From: St Charles, IL

Living in a suburb of Chicago, I'm rarely prepared to bump into a steel guitar of any sort. Always surprised to see one, and always kicking myself for not bringing at least a bar, if not fingerpicks as well. Most guitar shops can at least offer a slide to someone who wants to take a test drive, but not usually a steel. The rare shop has a Stevens bar.

Worse yet, if I find a steel guitar around here, the string are usually coated with rust and grime, and haven't seen any tension in years. If I show up prepared, the guitar is almost always unplayable. The salesmen rarely know anything about the instrument.

Greg Simmons · From: where the buffalo (used to) roam AND the Mojave

My old ones are still good enough

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Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website

Loni Specter · From: West Hills, CA, USA

Hi Loni,
There are no initial plans to produce lap or console steels.
Thank you for the inquiry.

Regards,
Roger Ball
Gibson Customer Support

Above is the reply I recieved from Gibson today when I asked about new lap steels.I dropped Mike McGuire's name. He runs the Custom Shop at Gibson. he is an old friend. Perhaps it's a secret and Bobbie let the cat out of the bag. Time will tell. NAMM and new product releases are in January.
Loni www.Lapdancerguitars.com

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Loni,
Good to hear from you. I see you still have this old, left-handed Norwegian's picture up there for the "Red Neck" portion of your site. At least the guitar looks good! ha!
Erv

Chris Scruggs · From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

And WHY should Gibson make a pedal steel? They never made a decent PSG to start out with! EH-150's and Console Grande's are some of the most sought after straight steels ever made. What should they make then, an ugly untunable Electroharp reissue?

If Sho-Bud went back in business and only came out with 6 string lap steels, that would be crazy. But this is Gibson, a guitar manufacturer who made lap steel guitars.

I suppose Rickenbacker should make a D-10 8x4 PSG too, huh?

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