The Steel Guitar Forum

Folks; I'm in the process of building myself a replica Gibson EH150 lap steel guitar. Where can I get a pickup that is capable of producing a vintage tone without breaking the bank? I know that a vintage amp is pretty much required and that tone is "all in the fingers". I will be on the hunt for a suitable amp.

Or a cheaper, Korean-made alternative:

https://reverb.com/item/14504478-premiu ... eck-pickup

After all the effort put into building your guitar, you might want to spring for the Lollar though.

Where'd you get the templates? Is it a kit?

Bill Sinclair wrote:Or a cheaper, Korean-made alternative:

After all the effort put into building your guitar, you might want to spring for the Lollar though.

Where'd you get the templates? Is it a kit?

I got the plan from johnanthonyguitars.com Last winter I bought a really nice piece of 1/8" thick flamed maple from a local guy who was selling some wood. He had this piece cut out for a project that he gave up on. It is big enough for this Gibson replica. I'll use it for the top under a sunburst finish.

I usually make up a kit before starting a build. That speeds things up for me. I scanned the template parts I needed for this one and glued the paper to some 1/16" aircraft plywood I have. That way I have the templates on hand in case one of my building buddies wants to make their own version.

The Lollar pickup is probably worth the cost. It's pricey though as I'm in Canada and have to contend with currency exchange and shipping costs.

Look under sales lap steel. Vintage Vibe Guitar pickups

http://www.vintagevibeguitars.com/index.html

Dennis, my Supros have string-through steel pickups that I really like, Lollar makes one for $265, which I’m sure is great, but you probably find an old Supro, Valvo or National with a vintage pu for less.

For a 6 string lap guitar, all you will need is a P90.. Buy a good one with Alnico magnets, not a cheap knockoff..
Personally I would go with a Duncan Antiquity P90.. There are others that are more expensive, but the duncan will give much of what the original Gibson pickups did.....

The Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90's sound just as good as the P-90's in my 1952 Les Paul, so definitely consider those as an option.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will need to make a decision soon.

I took a look at the SD website. Man they've got a ton of P90 options - neck or bridge, dog eared ones, soap box ones, hot, cold & in-between etc. How's a fella supposed to sort them out?

Dennis Saydak wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will need to make a decision soon.

I took a look at the SD website. Man they've got a ton of P90 options - neck or bridge, dog eared ones, soap box ones, hot, cold & in-between etc. How's a fella supposed to sort them out?

A lot depends on what you are going to use the guitar for.. If you want a cleaner less "gritty" sound go for something with less output.. If you are going to play heavy raunchy blues and want natural amp breakup, go hotter.. They all sound like P90's really.. I would go with a vintage spec wind myself, I don't think you can do much better than an Antiquity.. They are really good pickups... bob

OMG: I built a 10-string C6 "practice" guitar out of an Oak board from home depot. It played nicely, so i decided to add a pickup for fun. I got the NC18 Item# LS6 from Sentell Pickups for around $80, and it is amazing. The thing sounds great - real "woody" and vintage.

Jerry Sentell in Sacramento will make nearly anything you want. He has several different styles of steel guitar pickups. I've purchased several from him and have always been satisfied:

https://www.sentellpickups.net/Steel.html

Good luck with your project!!!

Dennis. With all your shopping, pay attention to the string spacing.

I would build the guitar first, get it strung and see what it sounds like before presuming that X pickup will work off the bat.

Voicing a pickup to the guitar is key.

The pickup you end up getting without checking how your guitar sounds first may not be the better choice.

Like choosing a mic for recording on a vocalist. Many times a gaggle of mics are set up for the song and the vocalist is made to sing through each until one matches the voice and song.

Since you're taking your time to build, might want to proceed in steps.

Any musical instrument is affected by the sum of its parts.

Reason why many prefer to sample a number of ready-made guitars to find one that sings to them.

Although it is fun to build something, the result is never a guarantee that everything will come together. It's the nature of guitar making.

I'll bet even Jason, if you gave him your finished guitar and asked him to voice a pickup up for it, he would listen to the guitar before he decides or even custom wind one just for the sonics in your guitar, maybe taking note of your playing style as that has a lot to do with what pickup will work in a guitar.

Jason talks about voicing a pickup for a jazz guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzn99IH2DoE

As far as woods go, there is an increased industry interest in "roasted" woods. Wood that has been put in a vacuum-sealed oven and the pores are sealed, the sugars in the wood are thickened or 'caramelized' to remove and resist moisture.

They're roasting necks and bodies in all species of guitar woods these days. You can find them at Warmoth, Musikraft and USA guitars.

Even Fender has joined the fray.

https://www.gearnews.com/fender-roasted ... sion-bass/

Some DIY guys have tried putting the wood in a home oven set to 360 degrees and allowed to bake for several hours.


Baked, fried or mashed with your roast?

My. 2 cents.