www.eastwoodguitars.com
Now more than 90 years old, the lap steel was the earliest example of an electric guitar and remains a stringed instrument every guitarist should try, largely because it’s so accessible. In fact, a lap steel is about as straightforward as you can get – it’s a plank that sits on your lap and is fitted with a bridge, nut, tuners, and pickup. All you need is your slide of choice.
Eastwood’s MRG has a solid mahogany body/neck slab, rosewood fretboard with block markers, and a scale length of 22.5″. The bridge is an adjustable hardtail, while the tuners are chrome and side-mounted. It’s finished with a black-to-amber sunburst and a translucent-gold pickguard. The sole pickup is a Höfner-style staple humbucker, accompanied by Volume and T knobs. Like most laps, it’s the quintessence of simplicity.
Out of the gig bag, the MRG is ready to play, though oddly set up with light-gauge strings; most sliders will put a medium or heavy set on there ASAP, as preferred for most bottleneck playing.
Next, twist those machine heads to your tuning of choice; Eastwood recommends C6 (such as C-E-G-A-C-E), but also dig into open E, D, or G, standard, or your favorite chord combination.
Going into a solidstate practice amp, the MRG sang like a bird. Lap-steelers already know to palm-mute strings, but if you’re new to the game, hold the slide under your thumb, index, and middle fingers and mute with your ring finger and pinky. The humbucker keeps things nicely quiet, and rolling back the Tone knob a hair lets the Eastwood’s natural tone shine forth. The MRG effortlessly delivers sonic textures from David Lindley to David Gilmour, ready to complement a vocalist with fills or add a searing solo.
With a solid build, mandolin-influenced looks, and killer tone, the MRG Lap Steel is also easy on the wallet. Definitely worth a run. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s March 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
