Possible to buy a Guit-Steel (junior brown guitar)

Ben Godard · Post by **Ben Godard** » 27 Aug 2016 12:39 pm

Is it possible to purchase q guit steel like junior brown has? I know his was custom built but I thought after twenty some years of him playing one that maybe someone out there may build them for the public if requested. For a price of course.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 27 Aug 2016 12:53 pm

For a hefty price, indeed. There is someone making them and They go for around $14.5K!

http://www.stevensguitars.com/models/guit-steel/

Bob Fraser · Post by **Bob Fraser** » 27 Aug 2016 12:55 pm

I think his (Junior's) website sells them.

Ben Godard · Post by **Ben Godard** » 27 Aug 2016 4:02 pm

Holy Cow. I can buy three steels for that much. Guess I won't be getting one after all

Thanks

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 27 Aug 2016 4:33 pm

Attaboy.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 27 Aug 2016 4:42 pm

Just a suggestion: check w/Loni Specter www.lapdancerguitars.com or Ted Smith of Melobar guitars about building something similar? Ted is a member here. Contact info in this post: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 27 Aug 2016 4:52 pm

When I get good enough to play like Junior Brown, I'll find a way to buy one. Looks like I'll have plenty of time to save up.

Jeff Metz Jr. · Post by **Jeff Metz Jr.** » 28 Aug 2016 4:33 am

Not the exact same design but I do know that RAM GUITARS builds a lap steel and guitar combo. very reasonably priced at that!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 28 Aug 2016 4:51 am

http://www.ramguitars.com/RAM_Guitars/DoubleBarrel.html

$2499+ stand, case & shipping. More a Gibson-type steel than a Fender-type like Junior's

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 28 Aug 2016 5:02 am

While it's obviously NOWHERE NEAR the quality of the aforementioned guitars . . . I picked this one up on Ebay for under $300, with a hard-shell case. It's neat to play around on, just for the coolness factor of having a guit-steel.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 28 Aug 2016 5:55 am

I've seen a RAM Double Barrel at this years TSGA Jamboree, and Marc makes a top-shelf instrument. With case and stand, it comes in at just shy of $3000, and is totally worth the money considering the workmanship and design. Too inexpensive, almost.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 28 Aug 2016 6:01 am

I keep thinking I'd probably drop my bar all the time, trying to play steel almost vertically. What do you think? Stevens bar? Junior uses a bullet, I believe.

Chase Brady · Post by **Chase Brady** » 28 Aug 2016 8:04 pm

I have a five string electric mandolin. I haven't done this on stage, but something I've toyed around with at home is putting a lap steel on a stand and using the mandolin along with it on a strap. It actually works pretty well. The mandolin is small enough that I can slide it around so that it rides on my hip when I'm playing the steel - completely out of the way. When I play the mando, all I have to do is step back and I'm clear of the steel.
I'll bet someone out there makes a quality travel guitar or maybe an electric equivalent of the old Tacoma Papoose you could do the same thing with.

Matt Berg · Post by **Matt Berg** » 28 Aug 2016 8:14 pm

Man that Double Barrel looks sweet with the CC pickups. I don't understand how you play the fretted guitar in a totally horizontal position.

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 29 Aug 2016 3:56 am

Matt..Search for any available videos by Jeff Healey or Thumbs Carlisle, both played their six strings on their laps and fretted them with their fingertips much as a keyboard player.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 29 Aug 2016 4:02 am

Well, Junior plays both necks more vertically, not horizontally. The question, IMHO, is how to play the steel guitar vertically without dropping you bar!

Cartwright Thompson · Post by **Cartwright Thompson** » 29 Aug 2016 5:55 am

Actually, Junior plays diagonally, using a music stand that faces the audience. It's kind of splitting the difference between horizontal and vertical. He doesn't use a guitar strap. It's a pretty cool solution.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 29 Aug 2016 7:39 am

Yeah, a lot of people don't even notice that the guitar is on a stand.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 29 Aug 2016 7:43 am

Cartwright Thompson wrote:Actually, Junior plays diagonally, using a music stand that faces the audience. It's kind of splitting the difference between horizontal and vertical. He doesn't use a guitar strap. It's a pretty cool solution.

True. Looks like about a 30 degree angle...

Matt Berg · Post by **Matt Berg** » 29 Aug 2016 11:52 am

Junior's position looks very natural. As for playing a guitar in your lap, I think we've established here that that has some proponents using bars as well as fingers. Holding a guitar totally parallel to the ground and your body (on the other axis), not so much....

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 29 Aug 2016 12:16 pm

Have you seen his latest invention - the guit=pedalsteel...

Ted Smith · Post by **Ted Smith** » 29 Aug 2016 5:05 pm

Jerry brought it up so here's the Melobar Telobar link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7tJnjxVfYk
One in the works now; $1,650 MIM Tele on top and tele-melobar 24.5 on the bottom. Fun stuff to play.

Ted Smith · Post by **Ted Smith** » 5 Dec 2016 3:27 pm

good video posted recently of the Tel-O-bar double neck, in stage use, by Dean Black, this is an early model before the donor top guitar and the tighter spacing between the necks, but it still shows how it plays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O3uqISxo9o

David M Brown · Post by **David M Brown** » 5 Dec 2016 6:06 pm

I never understood why Junior didn't just use an A-B switcher...or 2 amps...I never saw any advantage to attaching the steel to the guitar.

Well, it sure worked for him, though.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 5 Dec 2016 6:09 pm

Well he follows a guitar solo quickly with a steel solo and vice versa, so this allows for faster switching than having to pick up and put down a guitar. I know cuz that's what I have to do and it ain't much fun...