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Topic: Newbie Alexa here! |
Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 25 Jul 2010 1:35 pm |
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Hi there lap steel non-pedalists! Newbie Alexa here.
I've been playing lap steel a little over a year and really love the feel and sound. I use Low Bass G out of familiarity from playing slide, and since it lends well for solo work. Occaisionally I play electric, yet prefer the resonator for its nuance and sweet vibe. I most enjoy playng Victorian Era hymns, a nice cup of hot tea at hand.
My website features video lesson I make for my students of Blues, mostly, since that's what they like learning.
I use a Rogue Jersey Lightning, white with a GFS Dream 180 pickup, NOS electronics to Valco specs, and a Tele Bass pickup cover. My squareneck's a Rogue Classic Spider Resonator,cone, bridge, and spider tweaked. I string D'Addario ground wound 13s, changed only when broken, and a Peavy tonebar for its maneuverability and funky rasp. My rig's a Carl Martin Surf Trem into a Tweed Pignose.
So that's pretty much it about me, except that, when not teaching and playing, I fill my days doing volunteer work, reading, and the usual diversions available in lovely San Francisco. 
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Michael Robertson
From:
Ventura, California. USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2010 1:39 pm
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Well, Alexa "Welcome".
I’m sure you will find many helpful folks here. |
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Travis Hillis
From:
Nashville TN, USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2010 1:58 pm
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| Welcome to the forum! |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 1:40 am Thanks for the warm welcome!
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Thanks for the nice welcome, guys. I do appreciate it!
Michael: Never to proud to admit that I can use all the help I can get. 
Travis: Hometown Houston, so that reso against the Stars & Bars is getting me homesick.
Basil (great name!): I believe I've seen your reso avatar more than once after more than one (or two) cocktails.
Tom: Lovely instruments. Sure wish I had a talent for woodwork but playing lap steel's challenging enough.
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Matt Berg
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 5:07 am Re: Newbie Alexa here!
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| Alexa Gomez wrote: |
I use ... and a Tele Bass pickup cover.
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Howdy, Alexa,
Do you use this is as a palm rest?
I'd think it would be in the way, at least for my particular style of playing.
I took the covers off my Supro and National lap steels. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 12:55 pm
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Welcome, Alexa. I think I've seen you advertising for students on craigslist. Stick around and have fun!
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 2:04 pm
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| Hey, you made it! |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 2:13 pm Thanks for more welcome!
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Thanks for the added welcome, guys!
Matt: I've done like you and just used the bridge as a rest and to damp, yet I seem to prefer the cover, since I do a fingerstyle where I damp with the right hand, plus I drag the back of the left hand behind the tonebar to damp. It works pretty well and I like the brighter sound I seem to get minus the bridge damping.
Brad: I'm running a CL ad and one in the SF Weekly. I'm going to make some flyers, too. Any suggestions where to post them? I'm thinking Brainwash, coffee shops, and music stores.
Bryan: Finally aboard the good ship SGF! Better late than never.
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Mark Lavelle
From:
San Mateo, CA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 3:31 pm
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Greetings, Alexa, and welcome to the SGF. I'm also in the bay area (San Mateo).
I picked up a Rogue Jersey Lightning just a couple of weeks ago (partly to fill the time while waiting for my 8-string Bluestem) and I'm really pleased with it. At $200, I assumed I was going to want to replace the pickup, but the stock one sounds just fine (at least through my home-brew amps).
Soon after taking the cover off I realized that it was mostly just limiting my tonal options. I definitely prefer to be able to pick anywhere on the string...
-- Mark
_________________
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/ |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 1:11 pm Thanks for the welcome, Mark!
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Hi Mark and greetings to a Bay Area non-pedalist!
My Rogue Jersey Lightning was a pretty good bargin. The stock humbucker is rather quite nice, with its tyical warmth, yet a nice little sparkle on top. I just changed it out for more edge. I tried a GFS Dream 90 Bridge pickup which sounded more like a P-90 and was well shielded, but it just began to bore me, so I replaced it with a Dream 180 and am entirely pleased. Now my humble little lap steel has a really nice voice. I'm using 13s in Low Bass G and the machine heads are spot on. I almost never have to tune it. Of course, it goes with out saying the mother-of-toilet-seat finish is total street cred.
Regarding the naked bridge vs. covered, I started a little over a year ago on a Rondo Lap Steel, which had the P-Bass ashtray. Took some doing, but I got used to it and just adapted tunes I knew on slide to lap. Bored, I got the Peavy Powerslide, which has no bridge cover. It was fine and a really lovely instrument, but I wasn't crazy about the damping effect of my palm on the bridge, so I got the Rogue. The rest, as they say, is history. Just love that little Rogue!
I have the white one. What color's yours?
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Mark Lavelle
From:
San Mateo, CA
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Posted 28 Jul 2010 1:06 pm Re: Thanks for the welcome, Mark!
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| Alexa Gomez wrote: |
[...] Of course, it goes with out saying the mother-of-toilet-seat finish is total street cred.
