SX Lap 8 Ash 3TS Sunburst 8 String Lap Steel Guitar w/Stand and Bag

SX Lap 8 Ash 3TS Sunburst 8 String Lap Steel Guitar w/Stand and Bag

$279.95

A full size 8 string, 36 fret, lap steel guitar

Removable lap steel stand included

American swamp ash body with rosewood fretboard

Diecast chrome tuners, V and T knobs

P90 pickup

Padded carry bag included

More Details

This full size American swamp ash body lap steel features 36 frets and offers a single coil pickup for clear and bright sound. Unlike a typical guitar, the strings of a lap steel are not pressed to a fret when sounding a note; rather, the player holds a metal slide called a steel (or tone bar) in one hand, which is moved along the strings to change the instrument's pitch while the other hand plucks or picks the strings. It is perfect for Blues, Rock, Hawaiian, Country, Bluegrass, and Western Swing. The strings are spaced widely, with 3/8" between each one. This makes it very easy and enjoyable to play. The single coil pickup has 8K ohm resistance.

Specifications

Measurements

Overall length: 36 1/2"

Body length: 13"

Scale length: 24 3/4"

Width at lower bout: 8 3/4"

Width at upper bout: 6 9/16"

Body length 13 3/4"

Width at the nut: 2 5/16"

Width at the 12th fret: 2 5/8"

Width at the 20th fret 2 7/8"

Body thickness: 1"

String spacing at the nut: 1/4" (2 1/16" overall)

String spacing at the bridge 3/8" (2 3/4" overall)

Distance between the bridge and the end of the body: 1 3/4"

String sizes: .010,.015,.017,.022w,.028,.032,.038,.052

Wiring Info

Video

Customer Comments

I just received my new SX 8 String Sunburst steel guitar. As usual, I am amazed at the quality and pricing of this guitar. 8 string lap steels are both rare and expensive, with the sole exception of the SX steels. I have one of your original 6 string SX steels (that came in a hard case without a stand). It is several years old, and it still rocks! I am looking forward to many years of playing this new, beautiful 8 string. I've written this before, but it's always worth repeating: thanks for proving once again that sometimes you actually CAN get a lot more than you pay for. It's like having a relative in the business.

Many thanks,

Lawrence G. The Poconos, PA

Greetings Kurt! I just opened my SX lap steel with pickup and I have to tell you. I could not be any happier! What a wonderful deal, The sound is just what I was after and the feel of it is Great. Not to mention it looks sexy as hell. Even my wife thought so. I know people like to write to companies and bitch about this and that so I thought that you would like to get an email from a true Rondo SX fan. This is the 2nd instrument that I bought from you guys and with the exception of some minor tuner issues on the 1st one I am totally pleased. I'm on a very tight budget and it is so nice to find equipment of this quality for such a great price. You guys rock! I would like to buy the stand for the steel as soon as it is available. So keep up the great deals and many thanks, Peace,
Kenn Lynn

Just received my SX lap steel. Let me start off by saying I have quite a collection of guitars including some high end non-pedal steels and laps. My expectations were not very high for the price I paid, but I bought this from many recommendations on the “Steel Guitar Forum”. The case alone is worth the price of admission. The guitar- is an above average instrument! What a little gem!! I initially bought this as a “beater”, but I will be playing gigs with it! Thanks again!
Steve Secord

I have one of your SX lap steels and an Agile 3000, great stuff! Below is a link to a song I did. Also, if anyone needs any instruction, I created a whole page of 6 string lap tabs with sound files so you can hear what they should sound like: Tab Instruction Feel free to point any of your customers to my site for free instruction or just to see what a lap steel can do. I’ve get a lot of hits from the telecaster and Stratocaster forums for regular guitar pickers looking to get started on lap steel.
Greg Cutshaw

Hello Kurt, Last year I ordered an AL-3010 gold top and an ash/P90 lap steel, and really love both instruments. I recently finished a 2 DVD set on C6 lap steel using the SX lap steel for all the audio and video, and just wanted to send you a link to the video. I've been thrilled with the tone of the instrument, and it seems that others dig it too so far! Please feel free to repost the video if you like: Thanks for making SX guitars available. I dig! best regards,
joe dochtermann

FAQ

Q: Are hard cases available for this instrument?
A: Yes! To see the suggested hard case for any item listed at rondomusic.com, simply put that item into the shopping cart. The suggested hard case will then appear if one is available.

