Yes! Swamp ash is such a great wood for a lap steel! I had a mahagony lap steel of similar size, and it seemed like the swamp ash was twice the weight! Which I love for a lap steel, as I usually play without a stand... the extra weight keeps it stable on the ol' lap :)

@@joedocmusic ... and has exactly ZERO impact on tone. No acoustic chamber in a Lap Steel OR solid body electric guitar.

this is my biggest frustration with my lap steel. its the cheapest one you can buy, and im ok with that, but the fatal flaw is it has an adjustable bridge, so inherently there is already issues because the bridge should be exact and fixed. so i HAVE to intonate my instrument because its fucked to begin with, and im a complete newbie so trying to fix something that shouldnt be a thing is frustrating

Couldn't agree more. Why would you want to have to make such adjustments when it can be made to intonate correctly?

Thanks James! I have a few of the SX lap steels, and there is definitelysome variance in them. The good thing is they are really solidly built, so there's not much to worry about hurting by trying adjustments. Definitely agree that filing the metal nut would be a job for a more experienced tech... I wonder if there are good replacements for the nut... have to look into that.

@@joedocmusicI don't know, possibly Georgeboards might have something that would work. I have a set of fret files and have done a bit of that kind of work, so I'm probably going to try filing mine very carefully and gradually.

Thanks for the info! This is a great tip. Unfortunately your comment is colored by disdain for the "clip-on tuner". Yeah, a nerdy little device, but actually useful for many purposes. Naturally, the problem is NOT with the tuner being clip-on or such, it is in the way I tuned the instrument! Even with the little clip on, I can now tune the strings as you suggest - a wee bit sharp - and I will try this. As should all other players who read this comment. Thanks for the input, and let keep the comments clear and bias-free! best wishes, -joe

The problem with clip-on electronic tuners is that they only tune to equal temperament, which is not how a steel guitar should be tuned. A lap steel should be tuned to pure harmonies. If you're going to use an electronic tuner, you should use one that allows you adjust to cents sharp or flat. Major thirds should be tuned about 14 cents flat for perfect harmony. In other words, if you tune the C to +7 cents, the E should be -7 cents. You can't do that with a clip-on tuner. In practice, I've found that +5 cents for the C and G strings, and -5 cents for the E and A strings, sounds very good and is easier to dial in. Of course, the bridge must be a straight line and you have to hold the bar straight.

Oh really. Get a grip he's only doing it as easy as he can for the video then post yours and let's see how it's professionaly done lol

@@boblee4162 Peterson Strobe tuner works great on lap steels. You can get a more accurate percentage above or below pitch.

@@joedocmusic Ho Joe im new in lap Steel. Can i tune It with a regular guitar clipon tuner?

Hello. You cannot adjust the intonation to an instrument that does not have a fret, a bevel slope, and does not stretch while pressing on the wire, like a fretted guitar. I don't think steel guitars need a moving bridge. If they are manufactured correctly. It is the right one in physics. I recommend you to read the book "harmonograph" by Anthony Ashton. My English is a little bad because I'm middle eastern 🤦🏻‍♂️

Yes, the fixed bridge versions seemed to be set and ready to go... perhaps string gauge has to do with varying intonation? (The finer points of string gauge & possible need for intonation adjustment are unclear to me!) In any case, I presume these SX Lap Steels are produced using hardware they already had for their guitars, hence the lower cost. I dig the pickups and the ash wood, though, so I'm willing to spend a half-hour to fiddle with intonation ;-) j

@@joedocmusic Yes Joe, that pickup in your guitar sounds very good. In fact, after i heard you play sleepwalk i have started with lapsteel, and wanted to buy a SX Lap Steel, but could not find a dealer here in Belgium, so i bought a Recorder King. Sounds not bad either, but your SX sounds bettern maybe because of the hardware after the lap steel.. I also bought your online lessons at that time.

