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moosers
Published on 02/06/10 at 14:37
The Fender FS-52 Lap Steel is a modern made lap steel guitar, one of the only models currently offered by Fender. For a Fender product, this was overall somewhat of a disappointment for me. I was expecting something similar to the vintage Fender lap steels, and this is just not the case here. The steel has a single coil pick up, with volume and tone controls for it.
UTILIZATION
Playing the Fender FS-52 Lap Steel isn't really the problem with this instrument as it plays just fine. While I'm not the most experienced lap steel player, I have been playing for a few years and know enough to know the difference between a good and bad steel. I find that the FS-52 is easy enough to play and to control your tone. The weight is a little heavy for a lap steel, but isn't too bad at all.
SOUNDS
The sound of the Fender FS-52 Lap Steel is where I find it to be disappointing. I've used the steel with a 1976 Fender Twin Reverb amplifier and both a Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Boss CS-3 compressor. I always use a compressor with a lap steel, as it really helps to sustain your sound. However, I found that the FS-52 doesn't cut through as well as I would have lacked. It lacks a certain fullness and strength that I look for a in lap steel guitar. While it will certainly get the job done in a lot of situations, for the price, this just doesn't sound as good as it should...
OVERALL OPINION
I wouldn't be as down on the Fender FS-52 Lap Steel as I am if it wasn't for the price. This is a decent lap steel, but with a price like this, I was expecting a much more refined and better sounding instrument. I feel like you can get a lap steel just as good for a few hundred dollars less without the Fender name on it. It is always surprising when you see an instrument from Fender that isn't up to par, but for me this is the case with the FS-52 Lap Steel.
UTILIZATION
Playing the Fender FS-52 Lap Steel isn't really the problem with this instrument as it plays just fine. While I'm not the most experienced lap steel player, I have been playing for a few years and know enough to know the difference between a good and bad steel. I find that the FS-52 is easy enough to play and to control your tone. The weight is a little heavy for a lap steel, but isn't too bad at all.
SOUNDS
The sound of the Fender FS-52 Lap Steel is where I find it to be disappointing. I've used the steel with a 1976 Fender Twin Reverb amplifier and both a Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Boss CS-3 compressor. I always use a compressor with a lap steel, as it really helps to sustain your sound. However, I found that the FS-52 doesn't cut through as well as I would have lacked. It lacks a certain fullness and strength that I look for a in lap steel guitar. While it will certainly get the job done in a lot of situations, for the price, this just doesn't sound as good as it should...
OVERALL OPINION
I wouldn't be as down on the Fender FS-52 Lap Steel as I am if it wasn't for the price. This is a decent lap steel, but with a price like this, I was expecting a much more refined and better sounding instrument. I feel like you can get a lap steel just as good for a few hundred dollars less without the Fender name on it. It is always surprising when you see an instrument from Fender that isn't up to par, but for me this is the case with the FS-52 Lap Steel.