Author Topic: An Alembic lap steel? (Read 320 times)

effclef · « **on:** December 07, 2004, 05:58:09 AM »

I had a dream, crazy dream...

Could Alembic build me a lap steel? I envisioned a Skylark turned into a Weissenborn shaped electric. Someone I know photoshopped this up. Not quite what I had in mind but I have no artistic skills and this will at least get people thinking. :-)

EffClef

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2004, 07:40:36 AM »

Yummm!!!!

Bill, tgo

pace · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2004, 09:45:09 AM »

Ive been dreaming up having them do a 12 string (E9th extended tuning) pedal steel body and electronics~ I told Susan not to worry about it for another 5-6 years, lol.... I figure I'd have Fessenden mill out all the aluminum parts for the bridge, tuners, undercarrige and end plates, but instead of the typical maple top & sides w/ a mica or laquer finish, have Alembic create a very special sandwich

I would love to have an Alembic pup in a pedal steel~ my plan is to have the pup & 9v preamp/buffer (wide open, no filters or EQ) on board, and have a rack w/ an SF-2 for all my tweaks..... I mentioned this to a rather famous pedal steel player one night after a show & he laughed and said Susan will never do that for you..... That just makes me want to go ahead & do it more... lol

effclef · « **Reply #3 on:** December 07, 2004, 12:43:23 PM »

Mike, I guess my inspiration was watching Robert Randolph on TV recently. Wow, some amazing stuff. I love Ben Harper as well but he can be such a downer sometimes. I prefer happy/rocking slide!

I'm not going to have the person redo the Photoshopping just for discussion, but what I had in mind would leave the Skylark top laminates shaped the same way they normally are, but instead extend the mahogany of the body up in a wedge shape toward the middle of the neck.

The nut and bridge would be set up for slide.

The two controls would be volume and filter. Not sure if having two pickups on a lap steel would be a must or not (but I bet two Alembic pickups would sound great).

Neck through or set neck? Who knows!

Strap buttons can go away.

Well anyway, it's fun to dream. Mica, if you print this out to show to your Dad, let me know what he says. ;-)

EffClef

pace · « **Reply #4 on:** December 07, 2004, 02:50:17 PM »

In my mind lap steels have always been primative instruments~ just nail some strings to a 2x6, rip the microphonic pup out of an old Harmony, use a drumstick for a bridge and that's it, ya know?!? I dont know how an Alembic lap steel would compare to a Melobar or old Gibson. I dont know if the fidelity of an Alembic circuit on a lap steel would allow you to dial in the grit it is inherently known for....

bracheen · « **Reply #5 on:** December 07, 2004, 03:43:13 PM »

Robert Randolph is great! I saw him open for Clapton recently. Never heard of him before but was blown away by the whole band.

Sam

jagerphan84 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 07, 2004, 03:52:43 PM »

More props for Robert Randolph. I saw him with the Family Band at the Egg in Albany a while back, and it was an incredible show. Robert's guitar work is full of energy, Danyel's bass playing is something that must be seen. Definitely worth seeing if they ever come near your town. The smaller the venue, the better (IMO).

CD recommendation - 'Live at the Wetlands.'

Adam

valvil · « **Reply #7 on:** December 07, 2004, 08:44:28 PM »

Robert Randolph is also a guest on one song (Mas Y Mas) on the recently released DVD by Los Lobos, recorded at the The Fillmore this summer (that's what I get for not reading the local papers, I had no idea they were playing, I'd have gone if I had known); he totally smokes, Los Lobos really rock too, of course.

Valentino

effclef · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2004, 12:24:41 PM »

Pace, I would think the Alembic construction and electronics can only help. If nothing else there'd be more clean harmonics heading to the amp/effects.

Adam, thanks for the Wetlands tip; that's going into my wishlist.

I do wonder if Alembic would consider this. Sure...it's only money... Custom body template to start off with. But subtracting one pickup/filter and making the neck basically a slab, no radius, inlaid maple fretlines, flat nut, flat bridge...hmm, maybe some money could be saved there. ;-)

I can't seem to find the body template upcharge at the site right now.

Now what would be a good thing to do to the back to keep it from sliding on blue jeans? Leather and upholstery studs? Velvet?

It's fun to dream!

EffClef

bsee · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2004, 12:43:20 PM »

If you get a deep cutaway on the 'bottom' and take advantage of the adjustable bridge and nut, it probably doubles as a classy travel guitar. Maybe you could even go with two narrow pickups, one pushed against the bridge and the other at the neck. Is this overkill on a lap steel?

pace · « **Reply #10 on:** December 12, 2004, 07:35:58 AM »

Eff, Im just so used to a throaty narrow bandwidth thats inhierent on most lap-steels... the results of this beast would be very different....

Bob, I dunno about the travel conversion, would you actually have the neck fretted when you dont need them?!?

bsee · « **Reply #11 on:** December 12, 2004, 07:55:40 AM »

Sorry, the pic looks like a fretted neck. I doubt that it is more trouble/cost to go lined fretless than it is to go fretted. Can't say that I am a lap steel expert, I just look at things and get ideas.

effclef · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2004, 09:43:36 AM »

Bob, the pic is of a Skylark and of course that was fretted. If had a Ph.D in Photoshop I could probably make it look like exaclty what's in my head, heh.

I would imagine you could get throaty by just having the one pickup, and have it set-neck.

Asking Alembic for this would definitely be uncharted territory, but I wonder if it's possible, since there is theoretically less carving necessary than a standard instrument.

Oh yeah, more throaty sound would probably also be do-able by making the Q filter have a high value, like 12dB ...

EffClef