The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm a newbie to this world of lap steels, can you tell me your favorites. Vintage or current models. Alohas from Maui, Hawaii. SB

I love all of them because the designs and pickups are grand.Go check out the bible on lap steels BRAD'S PAGE OF STEEL.You will find that this site is grand.

Each of my steel guitars seem to have their own "personality". I really have no favorites as each has a distinct sound of their own...Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, Sho-Bud, Tradewind. When I become weary of one, I go to the other for a "fresh" sound. I guess that is one of the joys of our instrument, no two sound exactly alike.

Out of all my Hawaiian steels; this one is my favorite for any style.



<small>My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com
Ricky Davis

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 04 November 2000 at 10:36 PM.]</p></FONT>

Currently the Sierra 8 string. It has a lot going for it - tone, sustain, looks, ruggedness and feel.

There are lots of lap steels I never had the pleasure of trying, so this preference is from the limited list of National & Fender.

Ones I'd like to try are the Rick, Boen, Ricky Davis' new one, and some from the Melobar line.

The first time I had the occasion to play a Ric was when my great new friend Wayne Tanner visited me a couple of years back. He was kind enough to allow me to play two different models he'd brought with him. Within just a year, I had one, then two, then only one again....but I must profess, the Ric to me, is like the finest musical instrument ever made, in spite of any short comings others have mentioned in other threads. A solid and beautiful sounding instrument. But,such opinions are like those on sex. What is good, bad and/or fantastic? The sound defines it and is indisputable.

WOW! Hey Ray I was half way out the door to purchase a Ricky, however a quick cold shower really help. Thanks for the tip.

Hey Ray...("Skip") This is supposed to be a 'clean' Forum ! You know, everytime I pickup my Rick frypan or my Rick bakelite, I notice a "stiffness" in my technic. Now, thanks to you, I know the reason!!!!

My favorite is my Sierra Laptop. I've never played a lap steel I liked better.

Do they call it a Laptop? I thought that means computer.

Yeah, that's what it's called.

I vote with bOb. I have a post war Rick Bakelite, which I dearly love. Like Carl Dixon says, they have that special "moan." I also have an Excel Frypan which is a great guitar. But my newest toy is the Sierra 8 string lap steel. Like I saw somewhere on a website. . . it sounds like the Rick Bakelite on steriods! Tone and sustain are unbelievable. Just my opinion.

oj hicks

You've peaked my interest. Does Sierra have a website?

Here you go Scott -
www.sierrasteelguitar.com

My favorites are my Gibsons. I have a 1954 and a 1959. They are the same shape, the 59 is a salmon color with a white fretboard and has a P90 pickup. The 54 is green (was blue) from yellowing with a blue fretboard and a p90 pickup covered by a cover with a gold leaf on it. I don't remember the model of these but they work well for my style. I like the scale length and the sound. The 59 is a little brighter due to the pickup being closer to the bridge. I have a Rickenbacker that sounds good, but I like the longer scale of the gibsons for sliding and emphasis. All of mine were originally right handed, but were converted pretty eaisily.
Lefty.

Lefty,
The gibson that you refer to, is it an Ultratone?
-SS<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Surinder Singh on 16 October 2000 at 04:30 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Surinder Singh on 16 October 2000 at 04:48 PM.]</p></FONT>

Surinder,
I'm not sure. I know it is not the BR-9. These have a lucite fret board and bridge cover, tne 59 has a cover for the tuners. They both have a p-90. The 54 bridge cover covers the pickup as well. I will try and come up with a picture.
Lefty

I have a 1935 Ricky Bakelite and a late 40's early 50's Ricky Silver Deluxe w/gold hardware. Both of them really sound different but great in their own way. The one lap steel that really has knocked my socks off is one that my father built in the shape of a fiddle. He made all the parts (except pickup and tuners) from scratch. I used it a couple of times on Renfro Valley Shows when my family was down for a visit. It is by far the best souding lap steel I have played. Great tone & sustain!!

My favorite is my '38 bakelite Rick. The only thing I don't like about it is adjusting the polepieces on the pickup...really scarey! But I'm about to disassemble it and try again...

My favorite at this time is my Inovator S10. Other than that I might have chosen the Rickenacker.
I built the Inovator for myself, because I could, and installed an L705 pickup with switchable impedence. I can get a big fat sound and a surprising sound that is equivalent to the Fender custom that I once owned. Of course the tweed bassman and twin that I use does help.
I have to compliment Ricky Davis on his guitar. Beautiful Ricky, just beautiful.
... Billy

xxzzz

Mike,

How does the string spacing on the Deluxe 8 compare with a late fifties Stringmaster ?

MW

Aloha Scott,from the "Emerald Isle"

My favourite lap steel is the "Rick" although I find that the relatively cheap Dickerson/Leilani/ etc. type of late 40's early 50's six string guitars are quite authentic sounding.




------------------

Basil Henriques
Emmons D-10 1970
and
Emmons D-10 1970 "Anniversary"
1949 "Leilani"
1949 Dickerson
RICKENBACKER "Olde Uglie" Twin 8
"Fender 1000"

<SMALL>Steel players do it without fretting</SMALL>

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~basilhenriques/

http://www.stax-a-trax.com/

Basil,

I had the impression that Dickerson had been sold to Magna Electronics after WW2 and that there were no post war instruments sold as "Dickersons".

MW

It's a tie: my favorite sounding steels are my '39 Rickenbacher Bakelite for it's lush, warm tone and overtones and early 50's Fenders with Direct Contact pickups for that classic shimmer that has never been duplicated.

In terms of pure design/aesthetics, I feel that the steel guitar universe in general, lags far behind the exceptional strides made in standard guitar design over the last 15 years. Can you imagine a lap steel with the visionary visual panache' of a late-period D'Aquisto archtop or one of the Chinerey Collection "Blue Guitars"?