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Topic: best beginner steel guitar |
Anthony Juniper
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2014 1:12 pm |
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What is the best lap steel to start out with. I want to play some blues, but would like to get that country sound too. I wanted to get a Rogue Jersey Lightning or a Chandler RH2, but they are hard to find. Choices are SX Lap 1, mahogany body, single coil pickup or SX lap 2, ash body, P-90. Other choices include Rogue, Recording King, Blue Star or any other recommendations in the 100 to $300.00 range. Your suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks,
Tony Juniper |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2014 2:05 pm
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In the $100.00 to $300.00 range are an abundance of genuine American made lap steels that would be a far better value than most of the newer Asian imports.
Look for any of the many brands produced by Valco in Chicago, and Magnatone in California, just to name two.
Gibsons and Fenders can also be found in that price range if you look hard enough. |
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2014 12:16 pm
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The silvertone with the P13 "speed bump" is another option. They look funky sometimes, but sound amazing. That pickup was made during a brief time when Harmony sourced the pickups from Gibson, I have read. Sorry I sold mine. I got for $80 about 5 years ago off ebay.
Here is a picture of what I am talking about.
http://silvertoneworld.net/steelguitars/steel.html
Model 1319 has that kind of pickup. People are starting to buy those up just for the pickups, though.
I also agree on the Valco/Supro/National instruments, but the string-thru pickup that sounds so beautiful is a little harder to palm block with.
I didn't like the new production Gretsch electromatic. Likewise the Rogue and Artisan are not too much to my taste. Recording King seems fine.
You can also build a serviceable instrument if you so desire. It's pretty easy to cobble together a playable instrument for not much $$. Making a pretty one is another thing entirely, I have found (beyond my meager abilities).
_________________
Excel D10 8&4, Supro 8, Regal resonator, Peavey Powerslide, homemade lap 12(a work in progress) |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Thomas Temple
From:
Florida, USA
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 19 Oct 2014 3:03 pm About 'the best guitar'..............
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I've discovered after a good many years of pickin' and listening to the tales of many a musician, good ones and beginners alike.........
that you can't pick 'a great sounding and playable guitar' for a given price limitation. If it's a piece of junk at any price, it's gonna make anything you attempt to accomplish....sound like junk. That's just the hard, bitter truth! Now, some folks don't know the difference and to them, it doesn't really matter.
There's so much more to having a sweet sound, like strings, pickups, how you pick and what amp are you using, etc., than merely selecting a color or manufacturer or what someone else chooses to play.
When I was beginning, GIBSON was THE NAME. I was
fortunate that my dad purchased me a brand new lap steel in about 1948. It simply lacked the presence or dynamic sounds I was hearing on records. Likewise the amp could not deliver what I needed for playing in a professional dance band.
I next discovered FENDER! All the bands were touring thro' our area with them. I decided on a double neck but found that they made a triple-8 and I went for it. Never regretted that move. Great to play, sounded really good, was rugged and was in the median price range.
If I were you, I'd visit as many shows with touring groups, local steel guitar jams and/or any one of the nationally recognized steel guitar conventions.
There's usually plenty of booths that invite you to sit down and play their best designs.
CHEAP guitars only sound like inferior units. Good luck to you with your decision. |
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Tom Snook
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 6:25 am
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I would go with the Recording King,and swap out the tone pot which doesn't work very well.
_________________
I wanna go back to my little grass shack........ |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 7:54 am
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I think the Recording King is a good option. I bought a "Guitar Fuel" lap steel that is really great too.
http://www.lapguitar.net/for-sale/guitar-fuel-gfesg3-electric-steel-guitar-lap-p90s-sweet/7317/
Also, since you are in Arizona, I highly recommend that you attend the Phoenix steel show coming up in about 3 months. There's a great non-pedal presence at this show. You'll learn a lot.
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Keith Glendinning
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 8:10 am
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Hi Anthony,
I faced the same quandry at the beginning of the year. I'd fitted a set of C6th strings to a cheapo crappy acoustic guitar and played around with it for a week or two to learn the string intervals and really convince myself that it's what I wanted to do. (I'm an old 6 string player with a bit of Arthritis). That fired me up to take the next step and I found a nice old neglected Gibson BR4 body on eBay UK. I brought it back to life and modernised it and learned to play a couple of tunes, Then I made myself an 8 string copied on a Gretsch Electromatic? body. I'm a retired engineer and the experience of making my first musical intrument was very satisfying. I'm now playing both guitars (and Bass) with a very old friend of mine who plays a beautiful Rains PSG and we're enjoying every minute of it.
We played recently at a Steel Guitar Festival here in UK and met a guy who had an SX Lap Steel with the P90 pickup and it sounded great. He played some Blues and also some Haiwaian on it. It's a cheap instrument in USA and if you find learning to play too difficult or lose interest it's not too big an outlay to sell on. But I doubt that you will.
You'll find lots of great advice on this Forum from some of the very best players. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 11:01 am
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The best steel guitar to start on, without spending any money, is any guitar that you already have. Just put a piece of rod between the fingerboard and the strings to heighten them and retune.
If you like what you hear then build your own ! A lap steel is just a plank with a set of tuners and a pick-up with strings stretched across it. The rest is just artwork. I played on home-made steels from 1963 until the 90's, simply because when I was living in England I had very little money and there were none to be had. Music shops just didn't carry them.
I must add that I now have quite a large collection of lap and console steels, which includes Nationals, Gibsons, Fenders, Rickenbackers, but the best-sounding lap steels among them are ones I built myself.  |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 8:23 pm
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There is a site online called "guitar builder" which I've seen but not got into.
Once you build your own, you will be off & running, and want to build more ! ( it's a disease I believe )
The tone or "sound" from a steel guitar is in the ears of the beholder and a matter of choice & taste.
I like guitars made of aluminum or bakelite, but they aren't usually the kind to build in your basement.
(except for Rick Aeillo  ) |
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Luenn Lodin
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2014 9:16 am Recording King - entry level
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| I purchased a Recording King after much time researching and asking questions to other musicians. Since I am new with the lap steel I didnt want to invest too much but at the same time, not buy too cheap either. I felt the Recording King was a good entry level. I purchased it through a music store so when it came in we gave it a thorough inspection. So far, so good. When I am ready I will upgrade to something else but right now this works for me....Luenn |
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