Whats your slide guitar rigs/equipment?

Electric: Agile AS-820 semihollow with P-90s. Most often played through an Electar Tube 10 or an Epi Valve Junior, straight in.

Acoustic: Johnson Tricone reso

Harmony lap steel - don't know what model, but probably student model from the 60s. It's the instrument which gets taken out of its case most often nowadays. It came with two bullet bars, one 3/4" with rounded tip and concave bottom, one homemade probably, 7/8" and flat on both ends; both are around 2 3/4" long. I recently got a vintage style flat bar which I'm still foolin' with. Tunings are A6 (A C# E F# A C#) and the Dave Rogers D (also down to A).

I usually just practice unplugged, but when I do plug in, it's into the Black Panel model on the POD. I'm still tweaking the sound on that, trying to get the traditional Hawaiian steel sound, though I'm starting to realize there may not be any actual 'traditional' sound, but I'm working with turning the amp up and the guitar down to get a dirty-clear sound.

Other than that, it's an inexpensive Johnson flattop for open tunings and slackkey type stuff, or using a Dunlop chrome slide with. Sometimes I put that in A6 and use the steel, but I get lots of fret contact because I'm too lazy to put the nut extender on it first.

I did play lots of regular slide using standard tuning though, and probably always will. It's just that I'm sorta in a nice rut right now with the lap steel.

If anything, that's where all the GAS is coming from, but I think it's just for 3 other models: an Epiphone Electar, Harmony Aeolian, National New Yorker, and (that's 4 actually :) ) , maybe a Supro.

...but then there's maybe a Johnson reso in there somewhere - the all chrome one. Ricochet - how you liking your Johnson?

And those little Epiphone tube combos are looking REAL interesting. I should think they'd sound a bit like the old Leilani amps and the ones that would come with a lap steel as a package; Oahu's, etc. I've got an old Musicman RD50 which I'll probably use (extreme Fendery clean), since Fenders are also supposed to be good with steels. Or maybe just plug it into my Fender Bassman 100 combo. So far, no live jams in the offing so I don't have to worry about amping anything.

Wow, looking at the above, it's actually quite involved; not just a 'do whatever' sort of thing!

Ah...think I'll go cruise over to ebay and see if there's any cool looking pre-war laps to daydream over :)

...but then there's maybe a Johnson reso in there somewhere - the all chrome one. Ricochet - how you liking your Johnson?I LOVE my Johnson. I play with it all the time.

Mine was one of the first Chinese made ones, bought in early 2002, and had some problems. Since I got it for $1000 less than any tricone could be had for a few months earlier, though, I was happy to upgrade and repair as necessary, and I'm very pleased with it in its current state.

2 years ago my wife and I bought one for my teacher. The Chinese had gotten the hang of it. That one is perfect, and I would change nothing about it. There is apparently some variability in their QC, though.

And those little Epiphone tube combos are looking REAL interesting. I should think they'd sound a bit like the old Leilani amps and the ones that would come with a lap steel as a package; Oahu's, etc. Exactly. I bought my Valve Junior combo with my Artisan lap steel with exactly that thought in mind. And it is similar. What's different is that after it reaches full volume at about 1/2 of the volume knob's travel, the rest progressively overdrives the amp in accordance with modern players' tastes for more distortion. I think people who want to mod these thngs to add on more switches, bells and whistles just aren't getting the point of that amp.

I wouldnt change mine for anything! Iput the new speaker in it for less breakup but when you max the volume out it has a beautiful saturated sound and almost reminds me of a fender reverb deluxe at max volume on the normal channel. Just a tid bit of crunch not alot and very smooth sounding. LOVE IT! I am thinking of getting a Head version to mod with tube reverb then it would be awesome!

I dunno, man, adding a tube reverb's a pretty big mod. Think I'd buy an amp already with it. Or scratch build an amp with it.

Like building a house, building an amp's easier than making big renovations to an existing one.

do you really think its more cost efficient to go from scratch?

Dunno for cost efficiency, but for time and trouble I'd think so.

Yeah, for cost, too. I don't think there's any way that dinky little power transformer in a Valve Junior could handle adding on another tube. You might as well start over.

This is what I mean. The Valve Junior is a basic, one knob amp. That's its charm. I wouldn't add a thing to it.

I play:
a National Model D squareneck using my bullet bar. someda Im going to mic it.
two lap steels..both Epiphones form the late 30's and early 40's. they run through my modded Tubesreamer into my GiGaDelay and vol pedal into my Fender Vibrolux Custom,

my 74 ShoBud pedal steel runs into a vol pedal and straight into the Fender amp.

I keep the overdrive mild for classic bluesy stuff. but a little bump and I get Gilmore.

I am liking my rig because it is simple, yet yielding fantastc tones.

I use a Artisan lap steel, A $99 Johnson acoustic( no johnson jokes Ricochet :lol: ) with a single coil pup, I can get a good Elmore James sound with it and I have a el-cheapo strat copy(Founder Electric custom) a friend gave me that I put a Dobro nut on. I just got a Epi valve head that is very cool 8) and plan to get an epi blues standard this year 8)

I have an early '50s Gibson BR6 in G6th, an old Harmony I got off Ebay recently in E7th and a '57 National D8 in C6th & E13th, all of which I use at gigs. I run 'em through a volume pedal straight into a '64 Vibroverb with original 15" Jensen. On rare occasions I use a tube screamer or a blue tube but most of the time it's just straight in. I have an old RE501 tape delay I'm refitting with new tape to try. Used to use it for vocals on my PA instead of reverb. Never played slide through it. We'll see.
A lot of gigs here in Austin are short because of multi-band shows so I don't use any rack mount stuff 'cause I hate hauling any more than what is quick and easy to set up and tear down. I want my recorded sound to be like my live sound so I add very little in the studio.

Brass slide
Stevens bar
Dunlap bar

no finger picks, I build up acrylic fingernails extra thick. It works the best!!!!!
Ask at a nail salon.

Lapsteels -
1938 Gibson tuned in G
1957 Oahu Iolana double neck tuned in C6 & G mainly

Acoustic -
Hand made by TL Bennett, Brentwood, Tennessee Tuned standard with D bass

Resonator -
Johnson (metal flake green) with a fishman pickup
Still trying to get the right sound out of it.
Temporarily replaces my stolen handmade "Fine Reso-phonic"

Electric - standard tuning
My '63 SG was stolen
So the cheapest best guitar I could find in our area was a Yamaha Drop6
I didn't know it was to be tuned 1 step lower... heavy metal.
I don't really like it.
A friend says he's going to build me a nice electric with P90's

Amp -
Tech 21 60 watt
I know it doesn't have tubes, but you'd never know it.
And it's a no headache amp.

Effects -
I *sparingly* use a BOSS ME50 pedal