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Post by clarke111 on Jan 6, 2009 22:21:14 GMT
Hey guys,
Just thought I'd start up a thread to get people talking about lap slide. Who plays lap style, what equipment do you use, ie guitar and bar, do you prefer specific steel guitars or modified rgular instuments, style of music etc...?! Am interested to hear from other lappers!
I started playin a few months ago now after becoming a bit fustrated with 'spanish style' playing. Lap slide opened up a whole new tonal world for me. I started playing on an old flat top with a nut raiser, before getting a squareneck tricone from Busker which I love. Now also play a lot of slide on my MM Blues with a nut raiser.
I was really keen to get a weissenborn soon, but don't really want to spend a small fortune on one, and with import tax etc that can be a problem, anyone got one, any advice? I may just get a nice flat top with a high bone nuts for those wood only moments, but the weiss does sound great..
Any how, any thoughts!!??
Chris
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 6, 2009 23:55:36 GMT
Hi Chris, I have never been called a 'lapper' before! I guess this thread could become a lapper colony  I have played lap-steel guitar for as long as I have played slide, which is now heading for thirty five years. In the beginning I just wanted to learn slide guitar. Whether lap-steel style or regular bottleneck, it didn't really matter to me as long as it was slide. So I was as much into Josh Graves & Brother Oswald as I was Ry Cooder, Johnny Winter & Muddy Waters. I played lap-steel for ten years or so on regular guitars without a raised action before I got into square-neck guitars. In the early days I mostly used a regular bottleneck for lap-steel. I did have a Stevens bar but I never really got into it. It is hard to remember when, but I got into Hawaiian bullet steels very early on. I had a Dobro Hawaiian bullet steel that I used for years. I used to practice playing everything both ways and sometimes would do gigs only lap-style, or only bottleneck. It was evident very early on that I had a feel for playing both lap-steel guitar and delta blues bottleneck. It intrigues me now because musically delta & Chicago blues and rock are very different to Hawaiian steel and country Dobro. They are opposite ends of the musical pole. My favourite acoustic guitars for lap-steel playing are resonator guitars; Tricones, Dobros & single-cones (there aren't any others!!!!). I have owned Weissenborn style instruments, but they don't suit my playing style. My favourite electric lap-steels are long scale 1930s National & Dobro guitars. I have owned short scale lap-steels but I am not as at one with them as I am with long scale guitars. Electric slide guitars; I have owned numerous weird and wonderful Supros and Nationals, but I am happiest playing my custom built Telecaster with the 1940s National lap-steel pickup. It gives me what I want when I want it! Tools - bullet steels are my favourite. High quality steel ones and Eric Ebner's wonderful Tribotone Bars. Tribo tones are incredible steels. I have owned mine for 18 months or so and I use nothing else these days. Picks - plastic heavy weight Dunlops. Sometimes I like metal ones, but less than I used to. Influences; lap-steel players - Brother Oswald, Clell Summey, Josh Graves, Sol Hoopii, Jim & Bob, Casey Bill Weldon, Oscar Woods, Mike Cooper, David Lindley, Gurf Morlix, Gabby Pahinui, Lloyd Maines, David Gilmour, Rob Ickes.....and numerous others... That's about all I can type for now! Shine On Michael |
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Post by SoloBill on Jan 7, 2009 0:13:24 GMT
Hi,
I had a quick try at lap slide just out of curiosity, using my normal slides. My first impression is that it was a lot more difficult than 'regular' slide playing because I could only see one side of the slide, so getting it positioned over the fret wasn't so easy. Is that just me?
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 7, 2009 10:48:43 GMT
Hi Bill,
Playing lap-steel guitar is a whole different thing to playing bottleneck guitar. The point you make about not being able to see the frets is not something I have ever thought about. I do use the frets as visual aids, but mostly I use my ears. If you are holding the steel correctly you should be able to see the frets.
Shine On
Michael.
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Post by fitchmeister on Jan 7, 2009 11:57:06 GMT
In Dec i spent a weekend playing lap style with a group of old timey bluegrass banjo & guitar players, using my regular tricone and slide. I enjoyed having a different voice to add to the mix. I enjoyed it so much that Santa got me a metal bullet slide and a nut riser - which is now on a dreadnought flat top - with 13s on. Am now considering selling my electric kit (unused last 2 years) and getting someting else to add to my acoustic instruments - Gold tone do a weissenborn for about £500, but i suspect a dobro round neck may be more versatile - that would probably be a Goldtone paul beard also. Does help that i did a lap style lesson with MM during bluesweek Cheers Roj |
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Post by clarke111 on Jan 7, 2009 17:31:19 GMT
Hi guys,
Michael, thanks for such a long reply, you have owned a fabulous array of guitars!
I have recently placed an order for a tribotone B weight bar and I can't wait to receive it, I thought about it for a long time because I thought it was a lot to spend on a bar, but I reckon it will be worth every penny when it arrives! The style I play couldn't be exactly described as traditional either, I find lap style playing to be very versitile. Its interesting what Bill says about the limited view of frets etc, I find playing lap slide gives me a lot better view, and more freedom than playing bottleneck, although that is only my opinion and I need many more years playing both before I can really comment!
It is interesting what you say about Weissenborns, I did wonder how they would suit my style of play, problem is I'v never found one to try, and I wouldn't want to risk investing without.
ATM I'm more than happy with my tri-cone and MM blues!.
Chris
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Post by jackstrat on Jan 7, 2009 20:15:42 GMT
Hey there lads!
Great thread Chris...one that's of particular interest to me as I'm in a very similar situation to yourself, having only started to dabble in resos, slide/lapslide playing in the very recent past. (I've been playing 'standard' guitar for best part of twenty years)
I reckon that as time goes on, I'm definitely inclining more towards the lapslide style also. There's a few reason that I can identify:
1. It's more comfortable than standard bottleneck playing. (I have some minor RSI issues in my hands/fingers from work)
2. It sounds really cool...hard to beat a reso pointing straight at your head!
3. The fact that it's essentially a totally different instrument to 'standard' guitar has really forced me to re-think a lot of my playing...to use the cliche, it makes me think 'outside the box'...very refreshing!
4. It probably makes you more 'useful' as a musician in a working context too I guess...there's loads and loads of guitarists out there...there's a lot fewer lapslide players, thus you can bring something different to the table.
5. It's just really, really cool!!!!
My gear...Busker Hobo, Busker Delta (which I'm seriously considering fitting with a nut raiser), Mexican Strat set up for slide work (played alot as a lapslide), and an ever-increasing assortment of slides and tonebars. My favourite slides are Diamond Redhouse and my new Diamond Evolution (superb...a real winner) and a bog-standard Dunlop snub-nosed steel (forget which number!). Oh yeah, my wonderful wife is getting me a Tribotone bar for my birthday in a couple of weeks!! Wahooo!!
Gotta go, best regards,
Niall
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Post by jackstrat on Jan 8, 2009 9:07:33 GMT
Ref: previous post above
Sorry, forgot to mention that I have two cheap electric lapsteels (from Thomann)...they're not brilliant, but they're not terrible either...one's got a Shadow humbucker-type p-up in it which gets a very acceptable sound, but the other cheaper one, which has a Strat-type single-coil actually gives a kinda cool sound - very mellow....I like it!
Niall
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Post by wolvoboy on Jan 8, 2009 10:42:16 GMT
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Post by wolvoboy on Jan 8, 2009 13:19:45 GMT
should have been{guys} eye's are failing me
wolvoboy
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Post by clarke111 on Jan 8, 2009 17:17:49 GMT
I haven't played a lot of electric slide, have converted an old epiphone les paul though, sounds pretty cool, particularly the P90 in the neck position.
Nice link Wolvoboy, really nicr playing by that guy, interesting to see him using a plectrum as well...
Chris
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