The Steel Guitar Forum

Without resorting to an archive search can anyone remember if there was a Forum discussion on whether anybody used Stratocaster pickups on a lap steel?

If so, what kind of sound did they get from it?

Ask Zane King. He's got a lap steel in the For Sale section with a stratocaster like set up. You'd just have to ask him what the specific p/u's are. http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=263633

Thanks Steve, I'll give the guy a holler.

are you asking if anyone has used a Strat type pickup setup (3 pickups, 5 way switch etc.) in a lap steel, or are you asking if anyone has used a single coil pickup (like in a Strat, or even from a Strat) on a steel?
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the answer two both is yes..

I have a sneaking suspicion the 3-Strat pickup, 5-way switch, volume and 2-tone controls would make it sound more like a psg sans pedals than the old single coil pu's in the old Gibsons and Supros.

I think you'd have a much wider choice of shadings and voices to play around with on a 6-string lap that might tend to blow a lot of hats right in the creek.

And although I do like the George L's, I think the Strat setup on a lap steel would be a better way to go.

i have used plenty of strat PUs on lap guitars. they sound like the are....app 6K single coils. plenty of top end. the body of the guitar, the scale, the gauge of strings etc will add color also.

dont expect them to sound like a strat, unless you have something close to a strat body and neck. i made a square neck for this strat copy body. now this sounded like a strat.

Wow Bill, I'm really impressed with how great that Strat lap steel looks, thanks for posting pix.

Necessity truly is the mother of invention especially comining from your hands. I'll bet its gonna' sound outta' this world once its finished.

I have a 6-string lap with Strat pu's and controls and I can't get over how great it sounds. I have it mated to a Fender Super Champ X2 tube amp with a single 10" speaker and 15 watts output and it gives me plenty of power for venues seating up to 100 people.

One thing I found out is that the bridge and tailpiece have a lot to do with the sounds you get from this type of setup. My bridge and tailpiece is solid with brass rollers under each string and individual fine-tune knobs for each string almost like a fiddle bridge.

I've scoured the internet trying to identify it without success. Closest I came was a Gibson guitar bridge but not a complete match.

I'll try to post pix here and see if you or anybody else can identify it.

Thanks again for posting pics of your handiwork. As a lap steel lover I can appreciate the amount of hard work and ingenuity it takes to accomplish something like that.

Here are some pics of the bridge/tailpiece on my 6-string Strat p/u lap steel I need help in trying to identify.

Did a search on the net, came close with a Gibson- made electric guitar bridge but not an exact match. The one in the pix has brass rollers under each string and black fine tuning knobs on the backs of each string.

Thanks for your help.

That bridge looks like it might be a 70's Schaller model. Here is their current offering http://www.allparts.com/GB-0536-010-Sch ... _1561.html

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You get the cigar Tom...looks like a perfect match...thanks for solving the mystery.

That is some serious bucket list of 6 and 8 string lap steels you posted Tom. Do you build them all?

Gonna' take my time and examine every one of them and if I have any questions would it be OK to give you a holler?