Lap steel project; which single coil?

[Unsprung]

I've decided that I'm going to build my own lap steel guitar, starting with collecting the hardware and electronics, then buying the woods. At this point, I'm still too wishy-washy as to which single coil pickup to use. I'll be looking to use this more for original surf instrumental creations and some covers, as well as some country & western pickin'. For a pickup, I'm considering either a P90 (or a humbucker sized P90, such as a Phat Cat), a Tele bridge or Strat bridge pickup, or a Lipstick. For the bridge and tail piece, I'm thinking more along the lines of a Gibson style Tune-O-Matic/stop bar combination; possibly even just a wrap around stop tail piece.

Matt

 

[Light]

Jason Lolar is well known for his pedal steel pickups, though I have to admit I've never heard them. Everything I have heard of his, however, is very nice. If you go with a humbucker sized P-90, go with the Lindy Fralin P-92. It's a P-90 in a humbucker sized package, but it's a split single coil (like a P bass pickup), so while it is 100% on the sound, it is also quite. Great pickups. You might also look into the Fralin Twangmaster, which is very similar to the P-92, but with alnico rod magnets instead of a bar magnet, which gives it a much more "Fenderish" sound. The Twangmasters are some of my absolute favorite pickups ever.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Unsprung]

I hadn't thought about Lindy Fralin's P92 or Twangmaster, when I asked the question. Although I'd mentioned the possibility of using a Gibson-style bridge/stop bar or wrap around stop bar, there's a Telecaster bridge that TV Jones recently came out with that would work well for what I'm wanting to build. The more I think about what parts to buy, I realize that I'm essentially going to be building a Telecaster in the shape of a lap steel guitar. With that in mind, and since this project will be of my own conception, design and crafting, I might as well find a wiring diagram for a Fender Esquire, and have a 3-way blade switch on my lap steel. Either that, or find a Bass VI switch plate, and do my Esquire-style switching that way.

Here is the TV Jones Telecaster bridge that I'd mentioned:
http://www.tvjones.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=02-011-0100

Another possibility, for going with a P92 or Twangmaster:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Custom-Shop-Parts-Hot-Rod-Telecaster-Bridge-?sku=360580

I'll also take another look at Jason Lolar's pickups, and see what he has to offer in the way of a humbucker sized P90.

Matt

 

[crazydoc]

Those bridges are overkill for a lap steel - you need neither height nor intonation adjustment capability.