Lap Steels

sandman72202 · September 24th, 2006, 11:54 AM

Been curious about messing around with a lap steel. I see these artisans going in MF for less than $50..i know nothing about them. But before i pull the trigger i thought i would ask and see if anyone knows of any other good deals around that i might be happier with. I know over the years from time to time i have seen lap steels by fender and gretsch it seems and they seem to sell for not much over a hundred.
Any suggestions or sites someone can direct me too ?

teleman65 · September 24th, 2006, 12:54 PM

I saw this one for $79 and it came with a stand.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...Bag?sku=518801

You might want to try building one.
http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel/

Big Mike Simpson · September 24th, 2006, 01:27 PM

There are so many vintage lap steels out there that I would not consider one of the new cheapies.

Look at National, Supro, Magnatone, Oahu and even some of the student model Gibsons like the BR9...

http://search.ebay.com/lap-steel_W0Q...chiZQQsaprcloZ

Don Miller · September 24th, 2006, 02:30 PM

From what I hear, those Artisans are a good deal. A lap steel is pretty simple, ...basically a plank with hardware and fret markings...no neck to warp, etc...they might not have the zing of one of the vintage steels but they are good enough to decide if you want to go further, explore the different tunings, etc...and at 50-70 bucks a heck of alot cheaper. Vintage steels can have issues with deterioration of the plastics they used....The fender-gretsch-gibson steels are going for 300+ on ebay...

I understand the Artisans have a strat style pickup. I have a similar guitar by Morrell and its fine,,,, actually rather fun..at the price you cant go wrong and its enough to get you in the door and see if you like it without a bigger investment...

They are six string guitars..alot of what you hear in nonpedal steel ...Jr Brown, Cindy Cashdollar, etc is 8 string...so if you dig the Artisan , save your $$ for a good 8 string guitar...which gives a significant increase in chords and voicings over six...

And if you dont like it, give it away and you havent lost a whole lot....

getbent · September 24th, 2006, 02:39 PM

I got an artisan as a present a couple of years ago... at first I thought.... well, this is gonna be one of those "oh thanks" things... a boat anchor that is really not worth even reselling... fast forward a few months.. I was upgrading some pickups on a tele and I thought, "what the heck I'll put the bridge pickup in the lapsteel" (I am such a tard and a snob I'd played the artisan once and didn't even experiment just thought meh... cheap waste) the bridge pickup wouldn't fit and too lazy to get out the router for it... I put the chromey chrome neck pickup in... and as a goof, I plugged it through my JD10 into my champ.... Holy Moses! instant David Lindley! Oh wait, I did put some mondo heavy strings on first like some really old (20 years?) Bill Lawrence strings I got out of a barrel with like 20 other sets for .49....

I've probably owned 10 lapsteels in my life, mostly mots student models from the 50's and 60's and at one time I bought an original fender forrest white lapsteel with legs for a buddy... and while the artisans are cpos lapsteels, those were too... I'd say if you have a cheapo good pickup laying around... buy an artisan and slap that in there... maybe even just wire it to the output jack... I have nothing in the artisan, but I have it semi permanently hooked up in the garage studio for when I need that screaming, barking seal Lindley sound.....

Artisans are not cool. no doubt... but you can't beat em for the price... oh wait, I don't have a dime into mine.

Rich Rice · September 24th, 2006, 03:21 PM

I'd say go for it, get your feet wet for cheap. If you really dig it, then either upgrade it or get an old one and refurbish it. The price on old lapsteels is going up. A few years ago, the average price was around $100. Now they are fetching around $200, the bigger names have already skyrocketed to crazy town, but a nice old Supro or Oahu can still kick butt.

I have two old ones (from WWII era) that I wouldn't part with. I wish mt guitars had their mojo. Killer single coil pickups with massive bar magnets, and old wax condensers inside.. Smokin'...

teleman65 · September 24th, 2006, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Mike Simpson

There are so many vintage lap steels out there that I would not consider one of the new cheapies.

