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Topic: Clean tone Lap Steel Recos |
Nick Guido
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2020 10:04 am |
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Hi all –
Looking to purchase a lap steel somewhere in the $300-$400 range if possible.
Typically, the type of music I am looking to incorporate this into is an Americana/rock vibe. Think Jason Isbell meets Ryan Adams.
I know Ryan Adams and some other americana/rock guys will incorporate a lot of PEDAL steel into their songs as a textural element–which is awesome. And I know that a lot of the pedal steel sound comes from utilizing the pedals and knee levers.
But I am almost looking for a tone that can kind of replicate that nice clean tone of a pedal steel. I've seen some posts here saying that different steels produce VERY different tones.
I also see a lot of vintage models out there for a decent price but don't know what the reliability of them is. Are they affordable because they are in bad shape or just because there isn't a high demand?
Any insights/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks! |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 22 Jan 2020 10:50 am
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It's true that steels come in a wide variety of tonal flavors - as wide as the range of electric guitars, really.
I recommend going with a vintage steel over a modern one. You can get some very nice new steels indeed, but in that price range you'll get more bang for the buck with a vintage instrument. They're not worth a whole lot (at least compared with guitars) primarily because they're not in high demand. The reliability of old steels is actually higher than old guitars because neck issues (action, relief, fret wear, etc.) are essentially irrelevant. If the nut, bridge, tuners and electronics are in good shape, the steel is good to go.
My recommendation for a good rock/Americana sound would be a Valco-built steel with the string-through pickup. There are plenty in your price range and they sound equally great clean or with distortion. The humbucking pickups cancel out noise but sound bright and clear. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 22 Jan 2020 3:57 pm
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Noah pretty much nailed it.
If you’re not familiar with Valco, you’ll find their steels for sale mostly under the National and Supro brand names. Most of them look a lot like this,
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – D G D G B D
7 String | G9 – D G B D F A D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Paul McEvoy
From:
Baltimore, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2020 7:04 pm
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You definitely want a Melbert steel.
Well made but plain and not expensive. Equipped with modern Pedal Steel pickups. Not amazingly beautiful but totally functional and the best thing for the price. |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2020 5:15 am
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Hi Nick. You have a couple different questions that may (or not!) run a bit contradictory. When I think of modern Americana, I tend to think of the vintage steels mentioned- Valco, National, Oahu, etc. Their pickups are somewhat colored, with a desirable edge, bite, grind, or growl when pushing a tube amp or maybe a low-drive overdrive box into a SS amp. David Lindley with Jackson Browne being one of the benchmark tones there. If you’re hearing a cleaner tone with perhaps a 6th tuning, maybe a vintage Fender or recent Chandler might hit that mark. If you’re really lusting after the pedal steel “sound†(sans pedals), you might want a more hi-fi sound like a Sierra or Remington Steel which use pedal steel type pickups.
One of the reasons some of the vintage laps are more reasonable is the popularity of lap steel music in the 40’s-50’s. There were a LOT of them built!
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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
www.musicfarmstudio.com |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 23 Jan 2020 5:40 am
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You need a clean amp with a lot of headroom. Sometimes using a nice preamp in front of the amp can give a more hifi sound. Also, I would stay away from overwound humbucking pickups.
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http://www.steelinstruction.com/
http://mikeneer.com |
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Nick Guido
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 23 Jan 2020 7:58 am Re: Thanks!
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That's a top-end price for that model, but it's an excellent instrument for your purpose.
| Nick Guido wrote: |
| Can you replace the pickups in any model lap steel with pedal steel pickups? And lastly, what type of pick-ups are they? |
For the most part, no. Vintage lap steels tend to have pickups that don't correspond to mass-produced pickups today, either for guitar or pedal steel. New lap steels tend to use standard guitar pickups, but they mount differently than modern pedal steel pickups. |
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Nick Guido
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2020 6:20 am Intersting...
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I wonder would what be an acceptable offer for something like that.
I was also looking at this one: https://reverb.com/item/26072100-supro-1958-lap-steel-w-stand-rare-100-original-valco-sale
I like that the cord is not built into the guitar.
I was actually talking to the guy from Melbert and he suggested a lap steel with a multi-bender. Would that be something I could add onto any of the models I've posted here, or is that primarily for newer lap steels?
Thanks again for all of your insights. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2020 6:26 am Re: Intersting...
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| Nick Guido wrote: |
I wonder would what be an acceptable offer for something like that.
I was also looking at this one: https://reverb.com/item/26072100-supro-1958-lap-steel-w-stand-rare-100-original-valco-sale
I like that the cord is not built into the guitar.
I was actually talking to the guy from Melbert and he suggested a lap steel with a multi-bender. Would that be something I could add onto any of the models I've posted here, or is that primarily for newer lap steels?
Thanks again for all of your insights. |
That's not too bad a price, looks like its all there and those pickups sound great.
Not sure those benders will work on a string through pickup guitar, i think not. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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