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Topic: Steel Rail Guitars |
Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2021 4:41 pm |
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Hi All,
I started recently playing the lap steel and making these stainless steel guitars. These are 22.5" short scale length, and I'm working on a long scale model and a hard case for these.
www.steelrailguitars.com
I also wanted to say thanks to all the members here for posting tabs and links that have helped me learn to play!
It has been challenging for me to learn how to switch from standard guitar tuning to the C6 lap steel, so I started making this web page that shows different tunings and scale patterns.
It's a work in progress 
www.steelrailguitars.com/fretboard.html
Cheers,
Jon |
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Cody Farwell
From:
Sunland, CA
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Posted 30 Aug 2021 4:54 pm
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Really cool to see some new steel guitar designs!
I really like the look of the LED fredboard.
What's the string spacing like on your guitars? |
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John Rosett
From:
Missoula, MT
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Posted 30 Aug 2021 5:05 pm
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Love the legs!
_________________
"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny." - john waters |
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Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2021 5:11 pm
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| Thanks Cody! The string spacing on these guitars is 0.39". |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2021 6:40 pm
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That's a pretty steel, i dig it! Its like a DeLorean...
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Carl McLaughlin
From:
St.Stephen,New Brunswick,Can
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Posted 31 Aug 2021 3:44 am Web page
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Thanks for sharing your web page,i think it will help me a lot.
Carl
_________________
Now have a SX 6 string lap in G,.A Tele plus telecaster, Larrivee acoustic.Also have a Fender resonator guitar with new Quarterman cone and spider,and an Allan tailpiece.Playing through a Fender Super Champ XD,using a little delay on the amp and a Harmonix Holy Grail Echo pedal,set on Hall turned to about 1pm.Just got a Fender Dual 6 Stringmaster style. Bought a Yamaha FGX5 Recently and love it. |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 31 Aug 2021 4:33 am
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Fine looking lapsteel. I love to see new, different builds and wish more guys would share what they are building. I take it you are a machinist? Congrats on your beautiful creation.
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40 |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 31 Aug 2021 6:51 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
That's a pretty steel, i dig it! Its like a DeLorean...
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What gigawatt amp do you use?????
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40 |
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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Posted 31 Aug 2021 7:19 am
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Thanks for posting, the aesthetics and sound clips are great.
Do you think you can go to 8 strings (or more) and keep same string spacing, or maybe spacing of 2 3/8" between strings 1 and 8, center to center?)
also going to spend time looking at fretboard visualizer https://www.steelrailguitars.com/fretboard.html
Thakns.
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 31 Aug 2021 2:01 pm
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I'm working on adding more options to the fretboard visualizer as I'm learning
The stainless steel works well so these instruments have lots of sustain, stay in tune, and there is no paint or finish.
Gene,
I would like to build an 8 or 10 string at some point! I can build these custom for any scale length, string spacing, pickup(s), and volume/tone options.
Cheers,
Jon |
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Jim Pollard
From:
Cedar Park, Texas, USA
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Posted 1 Sep 2021 6:05 am
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Looks AMAZING. I'm especially in love with the LED backlighting. A feature request for the fretboard visualizer - 8 string C6?
Thanks!
Jim |
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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Posted 4 Sep 2021 3:26 am
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Hi Jon, thanks for the info, I'll have to decide what exactly I want for those parameters, scale, string spacing, pickup.
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew |
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Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 4 Sep 2021 7:16 pm
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I just finished this one with a humbucker today
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 4 Sep 2021 7:41 pm
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Jon that one looks nice. Why no tone control? Assuming single knob is volume?
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2021 6:45 am
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Thanks Brooks!
It sounds a little brighter without a tone pot. I like to wire humbuckers and P90 pickups with just a volume control or sometimes straight to the output jack and put a volume pedal on the floor. This setup is simple and I'll just make tone adjustments on the amp or with an equalizer pedal. |
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2021 5:21 pm
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| What is the weight? Looks like it might be a good travel instrument. |
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Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2021 3:51 pm
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| These weigh around 7 pounds. The short scale with a single P90 pickup is 6 lb. 11 oz. |
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Tommy Martin Young
From:
Sacramento-California, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2021 2:05 pm
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Hi Jon,
Trying to contact you - just PM'd ya.
Cheers!
_________________
The One & Lonely Tommy Young
"Now is the time for drinking;
now the time to beat the earth with unfettered foot."
-Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65-8 B.C.) |
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Jon Ward
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2021 6:06 am left-handed baritone
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This is a 28" scale left-handed baritone steel I finished for a friend last week.
It weighed in at 7 lb. 11 oz.
I tuned it to low C6 and recorded a sound sample:
https://steelrailguitars.com/
Looking forward to hearing the music my friend will make with this
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