Lap Steel? Anyone use one? What tuning do you use?

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Lap Steel? Anyone use one? What tuning do you use?

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ratfink5 Joined: Jan 05, 2010 Posts: 50	Posted on Feb 17 2010 09:11 PM Are any of you playing or using a lap steel on stage or in your recordings? if so what tuning are you using? Top
OnoBoy Joined: Feb 15, 2010 Posts: 23 Sacramento, CA	Posted on Feb 18 2010 12:29 AM I used open E and G a lot in the rock context...... I've just recently started messing with C6..... finally threw down and got lighter gauges that compliment that tuning properly..... If you're into C6, get over to the Lapsteel Forum or check out Cindy Cashdollar's videos..... Top
ratfink5 Joined: Jan 05, 2010 Posts: 50	Posted on Feb 18 2010 07:49 AM Mine is currently tuned to C6. I have heard some really good things about Cindy's videos. Her playing is amazing. She plays on the Redd Volkert DVD I have. Top
mad_dog Joined: Sep 23, 2008 Posts: 349 Montclair, NJ	Posted on Feb 18 2010 09:03 AM I've been messing with open E and C#m for years. Finally decided to do it right. Just got another steel ('40s Oahu Tonemaster) and strung it up for C6. It's going to be awhile til this thing sees a stage ... MD Top
OnoBoy Joined: Feb 15, 2010 Posts: 23 Sacramento, CA	Posted on Feb 18 2010 09:03 AM Have you seen Cindy playing on a fairly recent Van Morrisson concert? She gets a chance to really show some great chops and it's a fab band to play off of. I think she's so tasty....... and dare I say cute too? (^_^) She plays a slightly different variation of C6 than the most common CEGACE setup. See her website for tips. Top
Tuck Joined: Sep 02, 2006 Posts: 3166 Denver, CO	Posted on Feb 18 2010 07:03 PM There's always these guys: image The Impacts Except it was Wayne Martin Brown on pedal steel. Dalley's book has another picture from the same set (p. 147), but large enough to see. Martin Brown is just snapping fingers in these pictures, but on p. 151 there is a recent (90s?) picture with the real thing. There's no discussion of it anywhere that I know but something steelish or slidish appears in the Original Surfaris' covers of the Impacts' numbers, e.g., Beep Beep, Steel Pier and Wipeout. And (post surf and fairly acidic) there's Glenn "no relation" Campbell of the Misunderstood. http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=810442&sid=2f3944c896cb9681909d72da0db8c429 More recently there's the Mermen's Amazing Califomia Health and Happiness Roadshow LP with Joe Goldmark on pedal steel in To Be Naked and French is Always Hard (I have always thought that title was hilarious and the song rather nice). That's all for that LP as far as I remember, but haven't listened to it in a while. Last edited: Feb 20, 2010 18:40:15 Top
pointbreakspy Joined: Aug 24, 2006 Posts: 204 Newcastle... Australia	Posted on Feb 20 2010 06:34 AM i'm using a regular electric guitar for slide, tuned - wahine (E A E G# C# E) or Em (E B E G B E) but i don't know what i'm doing, just getting lost somewhere between surf, blues and hawaiian without a clue.... Top
OzReverb Joined: Apr 28, 2009 Posts: 460 Victoria	Posted on Feb 20 2010 07:43 PM pointbreakspy i'm using a regular electric guitar for slide, tuned - wahine (E A E G# C# E) or Em (E B E G B E) but i don't know what i'm doing, just getting lost somewhere between surf, blues and hawaiian without a clue.... bit like me then - glad to know I'm not on my own there! — https://www.facebook.com/lostremoleros/ Top
pointbreakspy Joined: Aug 24, 2006 Posts: 204 Newcastle... Australia	Posted on Feb 21 2010 05:08 AM STOP PRESS! i actually moved my slide in a way that sounded like a Hawaiian moment last night...... and i was sober! might be onto something. Top
elBumper Joined: Nov 11, 2008 Posts: 99 Valladolid	Posted on Feb 21 2010 07:20 AM — the Panteras Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4564 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Feb 21 2010 09:00 AM I use C6, ACEGACEG. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
