The Steel Guitar Forum

This is one of three main lap steels I'm currently playing. This one I've got in a Ben Harper CGCGCC tuning for about four songs a night. It's Ben's fault I'm a lap steel guy; heard him in middle school and thought "what is making that sound?"
Chandler makes great American made steels but their pickup is useless for my needs; very thin and Hawaiian sounding


Enter Mr. Seymour Duncan and Voila! So much warmer, so much more rock and roll. It's really a poor man's Asher. Bill makes by far my favorite steels on the market today, but I have to have at least three of these things onstage every night. One day I'll have a few of the real deals but until we get some more radio play, this will have to do.

Neck position pickups are often omitted in lap steels, which is disappointing to me. I love that mellow sound, and with a little grit added in, it's heavenly.

Even on my standard electrics, I rarely play the bridge pickup. I'm more of a middle or neck pickup guy.

William Craven wrote:Chandler makes great American made steels but their pickup is useless for my needs; very thin and Hawaiian sounding

Yes, those bridge pups can be really bright, especially if you run your amp bright. I find the trick is simply to crank down the tone knob. I would say they're probably not a good pup for massive amounts of overdrive. Chandler does make a humbucker version that would be a drop in replacement. You might give 'em a call.

As for neck humbuckers, I'm not a fan. Mud city for my amps and how I play, but to each his own! For what it's worth, I had an import Asher that I replaced the bridge and pups on and while it was a fine guitar, I never really bonded with it so I sold it.

William,
Trying to figure out from photos and can't get it; what fret is the neck pup coil under now?

Which Duncan?

Bob

The center of the pickup is under the 24th fret-ish. Upon further review it's actually a DiMarzio pawn shop find. I put the SD in a different slide that I've since sold. Exact model is unknown

I have an ancient Dimarzio PAF that I will be using. It came out of the guitar that taught me about neck PUP placement: a 24 fret Ibanez Artist. Beautiful guitar that was lacking sonically in the neck position compared to guitars with a pickup at the 24th fret.

Is neck/bridge setting useful?

Next up, hollow tone chambers?

Please tell me that is NOT an option. I have fought ES addiction for years.

Though not for everyone, two pickups can be a lot of fun

.

I really can only use the neck setting because, to my ears, the stock Chandler is just a piece of junk. I'll replace it one day.... one day

I really enjoyed the Chandler when I owned one. It was the too narrow neck width and string spacing that made us part company more than anything else.