I'm curious as to how they routed the control area beneath the scratchplate. Is it routed with one roundish hole for each pot and the jack and an oblong for the pup, or did they sorta swimming-pool the thing? Reason I'm asking is I was just wondering about getting one of those things and reversing the pots and jack to make it lefty. Maybe make a pickguard with new holes and everything for it.
And I think I'd like to have the pup straight across too.
And then, stream of consciousness thing going on, I was thinking to further mod it by putting a Duncan Hotstack Tele bridge pickup in there.
...or would that be too insane?
...or would that be too insane?
Not insane, but I don't think it's worth it. Remember that the Artisan is a very short scale lap steel (21"), and while they're cool starter and "bring to a party" guitars, I don't think it's worth performing all those modifications to one. Better get an old Valco made Supro/National or similar guitar with a "proper" scale length (minimum 22,5"),- many of those are set up with the volume and tone pots on opposite sides, so it should be fairly simple to switch them around. Their string-through pickups are some of the finest around when they're fully charged, and you can pick one of them up on eBay for ~$250..
Steinar
Hey thanks, Steiner; didn't know about the shorter scale length. Of course with me, I probably wouldn't even have been aware that one was preferable to the other :)
But it was a 'project guitar' type thinking, you know; like getting two of them and making them into a double-neck, or making a 3/4 size child's guitar into an acoustic lap :)
By the way, is that one of your's in the picture? Sweet! I have seen those on eBay somewhere, with those offset holes in the pickup. Some guys refer to a similar finish as 'MOTS', which I think is highly disrespectful even in an attempt to sound hip about such things - but the thing is, I'm sorta starting to dig that look.
And also thanks for the brand reference - not that I'm going to go out and get one based on that - but...a lot of times I look at the 'vintage' laps on eBay and they're...some of them (or a lot of them it looks like) were...student model instruments. And they're now going for $400+! Like mine I know is a student model from the 50s-60s but I'm okay with it. But some of the other brands, now long gone - it's a little hard to figure out without a lot of research whether it was the student line from Gibson or one of the other top of the line companies.
Anyhow, thanks again and take care.
The one in the pic isn't mine, but my first one was a Supro, very similar to it (this is just one I found on eBay, I believe it's at $150 at the moment...). It's the pickup that's so amazing with these - Ry Cooder use these for his slide strats, and David Lindley is another huge fan - when they're in good condition they're absolutely great. And if it's not, then I know someone who can supercharge them..... http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgg/m2m3_1.htm ... :wink:
Sure, these were considered "student" models at the time they were made, but as long as they stay in tune and howl and moan as we want them to, then who cares? 8)
Steinar
I agree, I wouldn't spend money and time upgarding the Artisan. I haven't had the cover off of mine. I'd bet on a "swimming pool" arrangement.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Insted of the Duncan hotstakc, why not get the Duncan Antiquity for lap stele? i loked on their sight; its #11034-45.
hey now you got me interested. how were you thiknng of mkaing the double-neck? Just bolt them to a peice of plywood or something? how would you swithc between necks?
Practice; don't ask, just practice
Thanks Ricochet, I'll bet it's a swimming pool route too. That's the easiest for mass production.
And Tsarcasm: I never even looked at those before, but they look pretty cool. They even got mando pups too. But as far as the double-neck, yah, something along those lines. Maybe make a little switchbox between them or something. Or...yah, like one of those A/B boxes they already have selling online. Probaby change the stomp switch to a lever type, but yah, just plug the guitars in. Have like a G6 on one, and this other one I'm playing with now - D D F# A D F#, low to high; sort of a D major.
Well, it's more of, when I look at it, a 5-string tuning because of the octave D's down there.
And then maybe stick some legs on the thing, or...get that one I saw mentioned on Steel Guitar Forum; some guy building these cool lap stands where you can put a couple of laps on it and it's got removable legs that pack up iunderneath the top of the thing.
Okay this is bad; now I'm thinking about double-necks and here I thought I was done with that with the regular guitar double-necks!
I think I'll just learn to play the single-neck I got now. :)
