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Topic: Reworking a Morrell Lap Steel |
Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 10 Aug 2015 6:48 pm |
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This 8-string lap steel with a split tube lipstick pickup came into the shop with a complaint of low output on strings 1 and 8. I decided to replace the pickup with a Kent Armstrong ST7E1 from WD Music. The new mounting plate was made by Tony Dudzik of Pickguardian.com. I separated the controls to allow for pinky finger effects on the volume control. It was necessary to enlarge the pickup opening slightly using my router template.
Then I didn't like the close string spacing at the nut so I had a local machinist make a half dozen extended nuts with the base the same dimension as the original acrylic nut.
Added three coats of conductive shielding paint and a copper grounding strip from stewmac.com, then drilled a hole to run a grounding wire to the bridge/tailpiece. The tailpiece was located 1/16" too far back so I filled the mounting holes and redrilled new pilot holes in the correct postion. Instead of putting the original tailpiece back on, I used one that was laser cut with small notches so the strings won't slide back and forth at the bridge. The ones I have are powder coated black which adds a nice touch.
The fretboard is silk-screened off center but the only solutions would have been to cover it with a custom fretboard so I left that part alone. Here's some photos of the project.
If anyone else needs to rework a Morrell, please contact me. I have some parts I'll send for free, some for sale, and I can tell you where to get the things I don't have.
Bob Allen, melbertguitars@gmail.com
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 6:29 am
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Looks like you did a nice job there, Bob. Thanks for sharing!
I've always hesitated to recommend the Morrell lap steels because they just don't seem to be put together that well. How much would you say all your upgrades would cost if you had to put a dollar value on it?
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Tom Campbell
From:
Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 7:01 am
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| Simple solution: buy a Melbert and be done with it! |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 8:03 am
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| Brad Bechtel wrote: |
| How much would you say all your upgrades would cost if you had to put a dollar value on it? |
I already have shielding paint, wire, glue, solder, and other supplies on hand as well as all the tools so I won't include those items. Prices are my cost, dealer net.
ST7E1 pickup $37.50
Control plate $14
Custom nut $14
Pots $2.60
Knobs $2.50
Strings $3.50
Total time about 4 hours. With a trade-in of the lipstick pickup a customer could expect to pay me $75 plus shipping to have me do the conversion. |
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 8:15 am
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| Stephen Cowell wrote: |
| Don't forget the tuners... really, all you can use is the wood. |
Many people will buy a budget instrument. A good part of my business is upgrading and repairing them. As long as the customer has realistic expectations, I don't mind taking on any of these jobs. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 12:06 pm
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| not a good endorsement for the morrell! |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 12:09 pm
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| also, i always assumed the name had something to do with tom morrell.....but evidently it's joe morrell?? who's that? |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 11 Aug 2015 12:39 pm
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| chris ivey wrote: |
| also, i always assumed the name had something to do with tom morrell.....but evidently it's joe morrell?? who's that? |
http://www.morrelllapsteel.com/#!about/c14mb
Joe Morrell, a native of Bristol, Tennessee, was a musician, playing professionally as a young man with country music bands in New England and locally with Curly King on the WCYB "Farm and Fun Time" radio program in the 1950s. He sometimes performed using the stage name 'Herbie Hootenauger'.
In 1960 he founded the Joe Morrell Music Store in Bristol, and later organized the Joe Morrell Music Distributing Co. which supplies music products to retailers throughout the U.S.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 13 Aug 2015 8:29 am
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I put on better tuners and a Duncan Stringmaster pickup in my 8 string. Needed no modifications to make the pickup fit and it sounds much better than the original. Makes a decent yet economical instrment.
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KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Donner, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, GFI, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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