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Topic: Larkin Poe new lap steel |
Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 9:44 am |
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| Mark Eaton wrote: |
| …oh yeah, the Lollar horseshoe pickup goes for $600. |
If Lollar is paying a licensing fee to Rickenbacker, that would help explain the price. |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 9:59 am
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Half the price of a one of the fancier Gibson Les Pauls...and Gibson has no trouble selling those...
..and like the big flurry of sales of the Road-o-phonic (Paul Instagrammed a picture of the big rack of in-progress ones) when Megan did the video for Paul, and she didn't even use the instrument at gigs....and the Roadie weighs 9.5 lbs, not really fun to hang around your neck (notice in the video Megan makes a big point of "lightweight" for the new one), and had a guitar pickup on it, not a lap pickup...
But yeah, it is a pretty nice axe, if you want a giggable horseshoe lap steel that won't give you any trouble like a vintage one might...
I sold my Roadie and spent this much on my custom Bonham CooderNator, parlor reso with both Fishman and Lollar String-through (like my much-loved Oahu Diana), got both of the sounds I wanted - dobro and lap steel - in one instrument, all I need to bring to the gig now...(if you want to spend that much, check out https://www.instagram.com/bonhamdesign and get exactly the instrument you want, if you'd like to have a one-of-a-kind thing)
_________________
www.facebook.com/swingaliband & a few more....
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor
Last edited by Steve Lipsey on 4 Nov 2022 10:32 am; edited 2 times in total |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:28 am
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
| Ah, very cool. Glad to see Beard making lap steels. There haven’t been any real innovations in a while |
I would love to see an Asher version of this......if he had gotten the jump on this, he'd have both Ben Harper & Megan Lovell on his roster.......channeling the late John Fabian & thinking about this from a business point of view...... |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:51 am
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| Someone please enlighten me as to why a used $300 peavey power slide is not decent enough to be used as a standup 6 string lap steel. Why would I need to spend $3000 more? |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:58 am
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Powerslide? A guitar pickup sounds like a guitar...if that is what you want, you don't need the heavenly, thick, harmonically rich horseshoe tone...I went through that, even the Asher Ben Harper model still sounds like a guitar...nothing wrong with that, just different...
Minimum lap tone for me is a Lollar String-through....Horseshoe even better...I need a magnetic field surrounding the string...
Of course, there certainly are ways to get those pickups on less-costly guitars...a 1950s Oahu Diana with string-through is about the same price as a Powerslide (I got one in perfect shape for even less).
_________________
www.facebook.com/swingaliband & a few more....
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 12:51 pm
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| Bill Hatcher wrote: |
| Someone please enlighten me as to why a used $300 peavey power slide is not decent enough to be used as a standup 6 string lap steel. Why would I need to spend $3000 more? |
I made the mistake of ordering a Peavey Power Slide a number of years ago. It showed up broken. The inside of the body was foam, kind of like surfboard foam, or like wall insulation foam, covered with a thin vinyl skin. Cheap components. True, they’re only $300, but they’re worth $75. Dumpster junk.
IMO
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Larry Chung
From:
San Francisco, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 9:22 pm
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She is a fabulous young player with great ideas and a terrific sound, technique, taste and stage presence, and she deserves to play whatever great instrument she feels will help bring out her music. And she has put in many thousands of hours of practice, performance, and just showing up on time to make it all happen.
While the rest of us are haggling over what a reasonable price point is, what's too expensive or whatever, I just want to congratulate her on having a great instrument made specifically for her. That's quite an achievement in itself.
Did I mention she's a fabulous young player? The future of the instrument, in my humble opinion. And that is priceless.
Kudos to her. (: fwiw, I think it looks amazing and she will make it sing, too, I'm sure she could make a cardboard lap steel sound fabulous, too. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 5 Nov 2022 5:59 am
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Mark Eaton wrote: |
| …oh yeah, the Lollar horseshoe pickup goes for $600. |
If Lollar is paying a licensing fee to Rickenbacker, that would help explain the price. |
It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the case - Jason Lollar a number of years ago was working on introducing his own horseshoe and I don’t recall the details, but I think Rickenbacker’s lawyers kept that from happening at the time.
Still, 600 bucks for an electric guitar pickup is a lot of dough any way you slice it, especially since Lollar produces a number of great pickups that sell for under $200.
Maybe Rickenbacker is making a little money off Lollar, which is actually a good thing since they haven’t built a steel guitar for decades or any other instrument with a horseshoe pickup.
It reminds me a little bit of Gretsch owning Sho-Bud. It’s been a long time since an actual Sho-Bud pedal steel has been built, the only things you can buy with that brand are t-shirts and baseball hats.
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Mark |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2022 5:41 pm
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| Kudos to what Larry posted! Well said. |
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Dan Campbell
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2022 1:06 pm Caladesi Guitar's Stand-up Steel Guitar
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I agree with Larry's sentiments as well--kudos to Megan and Beard Guitars. It is clearly a quality instrument, and I welcome its introduction because it shows there is an interest in steel guitars from the younger generation.
For the past two years I have been focused almost exclusively on designing and making what I call a "Stand-up Steel Guitar." It is a "lapsteel." but since it is designed to be played standing up and not sitting down with the guitar on the lap, then "Stand-up Steel" seems more appropriate.
