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Topic: My new homemade 8-string |
Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 18 May 2007 1:08 pm |
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Just wanted to show you guys some pics of my new homemade lap steel. Not as perfect as some of those great ones shown by other builders on the forum (esp. the finish...), but then, I don't have a workshop, built this in the kitchen of my city apartment, mostly with hand-tools (and an electric drill, and a tiny Dremel-like router)).
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 18 May 2007 1:13 pm
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The body is made from African mahogany (khaya), the "pickguards" are made from zebrano wood, the nut and saddle are made from aluminium angle stock, the bridge pickup is a "Chicago Steel" from Jason Lollar, the neck pickup is a Stringmaster-type made by Pete Biltoft from VIntage Vibe Guitars, and these are wired with a Fender 4-way switch.
The Chicago Steel, as advertised, has a tone really close to the string-through pickup on my 1952 Supro Supreme, the VVG neck pickup has a very warm, yet transparent sound, kind of like a Stratocaster neck pickup (this is my favorite position on this lap steel, but I haven't tried it with my band yet), both in parallel give a twangy, slightly mid-scooped sound, and both in series give a very full and ballsy loud tone.
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 18 May 2007 1:20 pm
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That's very cool, Roman.
How does it sound? I'd like to hear how the two pickups sound, both together and separately.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 18 May 2007 1:36 pm
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Well, just like I said, the neck pickup is full an warm, but transparent, the bridge is much brighter and brasher, kind of Supro-ish. While the wood and bridge material are the same as on my Seymour Duncan P90-equipped homemade 6-string, the amplified sound of these guitars is quite a bit different, the 6-string P90 is much rawer, raunchier, in-your-face, this 8-string has a sweeter, rounder, warmer, darker character.
Unfortunately, I don't own any recording equipment (and wouldn't know how to use it, anyway), so i don't have any soundfiles...
I haven't tried this new lap steel with my band yet - we play "alternative country", but more of the quieter, folk-influenced kind (think Townes Van Zandt, Dylan, Loudon Wainwright), lots of acoustic guitar, harmony singing, etc. - I think, the darker, sweeter sound of this lap steel might fit better with this band than the more aggressive, brash P90-equipped-6-string. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 18 May 2007 1:42 pm
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Very nice job Roman. You sure did great with the tools you had to work with. 
Regards BILL |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 18 May 2007 3:38 pm
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Roman,great job!nice work man.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 18 May 2007 4:17 pm
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Nice job Roman  Also glad to hear your input on the VV pickup, been thinking of using one on an upcoming 8 build. Warm and transparent is just where I want to go with this one. |
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Bob Hunter
From:
Langley BC, Canada
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Posted 18 May 2007 4:28 pm
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| Ive been planning a made by me guitar and I am encouraged by you efforts. It looks good! |
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Jason Dumont
From:
Bristol, Connecticut, USA
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Posted 19 May 2007 3:17 am
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Roman she looks sweet!
Your attention to detail really shows through, like how the screws are layed out mirror image both sides of the wings. Way to freakin go!
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Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 19 May 2007 5:08 am
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Outstanding, Roman -- It looks great, and I really like the creative solutions you came up with to mount the pickups and the placement of the jack.
BTW, I have a Vintage Vibe pickup in my Melobar 6-string -- it's a Strat-size blade pickup -- very full and warm, but still capable of cutting through when needed. We play alt-country/Americana stuff, too, and a slightly darker sound (as opposed to our guitarist's Tele or P-90 Reverend) is a great contrast. Pete Biltoft is great to work with, too. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 19 May 2007 12:15 pm
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Peter, actually, I just got a Tele Thinline body (very nicely figured ash top on alder, with two f-holes - here's a link to a picture: http://i1.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/9d/a9/3e67_12_sb.JPG - these are made by Ebay-seller "cstcustomguitars"), and I'll probably use VVG pickups on it, after the great experience with Pete's 8-steel pickup; I'm thinking about his humbucker-sized Charlie-Christian-style blade single-coil for the neck position, and maybe a HB-sized P90 for the bridge.
But thatproject will have to wait a bit, until I have saved some extra money for those pickups and a nice Warmoth Tele neck. |
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Thomas Ludwig
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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Posted 19 May 2007 12:21 pm
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Klasse Roman !!
Witch tuning do you use ?
Thomas |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 19 May 2007 12:38 pm
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| C6 - ACEGACEG from low to high - I'm using the Jagwire Herb Remington string set bought from here at the forum. |
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John Ficken
From:
Sunny Southern California, USA
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Posted 20 May 2007 9:02 pm
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Very nice, Roman! It's got a real cool retro look to it.
_________________
OK...I'm gonna try and tune this thing...again! |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 21 May 2007 3:02 pm
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Thanks, the shape of the body and pickguard was slightly influenced by those cool National Dynamic lap steels, but I like the look of natural wood (and couldn't do a really professional solid colour finish, like those black & white Nationals have, anyway).
BTW, used the lap at band practice today, and compared it to my P90-equipped 6-string lap-steel (made from the same wood, as I already mentioned) - this new one has a completely different character, while the P90-6-string is a "rocker" which almost urges me to step on the overdrive pedal and play bluesy solos or strummed chords, this new one sounds much more refined, sophisticated, laid-back, so I was trying to use more stuff like scales doubled in thirds or sixths today (our bandleader joked that he wouldn't follow along if I inteded to move to Nashville...) |
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Tim Simpson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2007 11:31 am My lap 6
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| I just posted my creation ,Finster, because I saw yours. |
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Gary Stevenson
From:
Northern New York,USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2007 5:38 pm Homemade
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| Okay now I have to get pics done of my three lap steels.I hope they stand up to the fine ones I have been seeing recently. Real sharp lapper you have built!!! |
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