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Topic: Just starting out |
Marty Dutille
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 1:27 pm |
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I was just given a 1950s Supro double neck steel guitar. It has legs, but as I understand can be used as a lap steel as well. Full disclosure, I know nothing about steel playing. The guitar needs repair as it hasn't been touch in (I don't know how many) years. I intend to repair it and learn to play. I've been playing guitar for about 50 years now. Looking for any information/suggestions I can get on parts for repair, what strings and tunings to use. Thank you in advance.
Marty Dutille |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 2:43 pm
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| What kind of repairs does it need, and what parts does it require? |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 4:56 pm
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Can you post a photo of it?
As for tunings on a double neck, I'd suggest C6 on one neck because it's the most popular these days, and an open major chord on the other neck because they are easy to start with and offer instant gratification.
C6 = C E G A C E (low to high)
D = D A D F# A D
E = E B E G# B E
G = G B D G B D (high bass/Dobro) or D G D G B D (low bass)
_________________
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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Marty Dutille
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 8:47 pm
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I haven't taken it apart yet or even plugged it in, but it looks like there are some corrosion issues. I guess if there is a known website that sells parts for this model. I'll know more when I really dig into it. I'm not beyond doing a complete restore job on it. I have no money sunk into it yet.
There's not too much on YouTube about it |
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Sebastian Müller
From:
Berlin / Germany
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Posted 9 Feb 2022 12:45 am
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Cool guitar !
In regards to tunings you have to ask yourself what kind of style you want to play and who your favourite player is. Chose the same tuning/ tunings as your favourite player.
_________________
https://hawaiian-steel-guitar.com |
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Thomas Bray
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2022 5:29 am
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| Man, I wish someone would hand me something that cool! I mean, they would, but I'd have to hand them a wad of cash first! Good luck with the project, to me, that's half the fun! |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 9 Feb 2022 7:53 am
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That is a cool guitar!
I agree with Sebastian that if you have a particular style of lap steel guitar you like, finding out the tunings common to that style (and the players you want to play similarly to) is a good starting point.
I also agree with Allen that barring any particular predilections toward particular styles...a very "vanilla" choice (and I mean that in a good way) would be high-E C6 on one neck and an open tuning (open G dobro perhaps) on the other neck. That would give you two extremely common tunings that each that would give you the best of both worlds...I would say open G and C6 have probably the most tablature and learning material out there for lap steel tunings (caveated for current learning material...I'm sure there's a ton of instructional material from the 1930s for things like open A high bass!). A nice thing about C6 is that with the same string set you can retune to a bunch of other tunings easily (A6, B11, D9, C6A7, C13).
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2022 11:52 am
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| It looks to be in pretty good shape for an instrument of its age. As long as the electronics and the tuners work there's not much you need to do beyond a general cleaning. Maybe a shot of electronics cleaner for the pots. It's a very simple machine. By the way, those string-thru pickups are highly regarded. Enjoy! |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 9 Feb 2022 1:30 pm
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| Nice guitar! |
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Paul Seager
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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Posted 17 Feb 2022 10:57 am
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The C6 Tuning has the most educational material behind it. As you have a double 6 string, you can try two C6 variations to reflect the educational material. By this I mean that I recall DeWitt Scott's book uses an E on top whereas Cindy Cashdollar's videos work with a G on top.
But there is plenty of YouTuber stuff available for C6 and selecting a tuning evolves as you learn more about how to play with other people and indeed your own taste.
Once you are through the C6 basics, check out Andy Volks song books in C6 and B11 - you will learn a cart load of stuff from those!
\paul |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 17 Feb 2022 2:49 pm
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| Biggest issue with these old laps is the tuning pegs and the pickups. I've had to swap out new tuning pegs on many of the vintage steels I've owned. tuning wise, I'd stay away from C6 which everyone is recommending. I find the 6 string C6 to be kind of high and uninteresting tuning. I'd use some variation of G and D tunings to start out. good for rock, country, blues or pop. C6 is going to be hawaiian sounding. (not that there is anything wrong with that). I'd wait until you have 8 strings to explore the 6th tunings, personally. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 18 Feb 2022 4:43 pm
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
| Biggest issue with these old laps is the tuning pegs and the pickups. I've had to swap out new tuning pegs on many of the vintage steels I've owned. tuning wise, I'd stay away from C6 which everyone is recommending. I find the 6 string C6 to be kind of high and uninteresting tuning. I'd use some variation of G and D tunings to start out. good for rock, country, blues or pop. C6 is going to be hawaiian sounding. (not that there is anything wrong with that). I'd wait until you have 8 strings to explore the 6th tunings, personally. |
As Bill says, a lot of people, including me, are not especially fond of C6. I also agree with him that the open G & D families make the best starting points. But since you have a double-neck, I’d still be inclined to keep one of the necks tuned to C6, if only because there’s so much learning material available, and it’s more versatile then the open major tunings. 6th tunings combine a major triad and a minor triad.
Edit: originally wrote “open C” when I meant to say “C6”. Changed in text. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 7 Mar 2022 1:01 pm
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Hey Marty, any updates to share yet? Have you tuned it up and plugged it in? Decided on tunings?
_________________
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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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 7 Mar 2022 1:46 pm
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Cool guitar. Chances are good there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Does it have a standard phone jack, or the old screw-on mic connector? Either will work fine if you have the correct cable. Adaptors are available, too.
If that instrument was mine, the first thing I would do is remove the old strings, and then clean everything with a soft rag dampened (dampened -- not saturated) with warm water and just a drop or two of mild dish detergent (I use Dawn).
Most if not all of the old tape residue can likely be removed with naptha (commonly sold as Ronsonol in the tobacco department). Remove the knobs, and shoot the pot shafts with a cleaner/lube such as Deoxit-5. Shoot enough at the base of the shaft so it can trickle down inside the pot, then turn the shaft back and forth several times.
Unless the tuners have been re-buttoned at some point in the last half-century, the plastic buttons may need replacement. From the pix, those look to be okay. Not a bad idea to put a drop or two of lubricant on the tuner gears. Anything is better than nothing (I use LaBelle 106 electric train teflon grease), just don't overdo it.
Your tuning choices will determine your string gauges. Select string sets for your selected tunings, or purchase them individually by the appropriate gauge for the note you're gonna tune it to.
String it up, tune it, and let 'er rip! |
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