ratfink5 Joined: Jan 05, 2010 Posts: 50	Posted on Feb 23 2010 10:29 PM pointbreakspy i'm using a regular electric guitar for slide, tuned - wahine (E A E G# C# E) or Em (E B E G B E) but i don't know what i'm doing, just getting lost somewhere between surf, blues and hawaiian without a clue.... I might have to try that one. Top
daveyp Joined: Feb 27, 2010 Posts: 3	Posted on Mar 08 2010 11:50 AM I play pedal steel, tuned to E9 or C6. When I started playing steel I tuned a lap steel to A6 cause that's what I read Speedy West did. Top
hlieboff59 Joined: Jun 27, 2008 Posts: 576 Marlboro, New Jersey	Posted on Mar 08 2010 01:13 PM Big Surf uses a lap steel when they play sleepwalk, excellent... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2dpyrcfyQQ Top
mad_dog Joined: Sep 23, 2008 Posts: 349 Montclair, NJ	Posted on Mar 09 2010 02:09 PM Here's the Oahu. Such a pretty little guitar, I can't get over how well kept it is for a 60+ year old instrument: Top
RobbieReverb Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 2391 San Jose, Ca.	Posted on Sep 19 2011 09:09 PM I just bought a Rickenbacker B Series bakelite "Panda" Lap steel and I am stoked. It's from the 1940's, most likely post war. The tone of this heavy little beast is quite different than my 1950's Magnatone which has a wood body, and is much lighter. The pickup in the Ricky is way hotter, and the tone of the guitar is denser and darker. The Magnatone has a weaker pickup, and lighter tone. Both have great tone, but are very different. I usually play in open D, and sometimes in open E. I'm now dabbling in standard, as I play most of my non-lap-steel slide in standard. You don't access to the huge chords and as many sympathetically resonating strings in standard, but there are some little tricks that in some ways, make it more versatile and useful for me. It depends a lot on the song. The one in this video attachment is similar to the one I bought. Bob — Bob Last edited: Sep 22, 2011 03:24:42 Top
mad_dog Joined: Sep 23, 2008 Posts: 349 Montclair, NJ	Posted on Sep 20 2011 08:33 AM Robbie: That's heavy weight lap steel funk, that Ricky. You're a lucky guy! Here's my steel. '39 Gibson EH-185. Which makes me a lucky guy too, if I could only play the damn thing: MD Last edited: Sep 20, 2011 08:37:13 Top
RobbieReverb Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 2391 San Jose, Ca.	Posted on Sep 20 2011 08:42 AM mad_dog wrote: Robbie: That's heavy weight lap steel funk, that Ricky. You're a lucky guy! Here's my steel. '39 Gibson EH-185. Which makes me a lucky guy too, if I could only play the damn thing: MD You are a lucky man, indeed! That Gibson looks incredible! I'll bet that the Charlie Christian pickup peels the paint off the wall! thanks for sharing! Bob — Bob Top
mad_dog Joined: Sep 23, 2008 Posts: 349 Montclair, NJ	Posted on Sep 20 2011 09:39 AM Bob: When it comes to peeling paint, Rickenbacker wins. I had a late 40s Ricky Academy, liteweight bakelite, with the 1 1/4 horseshoe pickup. That thing could do demolition and pest control. Turn it up (not all that high either), small animals ran for cover and windows rattled. The Charlie Christian p/u can be pretty rude too. Sounds rather different. Sings a little more softly than the horseshoe, more mids I think. On stage, turned up, it feels more like a B3 than a guitar, takes up that sonic space. Differences aside, these amazing p/us we're talking about are legendary for good reason. I'm just happy to have the chance to experience these sounds. Anybody who loves single coil tones should try these. MD Last edited: Sep 20, 2011 09:40:19 Top
zzero Joined: Jul 09, 2010 Posts: 1153 Lillian Alabama	Posted on Sep 21 2011 07:49 PM now, this subject i find interesting! always wanted to dabble in the lap steel thing; this may be a good time to start! i use a strange tuning for the acoustic and occasionaly for the electric. it's---e-b-e(an octave higher than the 6th string)-e(in unison with the 4th string)-b-e. makes a big roar when i use it to mimic Indian sitar music and such. it can be pretty limiting at times but it's the only open tuning i reaqlly know. will work on the tunings i see posted above and see what i can do with them! this will be really bad or really fun!!!! — Enjoying the surf,sun and sand!! Top

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