Peavey Powerslide Lap Steel Guitar

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Play this lap steel standing up! Designed to be held horizontally or vertically, the Powerslide offers single-coil or dual-coil modes for a wide tonal range.

For decades, lap steel guitarists have been relegated to sitting down -- often towards the cold corners of the stage, far from the limelight's reach. As an electric, strap-compatible instrument, Peavey's Powerslide lap steel guitar is a bold invitation for these players to stand up and take their rightful place at the front.

The great Gypsy Carns gives a down and dirty demo of the Peavey Powerslide:


A New Side to Slide

The Powerslide's body shape may look like standard-issue equipment from the KISS Army, but its design is actually ergonomic and functional. The flat bottom means it rests comfortably on a lap or table, and its arching curves fit around you when you stand up to shred. The included Y-strap reaches up to the knob on the headstock and branches out to two knobs on the bottom, making for a balanced and stable playing experience while standing up. You can even play the Powerslide like a conventional electric -- with the guitar's back against your body -- by strapping on to the knob at the guitar's shoulder.

Sounds for all Shades of Blue and Beyond

Though equipped with just one pickup, the Powerslide can produce a variety of tones. The unique partially covered, dual-coil ceramic humbucker is adjustable via the master volume and tone/coil control. With the tone/coil knob, you can not only roll off treble frequencies, but dial in sounds between single-coil twang and full-bodied humbucker girth. The Powerslide excels at both tender country ballads and roots-rock roar, depending on how much gain you choose to dial in.

Friend to all Slide Players

Those used to traditional lap steel guitars will find that the Powerslide feels perfectly familiar. It's got the same high action and wide fretboard they are accustomed to. Those who choose to play standing up will appreciate the Powerslide's light basswood body and the contour on the neck's treble side. The fretboard features a painted design mapped out in octaves that will help guitarists stay on target even on dimly lit stages.

Features:

- Lap steel guitar designed to be played sitting or standing
- Basswood body
- Set neck with contour
- 27-fret fretboard with printed graphics
- Partially covered, dual coil ceramic humbucker pickup
- Master volume and tone/coil control knobs
- Four strap knobs for multiple playing style options
- Chrome hardware
- Includes Y-strap, steel slide, and gig bag

Stand up and be counted when you play the Peavey Powerslide.

- Neck Material: Solid Basswood
- Neck Type: Neck Through construction
- Hardware Color: Chrome
- Body Wood: Basswood
- Fingerboard: 25 inch scale length, 2 Octave fingerboard graphic
- Frets: 27, printed graphic
- Pickup:
- Construction: Hi output Tappable Humbucking, dual coil
- Magnet Type: Ceramic 5 bar
- Description: Dual Coil, extended magnetic window, 14 DC output. Peavey's versatile rotary tone/coil cut tone pot with treble bleed circuit allows clarity in both single coil and humbucking modes. Fully shielded 4 conductor cable and chrome plated "exposed coil" cover affords quiet operation and allows maximum adjustability.

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 877-732-8391
Email: customerservice@peavey.com
Web: https://peavey.com/c/Contact-Us

Peavey Powerslide Lap Steel Guitar

It's not a lap steel, not a dobro, and it's not a conventional steel guitar. The Peavey Power Slide guitar is in response to the huge number of requests for a lap type steel that could be played standing up. The shape of the Power Slide is designed to position the playing surface (fingerboard) to the left of the players body allowing unhampered access to the playing surface. The unique four point suspension and the special Y strap enable the Power Slide to be played either horizontally or vertically (and almost anywhere in between).

The specially designed pickup makes available an extremely wide range of tones, which are augmented by Peavey's patented tone/mode control to allow the player to adjust from single-coil operation continuously to dual-coil, hum-canceling mode, with high-end rolloff at the extreme counterclockwise setting.

