Identifying and modding my lap steel

[Devon Teran]

I got the lap steel a few years ago from a guy who knew nothing about it. His father passed away and had the hobby of building lap steels. The box for this one was labeled "Magnatone?" Since then I've looked around and it doesn't seem to really match any bodies I've found. I'm guessing it's put together with mismatched parts (but it sounds pretty great). The pickup looks Teisco to me, the tunes look like they came off of a cheap guitar and aren't really sized right for the headstock.

Any idea what I have?


I'm also interested in doing some upgrades to make it more playable. I really want to change out the bridge and nut. Can anyone give me advice of what I should put on there? This is my only lap steel. Right now it has two steel bars at the ends with filed grooves for the strings. I also plan to switch out the tuners that are pretty well on their last leg.

Thanks![/img]

[Jay Fagerlie]

The only thing that doesn't look Maggie is the pickups- I agree, they look like Tiesco

Here's mine-

[Sam White]

Devon you might have to get the great Doug Beaumier to come on this thread and get you straitened out.He is on top of all this stuff. How About it Doug.
Sam white

[Doug Beaumier]

Thanks Sam, but I'm just one of many lap steel 'nuts' around here. The guitar looks like a Magnatone with a Japanese pickup.

[George Rothenberger]

I just bought a Magnatone Lyric D8. That fretboard is a Magnatone, the etched and black aluminum fret markings are same as my Magnatone.
The Pickup is not magnatone.

[Paul Honeycutt]

The pickup looks a lot like the pickup on my first electric guitar, a "Winston" from Japan circa 1966.

[Stephen Cowell]

I haven't owned one of these, but I'm wondering why you want to change the bridge and nut... I hate the cheap angle-iron bridge and nut you see so often these days, I like a nice bar bridge and nut... is there something wrong with these? They look just like the ones on my Fenders.