My New "Pedal" Lap Steel, S8-1 &1

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 21 Oct 2009 1:55 pm

Here are some pix of an eight string lap steel I finally finished. I call it my "T-Slapper".

The wood is local Alder, with a Walnut fretboard. Tuning is G6th, and it has one palm lever, and one RKR lever.

Thanks to Jerry Wallace for the Tru-Tone PU, custom wound to 18.5K. And special thanks to the nice folks at Linkon Steel Guitars for the tuning machines, springs, and the bridge rollers. Also a very special thanks for my good friend Conrad Nelson at Red Rooster Instruments and Cabinets for all his assistance in the project, and the fine finish work, including the stunning pickguard.

All other parts (mostly brass) were handmade by myself using a drill press and a file. Sounds like a million bucks, and has sustain up the wazoo

Copedant is:

E
G -> F# (palm lever)
D
B -> A# -> A (RKR with tunable half stop)
G -> F# (palm lever)
E
D
B

Josh Cho · Post by **Josh Cho** » 21 Oct 2009 2:05 pm

That's so cool!!!

What's weird is: earlier today I was thinking about that very hand lever concept you have there!

You beat me to it

Josh

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 21 Oct 2009 2:20 pm

Dave, be sure to bring it to the next Perl-Jam!
I'd love to see & hear it!
JE:-)>

Joe Kaufman · Post by **Joe Kaufman** » 21 Oct 2009 2:44 pm

Very Cool! Not just the mechanics, but I like the style of the whole thing.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 21 Oct 2009 3:47 pm

I like it! Is that spalted alder?

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 21 Oct 2009 3:47 pm

wow, dave! that's really cool and neat...really...i'm jealous...

i love the mini-tele body and i wanna see how the knee thing works.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 21 Oct 2009 4:31 pm

Very cool! I like it!

Did you make the fretboard yourself?

Jeremy Threlfall · Post by **Jeremy Threlfall** » 21 Oct 2009 4:44 pm

love your terradactyl!

and the telecaster look

very nicely done!

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 21 Oct 2009 8:18 pm

Josh, I hate to say it, but I started on this project 3 years ago (and I forgot how many files

)... but I can tell you the palm lever works very well... and so I'm glad I finished the thing.

Hey Jim, fur sure I'll bring this to the next Perl Jam... and who ever wants to try it out is most welcome!

Thanks Joe, that's really a very nice thing to say... I do know it sit's in your lap "just right"

John, this being my first try at making an instrument, I can't say if it's "spalted" alder... but when I said it was local... I mean off my 10 acres, just down stream from the house... the dang tree blew down.. I jumped on it like a butcher on a side of beef.... pretty isn't it? Maybe someone who knows wood better than I can give us more detail.. I only know the tree was a white alder.

Hi Chris... so glad you like it... we'll have to get together so you can try this baby out

b0b, I know you have a pedal Ricky, so I'm doubly glad you like it... I'll bring to the next jam we have in N. CA too! I did make the fretboard, using brass rod for the markers, and brass strips for the frets. Under the walnut I embedded two 3/8" square tempered rods of keystock, the length of the neck... so it's pretty beefy. Scale is 24 1/2"... I used my 8 string Dobro fretboard as a guide, trasferred to a tagboard template.

Jeremy, thanks... of course the inlay is my tribute to the great Sneaky Pete... just seemed a natural thing to do.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 22 Oct 2009 2:40 am

Nice!!!

Roman Sonnleitner · Post by **Roman Sonnleitner** » 22 Oct 2009 7:20 am

That's very nice! Love the Telecaster-ish looks, too!

bruce fischer · Post by **bruce fischer** » 22 Oct 2009 1:28 pm

beautimous!

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 22 Oct 2009 1:32 pm

Thanks Bill, Roman and Bruce.

When I first started designing this steel, I referred to it as a "Telecastor Lap Steel Guitar"... and my wife said I needed something more "snappy"... so I now call it my "T-Slapper", which at least my wife approves of

Josh Cho · Post by **Josh Cho** » 23 Oct 2009 3:01 am

T Slapper

-- it's catchy and it definitely got my attention, I say go with that one bro!!!!

You've definitely done your homework with this, I think you're on to something.

Best of luck with it,

Josh

Al Starnes · Post by **Al Starnes** » 23 Oct 2009 5:29 am

David, I like it too!

Yes, the alder appears to be spalted. Spalting is caused by fungi in the wood. More often found in dead trees, it can also occur in trees living under stress. Nice save on the wood; spalted wood is highly prized by woodworkers.

Al

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 23 Oct 2009 9:05 am

back to the top so everybody sees this hot rod!

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 23 Oct 2009 7:54 pm

Thanks guys!!!

Yes Al, this poor guy was definetly living under stress, I think that's why the wind snapped it off at the base. The few alders I have left are growing in the shadows of 10 acres of very old growth doug fir, which I refuse to send to the mill... but I am sorry about stressing out the trees down in the creek

Cool, my wood is spalted

Fred Glave · Post by **Fred Glave** » 28 Oct 2009 12:00 pm

Wow, is all I can say! Very, Very cool. Any sound clips?

Bob Cox · Post by **Bob Cox** » 28 Oct 2009 3:30 pm

Nice, Cool!

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 28 Oct 2009 8:06 pm

So there's a three year waiting list for one of these? I assume the knee lever on the neck is a brace to keep the guitar steady when you use the real knee lever???

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 1 Nov 2009 8:26 am

Thanks Bob and Fred, sorry... I've not sat down and recorded this new guitar yet.

Billy, you're exactly right... I realized that without legs, a lap steel would just slide across your lap when you pushed the knee lever. I call the other lever a LKS (left knee stationery) lever

My suggestions to someone wanting to build one of these would be use something softer than brass for the machine parts... I had a ton of brass available, and I wanted the "wood and brass" look... but it did add hours to the process. One feature I would like to point out, is the "quick change" of the rod which lowers the two "ones" of the tuning... by simply removing two nuts, the whole palm lever will slip out... and one could even have extra rods to change different strings (for a different tuning).

Eric Watts · Post by **Eric Watts** » 16 Dec 2016 3:44 pm

Are you still playing the T Slapper? A very nice build. Love to see the knee lever mechanics.

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 22 Dec 2016 11:44 am

Hi Eric.

I mostly use this "pedal" lap steel as a nice travel instrument...

It is amazing how versatile it has turned out to be!

.... great tone as well, using the Tom Bradshaw volume pot (of course it has a reversed direction since it is designed to used in a VP)... but what a sound... coupled with the True Tone pickup.

Thanks for the inquiry.