Look at National, Supro, Magnatone, Oahu and even some of the student model Gibsons like the BR9...

http://search.ebay.com/lap-steel_W0Q...chiZQQsaprcloZ

I have a Gibson BR9. Great lap steel except for my playing. C6 tuning makes me sound like a deaf Honolulu Bluesman

I see them on eBay for less than I paid for mine but they'll still cost more than the Artisan.
sandman72202, if you are sure about the lap steel then spend the extra money otherwise try and build one.

kludge · September 24th, 2006, 07:10 PM

I play an Artisan and it's not bad at all. I'd swap out the pickup (any strat pickup should fit, maybe with a little filing of the hole - I had to do that for my Lace Sensor). The tuners are okay, the bridge design kinda sucks (toploading hardtail Strat type). While you're in there, you might want to replace the cheap pots and move the badly placed input jack to where the tone control is, and just eliminate the tone control.

Keep in mind that those beloved vintage National/Oahu/Airline/no-names were the 1950s equivalent of the cheap, no-name Chinese guitars of today! That's not to say that the Artisans will someday be collectable classics, but that the vintage ones weren't really built significantly better for the most part.

As for mine, it sounds good with the Lace Sensor, but I think I'm going to try some regular overwound Strat types in it for more bite.

Big Mike Simpson · September 24th, 2006, 08:41 PM

Gibson Lapsteel Lap Steel BR9 Guitar Body on ebay... may go cheap...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Big Mike Simpson · September 24th, 2006, 10:27 PM

Or you could git yerself a Redneck...

Not necessarily cheap at $200.00 + $30.00 for the big bridge rod.

http://www.lapdancerguitars.com/news.html

Steve G · September 25th, 2006, 04:21 AM

Artisans are alright. Yeah Id love a better lap steel but for the price its great and I dont use it often enough to deserve something better.
If I hook it up to my volume pedal and imagine me a knee lever or two its "take it away Leon!"

Tim Bowen · September 25th, 2006, 05:06 AM

Definitely hold out for an eight string if you possibly can, if you're looking to grok western swing pedal steel voicings. A bandmate of mine of uses standard dobro tuning, as well as an E and a G on top, for his ancient little Framus, and that tuning, as combined with artful use of volume pedal and delay, gets spooky close to classic pedal steel vibes.

A fellow of mine in another band uses a six string with a humbucker, which he tunes to open E, and he's going for more of a super fat Duane Allman thing. He routes it through a low wattage Mesa Boogie amp, and as less-than-fond than I've generally been of Mesa amps, I have to say that this combo really does deliver. For what lap steels do, I've heard great tones with P90's, lipsticks, humbuckers, traditional singles.

sandman72202 · September 25th, 2006, 07:04 AM

Thnx for all the response guys.....i think i may go with the artisan at first.....if i can make a noise that doesn't annoy the neighors or my dog too bad then i can always invest into something more.
But i do love the sound of a well played lap. Local guy around here sometimes pulls out an old fender he calls "stubby" ...always sounds so good.
And it will be nice to experiment with some different sounds.
I'll play around running it throught the twin....VC and the deluxe when it comes in....see what i can make of it.

Rich Rice · September 25th, 2006, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandman72202

Thnx for all the response guys.....i think i may go with the artisan at first.....if i can make a noise that doesn't annoy the neighors or my dog too bad then i can always invest into something more.
But i do love the sound of a well played lap. Local guy around here sometimes pulls out an old fender he calls "stubby" ...always sounds so good.
And it will be nice to experiment with some different sounds.
I'll play around running it throught the twin....VC and the deluxe when it comes in....see what i can make of it.

You'll love it. It takes a while to get comfortable, but if you play any slide that will help you immensely. I much prefer my lap steels to conventional slide.. to the point that when I teach my students how to play slide, I put my tele on my lap- I play better that way, and they can see what I'm doing easier.

If you run into differences in volume due to right hand and bar control, I suggest you get a good, smooth compressor (like a Keeley, but there are lots of decent ones out there) to smooth out the peaks and boost up the quieter notes. It really helps me to use one with my PSG. "Don't leave home without it". I like a bit of delay, with 2-2.5 repeats, to get the signal a bit wetter too.

kludge · September 25th, 2006, 12:23 PM

Oh, when you order that lap steel, get a few different steels to try with it... they're very much a matter of taste, and change your playing style. There's information about bars here worth checking out (the whole site is great, actually). After trying a few, I mostly use a Shubb-Pearse, although sometimes I use a medium-sized bullet. The Shubb-Pearse seems to get the best of both worlds between a bullet-type and a Stevens-type, without a lot of compromise, and the chrome plating is excellent.