I also agree with the sentiments about the cost of R & D on a new revolutionary design, the function of which is different from a lap or console guitar. The designer has to take the body of the player into consideration when designing a stand-up steel. It has taken me over 2 years because I have made somewhere around 30 different bodies trying to get the right mix. Fortunately, I play lapsteel so I could test them.
I wish I could send a photo of the newly designed Caladesi Guitar, but it is in the process of being patented, hopefully within a couple months. My design is significantly different from the Electro-Liege and includes important design features. It weighs about the same, depending on the wood used. It can accommodate any pick-up including Lollar's horse-shoe pickup if the buyer is willing to pay an up-charge. It fits my body (6 feet, 240 lbs.) and my grandson's (5'3" and 115 lbs.). Although I don't have an exact price, I anticipate it costing significantly less because I don't have the overhead costs to consider.
I will be glad to answer any questions I can. I do believe the primary customer will be blues guitar players who want to add this instrument to their repertoire. Dan |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 6 Nov 2022 2:00 pm
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Good for you. Post a pic once you got it's patented. I love to see new stuff!
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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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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 7 Nov 2022 1:40 am
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I'm all for Megan's body idea and new guitar. Except the price point I still think is laughable.
With regards to Pickups sounding like guitars - is nonsense.
BTW Barney Kessel liked and Charlie christian liked to use lap steel pickups but they didn't sound like a lap steel.
As for Stand up Lap Steels it's been done by many not just Peavey. MSA 6 string is pretty lightweight BTW. When I had my 12 string I thought it was nice it was so light.
The innovations that players like Ben Harper/Megan are great and fresh and deserve credit.For still keeping a light on our beloved instrument..
But if we are solely focusing on function and quality of build with a Lap Steel Guitar player in mind. I think there are without a doubt better lap steels that can be had so I don't mean to cause upset or disrespect craftsmanship. I'm only stating the obvious.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2022 6:22 am
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$3200 for a custom guitar built to an individual's specs is arguably reasonable.
However, if they are going to be producing these for general retail sale, most of the costs of producing the first one, aren't there for the 2nd and subsequent builds. To ask $3200 for a production lap steel guitar seems a bit excessive. I'm not clear from this discussion whether that's the case or not. |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 8 Nov 2022 8:50 am
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Guys- have you looked at the price of top of the line Beard resonators??? Huh??
Worth every penny - for certain. This is right in line (and I am decidedly a cheap SOB like Jack Benny!).
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Kevin Maul: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Decophonic, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 8 Nov 2022 9:05 am
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| Quote: |
| Guys- have you looked at the price of top of the line Beard resonators??? |
Exactly what I was thinking. Every instrument I've purchased from Beard has been $3,200 PLUS. No one is complaining about Dobros.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 8 Nov 2022 4:02 pm
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I think in another thread we talked / surmised about her new white non-Panda Panda, when it started showing up at gigs. I assumed, quite incorrectly, that they had likely pilfered the black-finished horseshoe from an old model 59 or other cheaper stamped metal type Rick that had that painted or finished pickup on it. Turns out its a Lollar after all! That's where a decent amount of the price is tied up! Obviously if the idea was to make more than just the one guitar for Megan, they had to source a supply of em.
I also was a little taken aback by the choice of poplar, only because it -signifies- cheapness to gear-obsessed musicians...like a Mexican strat vs the higher-class ash and alder ones. But knowing this was a custom guitar intended for a specific musician, lightness was a key requirement, and the instrument was finished in a solid color, it makes sense...particular in light of the fact that the musician in question's former main instrument was made out of...Bakelite? The heavy plastic they made telephones out of? We're not talking about someone who obsesses over this-tonewood-vs-that-tonewood. But I find it interesting that they went for poplar just because of how marketing works, that people might associate "cheap" even though it is a perfectly reasonable choice for a solidbody instrument.
As someone who became a big fan of LP years ago (still love their early stuff the best, dunno why) I'm happy they're making it, although it isn't for me. Heck, I even play the electric bass sitting down (hat tip to the incredible Sam Wilkes for paving the way there). As often as the airlines seem to lose their guitars in international travel, it made sense to get something new-built rather than depending on a single handbuilt panda rig and a steadily diminishing supply of the pandas themselves! They swing through KC in January, we'll catch them in concert then.
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 8 Nov 2022 5:15 pm
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| Quote: |
| that people might associate "cheap" |
The same argument was discussed when the Beard MA came out using laminated plywood instead of tone wood like scheerhorns. But in reality the MA sounded just as good, if not better, then anything else on the market and has continued to both sell well and be surprisingly consistent.
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Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 15 Nov 2022 3:36 pm
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Not 100% on topic, but in lieu of creating another Larkin Poe thread, they just released their latest album Blood Harmony, which I listened to today. If you've followed them for a while this is a solid continuation of their current trend...high energy southern-fried bluesrock with lapsteel, and the album as a whole feels like something that was basically written to translate directly to their live shows. For fans like me that liked their live Audiotree release "Might As Well Be Me", it gets a proper studio recording treatment here (though still very "live" feeling). It's a safe bet the Beard is all over that album.
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Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Bruce Johnson
From:
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2022 5:21 pm Megan Lovell had a dream; I had a nightmare.
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Introducing the Bizarro-Liege:
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