Jimmy Page's guitar

[Guest]

I have one of those benders on a G&L Asat Z3.

Only reason was that I couldn’t get hold of one without the bender, I keep meaning to remove the ugly thing.

[BigRedX]

I still don't get the reason why it's associated with the B-string, but I assume it must be a feature of pedal steel emulation and country music - a genre with which I am not really familiar.

That would also explain why (the guitar in the OP aside) it seems to be fitted mostly to Telecasters...

[Wonks]

Certainly just on hardtail guitars. Very difficult to fit to a Strat trem mechanism!

[rockydennis]

Brad Paisley demonstrating his Telecaster which has it installed on the G string.
https://youtu.be/4OKZQSAIiyc

[N i g e l]

Whats the bender like for string wear/breakage and tuning stability ?

[Wonks]

No real idea on the first, but it can't be too bad if people use them on stage. No different to you bending a string up a tone.

On the second, as you are bending up, then when you let down, you are coming back to a mechanical stop each time (not relying on spring vs string tension to balance everything again as on a trem), so that should be pretty good.

[Sam Spoons]

The B string has the 3rd of an A chord and the root/octave or 7th of a D/D7 chord so both useful fiddle keys. An Asus allows bends between the sus2 and 3rd and D/D7 gives you up/down to or from the root/octave or between the 7th and root/octave. Jerry Donahue did it all with fingers (and very light strings) but, for ordinary mortals the B Bender was much easier.

I've always planned to build a lap steel using a Bigsby Palm Pedal* I had but, foolishly, I loaned it to a young guy I knew and he has consistently failed to return it... He has now disappeared from view so I am resigned to it's permanent loss

* two levers on the B and G strings

[Dynamic Mike]

I've always planned to build a lap steel using a Bigsby Palm Pedal* I had but, foolishly, I loaned it to a young guy I knew and he has consistently failed to return it... He has now disappeared from view so I am resigned to it's permanent loss

How about up to 5 levers & a sliding zero fret (easy-shift capodaster)?

Allegedly* this has been their biggest seller during lockdown as guitarists have been keen to try out something different.

https://www.duesenberg.de/en/lapsteels/ ... -lapsteel/

*Guitarists liking something different? Really, who are they kidding?

[Dan LB]

I've always planned to build a lap steel using a Bigsby Palm Pedal* I had but, foolishly, I loaned it to a young guy I knew and he has consistently failed to return it... He has now disappeared from view so I am resigned to it's permanent loss

How about up to 5 levers & a sliding zero fret (easy-shift capodaster)?

Allegedly* this has been their biggest seller during lockdown as guitarists have been keen to try out something different.

https://www.duesenberg.de/en/lapsteels/ ... -lapsteel/

*Guitarists liking something different? Really, who are they kidding?

Ha! I was eyeing up one of those a few months ago. Bloody lockdown
During my research I came across this guy:

It’s a cover of River Man by Nick Drake
https://youtu.be/KyiNuBXsNBg

Absolutely beautiful. His playing is just wonderful. His other videos on the Doozy are great too. His rendition of Old man by Neil Young is one of my favourites. That and his other Drake cover - Pink Moon. Actually all of his videos that I’ve watched are really good.

[Sam Spoons]

That is beautiful

I've always planned to build a lap steel using a Bigsby Palm Pedal* I had but, foolishly, I loaned it to a young guy I knew and he has consistently failed to return it... He has now disappeared from view so I am resigned to it's permanent loss

How about up to 5 levers & a sliding zero fret (easy-shift capodaster)?

Allegedly* this has been their biggest seller during lockdown as guitarists have been keen to try out something different.

https://www.duesenberg.de/en/lapsteels/ ... -lapsteel/

*Guitarists liking something different? Really, who are they kidding?

I did look at the MultiBender bridge system when I finally resigned myself to not getting the Bigsby back. Not a silly price for what it offers, I may still go that route. Gorgeous as the Duesy lap steel is it's a bit more than I'd be happy to commit to what may end up a little used novelty (in my hands at least).