Q: How do you tune it?

A: Eight String Tunings

Lap Steel is shipped with E9 Tuning (G#2, B2, D3, E3, F#3, G#3, B3, E4

Additional strings on your guitar means even greater tuning potential. With the additional strings, you can minimize the number of slants you have to play to get your guitar to match the song's harmonies. Here are some suggested tunings for eight-string steel guitars. A6 Tuning: 1. E 2. C# 3. A 4.F# 5.E 6. C# 7.A 8.F#

This is a very popular tuning, used by Herb Remington among others.

C6/Am7 Tuning: 1.G 2.E 3.C 4.A 5.G 6.E 7.C 8.A E13 Tuning: (as used by Leon McAuliffe) 1.E 2.C# 3.B 4.G# 5.F# 6.D 7.G# 8.E C6/FMaj9 Tuning: 1. E 2. C 3. A 4.F 5.E 6. C 7.A 8.F C13 Tuning: (as used by Junior Brown) 1.G 2.E 3.C 4.A 5.G 6.E 7.C 8.Bb Seven String C Diatonic Tuning (as used by Jerry Byrd): 1.E 2.C 3.B 4.A 5.G 6.F 7.E Expanded E7 Tuning: 1.E 2.B 3.G# 4.E 5.D 6.B 7. G# 8.E Bob Lee's New Hawaiian Tuning: 1.E 2.D 3.C# 4.A 5.F# 6.D 7.B 8.A MDFried's E6 tuning: 1.E 2.C# 3.B 4.G# 5.E 6.C# 7.B 8.E Bob Lee's E6 tuning: 1.G# 2.E 3.C# 4.B 5.G# 6.E 7.D 8.B Andrew Waegel's A major/minor 7th tuning: 1.G 2.E 3.C 4.A 5.G 6.E 7.C# 8.A Andrew says, "It's basically the Jerry Byrd C6/A7 tuning with an added high G on the top string to make more third intervals accessible without too much neck motion. It also gives more options for those high sweet tones that I hear so much of in the older country music that I like to play." Bobby Black's C6/A7 tuning: 1.E 2.C 3.A 4.G 5.E 6.C# 7.A 8.B According to Cartwright Thompson, "I got this one from Bobby Black, he said he got it from Joaquin Murphey. The cool thing here is that the bottom B string is tuned an octave higher (1/2 step below the second string). So you have the Jerry Byrd C6/A7 on the top 7, but you can grab the bottom string for a very pretty major 7th, and you get a nice "strummable" A9th chord on the bottom 5 strings." Bob Quasar's D13 tuning: 1.E 2.F# 3.D 4.B 5.A 6.F# 7.D 8.C The top E is tuned between the third string (D) and the second string (F#). This allows a four-note pattern to be played by picking alternately on the C# D E F# strings. This would be very useful in certain situations. Michael McClellan's G13 tuning: 1.G 2.E 3.C 4.A 5.F 6.D 7.B 8.G Michael McClellan writes: John Coltrane got me into it! This does wild things to "Sand" (the Hawaiian instrumental), "Misty" (Errol Gardner's classic), some polkas, and many country beer-drinkers. I pull a string behind the steel with my left hand ring finger, and can get some of the pedal-steel effects while still keeping the Dobro® purity. Using this trick, I can make a weird part of tlhe 13th into a normal major chord. The G13 gives me inversions of a 7th, a 9th, a 6th, a Major 7th, an 11th, and a minor. It gives a real 13th, from root to treble, which the other 13ths don't. When you end a song on this chord, folks sit up and listen! Pete Grant's D tuning: 1.F# 2.E 3.D 4.A 5.F# 6.D 7.A 8.D