The British Steelies Society

OK so I haven't been a good visitor to B.S.S of late...I have poked my nose in a few times, but have kept a low profile. I have been very busy restoring the new house in LHERM in the Lot region of France. Nearly finished, so I went out to a saw mill and bought a beautiful piece of Merisier (Wild Cherry) and have also located a piece of Noyer (Walnut) for the fret-board. Plus I bought two Lace 8 string lap steel pups, and a few different ideas as to the way it will look and hopefully sound. This will take me a little time to get it finished, and I hope to get to hear some local magic musicians pick it for me. We have a plethora of aging pop musicians in the area who have been know to play in the 'Bar à Trucs' which is in the center of this lovely little village. Now, it will be C6th with high G and I hope that with some of the tabs I have from over the pond, I might just surprise myself with something I could honestly say was tuneful...but then again I might be deceiving myself.

What has been interesting here, is the fact that many of the guitarists, drummers and pianists play their old songs with a more modern twist, to meet the demands of the younger or older supporters who were getting just a bit jaded with the the original scores. Hand in mouth (Basil do not jump down my throat) please...Some of it is very innovative, some of it is utter c--p, but after all said and done it's their music.


But the best thing in this area is the Cahors Reds, which are still produced with the view to guarding for 5 to 8 or 10 years!!!!

Maurice - Thinking C6th with a high G, I have a suggestion for you. Consider what I use - (lo to hi) C; E; G; A; C; E; G; D the first string being the D between the high C and E.
Reason? - I have never found the bottom A (or any of the popular alternatives) to be very useful compared to having both a G and a D in positions 2 and 1. It's like the top 8 strings of the Billy Robinson 10 string tuning and gives, to my mind anyway, a very usable note. If you can combine with slants and string-pulls it opens up a lot of scope.

Hi Tony,
Thanks for the input. I use quite a lot of Cindy Cashdollar stuff and Joel Katz, which always uses High G tuning. I will look at the the tuning you offer and just a question what string gauges do use on your tuning? I have to say having just got into the swing of High G, it might take this thick old duffer some time to get the hang of the changes.
I've missed the banter on the lap steel topics, but home comforts have to come first...or should I say a glass of red comes first and home comforts come after. The house is beginning to take shape, but as always old houses need a bit more work than was first planned for and as France closes down over August, the suppliers are just opening up.

Maurice the crippled WineRider

That sounds like an idyllic spot you're in Maurice.

Your new build sounds very interesting, too. I thought your last one turned out very classy. It'd be much appreciated if you could keep us abreast of your toils.

When I'm next in Sainsbury's I'll be picking up a bottle of Cahors and I'll be guarding it for at least 10mins

Good afternoon Danny,
It is an idyllic spot indeed Danny, when I first came down this way '88 I found a vineyard 'Rigal and Sons' now its just 'Regal' and their wine is of the highest quality, but I find it doesn't last...I can't stop opening the damn bottles and drinking it!!! I'd hate to think what you would have to pay for a comparative wine in UK, it costs me 9€ 20 a bottle.

The new build just got it's final piece of Walnut for the fret-board, so I'm in a excited frame of mind. I found this very old cabinet maker, who sold his business off to a young guy that worked for him...but he didn't sell off the loft over the workshop. It is full of wood...old well seasoned and all shapes and sizes. The amount of walnut gave me goose bumps...he showed me a piece that I could have made a complete lap steel out of, but there was no way I could have afforded it...the graining was just out of this world.

I will keep you up to date with the way it's going with a few close-ups.


WineRider aka Maurice