Getting started with lap steel

[tfarny]

Hey, I was wondering if anybody plays / owns a lap steel out there, and if they have any tips to getting started. I started listening to Ben Harper again which always makes we want to try it out.

 

[Nick Ellingworth]

I do own a lapsteel, don't ask me how you're supposed to play it though as I rarely use it for anything other than weird sounding stuff involving a delay pedal and an ebow. :icon_biggrin:

I'm in the process of upgrading my lapsteel at the moment I'm replacing the stock Chinese rubbish with one of Troubled Tele's pickups all I need now is the other electrical pieces (plus new knobs) which should be here by Friday.

 

[mayfly]

I used to own an old gibson lap steel ('59 Koa I believe).

Never figured it out and ended up selling it - sorry I can't help.

 

[stubhead]

Steel Guitar Forum - http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/index.php

It costs $5 to join if you want to post, but it's worth it if you're serious. Steel guitarists tend to be tinkerers, there's more there about building amps and guitars than there is here, probably. Tons of access to instruction, too. It's a small community, so people like Buddy Emmons & Paul Franklin post there - that's the equivalent of asking a question on a guitar forum and getting an answer from Leo Fender or Jeff Beck. I've bought & sold more used equipment there that anywhere else, cause you'd better not screw up....

Here's from a SGF link:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=149340
http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Tab/LapTab.html