The Steel Guitar Forum

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?

Avoid the Morrell.

Like you'd avoid the plague.

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.

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!

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.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback..

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

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

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.