@@germona Thanks for the support! There's a music store in Ireland called "Walton's" that deals in SX instruments, not sure if they have the lap steels, tho. Worth asking! cheers, j

Swami lap steels don’t normally come with adjustable bridge.....they just do not need them. This video has artificially made the bridge out of tune and then bringing it correct by bringing the bridge back in line. The whole concept of this video is wrong for lap steel.

@@mzinns Thanks. I just bought some angle brass I was going to use to make a bridge in my lap steel project, and this video made me panic.

+TheNitsua59 Thanks - glad to hear it is appreciated! String gauge is important for the tuning you are going to use - there are a lot of possibilities for Lap steel... GHS makes a good C6 set. best, joe

Yeah he so funny!

Hello..

KountryCuz1... Nice one for you sir.. Where can i see this too by..?

Hi Jon, Is the bridge adjustable or movable in any way - can it be set at a slant, for example? It could be the strings... it may be the gauges are an odd set - thicker strings will need to be adjusted differently than thin ones, so if the intonation is way off, you may want to try a different string set.

www.joedocmusic.com Thanks for the response. No it's not, it's the classic string through valco pickup that is all one piece, like ry cooder used to use in his strats. I'm new to lapsteel, I'm a guitarist. What's the standard string gauge for these instruments?

***** That always depends on the tuning you are using, but for C6, I like the set from GHS - the best price I found is here: reverb.com/item/6618-ghs-electric-lap-steel-strings-c6-tuning-15-36

Hi Bill, This video is meant for the modern production lap steels that are built with an adjustable bridge. They seem to be using the readily available guitar parts, so it happens that they are often not adjusted correctly when shipped. Cheers, joe

Right above the position marker is the place!

Hi

Hi George, Intonation is always important, but honestly you have more leeway on a lap steel, since you can correct by ear. Naturally, if one string is way off, you'll never be able to get a consonant chord going on, but I don't think that would be a problem if the luthier planned it the right way with a fixed bridge. If it's a "cheap" model, I'd suggest taking it for a spin first! cheers, joe

Many thanks. George

The best lap steels do not have adjustable bridges. It's simply not necessary if you tune the instrument properly. The only lap steels with adjustable bridges are made in factories where they also make guitars. It's a cost-cutting measure. They don't want to make a proper lap steel bridge when they have thousands of cheap electric guitar bridges available. Check out clinesmithinstruments.com/cast-aluminum or georgeboards.com or asherguitars.com/pages/ben-harper-signature-6 ... These are lap steels that professional players use. No adjustable bridges.

I agree. The reason the cheaper manufacturers are using adjustable bridges is that they pick it out of the same supply they’re making their fretted instruments out of. Start with the saddles even and adjust if you notice that your bar is having to move one direction or the other over the imaginary frets to be in tune. It’s that simple. Steel guitars don’t need staggered intonation. Period.

To clarify. If you adjust move ALL the saddles not just one. Always make them even on a steel.

Hi Gordo. I just noticed your tuning question. A nice 8 string C6 tuning is A C E G A C E G. So you add a low A and a high G. This gives you a low A string for your minor chords. It also gives you 2 full sets of major or minor triads. With the 2 CEG sets you can play Dobro licks.

The reason is the strings get stretched when pressed, and so notes go slightly sharp. Strings have different gauges and tensions though, that's why they need to be adjusted individually.

Because the bigger the interior of the string (minus wrap on low strings) the more the string has to be pressed to “fret” the note on a regular guitar. Therefore the note goes sharp (just like when you bend a note) but this time the bend is going down into the fretboard. I don’t believe that a lap steel needs to be individually intonated. If there is differences in string diameter I believe it’s minimal. Remember small intonation problems can be user error when It comes to steel. Pedal steels aren’t “intonated” at individual strings only for bends. And pitch doesn’t go by 440 rules in that case.

