Recording King vs. Morrell?

Brad Howerton · Post by **Brad Howerton** » 26 Mar 2016 5:33 pm

I'm looking at picking up a lap steel to play some rock gigs. I've found a Recording King and a Morrell pro 6. They are pretty close to the same price. I've not tried either and I really don't have that much experience with what to look for on lap steels. Anybody have a suggestion?

Stephen Cowell · Post by **Stephen Cowell** » 26 Mar 2016 9:40 pm

Avoid the Morrell.

Ken Pippus · Post by **Ken Pippus** » 26 Mar 2016 11:03 pm

Like you'd avoid the plague.

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 26 Mar 2016 11:47 pm

I tried a Recording King and quite liked it.

Both of those guitars would probably benefit from upgrading the hardware at some point but the difference is that its probably worth doing on the RK.

+1 to avoiding the Morrell.

Russell Taylor · Post by **Russell Taylor** » 27 Mar 2016 5:06 am

Recording King was my first steel. I've since got a Ric bakelite and a Magnatone. But I still play the Recording King frequently. I keep it tuned to A6. Never had a problem with it. Sounds good to me!

Rick Bernauer · Post by **Rick Bernauer** » 27 Mar 2016 7:21 am

Another vote for the Recording King. It's easy to play (the string height lets you bash it pretty hard for rock/blues)and it sounds fairly good for the cost.

Brad Howerton · Post by **Brad Howerton** » 27 Mar 2016 4:54 pm

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback..

Frank James Pracher · Post by **Frank James Pracher** » 27 Mar 2016 6:32 pm

I played a Recording King when I was down at Elderly's a while back. It seemed very playable, and great for the price.

Dom Franco · Post by **Dom Franco** » 28 Mar 2016 4:27 pm

It just depends on the price... If you get a Morrell really cheap on ebay or whatever, it is worth putting a few bucks into. Pickups, bridges, nuts, fret boards are all available, and fairly inexpensive. You don't have to replace anything if it works for.

Dom

Kekoa Blanchet · Post by **Kekoa Blanchet** » 29 Mar 2016 12:00 am

Good point, Dom. While most of its component parts are substandard, the Morrell does have a nice, solid maple body. If you enjoy tinkering, think of it as a kit: the cheap tuners, nut, etc. are just templates that show you where to install the upgraded components.

The key is to find an inexpensive used one, probably from some frustrated owner who regrets having bought it new.