Don Miller · September 25th, 2006, 12:29 PM

Everything you wanna know about lap-nonpedal steel...

http://www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html

Big Mike Simpson · September 25th, 2006, 12:31 PM

I prefer the Shubb SP2... better than a Stevens, more weight and a round nose and a lot easier to hold on to than a bullet.

Also check out the "No Peddlers" section on the Steel Guitar Forum... Lots of good non pedal info and many great steelers there.
http://steelguitarforum.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi

September 24th, 2006, 11:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
sandman72202 Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Arkansas, currently on walkabout Posts: 476	Lap Steels Been curious about messing around with a lap steel. I see these artisans going in MF for less than $50..i know nothing about them. But before i pull the trigger i thought i would ask and see if anyone knows of any other good deals around that i might be happier with. I know over the years from time to time i have seen lap steels by fender and gretsch it seems and they seem to sell for not much over a hundred. Any suggestions or sites someone can direct me too ?

September 24th, 2006, 01:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 52 Posts: 1,500 62 Photos	There are so many vintage lap steels out there that I would not consider one of the new cheapies. Look at National, Supro, Magnatone, Oahu and even some of the student model Gibsons like the BR9... http://search.ebay.com/lap-steel_W0Q...chiZQQsaprcloZ __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson

September 24th, 2006, 02:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Posts: 10,172 37 Photos	I got an artisan as a present a couple of years ago... at first I thought.... well, this is gonna be one of those "oh thanks" things... a boat anchor that is really not worth even reselling... fast forward a few months.. I was upgrading some pickups on a tele and I thought, "what the heck I'll put the bridge pickup in the lapsteel" (I am such a tard and a snob I'd played the artisan once and didn't even experiment just thought meh... cheap waste) the bridge pickup wouldn't fit and too lazy to get out the router for it... I put the chromey chrome neck pickup in... and as a goof, I plugged it through my JD10 into my champ.... Holy Moses! instant David Lindley! Oh wait, I did put some mondo heavy strings on first like some really old (20 years?) Bill Lawrence strings I got out of a barrel with like 20 other sets for .49.... I've probably owned 10 lapsteels in my life, mostly mots student models from the 50's and 60's and at one time I bought an original fender forrest white lapsteel with legs for a buddy... and while the artisans are cpos lapsteels, those were too... I'd say if you have a cheapo good pickup laying around... buy an artisan and slap that in there... maybe even just wire it to the output jack... I have nothing in the artisan, but I have it semi permanently hooked up in the garage studio for when I need that screaming, barking seal Lindley sound..... Artisans are not cool. no doubt... but you can't beat em for the price... oh wait, I don't have a dime into mine. __________________ 'never pet a burning dog'

September 24th, 2006, 03:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
Rich Rice Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: In a dream world.. Just ask my wife. Age: 53 Posts: 2,596 11 Photos	I'd say go for it, get your feet wet for cheap. If you really dig it, then either upgrade it or get an old one and refurbish it. The price on old lapsteels is going up. A few years ago, the average price was around $100. Now they are fetching around $200, the bigger names have already skyrocketed to crazy town, but a nice old Supro or Oahu can still kick butt. I have two old ones (from WWII era) that I wouldn't part with. I wish mt guitars had their mojo. Killer single coil pickups with massive bar magnets, and old wax condensers inside.. Smokin'... __________________ Please visit my website! If you are driven to play, you will find a way.

September 24th, 2006, 08:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 52 Posts: 1,500 62 Photos	Gibson Lapsteel Lap Steel BR9 Guitar Body on ebay... may go cheap... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1 __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson

September 24th, 2006, 12:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
teleman65 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 771	I saw this one for $79 and it came with a stand. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...Bag?sku=518801 You might want to try building one. http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel/

September 24th, 2006, 02:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
Don Miller Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Age: 57 Posts: 592 14 Photos	From what I hear, those Artisans are a good deal. A lap steel is pretty simple, ...basically a plank with hardware and fret markings...no neck to warp, etc...they might not have the zing of one of the vintage steels but they are good enough to decide if you want to go further, explore the different tunings, etc...and at 50-70 bucks a heck of alot cheaper. Vintage steels can have issues with deterioration of the plastics they used....The fender-gretsch-gibson steels are going for 300+ on ebay... I understand the Artisans have a strat style pickup. I have a similar guitar by Morrell and its fine,,,, actually rather fun..at the price you cant go wrong and its enough to get you in the door and see if you like it without a bigger investment... They are six string guitars..alot of what you hear in nonpedal steel ...Jr Brown, Cindy Cashdollar, etc is 8 string...so if you dig the Artisan , save your $$ for a good 8 string guitar...which gives a significant increase in chords and voicings over six... And if you dont like it, give it away and you havent lost a whole lot....

