Lap Steel Guitar [Paperback]

Andy Volk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Centerstream proudly presents the first-ever comprehensive book about lap-steel and console steel guitars. Includes: interviews and profiles of more than 35 of the greatest electric and acoustic steel guitarists of the past and present, representing most forms of music played in the world today; previously unpublished photos and commentary on vintage steel guitars and new instruments from the best modern builders; resources for guitars, amplifiers, accessories, instructional materials, steel guitar tunings; and much more. Players covered include: Junior Brown, Bob Brozman, Jerry Byrd, Papa Cairo, Jody Carver, Cindy Cashdollar, Bruce Clarke, John Ely, Pete Grant, Steve Howe, Andy Iona, Harry Manx, Dick McIntire, Santo & Johnny and dozens of others. 336 pages, with 40 pages of wonderful color!

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Centerstream Publications (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574241346
• ISBN-13: 978-1574241341
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Steel mania, December 25, 2004

By 

twangmon (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lap Steel Guitar (Paperback)

If you're captivated by the fat whine of a Supro steel, the cutting cry of a tripleneck Fender Stringmaster, or the mellow twang of a Weissenborn hollowneck acoustic, you'll flip over Lap Steel Guitar. Author Andy Volk has interviewed or profiled more than 40 great players of all styles -- including Hawaiian, country, Western swing, gospel, Cajun, and roots rock -- and gathered info crucial to anyone who wields a tone bar. Such masters as Leon McAuliffe, Don Helms, Herb Remington, Jerry Byrd, Freddie Roulette, Aubrey Ghent, Greg Leisz, David Lindley, Bob Brozman, Cindy Cashdollar, and Debashish Bhattacharya share their secrets with Volk, who organizes the resulting treasure into a fun, yet instructive read. Just the tuning charts -- which Volk has codified for every player -- are worth the price of admission, but we also learn how these masters approach their music and what gear they use to get their sound.

Volk devotes another section to guitars, serving up juicy details about classic Oahu, Bigsby, Rickenbacker, and National steels, as well as modern creations from the likes of Asher, Bear Creek, and Harmos. The 296-page tome is crammed with historical images and excerpts from catalogs, and its 38 pages of color photos will have you scouring local pawnshops for an old steel. A discography maps a lifetime of essential listening, and the thorough index allows you to quickly locate facts about specific players, instruments, and tunings.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about a great instrument, March 20, 2004

By 

Bill (Santa Cruz, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lap Steel Guitar (Paperback)

The lap steel guitar is an incredibly expressive instrument that covers a wide range of genres. It is the signature sound of what most us think of when we think of Hawaiian music. The lap steel cries and moans in country music, wails in roots and rock, and reaches the sublime in east Indian raga. Because the sound that comes out of it is so closely linked to the hands of the individual player, no two players sound completely alike.

Andy Volk's "Lap Steel Guitar" is a well-written, thoughtful, and highly engaging book on this very unique instrument. The interviews of notable players are highly entertaining and very informative (most often giving the tunings used by the particular player) . There are also beautiful color photographs of instruments dating from the earlier part of the 20th century to the present, with descriptions of the unique qualities of each instrument. Also of note is information on manufacturers of lap steel guitars and accessories, and other sources of information about the instrument (including the excellent Steel Guitar Forum - www.steelguitarforum.com).

I highly recommend this book to all players and enthusiasts of the steel guitar!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive look at a unique instrument, March 18, 2004

By 

Bradley G. Bechtel (San Bruno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lap Steel Guitar (Paperback)

Andy Volk has authored the definitive book about lap-style and console steel guitar. Simply titled "Lap Steel Guitar", this book includes interviews with, and profiles of, more than 35 of the greatest electric & acoustic steel guitarists of the past and present in the Hawaiian, Country, Western Swing, American Roots, Cajun, Sacred, Rock & Roll, and World Music idioms as well as 40 color pages containing photographs of some of the most desired vintage steel guitars and new instruments from many of the best contemporary builders, as well as comprehensive information about steel guitar tunings.

It's a deep book with a lot of useful information, beautifully laid out and well organized. It contains great interviews with famous and obscure musicians, all of whom should be better known thanks to this book.

Andy's book deserves to be up there with Lorene Ruymar's as a standard reference for steel guitarists. The two books compliment each other well and are a must-have for every steel player's library.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the non-pedal steel guitar.