All Things Lap Steel!

[lapsteel]

Check this little video from Moog.

http://youtube/RYvPwOitnpc

I want to do that! Damn GAS.

[skullservant]

Red Sparowes rocks that shit pretty hard:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diMHtsrBiR0[/youtube]

THIS

[adrianlee]

Say I had a few hunderd bones to throw at one, what would I be looking at?

[Chankgeez]

Say I had a few hunderd bones to throw at one, what would I be looking at?

I've no experience with new lap steels, but you can still find great vintage steels for decent money. If you shop around you should be able to find a bargain on a nice one. Gibson, Supro, Magnatone, Harmony, Oahu, Epiphone, Silvertone, etc. are all brands that can sometimes be found within your price range.

[adrianlee]

Say I had a few hunderd bones to throw at one, what would I be looking at?

I've no experience with new lap steels, but you can still find great vintage steels for decent money. If you shop around you should be able to find a bargain on a nice one. Gibson, Supro, Magnatone, Harmony, Oahu, Epiphone, Silvertone, etc. are all brands that can sometimes be found within your price range.

Cheers, mate.

[Chankgeez]

Don't be afraid to ask more specific questions if you have 'em.

[adrianlee]

Don't be afraid to ask more specific questions if you have 'em.

I dont think i have many. Though, when browsing, i'm seeing some that have instrument cables connected to them...Is it safe to assume that if they're vintage pieces, the cable will have to be swapped out?

[Chankgeez]

Though, when browsing, i'm seeing some that have instrument cables connected to them...Is it safe to assume that if they're vintage pieces, the cable will have to be swapped out?

Yeah, the ones with the attached cables you'll want to have 'em converted to a normal jack. No big deal.

[adrianlee]

Though, when browsing, i'm seeing some that have instrument cables connected to them...Is it safe to assume that if they're vintage pieces, the cable will have to be swapped out?

Yeah, the ones with the attached cables you'll want to have 'em converted to a normal jack. No big deal.

Got it. I'm watching an airline on ebay right now. its got two days left and is at a decent price. We'll see what happens.

[Chankgeez]

Just looked on eBay. Some of those prices are too high on there. That Airline looks pretty nice though. G'luck.

[lapsteel]

Don't be afraid to ask more specific questions if you have 'em.

I dont think i have many. Though, when browsing, i'm seeing some that have instrument cables connected to them...Is it safe to assume that if they're vintage pieces, the cable will have to be swapped out?

Don't be so quick to swap out that chord. Because lap steels where some of the first instruments to be amplified electrically they often came with an amp as a unit package. If you get your hands on one of those vintage tube amps you may want to try it with the original parts. However if the chord is ragged you simply swap it out later.

For a few hundred bucks you can get a sweet vintage setup. Remember it it not as popular as a regular guitar and all the issues with neck playability are not as crucial on your lap...so it much cheaper to get a vintage lap than a vintage regular guitar. You could also got Bo Diddley style and hook up a pickup to a 2x4 with some strings. Jack White pulled something like this off more recently....either way you can definitely get some sweet steel flavor for cheap.

[Chankgeez]

Don't be so quick to swap out that chord. Because lap steels where some of the first instruments to be amplified electrically they often came with an amp as a unit package. If you get your hands on one of those vintage tube amps you may want to try it with the original parts. However if the chord is ragged you simply swap it out later.

Just a practicality issue, lapsteel. If people wanna keep it stock, keep it stock.

I think in general though it'll sound better with a modern cable than with one of those flimsy ones that came attached to some of those early guitars.

[lapsteel]

Just sayin is all... sometime old stuff has hidden surprises. Regardless, installing an actual output jack usually isn't a huge deal beyond redrilling, sodering, mounting jack plate and securing the jack... Cheap an easy, shouldn't stand in the way of buying that sweet old steel.

[Chankgeez]

OK, granted, he's playing pedal steel and not lap steel, but Chas Smith is one of the most out there dudes on the instrument and this is the only clip of him I can find on YouTube:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plk8H9f69Rs[/youtube]

[MEC]

I've been eying this thing pretty hard: http://www.ebay.com/itm/370616937342?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

I understand that the quality won't be top notch but it looks like a fairly decent instrument considering the price.
As Lapsteel (the person) stated there are far less things that can go wrong/be bad with a lap steel than with a guitar.
This will be my first lap steel and the only real concern I have is that it might suck so bad that it puts me off playing
lap steel for the foreseeable future.

Is that possible?