You get what you pay for...OR the Rondo/SX thread

[tfarny]

Bought a lap steel from the greater Rondo family of instruments about 6 months ago, paid about $140 for it, I see the same model under a few different names on Ebay now for around $300.

Short version: totally absolutely unplayable, and this is an instrument that requires no frets, needs only rough intonation, no "neck" at all, no truss rod, and exactly one pickup. Plank of wood, strings, fret markers, pickup.
I replaced the electronics using an old cool rails pickup I got off the 'Bay and some Gotoh tuners. That helped a lot but the bridge, oh the bridge! Made of "Metul" or something - a wraparound, would not intonate, had a 12" radius! On a guitar you play with a straight bar. Literally no one who plays lap steel was involved in the "design" of this instrument. At the point I realized the saddles were BENDING and that's why it wouldn't intonate, I took off the strings and pulled the studs out WITH MY BARE HANDS, they were just sitting in there wiggling around. Bought a $10 hardtail bridge from GFS, which is kind of a piece of junk itself but will at least stay in one place and hold the strings steady.

Now I've got a playable instrument. /end rant/

 

[Mor Paul]

pulled the studs out WITH MY BARE HANDS

The only part I saw....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs

 

[Big V]

pulled the studs out WITH MY BARE HANDS

The only part I saw....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs

:tard:
What did I just take?
:tard:

 

[line6man]

pulled the studs out WITH MY BARE HANDS

The only part I saw....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs

I shouldn't have drank 12 cans then. :sad:

Staying on-topic though, I've heard nothing but excellent reviews for Rondo/SX basses, I guess their lap steels are not on par with the rest of their instruments?

 

[tfarny]

I played a short scale fretless bass from Rondo last year, it was cute but it didn't tempt me to give up my Wenge-necked Dinky J. I think my tolerance for toy hardware and guitars that won't stay in tune / intonated has dropped to about zero, though. YMMV. All that's left of the original instrument is a piece of random, very soft wood, an aluminum nut and some painted on fret markers.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Anyone tried this 12 string?

 

[Superlizard]

I would never buy anything from the SX line (unless I wanted a guitar to totally mod) - only the Agile line and even then, only 3000 models and up.

In fact...

http://www.rondomusic.com/al3010goldp90left.html

 

[bigguspickus]

Yuck, that abologna inlay just don't look right. :confused4:

 

[jalane]

Want.  :binkybaby:

 

[Graffiti62]

Truth be told, I've kind of noticed that the more f**ked up a lap steel is, the more mojo it seems to have. My latest activity that I'm doing while I wait to get my basement set up the way I want it is that I'm turning my old Fender DG-5 acoustic into a lap steel. I bought it with a crack in the heel of the neck, and I've gotten to the point where I'm done putzing with it, especially since it needs to have the fretboard filed down and a new set of frets. I'm planning on picking up one of those raised "lay over top" nuts and I already have a polished piece of aluminum that sits where the bridge saddle sat--I just need to file it down a pinch to make it even and the proper height. A set of heavy strings and a big steel, and I should be set. This beat my original idea--I was going to make it into a lamp for my man cave.

 

[tfarny]

I'm curious to know if that will work without breaking the neck - C6 tuning is a lot of stress even on a 22.5 scale neck. The thinnest string is a .015 tuned to the same E as the guitar's high string. Open E or another Dobro tuning will be similar. Let us know.
As to being f*ed up and havin mojo, I dunno, guitars need to stay in tune and if the thing is not intonated you cannot pluck a chord with the bar held straight, the easiest beginner steel sound. I like my instruments to work properly.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I went to see a friend's band a while back and ended up siiting in for a few songs using the band's bass player's gear.  He had this Rondo http://www.rondomusic.com/ursa4rnpbu.html Bass, identical bass head as me, and a tweeter-less single 18" cab.  Very vintagey thump in your face tone.  I was thoroughly impressed.  It did not sound like a $150 bass.  To top it off, the owner who's gear I was playing through, his other bass is an all original '62 J-Bass he bought new in '62, so he is a discerning player.

 

[Jusatele]

I want a pedal steel so bad. but when I price them I realize that ain't happ'n

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I want a pedal steel so bad. but when I price them I realize that ain't happ'n

For the $100 guitar build thread, this seems totally doable.  No fretboard radius, no frets.  I know I've got pickups, tuners, and a 2x4 in the garage.

 

[Jusatele]

I want a pedal steel so bad. but when I price them I realize that ain't happ'n

For the $100 guitar build thread, this seems totally doable.  No fretboard radius, no frets.  I know I've got pickups, tuners, and a 2x4 in the garage.

for a 100 dollar build how many pedals can we get?

 

[tfarny]

Lap steel $100, absolutely. Pedal - not on your life.

 

[mayfly]

I want a pedal steel so bad. but when I price them I realize that ain't happ'n

Do what I did - put a bender in your tele.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Lap steel $100, absolutely. Pedal - not on your life.

Oops.  Yeah, lap not pedal is what I meant.