Lap steel - what are the classic models

[ebertius]

Getting the itch... (or is it the GAS?)... for a lap steel. Such a beautiful sounding instrument that pairs so well with a telecaster.

In the lap steel world, what are the equivalents of teles, strats, les pauls, ES-335 etc?

What are the models that great players reach for time and time again for the best tones?

 

[morroben]

There are an awful lot of models out there. I'm new to the world of steels but I would encourage you to check out the Steel Guitar Forum. This is my newest toy. A '53 Fender Dual Professional. One of the many classic models.

 

[gypsy jim]

I like Fender Stringmasters. They have legs but I think they are still considered lap steels as they have no pedals. Checking out the Steel Guitar Forum is a great suggestion.

 

[dporto]

Obviously, Fenders & Gibson's are highly sought after and fetch silly prices (until ebay and a few years ago, you could get some really nice stuff for reasonable prices) for what they are. Rickenbacker is another highly sought after brand and are even more expensive (somewhat understandable due to the funky pickup design and the metal or bakelite bodies - they were also the "first electric" guitar...). Some other good ones are any of the Valco Brands (National, Oahu, Supro and Valco [and probably some others) look for the "string through" pickups on these. The Valco brands tend to be a little less expensive but they are excellent laps. There are also some really good new brands (Gold Tone and GeorgeBoards come to mind but there are many others as well) that are nice. Good luck

 

[Shidoin]

Magnatones and Supros are usually great sounding lap steels.They also came under the Airline and Silvertone labels, among others.

 

[morroben]

I like Fender Stringmasters. They have legs but I think they are still considered lap steels as they have no pedals. Checking out the Steel Guitar Forum is a great suggestion.

Yes, my understanding is that Stringmasters, Dual Pros etc, with legs, are considered console steels. But as you said, they're often considered alongside lap steels due to the lack of pedals.

 

[MrTwang]

Yes, my understanding is that Stringmasters, Dual Pros etc, with legs, are considered console steels. But as you said, they're often considered alongside lap steels due to the lack of pedals.

Of course, back in the day before the pedal steel came along, they were all just called "steel guitars" but now people specify "lap steel" or "non-pedal steel" to avoid confusion.

As you say, the ones on legs and particularly the ones with more than one neck are "console steels" but are the same animal as a lap steel.

My personal favourite are the Dual Professional and the triple neck version the Custom Triple with those trapezoid pickups - Leo Fender reckoned they were the best pickups he ever made.

There are great steels from Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker and others and you can pick up vintage ones in great condition for a fraction of what you'd pay for a regular guitar of the same vintage - you can still get a Fender steel that was made when Leo was still in charge for a few hundred bucks. There are great modern steels being made but I'd still rather get an old one with some character for my money.

I'd say that, at least in the old school country arena, the equivalent of a Tele would be a Dual Professional. If you're playing rock/blues probably a six stringer would be considered the standard workhorse - maybe an old Gibson. Even their student model, the BR9 is a great steel - I use mine a lot.

But there are no rules - any steel can work great for any genre of music as long as you pick an appropriate tuning to use.

 

[nasonm]

Last year I nabbed a '68 Supro with the legs, case & bar for a whopping $60 on craigslist!

 

[Slidedude]

Last year I nabbed a '68 Supro with the legs, case & bar for a whopping $60 on craigslist!

Now THAT is a serious score!!! Beautiful guitar!

 

[MrTwang]

Last year I nabbed a '68 Supro with the legs, case & bar for a whopping $60 on craigslist!

Nice score - it's even got the bridge cover which is ofter lost or broken on these guitars.

 

[Poppatwang]

I've got an assortment of lap steels, and while not the Tele or Les Paul of the steel world, I've had good luck with Guyatone steels.

Another good way to get into the National/Supro camp is to find one they made under contract to regional music stores. In my case a McKinney.

 

[drmcclainphd]

Getting the itch... (or is it the GAS?)... for a lap steel. Such a beautiful sounding instrument that pairs so well with a telecaster.

In the lap steel world, what are the equivalents of teles, strats, les pauls, ES-335 etc?

What are the models that great players reach for time and time again for the best tones?

Morrell's

(link removed)

They sell teles, strats, les pauls etc. too. They know their stuff. They make these by hand right here, so if you want a slightly different combination than one of the regular models, no problem.

 

[MrTwang]

Morrell's

Yes, nice looking steels but I don't think I''d pay that sort of money for a new steel when I could get a vintage (maybe even Fender or Gibson) one for the same money.

 

[jayyj]

Always saw the metal or bakelite Rickenbackers as the classic lap steel, with the Gibson EH150 a close second. My lap steel of choice is a less common Gibson, a BR4. It's basically an EH150 with an all mahogany body and something that resembles a P90 for a pickup. It cost me about $600. I guess it was intended by Gibson to cut a few corners on the EH series and keep the price down in the years immediately after the war, but it's still a good sounding steel and I prefer the classic guitar shape Gibsons to the later Art Deco styled steels such as the BR 9.. I have a nice old pedal steel as well, a ZB Custom with four levers / three pedals, which I can just about fake being able to play as long as the listener doesn't know too much about pedal steel! I never really planned on getting one, it just came up at a very good price and I decided to have a go at it, Anyway, the BR4...

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[nasonm]

Nice score - it's even got the bridge cover which is ofter lost or broken on these guitars.

Yeah, I totally lucked out with it. A month after I got it, I also found a 64 Supro Super amp to go with it (paid $45 for the amp).

I've since sold the amp but have kept the steel because I know I won't find one like that again. It sounds great and came with a Mel Bay steel guitar book from a music store in Bangor (where I live) that closed decades ago.