Regarding the naked bridge vs. covered, I started a little over a year ago on a Rondo Lap Steel, which had the P-Bass ashtray. Took some doing, but I got used to it and just adapted tunes I knew on slide to lap. Bored, I got the Peavy Powerslide, which has no bridge cover. It was fine and a really lovely instrument, but I wasn't crazy about the damping effect of my palm on the bridge, so I got the Rogue. The rest, as they say, is history. Just love that little Rogue!
I have the white one. What color's yours? |
I'm coming at lap steel from 40 years of flatpicking regular guitars (acoustic & electric) and about 3 months of 8-string reso (G6 tuning). The Rogue is tuned in E, for now (and you're right about those tuners being rock solid).
I suspect I'll never get very good at finger picking, so my flatpicking skills are being adapted for lap style, which includes palm muting. I could imagine using a cover that only covered from the 'saddle' on back, but that's about it.
I've contemplated rounding the low string corner of the bridge for comfort, but I think it's chromed (which would probably flake & look crappy).
I went with red - I think it shows off that mother-of-toilet-seat (MOTS?) finish better...
_________________
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/ |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 28 Jul 2010 10:33 pm MOTS-Mania!
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Hi Mark,
You know how Apple users found that 1,002nd use for duct tape? Use 1,003: Taping the edge of the low E bridge saddle! I so totes hear you on that one, since it either eats away at your paw or you get this calousy looking thing like a foot corn. Yikes!
That big P-Bass ashtray was just too much, but I love the concept, so I replaced it with a Tele Bass cover as in the snapshot below. It's lower, so there's currently about 1/8 inch clearance between cover and strings, which is pretty close to muting range. I think it looks snazzier, too.
Open E is a good starter for converting what you already know in standard tuning, since the D G and B strings remain the same and all you need to do is just move every thing else a whole step. Not everything's transposable, I'm afaid, but enough to make it worth the while.
I may get the Red MOTS just to have on hand and also for the stock sound, which is rather nice, I think. Maybe they'll drop the price? Such a beautiful instrument and a very nice gig bag, too.
Alexa
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 1:06 am Love that echo!
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Hi Doug,
Thanks for the greeting. Do appreciate it and the swell YouTube vids. Never occured to me to raise the fretboard since it's kind of annoying being so far away and harder to intonate by sight.
Really love that echo you've got going there and the nice acoustic splash from the finger picks and the tone bar. Very nicely done.
$149's a good bargin on the Jersey Lightning. But you just know as soon as I pull the trigger it'll drop to $99!
Alexa
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 3:45 am
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Welcome aboard, Alexa.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 7:19 pm Thanks for the welcome!
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Thanks for the welcome Mike. I sure do appreciate it.
Alexa
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2010 3:55 pm
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Welcome from the North Bay!!
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 8:09 pm Thanks for the Welcome, Ed !
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Hi Ed,
Thanks for the NorCal welcome. Do appreciate it!
Alexa
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Mark Lavelle
From:
San Mateo, CA
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Posted 9 Aug 2010 10:09 pm Re: MOTS-Mania!
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| Alexa Gomez wrote: |
You know how Apple users found that 1,002nd use for duct tape? Use 1,003: Taping the edge of the low E bridge saddle! I so totes hear you on that one, since it either eats away at your paw or you get this calousy looking thing like a foot corn. Yikes!
That big P-Bass ashtray was just too much, but I love the concept, so I replaced it with a Tele Bass cover as in the snapshot below...
Open E is a good starter...
I may get the Red MOTS just to have on hand and also for the stock sound, which is rather nice, I think. Maybe they'll drop the price? Such a beautiful instrument and a very nice gig bag, too. |
LOL -- Why didn't I think of that? Duct tape rules!
The Tele Bass cover really looks perfect -- it supports 'lazy' picking near the p'up (i.e., palm on cover), but doesn't prevent palm muting.
I've got an 8-string C6 lap steel on order (http://www.bluestemstrings.com/9374.html), so for now I'll probably keep the Rogue in open E, for the different character.
The red version is excellent, IMHO...
-- 
_________________
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/ |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 10 Aug 2010 6:58 pm Open E!
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Hi Mark,
I still call it rock'n'roll tape since it what holds most bands together. That and alcohol.
So, I think I'll keep the Rouge in Open D, just to acclimate to it. Not that much different than Low Bass G, either.
Alexa
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 14 Aug 2010 2:27 pm
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Welcome, Alexa, from across the Bay in Oakland. (Actually I work in San Francisco.)
Like you, I love to play the blues, which I've been doing since the early 60s. |
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Alexa Gomez
From:
San Francisco
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Posted 14 Aug 2010 2:55 pm Thanks for the Greeting!
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Hi Alan,
I lived across the Bay in Glenview for a few months when I first arrived here. I liked it there, but I must confess I just love San Francisco.
Alexa
_________________
Sister Alexa>SX Lap Pro>Rocktron Surf Tremolo>Pignose 7-100.
www.youtube.com/sisteralexa |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 15 Aug 2010 10:03 am
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| I live on the Leimert estate, just off Park Boulevard, right by where you used to live. My wife teaches at Montclair Elementary. When I first moved to California, in 1980, I lived on Russian Hill for several years. It's a small world. |
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