Members slider Posted May 4, 2005 Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 here is my second lap steel. mahogany body and Seymour Duncan antiquity pickup. stwemac supplied some parts the rest I made from scratch. it sounds nice. very playable. I made lots of small errs, but still, I like the result. the brass cover plate was made from sheet brass which I patinaed. I used some amonia in a bucket then suspended the brass part over. it was sealed and left overnight. it gave me this nice used look. the fret board took the longest to make; lots of errs there, but the spacing and intonation are fine. fun to build. lots to learn. great to play tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guzinta Posted May 4, 2005 Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 Sounds nice...can't see the pic though........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeBoy Posted May 4, 2005 Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 Image please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slider Posted May 4, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 I wonder because I use the Mac computer at work that the image isnt coming up for you all.I have the site open and I am staring at it as I type this. bummer, for pc users. is this possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paul Buerk Posted May 4, 2005 Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 I've got Firefox running on XP and the image comes up just fine. Looks pretty cool, even if it does look a little like one of those Airstream Epi's. On our next one, you can save some money on the bridge. You don't need one - just a bar of steel will work just fine. There's no problem with intonation on a lap steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slider Posted May 4, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 Paul. with my first lap steel I did make my own bridge. it was quite similar to the nut on this one. sq.stock stainless ground at an angle then cut for the strings. I wanted to try a bridge (Hipshot) in this one. in some ways it sounds better than the home made bridge. not sure why. also, being able to adjust for intonation helped a bit. but I do agree with you 99%. this design is based on a early 50's painting I saw. part of the shape was a small elelment in the abstract painting.I went vintage styling on this. so the airline epi comment is on the mark. good eye. wish this pic would come up for everyone. I like the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slider Posted May 4, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 someone was able to bring up the pic and re post it. thanks. how did you do it. ?I appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members F-holes Posted May 4, 2005 Members Share Posted May 4, 2005 It DOES look a little like the Airstreamer! This is a twin axle, though. It's a nice looking piece of mahagony and the ogee is a classy touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted May 5, 2005 Moderators Share Posted May 5, 2005 I am looking at the pic...did you actually put fret wire in the neck? If so...why? Other than that...it looks like a great job...are you going into business on these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AtomHeartMother Posted May 5, 2005 Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 What's the deal with lap steels? Are they hard to play/learn? What tuning do they have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted May 5, 2005 Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 very cool! I've been nagging Danocoustic to create the "Lap Monster"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members archiemax Posted May 5, 2005 Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 Nice! Where did you get the wood, and how did you shape the headstock? Is it all one piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slider Posted May 5, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 the wood body is one piece. fromthe lumber yard I bought a big slab; rough cut. then planed it dowwn and band sawed it to rough shape. the neck tapers from the 12th fret to the headstock. the peg head had to be 1/2" for the tuners. that I hand sawed then sanded to final shape. I edged the face of the body with a 1/4" ogee router bit. it does add a bit of class. that ogee catches the light just right . I did put fret wire into the fretboard. a long and arduous process. I went the way because I didnt like the back painted plexi fret boards George Boards does. I thought of inlaying wire or a dark wood for the markers, but I had wire left over from another project. I am still rethinking fret markers. lap sttels are a riot. they have been around since the twenties (acoustic at first) then amplified.the tunings cab vary. this one is tuned open G. great for blues and americana stuff.DADGAD is another nice tuning. it kinda sound celtic. Page used it for Kashmir. my favorite tuning is C6Am7. lots of licks close together and it's great for harmonized scales. kinda swing country sounding too. lap steels should be in everyones arsenal thanks for the feedback aand questions. I have toyed with the idea of building them enmasse. maybe open a store for all things slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dougy Posted May 5, 2005 Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paul Buerk Posted May 5, 2005 Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 David Gilmour is also known to use a lap steel. The best resource I've found to date is "Brad's Pages of Steel". A very cool site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slider Posted May 5, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 5, 2005 Brads Page of Steel is a great primer. I have gotten most of my open tunings and string gauges tips from there. another great forum is the Steel Guitar Forum. both pedalers and non pedalers are there. a non pedaler is a lap steel or acoustic slide player. a pedaler is a pedal steel guitar player. very professional and knowlegable players there. http:www.steelguitarforum.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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