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Topic: new lap steel adventure for me |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2021 2:58 pm |
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my next adventure with the lap steel guitar will be exploring the standard 6 string guitar tuning E A D G B E. i posted a tune the other day using standard guitar tuning and it turned out just fine, so i am going to apply some effort into what i can come up with using the underarm guitar tuning. i still have my other guitars that are 12 and 14 strings tuned leavitt, but i will be taking a break from those. i will continue to post some old leavitt recordings for those interested.
i am well into making a new 6 string lap....BUT....i have decided to add some palm levers to it....why???...well at this juncture of my playing life i am not going to be able to spend the time needed to master slants. maybe if i was 30 i might, but not at 70+. so this is a choice of my own....and i am not advising others to add palms and do less slants. i will actually HAVE to do some slanting, so i will be working some on slants, just not totally depending on them. also in thinking about what i can do with the palm levers, i pretty much found that a good slanting technique could accomplish about the same thing, so i do not envision coming up with anything that cant be played on a non palm lever guitar using slants. the only thing unique will the the lower on string 4 if i can get that working.
my guitar will have two hipshot palm benders on the high E and B pulling up 1/2 step and a hipshot hiplever..that now on a lapsteel works so nicely as a RKR knee lever pulling G up 1/2 step. the 4th string D will have a LOWER! hipshot does not offer a palm lower, so i decided to just make one myself. here is a youtube video of my palm lower as is it right now...just a simple prototype. i just wanted to see if my design works good enough to refine. it does! i have no stop screws on it right now. they will be added later. i am going to try to make it function as a half stop....thats the ability to go 1/2 step and then if needed go 1/2 step more. pedal steels have those on single strings if desired. just the 1/2 step lower gives a beautiful 7/9 chord. 1/2 step more down gives a beautiful minor 9th chord. notice the stainless steel handle...its just the handle from a 50cent thrift store kitchen utensil! lol i have to decide if i want to add an axle support to the end of the axle. a free floating axle with pulling pressure on the end can bind and just a simple piece of aluminum angle with a hole drilled in it for the axle end to go through would make the unit function easier/smoother, but i am going to see if i can do without it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VztAko0sGAg
so stay tuned for whatever i come up with. guitar should be done in a month or so. |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 1 Jun 2021 4:12 pm
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Good luck with this Bill. I will be listening for it. I like the little demo with the lever. Great!
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Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 1 Jun 2021 4:30 pm
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Tommy Morrell did this with a pedal steel guitar tuned to standard guitar with a few other strings thrown in. Johnny Case told me all about it, saying that he recorded with it on a Willie Nelson record, I think Lucky Old Sun.
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http://www.steelinstruction.com/
http://mikeneer.com |
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Rob DiStefano
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2021 3:32 pm
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I'm with ya, Bill, and I have a Certano on order. 
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Cavalier Pickups |
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