Features:

- Revolutionary next generation slide instrument, ergonomically designed for maximum playability
- Patent pending multi-point strap system allows for multiple vertical and horizontal playing styles
- Unique magnet loaded pickup with patented variable coil mode control
- Radical patent pending design provides unprecedented neck access in vertical playing position
- .013 - .053 nickel wound strings
- Specially designed Y strap included
- Steel slide included
- Specially designed padded bag included

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. (5 ratings)
Submitted December 31, 2012 by Craig S

"Play any style"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I haven’t found a lot written about the Peavey Power Slide by users, though a fair amount can be gleaned from the videos. So, I’d like to contribute my experiences for those of you who are interested in this unique instrument. I’ve had mine for about a year. I play classic rock, country, blues, folk and pop (just about everything) on it so my needs may be a bit more diverse than most. While a lap steel wouldn’t seem to be a natural instrument for all songs in all these styles, I’ve found ways to incorporate it into most of them. The Power Slide adds an emotional dimension to any kind of music that nothing else quite matches partially because the musician is free to move around.First, here is my setup, which is very simple because I’m on a limited budget. Tuning: Open D (low to high) - D, A, D, F#, A, D. Strings: D’Addario XL Nickel Wound 60, 48, 36, 26, 17, 15. Bar: Shubb-Pearse SP2 (I’m still playing with the chromed brass model and haven’t tried the stainless version yet). Capo: Golden Gate Squareneck Dobro Capo. Amplifier: Fender Frontman 25R with Fender footswitch. Pretty hard to beat this setup for about four hundred all together.I like the Open D tuning for several reasons. The tonic D note is on both the high and low strings and I can make the tuning minor by lowering just the 3rd (F#) string. When playing a blues in key of E the D note is easy to play, just play an open 1st, 3rd and 6th string. In country music two-string chords progressions are easy read more on the 1st and 3rd strings (about half are straight bar and half are single-fret slants), and many of the dobro licks can be played on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, strings since the intervals are the same as the first 4 strings on the dobro. I use the capo very rarely, but it comes in handy for dobro-style playing and in songs when you want a drone string in a key other than D such as “I Can See For Miles” by The Who, which uses open E and B strings in standard tuning.The SP2 bar is unique in that it has a rounded “bullet” end as well as a sharp end. Also, being a bit heavier than most Stevens-style bars it has good sustain. The rounded end makes it easier to simulate a bullet bar on a pedal steel, and to stop just two strings in the middle of chord by pointing the nose between the strings. The sharp end works for pull offs, but for intricate single note passages the bullet end works well because you can slide from string to string without getting hung up. When playing rock and blues I add varying amounts of distortion using the amp’s drive channel. The Power Slide can make some great, surging power chords as you slide into a chord position in songs like “Born to be Wild” or “LA Woman”, or sweet, ethereal sounds in moody songs like “Miss You” or “Wish You Were Here” (pickup split half way between single coil and humbucker). For folk style I usually finger pick like a banjo or folk guitarist. The sound can be almost harp-like. I get a nice country steel guitar sound with pickup set on single coil with a generous amount of reverb on the amp. Whenever I play with someone new they always comment on how such a “modest” rig could sound so good. I almost always play standing up. It is bad enough to have to be looking down most of the time so standing lets me feel like I’m more part of the action. The provided strap works well, though a buckle broke after about 9 months. Fortunately, it is a standard size and was easy to fix. The gigbag, as is often stated, is functional but minimal. It would be nice to have one with more padding...or a hardshell.The instrument itself is well built in all the places it needs to be. The finish on my black guitar is perfect. All the hardware is solid and well made. The tuners could be heavier, but they stay in tune just fine.My only real criticisms are: The “belly cut” portion of the body which rests against you belly when you are playing standing up isn’t wide enough to allow me to comfortably reach the higher “frets.” An extra inch or two there would have made a big difference. I may try to make a piece to fit in there, just to see how much it helps. And, I wish they had raised the fretboard above the body, just a quarter of an inch. I do a fair amount of behind-the-bar string bends so it would be nice to have something to brace against all the way up. Finally, my nit-pick is that I’m not crazy about the weird design on the fretboard. I got used to it pretty quickly, but they could have made the design helpful instead of distracting. What would I do differently if I were to do it again...nothing really. With more money to spend I would have bought a bigger amp and I’d have a case made for the guitar. My wish list for Peavey’s future versions would be a 7 or 8-string model. All things considered, for any amount of money this is a fine instrument that will serve me for a long time. My next purchase will probably be to get a red Powerslide so I can have one in a different tuning...either Open G, or C6.

Musical Background:
Amateur, long-time garage band player. Accoustic guitar and lap steel.

Musical Style:
Any and all styles from blues, country, rock, pop, folk
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