Basically the answer is it’s the interior of the string that makes the difference.

nick louda Thanks man, glad you dig. The bridge came stock on the SX lap steel, and is basically a Gibson-style tailpiece/bridge - the saddles adjust the same as on a LP. cheers, joe

Dirty Harry but incorrect.

Yes but some modern updated ones do and for that reason all the guy and video is doing is helping people out that are not 100 %musical trained and putting your instruments into a guitar Luther yes I've heard a few bad repairs on soldering done on guitars some Luther are only trained in wood instruments and the ones they either play or work on lol

Could you point out where I said that?

And your comment proves again why it's (unfortunately) necessary to be able to adjust a bridge should you buy a lap steel that has an adjustable bridge. The vintage Lap steels are lovely, and need no adjustment, but are of limited quantity and it's easier to get one of modern production. Follow instructions as needed if your modern aquition is in need of intonation! Much love x j

JoeDocMusic but you only need to arrange them in a straight line not by using the 12th fret and a tuner.

The problem is, there are some on the market that DO have an adjustable bridge. In fact, they are - despite this design fault - fine instruments! So what are people to do that have one and it's not intonated? Well, this video seems to help them. I'm not after a pissing contest here - I certainly respect that some people believe "Lap Steels Should Not Be Made This Way" - please contact the manufacturer, not me. The info in this video is valid for those to whom it pertains. Some members of your forum are here spouting rudeness and IMHO this has no place in music or instrument discussions. Please feel free to provide a link to your video on tuning harmonically, and I'll approve it for posting here in this thread! Best regards, joe

I don't do videos, Joe, so I'll describe the method in text. First, measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret. DOUBLE IT. That's your scale length - the correct distance from nut to bridge. Set ALL of your adjustable saddles to be that far from the nut. Now, get a C note from somewhere. Tune your 6th string up to it. Then turn the tuner just a little bit more, so that it almost sounds sharp of your reference note. If you're using a clip-on tuner, tune that C note one notch sharp. Put the tuner away now. For the 5th string E, there's a harmonic point about 1/4" below the 4th fret. Touch that point and pick your 6th string. It's a high note. With practice you can hear it. Tune the E string's 5th fret harmonic to that 4th fret harmonic on your 6th string. Tune the 4th string G's 12th fret harmonic to the 6th string's 7th fret harmonic. Tune the 3rd string A's 7th fret harmonic to the 5th string's 5th fret harmonic. Tune the 2nd string C's 12th fret harmonic to the 6th string's 5th fret harmonic. Tune the 1st string E's 12th fret harmonic to the 3rd string's 7th fret harmonic. You can't tune a standard guitar with harmonics because you finger different frets. With a steel guitar, the bar is sounding all of the notes from the same fret. All you have to do is get the strings in tune. As long as they all have exactly the same scale length, they will be in perfect harmony wherever you place the bar. Just keep the bar straight! Happy steelin'.

There's a shortcut I use when I have to use an electronic tuner (noisy environment). Again, the bridge has to be straight so that all strings have the same scale length. Tune the C and G strings one notch sharp on the tuner. Tune the A and E strings one notch flat. Depending on the tuner, you might have to go 2 notches. Try it in a quiet room first so that you know what works with your tuner. I've been playing lap and pedal steel professionally for a very long time. This "sweetened" approach to intonation works on stage and in the studio. It's the sound that people expect to hear from a steel guitar.

As concise as it can be! Thank you - I know that all the people who DO need to intonate a lap steel will appreciate your input! Best wishes, - joe

The Steel Guitar Forum Thank you! Yes.

"cheap" is a problem how? The parts available are of a much wider variety than those used by the "famous" builders of many years ago. The parts that this company (SX) used for this lap steel reflect a modern variety of string gauges, and the choice of an adjustable bridge is wise, in my opinion. You can use this lap steel for a very wide range of tunings, and compensate easily with a very simple set of tools. With all due respect, I don't see why "ignorance" would come into the picture of criticism when the tuning you want to use can be set up to work properly. With best regards, joe