[Dynamic Mike]

During my research I came across this guy:

It’s a cover of River Man by Nick Drake
https://youtu.be/KyiNuBXsNBg

Absolutely beautiful. His playing is just wonderful. His other videos on the Doozy are great too. His rendition of Old man by Neil Young is one of my favourites. That and his other Drake cover - Pink Moon. Actually all of his videos that I’ve watched are really good.

Some really great videos there. Much like Mr Spoons I can't justify Duesenberg prices for something that might well just turn out to be a novelty, or I might not even have the talent to play. Having said that, I often feel the Duesenberg I already have is too good for me, but that hasn't stopped getting pleasure from owning it. And I do have a milestone birthday coming up..

[Sam Spoons]

I already have a lap steel, set up as 8 string, I may just buy the Multibender bridge and see what I can do with that.

[Dan LB]

I already have a lap steel, set up as 8 string, I may just buy the Multibender bridge and see what I can do with that.

There’s also this option
https://certano.fr/

[Guest]

I already have a lap steel, set up as 8 string, I may just buy the Multibender bridge and see what I can do with that.

I have always fancied a lap guitar, any advice of where to start looking I have absolutely no idea about them!

[Albatross]

Often thought about trying to make one.

[Sam Spoons]

Lap steels are very simple things, those Harley Benton's from Thomann look like as good a place as any to start.

[Drew Stephenson]

Often thought about trying to make one.

Yep, me too.

[Funkyflash5]

Last weekend I went to buy a few tools from some folks who were trying to clear out the garage workshop of a recently departed old time woodworker. While I was there, they pulled out a case they hadn't identified, and it turned out to be a 50's lap steel that was missing the electronics. Since the tuners were in great shape, I parted with a few dollars and it came home with me, with the promise that if the electronics turned up in the clean out they'd give me a shout. If they don't, I'll have to decide what sort of pickup to slap in there, but it's about as cheep of a way to try lap steel as possible!

[Wonks]

How many strings? And what's the make? Bound to be at least some photos of them, and probably still a few decent examples around.

[Funkyflash5]

It's a 6 string "Old Kraftsman", and this old listing on reverb is the same model. https://reverb.com/item/3696637-old-kra ... -tv-yellow

[Guest]

Lap steels are very simple things, those Harley Benton's from Thomann look like as good a place as any to start.

Thanks, they are remarkably cheap!

[Wonks]

That Old Kraftsman pickup looks pretty unique, so no easy replacement choice. That bit of metal you see is probably the pole piece and there’s a coil wound round it below the plastic cover.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of height between the strings and the body, so hopefully there’s a decent depth of control cavity underneath that area.

The lack of intonation adjustment on the bridge (it’s not even angled like an acoustic’s) means that it’s never going to be a great instrument and the higher up you play, the more out of tune the chords will be.

So you can either try and keep it as original as possible, or else upgrade it with a toploading hardtail bridge and put a modern pickup on it. Measure the string spacing, but it looks to be a fairly standard width spacing, between 50-52mm, so a standard Strat pickup should fit.

It may be that you could pick up a cheap loaded Strat scratchplate, cut out the middle pickup section, use that as the control plate and re-use the one tone and the volume knob and pot. Again you’d have to measure to see what space you have available. A new bridge doesn’t have to sit on the cover like the original.

[John Egan]

I bought myself an 8 string Joe Morrell lap steel some time ago and have been very happy with it (my playing apart!). It's certainly not fancy, just a simple block of poplar with a metal fingerboard plate and made in the USA. But it came at a reasonable price, from a UK dealer (though I can't for the life of me remember which one). I keep it tuned to E9.
Regards, John

[merlyn]

The lack of intonation adjustment on the bridge (it’s not even angled like an acoustic’s) means that it’s never going to be a great instrument and the higher up you play, the more out of tune the chords will be.

A straight bridge is right for a lap steel, or a guitar set up to only play slide on. A compensated bridge on an acoustic, or adjustable saddles on an electric are to compensate for the string bending out of tune as it is pushed down.

On a lap steel the strings are not being pushed down, so there is no need for compensation. Look at any lap steel and you'll see the bridge is straight.