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iconian | Staff 15.9K Views
Sep 22, 2023 10:14 PM

Gretsch Electromatic G5715 Lap Steel Electric Hawaiian Guitar (Black Sparkle)

$269

$500

46% off
+ Free Shippingat Adorama
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Deal Details
Adorama has Gretsch Electromatic G5715 Lap Steel Electric Hawaiian Guitar (Black Sparkle) on sale for $269. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for sharing this deal.

Key Details:
  • Solid mahogany slab body
  • Chrome-covered single-coil pickup
  • Chrome-plated string-through-body bridge
  • Silver plastic deco control plate
  • Variously shaped fingerboard position markers (circle, triangle, square, diamond)

Editor's Notes

Written by johnny_miller | Staff
  • About this Deal:
    • Gretsch 1 Year Limited Warranty
    • Refer to the forum thread for deal discussion.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Adorama has Gretsch Electromatic G5715 Lap Steel Electric Hawaiian Guitar (Black Sparkle) on sale for $269. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for sharing this deal.

Key Details:
  • Solid mahogany slab body
  • Chrome-covered single-coil pickup
  • Chrome-plated string-through-body bridge
  • Silver plastic deco control plate
  • Variously shaped fingerboard position markers (circle, triangle, square, diamond)

Editor's Notes

Written by johnny_miller | Staff
  • About this Deal:
    • Gretsch 1 Year Limited Warranty
    • Refer to the forum thread for deal discussion.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+17
Good Deal
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Price Intelligence

Deal History

Sale Price
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Top Comments

garlicbreadtilimdead
154Comments
22Reputation
I would recommend against it unless you're specifically trying to learn steel guitar. 1) People will usually play these in open tuning, so the basic chords you learn will have different structures 2) it's going to sound bad if you try to play music meant for a "regular" guitar on this 3) the technique won't really transfer, as you wouldn't hold this the same way as a "regular" guitar. This might not be the best analogy, but it would be similar to joining a softball league as a pitcher, with the expectation that it would advance you towards your goal of becoming a competent baseball pitcher. You might accumulate some marginally useful information, e.g. some of the overlap in the rules; however, it's ultimately different enough that very little, regarding your technique as a pitcher, would be of value on your journey to becoming a baseball pitcher. Hope that helps.
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Hun-chan
695Comments
310Reputation
For anyone that is interested in learning lap steel, but not ready to put down this much money on a whim. I think the Rogue RLS-1 is a fantastic value for a hundred bucks. I picked one up a few weeks ago and I'm really impressed with the sound.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/f...d-gig-bag#
Go to Comment
realchristmas
291Comments
361Reputation
They are very different instruments. A standard guitar (either electric or acoustic) is played by holding the strings against the frets with your fingers to change the pitch of the notes. Lap guitars, such as this one, typically don't even have frets (though there usually are markings that show where the frets would have been were it a standard guitar). Rather than pressing down the strings with one's fingers, the pitch of the strings is altered by pressing a steel cylinder (thus "steel guitar," though other items are sometimes used) against the strings at various distances from the nut (the "top" of the strings). Typically the tuning is different as well, most often being a major chord in the open (nothing touching the strings) position. This is because using the steel to change the pitch does not allow one to meaningfully vary the amount each string is shortened in relation to the other strings (as is done with the fingers to form chords on a standard guitar). The steel is slid up and down the strings, generating the "twangy" sound associated with this instrument, pausing at the spots where the pitch is the desired sound. One more thing: a standard guitar can be used as a lap guitar, but a lap guitar can't be used as a "regular" guitar. I hope this helps.
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15 Comments

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Sep 23, 2023 1:16 AM
5.4K Comments
Joined Aug 2010
yeti79Sep 23, 2023 1:16 AM
5.4K Comments
Anybody have experience with this? Is it something someone should only get after they've mastered a basic acoustic guitar or would this be a good learning instrument?
Sep 23, 2023 5:03 AM
46 Comments
Joined Nov 2018
couchwizardSep 23, 2023 5:03 AM
46 Comments
Quote from yeti79 View quoted comment :
Anybody have experience with this? Is it something someone should only get after they've mastered a basic acoustic guitar or would this be a good learning instrument?
The theory knowledge will transfer, the mechanical won't, for the most part
1
Sep 23, 2023 9:29 AM
154 Comments
Joined May 2013
garlicbreadtilimdeadSep 23, 2023 9:29 AM
154 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Quote from yeti79 View quoted comment :
Anybody have experience with this? Is it something someone should only get after they've mastered a basic acoustic guitar or would this be a good learning instrument?
I would recommend against it unless you're specifically trying to learn steel guitar. 1) People will usually play these in open tuning, so the basic chords you learn will have different structures 2) it's going to sound bad if you try to play music meant for a "regular" guitar on this 3) the technique won't really transfer, as you wouldn't hold this the same way as a "regular" guitar. This might not be the best analogy, but it would be similar to joining a softball league as a pitcher, with the expectation that it would advance you towards your goal of becoming a competent baseball pitcher. You might accumulate some marginally useful information, e.g. some of the overlap in the rules; however, it's ultimately different enough that very little, regarding your technique as a pitcher, would be of value on your journey to becoming a baseball pitcher. Hope that helps.
4
Sep 23, 2023 1:53 PM
291 Comments
Joined Apr 2008
realchristmasSep 23, 2023 1:53 PM
291 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Quote from yeti79 View quoted comment :
Anybody have experience with this? Is it something someone should only get after they've mastered a basic acoustic guitar or would this be a good learning instrument?
They are very different instruments. A standard guitar (either electric or acoustic) is played by holding the strings against the frets with your fingers to change the pitch of the notes. Lap guitars, such as this one, typically don't even have frets (though there usually are markings that show where the frets would have been were it a standard guitar). Rather than pressing down the strings with one's fingers, the pitch of the strings is altered by pressing a steel cylinder (thus "steel guitar," though other items are sometimes used) against the strings at various distances from the nut (the "top" of the strings). Typically the tuning is different as well, most often being a major chord in the open (nothing touching the strings) position. This is because using the steel to change the pitch does not allow one to meaningfully vary the amount each string is shortened in relation to the other strings (as is done with the fingers to form chords on a standard guitar). The steel is slid up and down the strings, generating the "twangy" sound associated with this instrument, pausing at the spots where the pitch is the desired sound. One more thing: a standard guitar can be used as a lap guitar, but a lap guitar can't be used as a "regular" guitar. I hope this helps.
Last edited by realchristmas September 23, 2023 at 06:59 AM.
2
Sep 23, 2023 1:59 PM
695 Comments
Joined Jul 2013
Hun-chanSep 23, 2023 1:59 PM
695 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

