The Steel Guitar Forum

Any news or new pictures of completed or near completed examples? Audio/video clip?

This might be the guitar you are asking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7leapEI ... e=youtu.be

I'm pretty sure the guitar Alan is playing in the You tube video is a Canopus...try going to the Asher website to see the Akaka model and info...

Retail price: $3180 but my browser somehow does not show a picture of the instrument.

http://www.asherguitars.com/index.php?p ... -lap-steel

Alan just received delivery of his prototype Asher and had this to say via Facebook ....

This lap steel is a winner. I have several in my collection and this one by far is superb as far as touch and tone is concerned. … Might I add that harmonics are easy to play on this steel. I kid you not.

Mine is almost finished! I can hardly wait! I've stopped by Bill's shop when I was in LA to see its progress.

With the exception of the Phillips head screws, that is one fine looking guitar!

I'm a big fan of Phillips ... Do you prefer slot, hex socket, Robertson or God forbid .. Torx ???

I prefer cut-nails.

Taken from Facebook:


Alan Akaka will play his new steel guitar tonight at the Keawe Ohana Show at the Marriott in Waikiki.

Beautiful instrument! Interesting choice for the pickup.

There's a clip of Malie Lyman playing Alan's Asher guitar on Alan's Facebook page. She and the guitar sound great. That kid can play.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10 ... =2&theater

Tom said:Interesting choice for the pickup

I think it was made for the Asher

Liz Williams wrote:There's a clip of Malie Lyman playing Alan's Asher guitar on Alan's Facebook page. She and the guitar sound great. That kid can play.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10 ... =2&theater

Thanks for the link! Great tone and nice playing

Mark Roeder wrote:... I think it was made for the Asher

Cool, it sure does sound nice

Malie is the great granddaughter of Genoa Keawe.

Malei's dad told me that he is a grandnephew of Arthur. I can't decide on the name of her relationship with him. Of course, her mom is Pomoka'i Keawe Lyman, daughter of Eric Keawe, son of Aunty Genoa. I believe that there is a goddess who comes down and puts a spark in some of us to play music. Having know Malie since she was about 3, I know that she has been given the spark. She sings, plays steel and dances hula, all very well.

I noticed just how close the p/u is to the bridge. How would it affect the tone if the p/u was moved say an inch north of it's present position. Would it change it at all? Is there a specific reason it's so close to the bridge?

Tom Pettingill wrote:Interesting choice for the pickup.

Mark Roeder wrote:I think it was made for the Asher

So what is the pickup? From the markings, itʻs made by EMG, though the Hummingbird graphic isnʻt normally on their pickups. Is it customized in some way for this guitar? EMG is not a pickup Iʻve ever run across in person -- what distinguishes it from other pickups used in steel guitars?

Kekoa,
For a discussion of the emg p/u check out this topic on the forum. http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... 88d8e50af6

Thanks for the info, Steve. An interesting choice indeed for the pickup. According to Bill Asher on the other thread, it's an EMG 707TW. So it's a humbucker with a built-in preamp, wound so it can be switched into a single coil mode. Since this guitar is an 8 string model, I assume that EMG adapted the 707TW, a 7 string pickup, to accommodate 8 strings.

I wonder if, in the Malie Lyman clip, the pickup is in the single coil configuration. It sure sounds nice!

I think the Hummingbird logo is a custom addition as it has personal meaning for Alan.

Kekoa Blanchet wrote:Thanks for the info, Steve. An interesting choice indeed for the pickup. According to Bill Asher on the other thread, it's an EMG 707TW. So it's a humbucker with a built-in preamp, wound so it can be switched into a single coil mode. Since this guitar is an 8 string model, I assume that EMG adapted the 707TW, a 7 string pickup, to accommodate 8 strings.

I wonder if, in the Malie Lyman clip, the pickup is in the single coil configuration. It sure sounds nice!

Those EMG's are rail pickups so its possible that its a 7 string pickup thats just wide enough to work.