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Topic: 14 String Lap Steel is now 16 Strings.....MP3 Emily |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2022 10:09 pm |
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tinkered with the 14 string lap i built and i needed one more string on the top to play the melody of this great standard "emily". so i added a string on top and there was room on the bottom so i added another one there too.
recorded this beautiful song "emily". you have heard many players play it. its a standard for sure.
started out with some pretty harmonics and then the rest of the tune is laden with lots of nice chord stuff....block chords, arpeggiated chords etc. hope yall enjoy it.
tuning is from low to high:
Bb Eb G B D F G A Bb C D Eb F F# G A. the leavitt tuning is in there, but i lowered the overall tuning a bit. gives the guitar a richer sound. LOTS of open strings used. with this many strings, you can play open on the uppers and use the bar on the lowers at the same time. tricky, but it works. thanks for listening.
https://soundcloud.com/bill-hatcher/emily-16-solo-string-lap-steel?si=559b0ec4ec784a8fa49bed77f6052d57&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing |
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Jim Mckay
From:
New Zealand
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 12:06 am
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Very pretty Bill. You certainly have a style of your own that stands out by a head and shoulders. 
_________________
Canopus d-8
Excel Jerry Byrd frypan
T-8 Stringmaster |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 5:56 am
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another thing i modified on the guitar with good results.
i did not have a 14 string pickup initially, so i just put two pickups on it to cover all the strings and summed them up to one output. that was ok, but when i added these two strings, i also moved the two pickups over to cover the newly added strings and then i added a second output and ran each pickup to its own output jack. that allows me to control the vol and EQ on the top end and bottom end. you can even hear a bit of a stereo sound where the lower strings are on one side of the mix and the uppers are more in both sides. i could have panned them left/right, but the main strings need to be more centered since they are used more. nice to have better control of the two pickups and the sound is better since they are not wired in series or parallel. the bass side pickup is closer to the bridge which tightens up the bass and keeps it better defination.
so much for the tech stuff. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 8:52 am
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Bill Evans played the heck out of this tune and Bill, what an incredible Evans-ish version on non-pedal! Incredible piano-like textures and harmonics here. You really have your own thing - and that's hard to do. I'm always in awe of your musicianship and always appreciate your kindness when others post their playing.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Nick Adamson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 10:21 am
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| Really love that sound.. great playing. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 11:49 am
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| Bill Hatcher: the Lenny Breau of steel guitar. Amazing! |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 12:10 pm
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| Andy Volk wrote: |
| Bill Evans played the heck out of this tune and Bill, what an incredible Evans-ish version on non-pedal! Incredible piano-like textures and harmonics here. You really have your own thing - and that's hard to do. I'm always in awe of your musicianship and always appreciate your kindness when others post their playing. |
Thank you. I love to hear what players post here. We need to support each other’s efforts. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 12:19 pm
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
| Bill Hatcher: the Lenny Breau of steel guitar. Amazing! |
Wow. Now that’s a REAL compliment to live up to. I met him back in the 70s and heard him play. No one like him for sure.
I like what you are doing with the triggering. You will be able to do something musical with it. |
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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Posted 27 Jan 2022 10:49 pm
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Beautiful playing and tone, you get some nice crescendos out of that steel. I need to experiment more tunings like that.
Also noticed these threads next to each other and thought I should make a triple neck like that(heh)
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- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 28 Jan 2022 9:53 am
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Bill that was beautiful... I also build steel steel guitars.
May I ask you what 2 pickups you used to cover all 16 strings. I have made several instruments with multiple guitar pickups to align with 10 and 12 strings...Pics would be nice as to placement and mounting. Your tone is amazing!
Thanks
Dom Franco
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 28 Jan 2022 10:52 am
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| Dom Franco wrote: |
Bill that was beautiful... I also build steel steel guitars.
May I ask you what 2 pickups you used to cover all 16 strings. I have made several instruments with multiple guitar pickups to align with 10 and 12 strings...Pics would be nice as to placement and mounting. Your tone is amazing!
Thanks
Dom Franco |
hey dom. i have listened to you sing and play your custom guitar on youtube. you sound great and the guitar does too. whatever you are doing...keep doing that!
i use any pickup that has a continuous magnet field across the top. that way i can put any number of strings on. this particular guitar has a bill lawrence 6 string guitar pickup on the lowers and a george l E66 on the uppers.
here is what i do to test pickups. string the guitar up with a couple of strings on the top, the bottom and one string in the middle. then make two wooden spacers that will fit in the gaps. measure the spacers to the exact height you want your pickup gap to be. then turn the pickups over and set them on the spacers. it does not matter if the pickup is over or under the strings. you can wire them up and move them around to any place on the guitar and play on the 5 strings you have and see what positions suit you. really make a huge difference when you move the pickups even a quarter of an inch. also, you can check the harmonics at fret 12, 7 and 5. you want to hear the harmonics at 5 and 7 for sure. best to you with your building. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2022 6:58 am
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I'm new here and honestly I'm in disbelief of some of the musicians on this forum. I came here to learn more about steel guitar and I've discovered several of my new favorite musicians. I get the same sense of awe and inspiration on this recording as I do listening to any of the jazz greats. Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing.
Bill I found your Youtube videos and I can say you are without a doubt one of the finest fingerstyle guitarists I have ever heard as well. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 29 Jan 2022 7:24 pm
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Bill, you have an unmatchable combination of musicianship and generosity of spirit. We are blessed to have you as a big part of our little online community.
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Mikiya Matsuda
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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