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Topic: SX 8-string for stand-up playing? |
Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 9 Jul 2016 12:52 pm |
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Guys, I need an 8-string lap steel for playing in standing position with my rockabilly/honkytonk combo. Been trying to put my homemade 8-string on one of those X-type folding keyboard stands - but that doesn't look very professional, and also isn't that stable...
Been thinking about getting one of those SX LG2/8 lap steels (as sold by Rondo Music, though I'd order it from a dealer here in Europe) - for those of you who own that model: Do the feet extend far enough for stand-up playing (I'm about 180 cm = 6 feet tall)? Are the feet sturdy, or is the whole thing wobbly.
Oh, and please, I'm only looking for feedback about that specific model, not recommendations for other new models (yeah, I'd like to own a Clinesmith, Remington, or Sierra, but they are way more than what I can afford at the moment - 500€ tops!), or vintage steels (old 8-string console steels are almost impossible to find on this side of the great pond, and overseas shipping would be way too expensive...)
So, again - anyone have experiences with stand-up playing with that SX?
Thanks! |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 9 Jul 2016 2:03 pm
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| I've seen these stands, but I think the tabs on the sides won't fit my homemade lap steel... |
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 5:39 am
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| Do you have a picture of your lap that you want to stand & play with? |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 9:31 am
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It's this lap steel, which I built myself; the neck is way too wide to fit the stand linked above... |
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Jouni Karvonen
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 9:48 am
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| How about just adding 3 legs and sockets to your steel? |
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Jouni Karvonen
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 10:33 am
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I found a tall heavy duty X-stand, and add different holders for diff lap steels. Have a lot of luck this way.
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 10:57 am
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Guys, what you're forgetting is that I'm not in the US - with overseas shipping and about 25% VAT & import taxes added, all those stand & leg options would cost quite a bit more than that SX - so that's why I'm really mostly interested in whether the SX is tall enough for playing standing, and whether the legs are sturdy (after all, the SX steel itself seems to be quite OK).
If not, I might just continue using the keyboard stand, doesn't make sense to me to invest an arm and a leg (pun intended) into other options to make my homemade steel (which is OK, but not that special, either) work standing up. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 10:59 am
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Terry, that looks OK - did you make those brackets yourself?
I'd have to look for a taller keyboard stand, though - if I raise mine that far, the ends of the X are much closer together, that's why the whole thing isn't so stable... |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 11:05 am
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| Jouni Karvonen wrote: |
This is the place for legs and sockets, but only three is kind of wobbly in standing position.
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I've got a single neck Fender clone with 3 legs and its fine.
Funnily enough, my double neck is a bit wobbly on 3 legs but by triple is pretty solid. |
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 12:43 pm
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I got my brackets from Deluxe 34 Stands. Mark sells the stands but will sell just the brackets also. I like the ease and quickness that an X-stand offers.
http://www.deluxe34.com/ |
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 2:14 pm
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Roman, I do not have the Rondo, but the legs in this ad for the SX look just like the ones for the MF Rogue lap steel which I do have.
For me, the legs are fine for playing seated, but not long enough to play standing. I am about 75 inches (190.5 cm) tall. With the legs fully extended, the height of the top of the guitar is about 37 inches (94 cm) off the floor. At that height, the guitar feels stable enough to play in the house, but I am afraid that it might be shaky on stage. I will probably never know though because it is too low for me to play comfortably.
I hope this helps. Good luck in your search.
If you can not do it yourself, you could probably get some brackets similar to those in Terry's photos fabricated locally. That is assuming that you can find an X-Stand to your liking.
_________________
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 10 Jul 2016 2:57 pm
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Michael, thanks for your feedback!
I think maybe I should get something like this, my own X-type keyboard stand simply isn't tall & stable enough...
http://www.ebay.de/itm/400764757544 |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 11 Jul 2016 10:38 am
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Roman,
I used one of those keyboard stands a couple of years ago. Pretty stable and easy to adjust. I liked leaving the legs extended to the height I liked and then extending the platform to a length that would allow the legs to fold under when I put it away. All I had to do to set up was unfold the legs and scoot the platform in to the right length for my guitar. It does have a bit more of a stage footprint than an X frame but so does just about any other stand. Nice looking homebuilt steel, by the way. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 12 Jul 2016 12:24 am
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| Bill, I just ordered that stand - have a few gigs coming up in the next weeks, I hope it works well. |
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Bruce Cech
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2016 6:38 am
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| I have a Rogue Lap Steel and it came with three legs. Really have no where to keep it with the legs attached. I ended up putting a strap button on each end. The idea was to use a strap adjusted in length so the lap steel would sit on my lap and not slip around. Works pretty well. But I also noticed I could stand up and play as well. The guitar rests against my body. I am happy with this set up and it didn't take a lot of work or expense. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 12 Jul 2016 1:43 pm
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Bruce, that wouldn't work for me, I switch between lap steel and baritone guitar all the time in my band, and a strapped-on steel would make that much more difficult.
BTW, that stand I ordered has already arrived - seems to be nice and sturdy - just gotta find what height suits me best, and I'm going to add a plywood board on top, so I can place my steel & picks (& beer  ) there. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 16 Jul 2016 11:45 am
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Okay, played my first gig with the new stand, works very well; made a wooden platform that can hold all my junk (tuner, picks, steel, drink...) along with the lap steel...
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2016 9:14 am
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| And much more substantial than those three skinny legs that come with an SX. Better choice, I think. |
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2016 10:14 am
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Roman, that looks great. How about some more pictures of the set up, from above & from your view in the players position.
Also, I ordered one of these tables last week for myself, so I am very interested in what you have done. Thanks. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 17 Jul 2016 12:33 pm
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It's currently in our rehearsal room, won't be able to take pics till the end of next week...
Here's one more pic from the gig:
As you can see, there's also room for a couple of effects pedals (I have an A/B switch, tuner, tremolo & delay - but those are used mostly with my baritone Tele, not with lap steel). |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 17 Jul 2016 12:42 pm
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