Pickup for a lapsteel

[Nick Ellingworth]

I've got a very cheap lapsteel that I like to muck around with on occasions, (I normally end up playing some sort of bluesy psychedelic stuff) but I don't play it as much as I'd like to because the sound it produces when plugged in is frankly terrible, the blame for this can be laid squarely at the horrible piece of Chinese crap that is the pickup. It manages to be too tinny, too muddy and far too quiet at hte same time, quite a feat. Anyway to cut this short what I'm after is a single coil pickup that provides a decent warm tone at a decent volume level for not too much cash as I don't think it's worth spending more than £50 on upgrades to a guitar that only cost £60 in the first place.

Anyone got any suggestions, I've already had a look at the Lace range and some of the Seymour Duncan range but I'm open to any thing at the moment.

 

[blue313]

It's not a single coil, but a GFS Memphis might be an option for a less expensive pickup.  Its a Gretsch style pickup. Around $40USD

Another option is a GeorgeL, but that puts you in the $140USD range.  I understand they're fantastic though.

 

[mayfly]

The best guy out there for lap and pedal steel is Lollar.  They range from $140USD and up.  Fantastic pickups - but perhaps a bit more than you want to spend.

 

[Nick Ellingworth]

One slight issue with your suggestions guys is that I would have to heavily mod my lapsteel to fit any of those pickups, I simply want to drop a pickup in and that means I need to go for a strat style single coil. Thanks anyway.

 

[guitarjunky]

if you need a strat style I think you can have one custom made from reedjamescustom.com , and I think you can have the original rewound too, I heard that thy rewind pickups. that will be the cheapest way to go, I friend of mine had  a single coil rewound and it only cost him $30 but please dont quote me on that i have no idea how mutch thy charge to rewind pickups