Moog Lap steel

Gary S. Lynch · From: Maryland, USA

I came across this website for a Moog lap steel.
It looks and from the description sounds like a high end, quaility
instrument.
Was wondering if anyone could comment from the experience of owning or playing one?
Thanks!

http://moogmusic.com/products/moog-guitars/moog-lap-steel

Michael Milton · From: Ontario, Canada

I have one. They are beautifully made by Wes Lambe then fitted with electronics at Moog.

Was there any particular aspect you wanted to know about?

m

Gary S. Lynch · From: Maryland, USA

I was interested in hearing more about the electronics. It sounds like you can get a wide variety of tones and depth. How would compare it to a Ric B. or D8 stringmaster.?
Thanks!

Michael Milton · From: Ontario, Canada

The way it works is that each pickup also has powerful elecrtomagnets that can drive the string. So, if you could just feed them a signal, they would vibrate the string by themselves.

What is actually sent to the string is a signal that either dampens or reinforces the strings vibration. Also, you can change the balance of drive between the two pickups in order to change the harmonic content.

If you choose to dampen the string you get a mich more 'plucky' sound if you choose to reinforce it it will sound forever and you can change the tone either by shifting the harmonics or via an (included) low pass filter with resonance.

There is a 'smart' mode that chooses which strings to reinforce and which to silence base on a threshold. This is handy because you can play long notes without the whole thing descending into a chaos of sound unless you manually mute strings.

It is also possible to play by simply placing the bar on the string with enough of a tap (not much) to make the slightest sound and to start the note. Doing this with 2 steels can give some unique chord voicings or, alternately, melodic progress (for example, holding a note while sliding to the next).

In terms of actual pickups there are 2 mags and a piezo. The mags are a bit noisy (I assume because of the wonky EM field they work in - it is surprising they got them to work at all really). A gate works wonders on that issue. The piezo is quite good and quiet.

You really can get a wide variety of waveforms out of it so there isn't much sense comparing to other pickups from that angle.

Really, while it can sound fairly 'normal' one other way to think of it is as a Moog synth but with the sound coming from strings rather than from oscillators. Lots of folk add moogerfoogers and end up with something not unlike a modular analog synth. I've had success playing it through the filter section of my Moog Voyager.

Did that help?

Gary S. Lynch · From: Maryland, USA

Michael, thanks much for that overview. You have definitely got my attention..

My plan is to find a nearby dealer and try one out.
As an aside, I find one of the great things about this forum is knowledgeable folks
like you willing to share so much helpful information!

Appreciate it!
Gary

Michael Milton · From: Ontario, Canada

Gary... You are most welcome.

You probably won't find any in a dealership (unless you are visiting Moog). They are custom built individually. The up side is you can have whatever you want done.

If you go that route, just be clear that you want to talk to Wes before he starts yours.

The wait is about 3 months. Mine was longer because it was the first but I understand they meet that schedule these days.

I went for quilted maple on Mahogany with no f holes (dust catchers) and a medium finish (not deep gloss).

m

Kirk Eipper · From: Arroyo Grande, Ca.

any sound clips?

Thanks
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Michael Milton · From: Ontario, Canada

I have none up but

I particularly like: http://youtu.be/tgNQNmbCmLg

Billy Cardine has a few as well - Google is your friend

m

Dennis Smith · From: Covington, Georgia, USA

Hi
Do a forum search for Moog and look for Tom Gray he has four or five songs with the moog lap steel.
Dennis

Denny Turner · From: Oahu, Hawaii USA

What a great description of the Moog, Michael. Thank You.

It sure seems that the steel guitar is the answer to dynamic, polyphonic, sustaining portamento that Moog has sought for a long time.

Might it be another step towards flat, one-piece, touch-sensitive keyboards where the fingers do the sliding portamento, vibrato, etc. while maintining velocity tapping sensing too? Might a Moog pedal steel be in the planning? Hmmmmm.... might a touch-sensitive "fretboard" do away with picking and put 10 fingers to work; I can envision a whole row of "volume" pedals on the floor too???
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Michael Milton · From: Ontario, Canada

@Denny

Well, the MSL came into being because Billy Cardine wanted one, so.....

OTOH, although I really like mine, I've switched mostly to the Eigenharp which has 5 courses of keys, each sensitive to pressure, pitch and yaw.

The keys can be arranges any way you like but are typically set up as 5 courses offset by 5 scale steps (the scale is arbitrary as well). They can also be subdivided to play different sounds and multiple layouts can be included and switched between in performance. The keys are sensitive to as little as a micron of movement and each axis outputs a value 2000 time a second.

Any number of soft effects can be included either per-instrument or as a final stage. The courses can be monophonic (like a string) or polyphonic. The pressure, pitch and yaw are completely polyphonic. There are strip controllers and a breath control as well as pedals.

So it is non-traditional and electronic but it is nuanced. Many players come to it from guitar, cello, and wind instruments.

Cheers, m

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