Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

Once I changed the strings to heavier gauges that are more appropriate to my playing style, I was off to the races. The look, feel and playability of this instrument is phenomenal at the low price. Melobars cost four times more and perform the same. Like all Peavey gear, the Powerslide is a practical and well thought-out design. Since it's essentially a steel guitar, there is no issues with action, frets or intonation and therefore; no set-up needed. As I said, save for the string change, this thing comes out of the box ready to play. Just plug it in, tune it up and start scaring the small animals!

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

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Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

Not a lot has been written about the Peavey Powerslide 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 Powerslide 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.

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 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 Powerslide 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.

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

Just bought my second one.... one tuned to C6th with lighter guage strings and this new one will have heavier guage strings for "D" tuning and also open "G" tuning, the same as my ascoustic dobro...only with this new Power Slide I can use it on stage as an electric Dobro (Open G Tuning) as well....excellent tone through my Peavey Nashville 112 ( Used for my pedal steel guitar )

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

Thanks, Peavey, for such a fun, unique instrument! I have been wanting this lap steel, for two years! Finally got my hands on one. The Powerslide has an awesome array of usable tones,with it's split coil design, and is a joy to play even unplugged. I bought a Danelectro Honeytone mini amp (cheap), and clip it to my belt or strap, so I can play anywhere!

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

This lap steel is absolutely amazing. I bought this without the slightest clue on how to play it. I do play some slide guitar, but i never fiddled around with open tunings or anything like that. Not only will this instrument improve your all-around musical ability, it also is a bunch of fun. The peavey power slide sounds great and it can be so versital. I can get so many different tone qualities out of it. IT is a great instrument and the Y-shaped strap is a great invention too. I really am happy i bought this. The Lap Steel guitar is a dieing istrument, but Peavey may have saved it.

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

I got this and put new strings on it and was having fun in just minutes. I got the lap dawg bar with it and it sounds like a million bucks. The tone control is brilliant! I can be playing in humbucker mode and simply roll back the tone knob and it cleans up to a more country sound.Probably the best [$] you'll ever spend.

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

This very uniquely designed instrument has been well thought out. It is easy to play either sitting or standing with the 3 point strap which is provided. The workmanship on an istrument at this price point is outstanding. I got the red one and the color is fantastic. I found no flaws in the finish what so ever. The tone control which varies the pickup from humbucker to single coil provides excellent tonal variety.
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Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

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This instrument has a wide variety of sounds. Tones from wide and smooth to sharp and biting (without being piercing) are available. Really makes the most of a little distortion.
I tried for the better part of a year to get my hands on one of these (back-ordered). I finally succeeded and I must say it was worth the wait. This thing has a lot going for it-most notably the value it gives. It would be a bargain at twice the price, judging from other products on the market that I looked at.
It sounds great, due in large part to the pickup and switching arrangement. I thought I would probably need a volume pedal but it didn't happen. It happens that the volume control is perfectly placed (at least for my hand) so that volume can be controlled very easily with the pinky. This instrument seems to have been very well thought out and designed. In my opinion it was well designed but not expensively designed. In other words it works very well without costing a lot of money. A rare combination. This is the kind of product that I can appreciate. If you want great value in a lap steel, consider this guitar.
BBgb

Comments about Peavey Power Slide Guitar:

I love it. Fun to play, stays in tune and sounds good. At twice the price it would still be worth it.
Not a whole lot of features but it sounds really good. I thought the pickup would be lame, but it sounds really, really good. Never tried the strap and as others have said, the slide is low quality as is the gig bag.

Thing is, this is a lower cost guitar and I would rather have the quality we have in the guitar and not in the extras. I have a Dunlop Lap Dawg slide.
For the price I give it an 8. I have the black one. Everything is nice, especially for the price. Aside from the crappy accessories. The tuners are lower quality but seem to work fine. You could put All Parts 3 on a plate tuners if you really wanted to.

Very nice. Looks more expensive.
Great to get into lap steel. I just use mine to learn and in the background on recordings. Works great.