bottleneck vs lap

mike saye · Posted 12 Feb 2000 2:27 am

I'm interested in trying my hand at lap steel. I've been playing bottleneck for awhile and was wondering if playing electric guitar in my lap is anywhere near the REAL thing. In other words, should I buy a lap steel?

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Mike--a large part of the tone and feel of steel comes from the firm pressure of the bar on the strings--a heavy bar with an overhand grip. This is one of the biggest distinctions between slide and steel. No fret noise. Just smooth tone. The light touch of a finger-worn slide on low action strings just can't get there.
So the answer is, you bet, you want a lap steel.

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

Hey Mike, I also play bottleneck and have just started out with lap style. Love 'em both. There are certain things each is better for, the lap has that cool, clean, full sound that Jon mentioned. But you can fret chords and do shuffles when bottleneckin'.

I built myself a lap steel to get started and check out the Weissonator thread to see what happened when the lap fever really hit me.

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

Mike,
I tell my students in my Lap Steel lab at Berklee that if they can't afford or find a Lap steel to by a "nut raiser"or "string raiser" for about $5 and put it over the nut of their guitar. At least that way they can play it on their lap and have a close approximation of the feel of a real Lap Steel. It works really well and by mid- semester the Lap bug has bitten and they find a Lap Steel somewhere and buy it! The most important thing is to get the right kind of slide. You can't get the right sound with a bottleneck slide. You need a bullet nose 6 string steel bar. If you can't find one where you live, you can get one from Scottys. Check out www.Scottysmusic.com

[This message was edited by Mike Ihde on 12 February 2000 at 01:39 PM.]

Rich Young · From: Georgetown, TX, USA

I play both. Been playing slide for years and only got serious about lap steel in the last 2 years. I can tell you, they are very different. The experiance of playing slide helped a bit, but it's a whole new world. I've been playing regular guitar for 29 years and playing lap is like the fun I had when I first started out.
You can pick up a cheap Supro or some other brand for less than $200. It's well worth the tone. Get the round bar, that makes a hugh difference in the sound.

mike saye · Posted 16 Feb 2000 10:42 pm

Hey Guys, Thanks for the input. I've already been looking around for a lap. I appreciate the advice.

MS

Murray Cullen · From: Irvine, CA

Me too, played slide for decades, then got a 6 string lap, then got another 6 string, then got a couple 8 strings, cuz one was for Dickie Harris sounds and another for old Don Helms stuff, and then I had to get a pedal steel and soon more pedal steels to cover different sounds I liked. So get ready to get more than one lap.

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

Here's a tip:Get an 8 string.Why? If you want to maximize the limitations/possibilities of a fixed tuning on a slide instrument and play REAL music,the extra strings can give you chord extensions-namely 6ths,7ths and 9ths.The inversions,substitutions and scalar layouts that these extra tones provide make all the difference in the world.

mike saye · Posted 18 Feb 2000 10:24 pm

Thanks Again. I'll keep that in mind about buying an 8-string. I hadn't even considered an 8-string.

MS

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