Beginner Lap Steel

Listen, it's cheap, but that Artisan is a good sounding little lap steel and well put together. I've got an earlier one without legs and can't speak to whether the legs are worthwhile or not. I don't miss them, not having them.

Steer clear of that student model Morrell. I'm in Morrell's home town. The guy who designed that thing and several guys who've built them are friends of mine, but it's junk nevertheless.

Don't forget the steel. There are lots of choices. My favorite is a Gary Swallow steel with the wooden handle. Mine has one end polished off round and the other square. The rounded tip is useful for playing single note stuff.

Yes, you plug it into an amp just like a "regular" electric guitar. (Lap steels were the first electric guitars.)

If you don't mind, I'm going to move this up to Slide and Alternate Tunings. I think you'll get more good advice there.

as much as I dislike Artisan they happen to be an exceptional deal for the price. I dont like the jack where it is; it doesnt bother others. I ve heard someone bring down the house on one.
my main lap steel is a 1940 Epiphone Zephyr. it is fantastic. bought on eBay for 350$. I enjoy the vintage vibe it has.
there are many lap steels in that price range on eBay. they are worth looking into.

If you're willing to spend up to $500 there are several much better alternatives than the ultra short scale Artisan.
Browsing eBay I find this GoldTone lap steel, modeled after the Oahu Tonemaster, with a BIN offer at only $335. Yesterday I saw a Chandler RH-2 with a BIN at about $300, but it's gone now...

Both of these are head and shoulders above the Artisan, and considered to be some of the best there is in that price range.
And then, of course, there are lots of vintage instruments to be had for less than $500, most of them are very good while some may need more TLC than it's worth...

Steinar

Woah -- amazing that Steinar posted. Some of my interest in slide guitar comes from him (and George Harrison among others, so he's in good company ;)). I originally downloaded 3 of his mp3's from somewhere (probably here) really early in the morning as the sun was coming up. And I sat there and listened to his stuff (Unfinished Business, Northern Lights, Will the Wind Ever Remember) as the sun began to peak over the mountain range and clouds and I don't think it blasphemous to say it was a borderline religious experience.

Here's the Chandler RH2 new from MF.. anyone have any experience w/ it? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Chandler-RH2-Lap-Steel-Guitar?sku=518751

What kind of tones would I get out of this, if anyone is familiar with them.. could I get some My Morning Jacket-esque slide guitar sounds out of this, or would I need to go to something different?

Thanks for the help, everyone. You can get some amazingly emotionally bending and heartfelt sounds from a slide, and it's one of the reasons I'm attracted to the instrument.

Hey, you're making me :oops: here.......... Thanks for the kind words!

I owned one of those Chandlers about three and a half years ago. It's great value for the money, and I only had three minor complaints about it:

1 - string spacing is rather narrow (but you'll get used to it, it's wider than an 8-string, for example)
2 - it's a little heavy on the bright side, but that's what tone controls are for (and you may even like the bright sound as it is)
3 - the tuners were not very good, but seems like they're using other tuners now.

It's absolutely great for overdriven blues/rock stuff, but you'll need to work a bit to get a clean smooth 'Hawaiian' type of sound. Roll off the treble a bit and pick over the fretboard (17th fret is a sweet spot on many lap steels) and you can get a pretty decent 'warm and smooth' sound.

All in all I'd say it's a very good starter lap steel that should last you well into your 'intermediate' phase (but you'll want other steels soon enough, we all do..... there's so many tunings that needs to be explored..... :wink: ).

Steinar

You can get some amazingly emotionally bending and heartfelt sounds from a slide, and it's one of the reasons I'm attracted to the instrument.

that is what I discovered. that attraction grows, believe me.
with the steel bar in the left hand i found even more to say with my guitar playing. I am hooked.

Oh yeah, slide is the way to go. I'm still more of a bottlenecker, but lap slide's really cool too, and Steinar is one of the masters. Check out his website in his sig, clockworked. I'll recommend his CD, Southern Moon, Northern Lights, too.

it IS Christmas and holiday season.
Steinar's Cd would be a wonderful stocking stuffer.
an excellent CD. full of good slideys.