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Topic: Steeltronics in a Lap Steel |
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 5 Jun 2021 4:12 am |
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The guitar is a Georgeboards. It was the result of a brief George foray into importing Asian guitars and upgrading them. It has a couple of features that attracted me (long 25.5" scale and two pickups). George has told me that he was totally not into this idea any more (cheap imports). Picking it up used here on the forum, the pickups sounded fine but it was a perfect platform to experiment. So I did.
The pickup is a B6 from
https://www.steeltronics.com/
Scott also demoed for me an S6 which is based on the Supro split coil. Very very tempting but the B fit what I was looking for, by a hair.
Anyone with experience with string-thru's probably knows that yes, they can be in the way. I am virtually a brand new lap steel player and I haven't decided how I feel about this yet.
I will not be recording any sound samples for the time being. Maybe later when I can drive this guitar a little more confidently.
In a few minutes of playing time yesterday, it is big and pretty bright.
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 5 Jun 2021 4:20 am
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On a different subject, what I came up with to deal with a slippery, slide-off-the-lap back is this stuff from Lowes or HD. The adhesive is not very aggressive -- I'm pretty sure it won't mar the finish (but I won't swear). It will not endure a lot of abuse but the stuff is cheap and the roll is enough to redo this a dozen times at least. It is a very thin foam and I've found that it's all I need. What you see here seems to be perfect. However it is only home tested, so far.
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 5 Jun 2021 5:29 am
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Another thing to add -- in conversation about this guitar with George Piburn, I mentioned my intention to try the Steeltronics. Turns out he's way ahead of me and has been using them in some of his guitars.
https://reverb.com/brand/georgeboards |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2021 8:17 pm
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Cool mods Jon!
_________________
"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Chase Brady
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2021 3:50 am
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| Aren't these essentially single coil? Do they pick up electronic "hum" like most single coils? |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 7 Jun 2021 4:13 am
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Yes, it is single coil, same as the P90 on the neck. I haven't exposed it yet to rough electro fields to see how it behaves. All single coil pickups are susceptible to hum but some can resist better than others. Scott's Z pickups are SC but are unusually quiet by nature of their design (I can attest). Maybe he will see this and can comment on whether the string-thru design is quieter than standard pole piece pickups.
We've spoken, btw, and he says that he can wind this heavier, if I should have concerns about brightness. I spent a couple of hours playing it yesterday and my current thinking is that it is NOT too bright and the tone control can roll it back some if I should want to. Brightness or shimmer is not something that you can add to a darker sound. So I expect that I am going to keep this as it is. |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 7 Jun 2021 9:49 am
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The B6 has about the same noise level as a P90 or a typical steel guitar pickup like a Truetone or my CE Series, at least in my music room, this can vary. Noise is related to both the coil and the magnetic field, and the string through has about the same noise as the pole piece design for me. There is a hum component and a buzz component to single coil noise and I would add the string through has very little hum but the buzz seems about the same as other single coils since that is a coil only related phenomenon. The Z Series is single coil but somewhat quieter due to the compactness of the magnetic field and the shielding effect of the magnet rows.
I do have a split coil string through I am calling the S6, this pickup is similar to the vintage Supro split coil in concept, but I am using the same neodymium magnets as on the B6 so the magnetic field is quite a bit stronger than either the vintage Supro or horseshoe pickups.
Here is a pic of the S6 in P90 size mount on a Rukavina lap steel.
Also here are a couple of sound files that compare the B6 and S6, its the same lap steel, signal chain, and song, with the only difference being the pickup change. The S6 is a bit fatter and not quite as responsive as the B6, but it is humbucking and very quiet.
https://soundcloud.com/user-643102402/b6-demo-instrumental-012121-1644-eq
https://soundcloud.com/user-643102402/s6-demo-021921-1644-eq_mp3
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com
Last edited by Scott Swartz on 7 Jun 2021 6:00 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2021 1:06 pm
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Got a B6 in one of George's newer lap steels......this is Blue Lagoon #1.
Currently, it's my favorite steel pickup, far and away. Super balanced and clear, but not thin.
As to noise......not as quiet as a full humbucker......but not nearly as noisy as a P90 or Truetone. Here's a video with a bunch of effects, sitting right in front of my computer monitor. By comparison, I simply can NOT record my single coil Strat or Tele, sitting right there.
https://www.facebook.com/jimfog/videos/10222845716626911 |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 7 Jun 2021 3:36 pm
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Any idea when the S6 will be listed on the site?
