The Steel Guitar Forum

Thinking about building a D6 console / lap steel. Gathering parts....

What would you recommend for pickups?

P-90 Soapbar
Stratocaster
Humbucker

P90 sounds great, but the one I play the most has a twin rail hot humbucker in it designed for a tele I think cant remember the make off hand but it's some sort of vintage sounding thing. I coil tapped it but very rarely use it in single coil mode.....less hum too. My next favourite is one with a p90 soapbar

I'm also in the P-90 camp ....There is a company called Harmonic Designs that make various pickups ....Click on this link and scroll down to the Z-90 pickups ....I have them in a couple of guitars ....They are similar to the P-90 but WAY BETTER !!.....They are very quiet for a single coil pickup and have tone to the bone ...Check them out !!....Jim

http://www.harmonicdesign.net/allpages/gibsons.html

I'm really impressed with the TV Jones Classic Plus pickup for 6-string steel. Not as muddy as a Gibson humbucker, not as noisy as a singe coil

The Seymore Duncan Antiquity pickups that are wound like the Fender Champion give a great vintage sound and aren't all that expensive.

Harry

Thanks for all the ideas.

I'm leaning toward a design of neck being similar to the Melbert, but a straight neck, without the lower shape.

I have a good friend who is a dulcimer maker who has said he will help me with the woodwork. He may even have some maple...

When buying pickups, would you buy a neck or bridge pickup...

I'm using a Seymour Duncan P-Rail pickup and mount (with switches on it), so that I can select a single coil, P-90, or Humbucker, based on the music ---- or the amount of hum the venue / lighting rig causes... (I prefer the P-90)

Mine is in the "neck" position, so I use the "neck" one, and an Antiquity Humbucker in the Bridge. It's an Asher, with more of a Les Paul pickup setup.

-David Spires