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Topic: Recently re-acquired Supro Lap Steel... |
Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 18 Feb 2001 11:53 am |
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In the mid 80's I met a guy in Cooke City, Montana who played guitar and he had an old Supro Lap Steel that I bought from him for his price of $20.
It came with the original case which was in the latter stages of decomposition. I had it with me for a while but didn't really play it much and it ended up sitting at my folks house untill my dad came across it last week and sent it to me.
I cleaned it up last night. It came out really nice!
I found a picture of the same guitar that I'm posting here. The one pictured looks like the pickup cover is either missing or replaced. Mine has a very shiney silver pickup cover, and all the chrome polished up real nice, as did the red "mother o' toilet seat". The fretboard has a few small blems but all in all I'm really glad that this axe came back into my life!
I'm going to Guitar Center later today to find a gig bag for it. I think they have little gig bags for those mini Les Pauls and the backpack guitars they sell. Hopefully I'll find something.
I tuned it to match 6 strings of my B6th tuning that I think will be of most value for practicing single note stuff when the PSG is out of reach.
1 F#
2 Eb
3 B
4 G#
5 F#
6 Eb
It is missing one plastic vol/tone knob. I think I can find another at a local vintage shop. Unfortunatly the Supro logo was lost somewhere along the way (although it was there when I bought it).
The vol/tone pots were a little scratchy but after about 100+ turns back and forth they cleaned up O.K. I run 'em wide open anyway and just use my steel volume pedal and effects, or play it unplugged.
Here is a pic of the same axe I found on the web.
http://gbase.com/guitar_picture.asp?guitar=223919
It's great when cool things come back to you!
On a slightly unrelated to non-pedal note... I also recently re-acquired my "first" PSG (for basically about what I paid for it in '79). A Sho-Bud Pro 1 S10 3x1. I added a knee lever and tuned it to B6th also. You can really do alot with a 10 string "3x2" B6th tuning (compared to a 3x2 E9th tuning).
Here's a pic I found on the web of a very similar axe. http://www.steelguitar.net/shoBudPro1natural.jpg
What a trip!
-pete |
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Tim Rowley
From:
Pinconning, MI, USA
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Posted 18 Feb 2001 12:24 pm
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Got one, a circa 1948 brown mother-of-toilet seat model with the screw-on mic connector. Mine is an absolute screamer, unbelievable tone and volume. I generally tune it C6th with an E on the top. I'd like to find a stand-up stand for this little guitar so it would be handy to use on gigs. Maybe I'll have to make a stand for it.
Tim R. |
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Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 18 Feb 2001 6:43 pm
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Pete: a lovely guitar, in one of the nicest of all m.o.t.s. colors. I love that Supro sound, and this one must sound all that sweeter to your ears, given its history and the fact you paid only $20 for it. A real keeper.
Tim: have you tried a keyboard stand? |
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Tim Rowley
From:
Pinconning, MI, USA
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Posted 18 Feb 2001 7:11 pm
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Hi Ian,
A keyboard stand might be quite practical all right. However it's kind of an anachronism with a 1948 lap steel, sort of like Julius Caesar with a pump shotgun. I'd sure like to find something in chrome or nickel plate in keeping with the period when the steel was built, but I know better than to hold my breath, eh? Anyhow, if you hear of anything still available on the order of what I've described above I might well be interested if the price is low enough. Typical Michigan steeler, I know, cheap but choosy. I've been looking for an original-type lap steel stand for 25 years or so now but haven't given up yet. There's one out there in somebody's attic somewhere! Maybe a keyboard stand for the time being...
Tim R.
[This message was edited by Tim Rowley on 18 February 2001 at 07:13 PM.] |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 20 Feb 2001 6:23 pm
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Hi Pete- Nice Supro. It looks just like the very first electric steel I had. Back in the late 30's I took lessons for a year, $1.50 a week and got the supro and supro amp free!! I played that thing in a lot of bars around Cleveland, OHIO. The amp was weak , so after awhile, I traded that for a National 20 watt Ac-DC 12 inch speaker. Really great in those days. The AC-DC was necessary because lot of Hotels and summer resorts had DC current!!
I will always remember my first little Supro...al
BTW Pete, you are right about a 3/2 for C6 or B6 or E6. you can get a lot out that. But as you say, more is needed for E9. I have a Sho-Bud S10 with 5/5 and it is amazing what can be done with just that setup.You can almost get all the E9 and B6 on it, just do without the 2 lowest strings..al[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 20 February 2001 at 06:27 PM.] |
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