Lap Pedal Steel

Paul Strojan · From: California, USA

Has anybody ever thought of making a lap steel with palm pedals like Buck Trent's banjo? I was looking at the EDGE banjo changer and thought if you extend it from 5 to 10 strings you could have the A and B pedal changes on a lap steel. I think it would be great for musicians who travel and need a guitar they could take on the plane.

Rick Bernauer · From: Kansas, USA

Paul - check out the Dusenberg Pomona 6 and Fairytale lap steels. https://duesenberg.de/en/guitars/fairytale

Michael Sawyer · From: North Carolina, USA

I started out on lap steel,and after a few months ordered a multibender from Duesenburg.
Basically a bridge with a couple of palm pedals.
I couldn't play using them,but there are some guys on You Tube that have mastered it.
I sold it taking a $50 hit and bought a pedal steel.Good concept, but wont for me.

Fred · From: Amesbury, MA

There are many threads on this subject in the Steel Without Pedals section. Search for “palm pedals” and “ string bender” and you’ll find a lot of discussion of the pros and cons.

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

Paul,
Here’s a good clip

https://youtu.be/pn3mR0HRcbg

(I bumped mine up again in the classifieds)
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Not palm pedals but I saw a fellow play a Linkon lap with an external cable operated pedal board on the floor. I forget his name, but man that thing sounded great.

It was built by pedal steel builder Wayne Link in Canada, I believe. That was several years ago and I don't know anything about whether Wayne is around or building steels.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

If I'm not mistaken, I believe Maurice Anderson built an under arm guitar equipped with cables and a foot control to change the pitch of strings.
I'm sure this idea could be adapted to lap steel. Very Happy

Erv

Paul Strojan · From: California, USA

I have seen the Duesenberg's and they look like very nice guitars but it isn't what I am looking for. It's a lap steel with a bender, I want a 10 string pedal steel that I can play on my lap and not have to assemble or disassemble it 4 times if I was to play a gig. I have reached out to Jackson company to build me a guitar and I am hoping build some interest so they don't stick me with all the development costs.

J Fletcher · From: London,Ont,Canada

How many pedals do you want ? Any knee levers ? Going to use a volume pedal ? These things will all be harder to use with a steel on your lap , though after a while you can probably get around .
My steel , single ten with 3 pedals and 4 levers takes about 3 minutes or so to set up , and 3 minutes to tear down .

Paul Strojan · From: California, USA

Paul Strojan · From: California, USA

Hi group,

I am talks to have a lap pedal guitar built and I would like advice on this copedent.

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Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

I've just built and installed a wrist lever on a Williams pedal steel. Considering how well it works I have a similar idea in mind for another,,,and possibly another. The next one lie flat on the cabinet and run alongside the neck. Also the Jackson boys (sho-Bud) have some good ideas for pitch changers.

Johnie King · From: Tennessee, USA

Jackson pedal steel can fix you up with a ten string lap that works so much better than a Duesenberg.
You use the bottom of your wrist to change string pitch so u can still block while changing pitch on strings.

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Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

That duesy sounds wonderful, but looks like a pain in the ass to play,, the guy in the vid was very good, and obviously worked hard on his technique.. I have a feeling most of us pedal guitar players would be tripping over ourselves trying to play it that well.. there are some major mods he made from what most pedal steel players do when picking blocking etc.. Picking with his pinky and ring finger etc,, Very odd.
Duesenberg should make a similar 10 string with pedals and knees that sounds like this one.. LOVED the tone!... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!

no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......

Paul Strojan · From: California, USA

I have been talking with David Jackson about making a double bender. It is just a matter of working out a setup that works for both of us.
At heart I am a lap steel player so I have no attachment to the pedal steel orthodoxy. I am thinking that I want to go from an E9 (E,B,D,E,F#,G#,B,E) to A13 (G,A,C#,E,F#,A,C#,E) by raising the high B to C# on one lever to get a E13/C#minor and; on the other level raising the G# to A, low E to G and dropping the Low B to A and D to C#.

I am fairly new to steel guitar and I would appreciate any advice or other thoughts about which changes to have.

Charlie Hansen · From: Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.

Gary Spaeth · From: Wisconsin, USA

i had an elbow lever that i could still keep my hand in playing position while operating. i also had a lever under my hand in playing position. the elbow raised b to c# and the under wrist raised g# to a. it was easy to operate both at the same time without shifting my hand position. i had a flag halfway on the elbow pedal for harmonics. worked great.

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