September 24th, 2006, 07:10 PM	#8 (permalink)
kludge Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneapolis Age: 43 Posts: 1,025	I play an Artisan and it's not bad at all. I'd swap out the pickup (any strat pickup should fit, maybe with a little filing of the hole - I had to do that for my Lace Sensor). The tuners are okay, the bridge design kinda sucks (toploading hardtail Strat type). While you're in there, you might want to replace the cheap pots and move the badly placed input jack to where the tone control is, and just eliminate the tone control. Keep in mind that those beloved vintage National/Oahu/Airline/no-names were the 1950s equivalent of the cheap, no-name Chinese guitars of today! That's not to say that the Artisans will someday be collectable classics, but that the vintage ones weren't really built significantly better for the most part. As for mine, it sounds good with the Lace Sensor, but I think I'm going to try some regular overwound Strat types in it for more bite.

September 24th, 2006, 10:27 PM	#10 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 52 Posts: 1,500 62 Photos	Or you could git yerself a Redneck... Not necessarily cheap at $200.00 + $30.00 for the big bridge rod. http://www.lapdancerguitars.com/news.html __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson

September 25th, 2006, 04:21 AM	#11 (permalink)
Steve G Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: LeeK (England) Posts: 1,748 60 Photos	Artisans are alright. Yeah Id love a better lap steel but for the price its great and I dont use it often enough to deserve something better. If I hook it up to my volume pedal and imagine me a knee lever or two its "take it away Leon!" __________________ "He was a drinkin' man with a guitar problem..." http://www.myspace.com/stevegiddings http://www.myspace.com/hiandlonesome

September 25th, 2006, 05:06 AM	#12 (permalink)
Tim Bowen Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Age: 48 Posts: 3,321	Definitely hold out for an eight string if you possibly can, if you're looking to grok western swing pedal steel voicings. A bandmate of mine of uses standard dobro tuning, as well as an E and a G on top, for his ancient little Framus, and that tuning, as combined with artful use of volume pedal and delay, gets spooky close to classic pedal steel vibes. A fellow of mine in another band uses a six string with a humbucker, which he tunes to open E, and he's going for more of a super fat Duane Allman thing. He routes it through a low wattage Mesa Boogie amp, and as less-than-fond than I've generally been of Mesa amps, I have to say that this combo really does deliver. For what lap steels do, I've heard great tones with P90's, lipsticks, humbuckers, traditional singles. __________________ "Everyone is different in how they learn, but for me, it's turning the pegs and just playing." - BB

September 25th, 2006, 07:04 AM	#13 (permalink)
sandman72202 Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Arkansas, currently on walkabout Posts: 476	Thnx for all the response guys.....i think i may go with the artisan at first.....if i can make a noise that doesn't annoy the neighors or my dog too bad then i can always invest into something more. But i do love the sound of a well played lap. Local guy around here sometimes pulls out an old fender he calls "stubby" ...always sounds so good. And it will be nice to experiment with some different sounds. I'll play around running it throught the twin....VC and the deluxe when it comes in....see what i can make of it.

September 25th, 2006, 12:23 PM	#15 (permalink)
kludge Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneapolis Age: 43 Posts: 1,025	Oh, when you order that lap steel, get a few different steels to try with it... they're very much a matter of taste, and change your playing style. There's information about bars here worth checking out (the whole site is great, actually). After trying a few, I mostly use a Shubb-Pearse, although sometimes I use a medium-sized bullet. The Shubb-Pearse seems to get the best of both worlds between a bullet-type and a Stevens-type, without a lot of compromise, and the chrome plating is excellent.

September 25th, 2006, 12:29 PM	#16 (permalink)
Don Miller Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Age: 57 Posts: 592 14 Photos	Everything you wanna know about lap-nonpedal steel... http://www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html

September 25th, 2006, 12:31 PM	#17 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 52 Posts: 1,500 62 Photos	I prefer the Shubb SP2... better than a Stevens, more weight and a round nose and a lot easier to hold on to than a bullet. Also check out the "No Peddlers" section on the Steel Guitar Forum... Lots of good non pedal info and many great steelers there. http://steelguitarforum.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson