Search found 160 matches

I normally go a little less tension than that, just under 30 lbs is a target. But I also don't really fuss about it. I think I'm going to go with my original idea of matching the Dobro at 25". ...

I'm actually cutting wood this morning for a lap steel, it's only been a couple of years since I dreamed this up. Live edge curly spalted maple... Anyway I digress.

I play two lap steels - a 23&q ...

EGDGBD has been my go-to tuning for a long time, since I started playing lap steel basically. If you call it G6 instead of em7/G, you might get more uptake... Smile

Get the outside two where you want them, then do the middle two. Then work out. Then, and this is critical, remember that you play the guitar with a bar, and you rarely play the zero fret, and you a ...

It is identical to my Model 25, from 1935/36. Dovetail joint, no internal stick or bracing, slot headstock. Single white binding front and back, F-holes. Mine has a 14th fret neck joint, single dot ...

Brass is a little softer than bronze, bronze is quite low friction and somewhat harder than brass, but it's hard to tell one from the other without samples to compare. I guess the things to do are to ...

I like bronze strings too, .015 - .056 covers a lot of tunings on a squareneck. You could try .013 - .056 D'Addario Chromes flatwounds if you want less string noise. But simple is best.

Kluson were almost the defacto standard for tuners back then, in terms of screw holes and spacing and what-not. Stewmac has quite good replicas, I recently bought a set of these for my 1936 Dobro. Y ...

My rule of thumb is 25 to 30 lbs per string. What I'm implying by saying that is that 20 lbs is probably too light, and 35 lbs is probably too heavy. For me, it's probably more about feel under the ...

I just read this, grabbed my Dynamic and tuned to EBEG#BE, I have .013 - .056 Chromes on, and it's perfect. Nice tuning, feels natural. Aside from the major chords, how does one think of minor or 7th ...

My tuning has two natural chords too, so I tune straight up and use vibrato. I don't sweeten any strings because what's good for the first chord is exactly wrong for the second chord, which ends up t ...

If you play guitar in normal spanish guitar tuning (EADGBE)then a really easy tuning to learn is EGDGBD. Just two strings lowered a tone, you have open G with the root on the 5th string so you can pl ...

Dont overlook the ultimate cheap lap steel. A set of tuners for $20, a piece of 3/4" plywood, a zerox of a fretboard, and two pieces of 1/2" angle aluminium 4" long. A little jig-saw ...

I like Zoots idea here. As regards pot value, the usual is 250K Audio taper with single coil pickups and 500K Audio with humbuckers for both tone and volume, just because people found that with those ...

I have an old-school (like me I guess) Boss RV-2, the first digital reverb pedal according to many, and I have never looked back. How do the newer than 1986 pedals compare to the old RV-2?

I use what you call G6 on the bottom (EGDGBD), but I call it Em7/G. A double purpose tuning, because that's how I play it. For some reason, thinking of the low E as the 6th of G is meaningless to m ...

In my experience (limited to be sure) the lowest strings are the hardest to get to ring clean. Just laying the bar on them with it's weight will not do it, they have too much mass to overcome. You n ...

I play either DGDGBD - low bass open G - or the same with a low E if I want some minor chords. I had reason to look up what Bonnie Raitt plays recently, and she quotes that same low bass open G and t ...

For a while I had open D on my Dobro, and open E on my lap steel, just based on a different scale length and what felt good. C6, and other tunings, are where there are a dozen variations with subtle o ...

Playing slide vs steel. I've been playing my round-neck dobro lap-style for a year or so, tuned to open G with a low E. I play a lot of chord based things, with single note runs and such, but a lot ...

Any time you have a G chord, a low E is interesting just because it makes the G into an Em7. Of course E is also the 6th of G so doubling it higher up gives options if you like the 6th tunings. If I ...

"Modes" is just another way to say major scale in a key, and how chords in a key relate back to the major scale. Typical chord sequence - II/V/I. You have a chord that uses the major scale ...

The wiring looks fine, solder joints look well flowed and shiny. Wires seem to have been left quite long, probably for future ease of changing and so that the wiring out be done outside of the compar ...

Weissenborn's often come with warnings about string gauges and tension. Gold Tone says this about that:

"The total string tension exerted on ANY Gold Tone Weissenborn guitar should be no mor ...

I woulda done something with a magnet, I think. Usually I can tape the ball ends into where they need to be, but I don't think that would work in this case. A magnet on the base plate leaning agains ...

Author	Message
Topic: 25" or 26" scale length?
Brian Evans Replies: 3 Views: 892	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 16 May 2023 2:58 am Subject: 25" or 26" scale length?
Brian Evans Replies: 3 Views: 892	I normally go a little less tension than that, just under 30 lbs is a target. But I also don't really fuss about it. I think I'm going to go with my original idea of matching the Dobro at 25". ...
Topic: 25" or 26" scale length?
Brian Evans Replies: 3 Views: 892	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 15 May 2023 4:57 am Subject: 25" or 26" scale length?
Brian Evans Replies: 3 Views: 892	I'm actually cutting wood this morning for a lap steel, it's only been a couple of years since I dreamed this up. Live edge curly spalted maple... Anyway I digress. I play two lap steels - a 23&q ...
Topic: Yet Another Tuning (and related question)
Brian Evans Replies: 14 Views: 5200	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 15 May 2023 4:30 am Subject: Yet Another Tuning (and related question)
Brian Evans Replies: 14 Views: 5200	EGDGBD has been my go-to tuning for a long time, since I started playing lap steel basically. If you call it G6 instead of em7/G, you might get more uptake...
Topic: Cutting nut slots so that strings are level with each other?
Brian Evans Replies: 12 Views: 2324	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 27 Mar 2022 5:31 pm Subject: Cutting nut slots so that strings are level with each other?
Brian Evans Replies: 12 Views: 2324	Get the outside two where you want them, then do the middle two. Then work out. Then, and this is critical, remember that you play the guitar with a bar, and you rarely play the zero fret, and you a ...
Topic: Need help identifying vintage dobro FINISHED!!
Brian Evans Replies: 23 Views: 4562	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 22 Mar 2022 3:13 am Subject: Need help identifying vintage dobro FINISHED!!
Brian Evans Replies: 23 Views: 4562	It is identical to my Model 25, from 1935/36. Dovetail joint, no internal stick or bracing, slot headstock. Single white binding front and back, F-holes. Mine has a 14th fret neck joint, single dot ...
Topic: Anybody Using Benders w/ Dobro G Tuning? Also, bridge??
Brian Evans Replies: 5 Views: 2419	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 13 Mar 2022 3:53 am Subject: Anybody Using Benders w/ Dobro G Tuning? Also, bridge??
Brian Evans Replies: 5 Views: 2419	Brass is a little softer than bronze, bronze is quite low friction and somewhat harder than brass, but it's hard to tell one from the other without samples to compare. I guess the things to do are to ...
Topic: Dobro Question
Brian Evans Replies: 28 Views: 5516	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 2 Mar 2022 11:20 am Subject: Dobro Question
Brian Evans Replies: 28 Views: 5516	I like bronze strings too, .015 - .056 covers a lot of tunings on a squareneck. You could try .013 - .056 D'Addario Chromes flatwounds if you want less string noise. But simple is best.
Topic: Looking for tuning keys for Rickenbacher
Brian Evans Replies: 2 Views: 666	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 10 Feb 2022 5:59 am Subject: Looking for tuning keys for Rickenbacher
Brian Evans Replies: 2 Views: 666	Kluson were almost the defacto standard for tuners back then, in terms of screw holes and spacing and what-not. Stewmac has quite good replicas, I recently bought a set of these for my 1936 Dobro. Y ...
Topic: String tension - what's the goal?
Brian Evans Replies: 6 Views: 1384	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 6 Feb 2022 4:20 am Subject: String tension - what's the goal?
Brian Evans Replies: 6 Views: 1384	My rule of thumb is 25 to 30 lbs per string. What I'm implying by saying that is that 20 lbs is probably too light, and 35 lbs is probably too heavy. For me, it's probably more about feel under the ...
Topic: David Lindley's tunings
Brian Evans Replies: 8 Views: 3099	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 4 Feb 2022 12:05 pm Subject: David Lindley's tunings
Brian Evans Replies: 8 Views: 3099	I just read this, grabbed my Dynamic and tuned to EBEG#BE, I have .013 - .056 Chromes on, and it's perfect. Nice tuning, feels natural. Aside from the major chords, how does one think of minor or 7th ...
Topic: Question about Hybrid Open D Tuning
Brian Evans Replies: 12 Views: 2438	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 2 Feb 2022 4:53 am Subject: Question about Hybrid Open D Tuning
Brian Evans Replies: 12 Views: 2438	My tuning has two natural chords too, so I tune straight up and use vibrato. I don't sweeten any strings because what's good for the first chord is exactly wrong for the second chord, which ends up t ...
Topic: Most common/easiest tuning
Brian Evans Replies: 13 Views: 3324	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 30 Jan 2022 6:29 am Subject: Most common/easiest tuning
Brian Evans Replies: 13 Views: 3324	If you play guitar in normal spanish guitar tuning (EADGBE)then a really easy tuning to learn is EGDGBD. Just two strings lowered a tone, you have open G with the root on the 5th string so you can pl ...
Topic: A decent, cheap steel?
Brian Evans Replies: 19 Views: 5359	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 24 Jan 2022 8:53 am Subject: A decent, cheap steel?
