What's Your favorite vintage non-pedal Steel Guitar?

Paul Arntson · Post by **Paul Arntson** » 6 Jan 2007 5:54 pm

My head is spinning... I can't decide... help me Mr. Wizard ...
It's like trying to choose between kids. They are all my favorites...

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 6 Jan 2007 6:31 pm

Paul, I just found a nice dust cover for your lap steel!

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 6 Jan 2007 8:16 pm

This is a goodie !
http://freefilehosting.net/show/NTE3NjY=

That is my only grandaughter " Hannah "
and here's how she sounds.

http://freefilehosting.net/download/NTE3Nzg=

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 6 Jan 2007 8:27 pm

Is that really Her playing? She's very good! Excellent intonation, vibrato and timing. She plays very well for her age.

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 6 Jan 2007 10:13 pm

I'd say the same thing. Is that really a little girl playing that?

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 6 Jan 2007 10:18 pm

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 7 Jan 2007 1:32 am

Doug,

How I wish.
She is however learning both standard guitar
and Hawaiian on a Yamaha which has
a raised nut under the strings. She prefers the latter
and is doing exceptionally well.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 7 Jan 2007 1:59 am

Ah... when you said "That is my only grandaughter 'Hannah'
and here's how she sounds."
...you were referring to the sound of <i>the guitar</i>.
I was thinking you had a child prodigy up there!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 7 Jan 2007 12:03 pm

Poll ends late Monday night. Vote now!

The percentages have remained basically the same all week. I’m beginning to understand how election pollsters can make predictions from a small sampling.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 7 Jan 2007 6:09 pm

Crowbear, the Gibson I have here has the diamond pearl thing on the headstock, and the headstock doesn't have a binding on it. The pickup has two huge magnets inside the body. Strings 1,2,3 and 7 have little pole pieces, while 4,5, and 6 have a bar type pole.

This guitar was falling apart when I got it. The top had six major cracks in it, and was coming off the body. Now the top is repaired with epoxy glue, and no longer sunburst of course, just painted black. It actually looks great in blaco, with the white bindings etc.

Regards BILL

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 7 Jan 2007 7:43 pm

I'm voting with Mike Black. My Bigsby is my favorite, though only one out of the three necks is non-pedal.

But what I take to most non-pedal gigs is a D-8 Stringmaster, simply for ease of carry and setup.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 8 Jan 2007 1:36 am

looks like it's an EH 150 then Bill
i love 'em !

Rich Sullivan · Post by **Rich Sullivan** » 8 Jan 2007 3:12 am

I'll add my vote for Bigsby also.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 8 Jan 2007 9:46 am

A brother of mine traded for a Oahu recently, and he swears up and down that it is the best sounding non-pedal steel he ever owned.

Can this be true?

I would like all you non-pedalers input.

Terry Wood

Gary Lynch · Post by **Gary Lynch** » 8 Jan 2007 10:57 am

Sound is in the ears of the beholder. Public opinion and fads sway the poll. What would Jerry Byrds or Joaquin Murpheys take on the poll be?

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 8 Jan 2007 11:41 am

I have a little red Rickenbacker Electro, a pine student model 6 stringer made in the 1960's. It's my favorite "vintage" steel.

If you go modern, the Sierra Laptop is my favorite. Those MSAs are pretty cool too, though.

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 8 Jan 2007 6:08 pm

BIGSBY........ maybe this vote will get it out of the random "Other" catagory.
Todd

Bunky Markert · Post by **Bunky Markert** » 8 Jan 2007 7:39 pm

I think the Stringmaster D-8 is the Stratocaster of steels. It is comfortable to play, has a variety of tones while it has an unmistakable tone of its own. It gets my vote.

As long as we are mentioning oddballs, I have an Alamo Jet, which is basically a pine cheeseboard with six strings, which sounds surprisingly good.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 9 Jan 2007 1:22 am

I think the Stringmaster D-8 is the Stratocaster of steels. It is comfortable to play, has a variety of tones while it has an unmistakable tone of its own. It gets my vote.

I agree! If you like Strats & Teles, you'll Love a Stringmaster.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 9 Jan 2007 6:33 am

My brother also has a double-eight Alamo and it does sound good too!

I like my Silver Ricky but I think I would like to borrow my brother's Oahu and try it out. What do you think?

GOD bless!

Terry

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 9 Jan 2007 7:58 am

As long as we are mentioning oddballs, I have an Alamo Jet, which is basically a pine cheeseboard with six strings, which sounds surprisingly good.

I'll bet that it gives you perfectly uniform slices, though!

I love old, funky steels.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 9 Jan 2007 9:50 am

I had an Alamo lap steel years ago and it had a lot of punch. Another on a long list of guitars I wish I had kept!

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 9 Jan 2007 11:13 am

Having had the good fortune of playing a number of different non-pedal steel guitars.......I've determined that my Bakelite, pre-war Rickenbachers are the greatest sounding of all. They are easy to play, everything falls into place nicely. The six stringers are my favorite.......and I love the string spacing. Slants are an easy breeze and sustain is second to none.
My BIGSBY has been an equally wonderful machine, as has been my Emmons push-pull.
I think you can get great tone out of most of them, if you put the right strings on them; place your hands properly, and, match your amp to the guitar.
Discovering how to get that tone, is part of the excitement of playing steel guitar.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 10 Jan 2007 12:12 am

Just think about what turn this voting would have taken if there had been more Rickenbacher fry-pans made.

Aloha,

Don

Richard Shatz · Post by **Richard Shatz** » 10 Jan 2007 11:15 am

Don Kona Woods wrote:Just think about what turn this voting would have taken if there had been more Rickenbacher fry-pans made.

Aloha,
Don

I completely agree with Don. There aren't that many Frypans in existence, so actually very few steel players have had that delightful experience. To a lesser extent the same can be said about the prewar Bakelites and even some prewar Gibson and National lap steels. That certainly skews the findings of this survey.

I know that many members of this forum play steels with legs and pure lap steels. I only play and collect steels without legs, so I can't evaluate the Stringmasters and Dual Pros. That's probably true of many other forumites as well.

It would be interesting to conduct another pole that would include lap steels only. That would still allow the Deluxe and single neck Stringmaster, which are analogous to the multineck, legged Fender models. Other input appreciated.

The Steel Guitar Forum

What's Your favorite vintage non-pedal Steel Guitar?

What's Your favorite vintage non-pedal Steel Guitar? ...Tone, Playability, Looks, etc.

hannah

Rickenbacker

Mmmmm.... cheeeese...

favorite vintage non-pedal steel