Hello, folks! I'm new to this site, although I've been checking it out for a while, and I'm very impressed by the expertise in evidence here. I play guitar in an amateur bluegrass band and have just been given a lap steel. Eventually, I plan to get a squareneck, but for now I'm going to use my new gift. My questions are these: although I know the qualty of sound will be different, is lap steel all right to use while learning? I'm looking into Lessons by Troy: is that a good idea? And finally, and showing me to be the newbie that I am, when tuning to GDBGDB, is the low G below low E on guitar, or higher? thanks in advance.

Hi and welcome to the Hangout Satch. Let me try to answer some of your questions. Your lap steel can help you get started but there are some differences between a lap steel and squareneck resonator that make the lap steel less than ideal when transferring what you have learned to a resonator. Others may differ with me, but here is my view.

You didn't say what the scale length is on your lap steel, but I suspect it is shorter than the long scale of resonators. Also the string spacing on most lap steels is closer than the wider spacing on most modern resonators. During practice, you fingers will "learn" where the strings are as you pick. Change the spacing and your fingers must adjust. Another big factor is that the lap steel is amplified so that a light touch is all that is necessary when picking. With the resonator the strings are likely to be heavier and must drive the cone for tone and volume, requiring you to pick harder. You may not develop the same muscle tone practicing on a lap that you would need on the resonator.

The GBDGBD tuning is from low to high with the low G being the third fret on the low E string of a conventionally tuned acoustic guitar. The middle DGB are the same.

I won't discourage you from starting on the lap steel but keep in mind you will need to make some adjustments from what you learn to the resonator. Good luck.

to the Hangout. I am only going to relay my experiences and I will start with strings. Open G tuning lap steel 016 018 026 040W 050W 058W    Reso 016 018 028w 036w 046w 056w  So string guages are very close. I find I have to pick either pretty much the same to get good tone. String spacing, I have many lap style instruments, I have been  "playing" a little over 2 years and probably no two instruments string spacing is the same, but I find that it is really not much of an issue. As far as "touch" , again a minor adjustment based on the instrument I am playing. Even between the Reso and the Wessie and my Acoustic Lap Steels  there is a degree of difference in each individual one so my attack does vary somewhat. My Wessie and one of my Oahu's have sound hole pickups and I don't consciously adjust when plugged in to my knowledge. Scale length has no effect on me whatsoever. Again, the instruments are all over the boards. Each week I play all my instruments without fail. Maybe this is the reason I don't find any issues, I don't know, but I find little adjustment is needed. I use my Electric Lap Steels for practicing when Mama Bear is sleeping and when using the one tuned to G, I will practice Reso tunes. I don't play most of them on it when it is plugged in because a lot of them IMO just don't sound good on the ELS. I am by no means disagreeing with Dave at all, just telling you my personal experience. Good luck to you whatever you do. 

Edited by - Grizz on 08/04/2012 15:23:39

I started my slide playing with a lap steel tuned to standard GBDGBD tuning before I bought a squareneck.  Having played a regular guitar for years, the transition to the resonator was an easy one for me.  Yes, the scale length is different but I have to look at the fret markers most of the time anyways.