New BIG Bass Lap Steel Build 10 Strings!

[Chuck Wilson]

Fantastic and strikingly beautiful!
Amazing build and looking forward to hearing more of it!

Chuck

[Steve Atwood]

I finally made a pretty good sound sample on the "striped bass" (as my brother calls it). The Pink Panther theme. The keyboard backing track took a while, and then sound problems with my MacBook. I'll be making a video when I can get some better recording gear.

https://soundcloud.com/stevenatwood/pink-panther-4-5-22

[Bill Hatcher]

I finally made a pretty good sound sample on the "striped bass" (as my brother calls it). The Pink Panther theme. The keyboard backing track took a while, and then sound problems with my MacBook. I'll be making a video when I can get some better recording gear.

https://soundcloud.com/uninstructed/pin ... al_sharing

the bass steel sounds great! look forward to hearing other music you use it on.

[Jack Hanson]

Astounding slab of birch; nice!

Aside from the ability to play a bitchen intro/outro on the Byrds hit version of Tambourine Man, what would be the attraction of a lap bass? Seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.

[Bill Hatcher]

Astounding slab of birch; nice!

Aside from the ability to play a bitchen intro/outro on the Byrds hit version of Tambourine Man, what would be the attraction of a lap bass? Seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.

Are you the leader of the bass should only be played on the same instruments our forefathers played on focus group?

[Jack Hanson]

Are you the leader of the bass should only be played on the same instruments our forefathers played on focus group?

Got me pegged, Bill. Congratulations!
Furthermore, I intend to keep tooting out that low C# on my digeridoo until the wallabies come home.

[Tony Oresteen]

What is the 1-10 string width at the bridge?

String spacing at the bridge?

At the nut?

That is one fantastic lap steel.

Do you really play it on your lap?

[Steve Atwood]

Tony,

The 1-10 string width at the bridge is 3 15/16" (measuring from the outsides of the strings).

String spacing at bridge: 3/8" on center +/- 1/32" (wider on lower strings).

Space between strings at bridge: 5/16 +/- 1/32. (The original plan was for 3/8" of space between the outside of one string and the next, but because of the width of the pickup it had to be a little less, but that works fine.)

1-10 string width at nut: 3 3/4. There was a reason for that, I think to get the best angle to the tuning posts.

I play standing up. Overall length is 45" (scale length 31 7/8). It wouldn't be comfortable for me to play it on my lap, because of arthritis in my left hand, but might be for a tall guy.

[Tony Oresteen]

Steve,

Thanks! I have plans for a four (maybe five) string bass lap steel with a scale of 27" or 28". I will use your nut/bridge data.

This gives me motivation to build it!

[Steve Atwood]

That will be interesting to see, and hear, Tony. Go for it!

[Steve Atwood]

This guitar is working out great. Here's another sound sample:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fbda29cw ... eiu8h&dl=0

I recorded it last Spring and would have posted it on YouTube but it was blocked. The bass line is this adaptation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhw8F1znXZ0

It was neat when I played the song for my teacher (Alan Akaka). He really enjoyed it and said "You could play with that band" (forgetting that it was The Beatles!).

The tuning was designed around the arthritis in my left hand, and you can see how most of the work is done by my right hand.

There's also a new SoundCloud link for the Pink Panther Theme that I posted earlier:

https://soundcloud.com/stevenatwood/pink-panther-4-5-22