Brian Evans Replies: 19 Views: 5359	Dont overlook the ultimate cheap lap steel. A set of tuners for $20, a piece of 3/4" plywood, a zerox of a fretboard, and two pieces of 1/2" angle aluminium 4" long. A little jig-saw ...
Topic: Boo-wah tone pot
Brian Evans Replies: 5 Views: 3485	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 11 Jan 2022 4:25 am Subject: Boo-wah tone pot
Brian Evans Replies: 5 Views: 3485	I like Zoots idea here. As regards pot value, the usual is 250K Audio taper with single coil pickups and 500K Audio with humbuckers for both tone and volume, just because people found that with those ...
Topic: What reverb pedal do you like?
Brian Evans Replies: 36 Views: 15104	Forum Section: Electronics Posted: 21 Dec 2021 7:12 am Subject: What reverb pedal do you like?
Brian Evans Replies: 36 Views: 15104	I have an old-school (like me I guess) Boss RV-2, the first digital reverb pedal according to many, and I have never looked back. How do the newer than 1986 pedals compare to the old RV-2?
Topic: Six on the bottom?
Brian Evans Replies: 8 Views: 4085	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 19 Dec 2021 7:41 am Subject: Six on the bottom?
Brian Evans Replies: 8 Views: 4085	I use what you call G6 on the bottom (EGDGBD), but I call it Em7/G. A double purpose tuning, because that's how I play it. For some reason, thinking of the low E as the 6th of G is meaningless to m ...
Topic: Nut leveling?
Brian Evans Replies: 5 Views: 2778	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 11 Dec 2021 12:48 pm Subject: Nut leveling?
Brian Evans Replies: 5 Views: 2778	In my experience (limited to be sure) the lowest strings are the hardest to get to ring clean. Just laying the bar on them with it's weight will not do it, they have too much mass to overcome. You n ...
Topic: Open G tunings - Dobro vs. flat-top vs. electric guitars
Brian Evans Replies: 12 Views: 7625	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 8 Dec 2021 5:39 am Subject: Open G tunings - Dobro vs. flat-top vs. electric guitars
Brian Evans Replies: 12 Views: 7625	I play either DGDGBD - low bass open G - or the same with a low E if I want some minor chords. I had reason to look up what Bonnie Raitt plays recently, and she quotes that same low bass open G and t ...
Topic: Open D or Open E?
Brian Evans Replies: 6 Views: 3356	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 30 Nov 2021 10:16 am Subject: Open D or Open E?
Brian Evans Replies: 6 Views: 3356	For a while I had open D on my Dobro, and open E on my lap steel, just based on a different scale length and what felt good. C6, and other tunings, are where there are a dozen variations with subtle o ...
Topic: Playing slide vs steel...
Brian Evans Replies: 9 Views: 4688	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 27 Nov 2021 8:50 am Subject: Playing slide vs steel...
Brian Evans Replies: 9 Views: 4688	Playing slide vs steel. I've been playing my round-neck dobro lap-style for a year or so, tuned to open G with a low E. I play a lot of chord based things, with single note runs and such, but a lot ...
Topic: 8 string lap g tuning advice
Brian Evans Replies: 4 Views: 3014	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 27 Nov 2021 8:43 am Subject: 8 string lap g tuning advice
Brian Evans Replies: 4 Views: 3014	Any time you have a G chord, a low E is interesting just because it makes the G into an Em7. Of course E is also the 6th of G so doubling it higher up gives options if you like the 6th tunings. If I ...
Topic: Modes or Licks???
Brian Evans Replies: 16 Views: 6251	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 22 Nov 2021 8:25 am Subject: Modes or Licks???
Brian Evans Replies: 16 Views: 6251	"Modes" is just another way to say major scale in a key, and how chords in a key relate back to the major scale. Typical chord sequence - II/V/I. You have a chord that uses the major scale ...
Topic: so this lap steel just came in today, interesting wiring
Brian Evans Replies: 11 Views: 4262	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 14 Nov 2021 4:57 am Subject: so this lap steel just came in today, interesting wiring
Brian Evans Replies: 11 Views: 4262	The wiring looks fine, solder joints look well flowed and shiny. Wires seem to have been left quite long, probably for future ease of changing and so that the wiring out be done outside of the compar ...
Topic: D'Addario Flat Tops Acoustic Guitar Strings EFT13 Resophonic
Brian Evans Replies: 11 Views: 4737	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 3 Nov 2021 4:25 am Subject: D'Addario Flat Tops Acoustic Guitar Strings EFT13 Resophonic
Brian Evans Replies: 11 Views: 4737	Weissenborn's often come with warnings about string gauges and tension. Gold Tone says this about that: "The total string tension exerted on ANY Gold Tone Weissenborn guitar should be no mor ...
Topic: Changing strings on Gold Tone LS-8
Brian Evans Replies: 6 Views: 2354	Forum Section: Steel Without Pedals Posted: 31 Oct 2021 6:39 am Subject: Changing strings on Gold Tone LS-8
Brian Evans Replies: 6 Views: 2354	I woulda done something with a magnet, I think. Usually I can tape the ball ends into where they need to be, but I don't think that would work in this case. A magnet on the base plate leaning agains ...