_________________
Duesenberg Fairytale
1949 Supro Supreme
1950 National New Yorker
2008 Highland Baritone Weissenborn
2020 Highland New Yorker.
2020 Highland Mohan Veena
2021 Highland Weissencone |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 7 Jun 2021 5:54 pm
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Jeff,
I just got the website modified and will also post a separate thread on the S6.
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2021 6:52 am
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A while back I installed a Steeltronics pickup in my Sierra S-8. These pickups are made specially for the Sierras and it is a drop-in fit.
It definitely improved the tone. To my ears, it sounds as good as a Sierra can possibly sound.
Thanks Scott for making all these pickups available. |
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Jamie Mitchell
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 8 Jun 2021 9:21 am
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| how close do these pickups come to the actual, original string-through ones? I have a few of the Supro pickups, and I would love to have an easy, and not super expensive, drop-in for guitars. same with the Rick pickup. |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 8 Jun 2021 11:01 am
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Jamie, the B6/S6 footprint is smaller than a Supro pickup so that could work with an adapter plate, however the B6/S6 requires a 5/8 - 7/8 deep rout below the top surface see diagram below.
On Jon Light's pickup there is 1-1/4 from bottom of rout up to the strings, and that is about the minimum that the B6 needs for the P90 mount.
I do not have exact dimensions on horseshoes but from what I tell from pics its quite a bit shallower than the B6 and would have the same depth issue.
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Jamie Mitchell
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 9 Jun 2021 1:32 pm
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Thanks for the reply Scott.
I’ll be in touch, might be interested i picking up (pun intended) one of each! |
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Steve Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, GA
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 17 Jun 2021 6:51 pm
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Steve, I do not currently own a Rick with original horseshoe pickup, so I cannot compare directly. However I can say the magnetic field of the B6 and S6 are about 50% stronger (350 gauss vs 200-225 gauss) than a Rick, and the B6 and S6 are wound with more turns than Rick. The Ricks are known to be fairly bright without tone control applied, whereas the B6/S6 are more balanced, especially when playing through modern and brighter amps. The Valco field strength is maybe 150 gauss, so less than half of the S6. The tone becomes faster and snappier and a bit brighter as the field strength increases, but the coil wind and other factors matter also as far as overall tone we perceive.
A rough comparison for the B6/S6 might be a very high definition P90, with tighter and brighter lows, smoother and clearer highs, and faster transient response than a P90. But the overall tonal balance is sort of like a P90, and you would likely set you amp the same. I voiced the B6 and S6 as close as possible, of course the split coils of the S6 does affect the tone a bit but I adjusted for that as much as possible.
I will get a distorted S6 mp3 together played over the same Little Wing backing track but it will be a bit, my recording computer just blew the motherboard a couple days ago, and I have a big project rebuilding the computer and loading all the software, VSTs, etc.
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 18 Jun 2021 3:42 pm
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Steve, Scott, et al......
For the heck of it, I just did a quick video of my Supro Streamliner and my Georgeboards with Steeltronics B6, with gain. I couldn't crank my amp enough without my wife kicking me out, so I used a pedal.
Couple things.
I'm much more comfortable in this style on E vs C6....so cut me some slack! 
I kept this Supro because the pickup is the best sounding and most balanced one I've played......so it's a good example.
You'll notice more noise with the B6, since it's a single-coil. But, I'm RIGHT in front of my computer monitor, and with a volume pedal, I've had no issue gigging or recording.
The B6 has a lot more level, clarity and string definition. I think it's great, and prefer it both clean AND dirty.....but if it's too bright for you, the tone control is your friend.
See what you think.
https://youtu.be/pWvXMRCFPug
Last edited by Jim Fogarty on 18 Jun 2021 8:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Steve Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, GA
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Posted 18 Jun 2021 6:26 pm
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Thanks for the vid Jim, nice playing! The Supro PU definitely sounds a little rawer and thicker, while the B6 has a little more clarity and natural compression. I'm kicking around the idea of either getting a new build with a Lollar Horseshoe or B6 or something else similar, or getting a Rick Panda...of course I need another steel like I need a hole in the head, lol!
_________________
Zoom/Skype/Facetime lessons available http://www.atlanta-guitar-lessons.com
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/SingingStringsMusic?feature=mhee |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 19 Jun 2021 9:04 am
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Thanks for the video, Jim! I think is nicely representative of the B6 tone, lots of clarity, nice bright low strings, smooth on the high strings.
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 20 Jun 2021 4:18 pm
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Thanks for the video, Jim! I think is nicely representative of the B6 tone, lots of clarity, nice bright low strings, smooth on the high strings.
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2021 8:13 pm
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You're welcome, Scott!!
Also.......You're welcome, Scott!!!
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