Peavey Power Slide Guitar Red

Had to return the first one I received. One of the tuners broke. Replacement is fine. I wish the tuners were a little better. Otherwise, a great product, great price.

I've been a guitar player for over 50 years. I just recently became interested in lap steel guitars. I started last summer with an acoustic dobro I use in open 'E' tuning, but I really wanted that electric guitar sound. After trying a few cheap models, I had a chance to try the power slide. I was seriously impressed the first time I played it. I bought a red one Thanksgiving weekend 2015 with a discount coupon that I use primarily in open 'D' tuning. The sound is exactly what I was looking for in an electric lap steel guitar using a quality 100w amplifier. I bought another acoustic electric lap steel that also has a good sound with open 'G' tuning, but not quite as good as the power slide. I liked the power slide so much, I just purchased another one in black to use in 'C6' tuning. The power slide is the best lap steel I've found in this price range. I would probably buy another one if additional colors were offered.

I can't imagine you could spend this little money anywhere else and get anything comparable. The Peavey Power Slide is a niche instrument, of course, but it fills that niche wonderfully. I got this guitar about a week ago. Getting the Y-strap set up was very quick and easy, and once that's done the guitar sits perfectly on your hip/belly and feels perfectly stable and comfortable. It's got a really good tone. The split pickup "tone control" is kind of brilliant in my book. The single coil tone is at least as good as the tone of my Fender lap steel, and kicking in the 2nd coil kills all the noise which is the worst problem with single coil. The finish is fine. I'm not a big fan of 50s retro, but it's fine as far as it goes. Honestly, I think this is a great instrument at any price, and for the actual price, it's a killer. Talking about the problems other reviewers have mentioned: 1. My "fretboard" was perfectly aligned. I don't doubt that some have this problem, but I figured Peavey would fix it under warranty if necessary, and for $200 I'll take that chance. 2. The "cheap" bar: I wouldn't necessarily call it cheap. It's definitely different than a high-density bar, but I think that is deliberate. It's shaped like a standard lap steel bar, but it's actually closer to a pipe bar, a flat sheet of metal bent into standard bar shape. It's a lot lighter than a standard bar, so it's easier to maneuver, and the lighter mass gives it a "punchier" tone. All in all, I think it's a useful piece, not a cheap, useless fill-in. 3. Too early for me to tell if the volume knob is in a bad place; seems OK to me. 4. Tuning keys are kinda cheap feeling.

I just received my Peavey Power Slide last week. Guitar Center hooked me up with a discount code, and free shipping. It arrived in 3 days, which was faster than I expected. When opening the box, the first thing I noticed was the bag. Others have complained about the quality of the bag. I think it is a mid level quality bag, and is good enough to serve its purpose. My Power Slide was not clean and polished upon opening it. It definitely was not tampered with or previously opened, so I am sure it was packaged in a factory this way. That's not what I expect when I purchase a new instrument. The cutout where the tuning posts are located was especially dirty. Like they painted the instrument, drilled holes, then stuck it in the box. A split second blast of compressed air would have taken care of this. The website says that these come with .013 gauge strings. I know mine didn't. Although I did not bust out my calipers, I compared them to my replacement strings, which are D'Addario half rounds in .012 - .052. I bet the Power Slide came with .009 - .042. My new strings made a significant difference, and I would say its a requirement to replace the stock strings. The slide bar that came in the box is really cheap. It has rough edges, a hole drilled in it which you can feel between your fingers, and the slide is not smooth when moving across the strings. The bar is too light. I replaced mine with a Dunlop Lap Dawg, and now the slide experience is amazing. Totally different control, feel, and tone. My pickup is not level. The posts closer to the bridge are higher than the posts closer to the neck. There are no adjustments. There are accessible screws that hold the pickup, however, they only hold the pickup in place. They are not spring loaded and height adjustable. The tone knob does not turn smoothly. It feels as though it is rubbing on the pick guard possibly. I will need to look into this, but I am guessing the knob is not completely vertical. The string tuners are very low budget. You can see that the internal gear is plastic. You can feel it as you turn each tuner. The string does not tune consistently. I would like to look into a locking tuner replacement. The strap works well, and I like the design. I did not have to mess with it. And the lap steel was secure when standing. I could focus on playing instead of worrying about the stability or balance. I believe the ends of the strap are synthetic, so they are really stiff to put on. In think I will do some quick release strap attachments, since I don't want the strap connected when I play seated. The cutout on the lap steel works very well for standing up. I am a large guy, and it fits me just fine. When you play this on your lap, your legs need to be parallel to the ground, and the instrument has the tendency to move a little. My friend has a different lap steel that has velvet on the bottom and it stays in place very well. The bridge and nut are budget parts, but they do the trick. The bridge is angled for intonation. My Power Slide has the exact same note at the nut and the 12th fret, plays the harmonic right on the 12th fret, so the intonation is proper. Overall, for the price I paid, I like the Power Slide. With a few changes, this can be a solid instrument.

For the price, this was a no brainer. It�ۡ���s new so you know it�ۡ���s going to work. (Vintage instruments are always iffy.) With the 30 day return policy it�ۡ���s definitely worth a shot. Most of the reviews are pretty right on. I won�ۡ���t repeat. However, with less than $50 in upgrades, my Powerslide this has become a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I changed the strings to a much heaver gauge, $13 for coated strings. I use a Stevens Steel Guitar weighted slide in the laptop position and a glass finger slide in the standing position. I replaced the stock humbucker with a GSF, Liverpool Hot Humbucker . Installed it in less than 5 minutes. Instant power, crunch and wide sonic range. Playing it clean is cowboy sweet. Winding up the distortion and people start pointing. This thing can wail and the sustain is endless. It comes in open E tuning. I recommend open D. It�ۡ���s very comfortable in the laptop position. The neck cutaway is helpful but not ideal for upright playing. I use a custom �ۡ���59 Strat I built for standing positions. StewMac sells a nut replacement for less than $4 that converts any guitar into a slide. loosen the strings, slide the metal nut riser over the standard nut and there you go. A kickin slide guitar that can be returned to a regular guitar in less than 5 minutes. Lastly I notched one of those huge 50�ۡ���s Fender Bass Bridge Covers and double sticky taped it over the bridge and pickup on the Powerslide. This gives my right hand a pace to rest. It looks cooler than heck but all muting is done with the left hand. I find right hand muting much easier with the Strat. If I feel like right hand muting the Powerslide, I take off the cover. My advice to Peavey would to up the over all quality of the instrument and accessories. the cheesy stuff detracts from the over all concept which is brilliant. I love this thing. It�ۡ���s a great platform and with the right upgrades gives your band another tool to bring to the stage. With less than $50 in upgrades, I give my Powerslide 5 stars.

I am loving this thing right now. The slide is useless, but everything else is great. All it needed was a tuning and it was ready to rock. I got it set up in C6 tuning, running through a Fender tube amp and a Morley Opti Volume Pedal...... a dash of reverb and this sounds awesome. I'm new to this, but it feels great, no complaints on the way it's built. I've only had it a couple of weeks, but I'm already playing Hank Williams and Hank III songs. I do wish they'd include a scales and chord chart with it, only because it's hard to find that stuff for lap steel, but really a great buy and I'd recommend to anyone, beginner or active musician.