For anyone that is interested in learning lap steel, but not ready to put down this much money on a whim. I think the Rogue RLS-1 is a fantastic value for a hundred bucks. I picked one up a few weeks ago and I'm really impressed with the sound.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/f...d-gig-bag#
2
Sep 23, 2023 3:02 PM
55 Comments
Joined Oct 2016
MasterodfSep 23, 2023 3:02 PM
55 Comments
i cant see the bridge, but benders can be diyed very easily.
Sep 23, 2023 6:14 PM
75 Comments
Joined Jul 2008
the1percentSep 23, 2023 6:14 PM
75 Comments
My comment will not add ANY information for this deal, but I would be negligent to the music world if I didn't share this.

Google "Larkin Poe" and give a listen. Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues is one of my favorites from these ladies.

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Sep 24, 2023 12:46 AM
487 Comments
Joined Sep 2022
BrianRangeSep 24, 2023 12:46 AM
487 Comments
Quote from the1percent View quoted comment :
My comment will not add ANY information for this deal, but I would be negligent to the music world if I didn't share this.

Google "Larkin Poe" and give a listen. Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues is one of my favorites from these ladies.
I dabbled with a D'obro for a bit. Good fun and I love the tone..Thanks for the lead on Larkin Poe. I like their cover of Wicked Game.as that is my favorite tune to play on my D'obro. (even though there's no slide used in the original).
Pro
Sep 24, 2023 2:12 PM
12.3K Comments
Joined Jul 2008
c2nah777
Pro
Sep 24, 2023 2:12 PM
12.3K Comments
Cool instrument.
Sep 24, 2023 6:53 PM
217 Comments
Joined Nov 2017
JDM1457Sep 24, 2023 6:53 PM
217 Comments
Third / Fourth / Fifth on lap steel being wildly different from playing any other guitars. Guys I know that play lap steel consider it more akin to playing piano.
Sep 25, 2023 6:42 AM
2 Comments
Joined Nov 2021
ElatedRoom265Sep 25, 2023 6:42 AM
2 Comments
Quote from realchristmas View quoted comment :
They are very different instruments. A standard guitar (either electric or acoustic) is played by holding the strings against the frets with your fingers to change the pitch of the notes. Lap guitars, such as this one, typically don't even have frets (though there usually are markings that show where the frets would have been were it a standard guitar). Rather than pressing down the strings with one's fingers, the pitch of the strings is altered by pressing a steel cylinder (thus "steel guitar," though other items are sometimes used) against the strings at various distances from the nut (the "top" of the strings). Typically the tuning is different as well, most often being a major chord in the open (nothing touching the strings) position. This is because using the steel to change the pitch does not allow one to meaningfully vary the amount each string is shortened in relation to the other strings (as is done with the fingers to form chords on a standard guitar). The steel is slid up and down the strings, generating the "twangy" sound associated with this instrument, pausing at the spots where the pitch is the desired sound. One more thing: a standard guitar can be used as a lap guitar, but a lap guitar can't be used as a "regular" guitar. I hope this helps.
That's a very fancy way of saying it's like playing slide guitar but with an unusable action height for normal fretting.
3
Sep 25, 2023 9:08 PM
680 Comments
Joined Oct 2016
RWelchSSep 25, 2023 9:08 PM
680 Comments
what's makes this hawaiian?
Sep 26, 2023 1:40 AM
439 Comments
Joined Jun 2017
MusicalMayhemSep 26, 2023 1:40 AM
439 Comments
Quote from RWelchS View quoted comment :
what's makes this hawaiian?
Its origin... Along with the ukulele, the lap steel originated in Hawaiian music.
Sep 26, 2023 1:46 AM
439 Comments
Joined Jun 2017
MusicalMayhemSep 26, 2023 1:46 AM
439 Comments
Quote from Masterodf View quoted comment :
i cant see the bridge, but benders can be diyed very easily.
A common technique for lap steel players is to bend behind the tone bar to imitate a pedal steal. It's pretty amazing to watch.

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Sep 26, 2023 7:14 PM
2.5K Comments
Joined Jan 2009
HunterGathererSep 26, 2023 7:14 PM
2.5K Comments
Good price compared to GC listing them around $700. I think it's much higher quality than the $100 Rogue, which isn't a bad place to get started. BTW: If you want an idea of the sound, check out Cindy Cashdollar or Sneaky Pete on YT.

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