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Topic: Building your own lap steel |
Steven Cearley
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2005 2:13 pm |
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I would like to build my own lap steel. I was given a Fender Stringmaster fretboard in good shape (long scale) but don't know what type of wood to use to get the best tone or sustain, bridge, nut, frets, pickup etc. I think the Stringmaster style would probably be the simplest to make, however I like the Rickenbacher Electro style better. To go completely from scratch I would like to even try to make a seven string with my own fretboard design. Anyone out there ever had any success in building your own? Any plans out there that one could purchase?
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 26 Jun 2005 3:03 pm
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A forum search for "building a lap steel" came up with 68 hits. Check them out here, hopefully you will find some useful stuff in there.
Steinar
Edit - ouch, the results doesn't show when you click the link.. Just click on "search" and write what I did, and you'll get the same results.
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www.gregertsen.com
[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 26 June 2005 at 04:06 PM.] |
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Steven Cearley
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2005 8:21 pm
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Thanks, I didn't think to do a search on the forum for past post.
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Randy Reeves
From:
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2005 4:47 am
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I have built two lap steels from scratch. labor intensive, fun and rewarding.
#1 was made from rock maple. it has a bright sound and endless sustain.
#2 was made from mahogany. lots of sustain but with a mellower woody tone.
both pickups were made by Seymour Duncan. they were the Antiquity series.
the nut and bridge were made from stainless on #1. I bought a Hip Shot bridge from Stewmac for #2.
it's somewhat problematic; justs needs futher adjusting.
if you want further details write me. |
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Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2005 11:07 am
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| I am in the process of finishing up my first attempt at making an 8 string lap steel. I have designed and built a tuning changer for it which involved a lot of trial and error. I made a gauged roller nut assembly, using brass rollers. I made & wound the pickup bobbin myself and had Rick Aiello fit it into one of his MRI magnets and nickel plate it. It looks great! The body was made from rough sawn wild cherry that had been lying overhead in a garage for around 50 yrs. & was given to me by a neighbor. [This message was edited by Danny James on 27 June 2005 at 12:09 PM.] |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2005 11:32 am
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| Danny, your steel sounds very interesting. Could you post a picture? |
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Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2005 3:02 pm
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Terry,
I will post a picture when it is completed and all put together, which shouldn't be too much longer now. I may have to send a photo to Rick and have him post it, if he will be so kind. I have seen some of your work here on the Forum, and I hope mine comes out half as nice as yours.
Thanks,
Danny |
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Wayne Cox
From:
Chatham, Louisiana, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 27 Jun 2005 9:03 pm
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| I have built two 10 string lap steels over the last two years. I used Rock maple/E-66 pickups/metal necks. 24.25" scale. Both of them sound better than any pedal steel I have owned. I designed #2 to be a 12 string model but I later cut down the nut and bridge to a 10-string width. Thus, #2 has 10 strings but a 12-string E-66 pickup. The other band members say it has "surround sound". It definitely has a unique rich full tone combined with a metallic bell-like tonal quality. It has become my "dream machine". I don't really claim to know what I am doing,as a builder, I just know when it sounds great! My first attempt at building #2 was a complete flop;it looked great (made of two-tone poplar) but sounded terrible. I went back,disassembled it,built a new body (out of maple) and voila! I am still not convinced that the wood was the only problem on the first attempt,but at least things worked out great on attempt #2. Oh yeah, one last bit of advice...DO NOT SLOT OR GROOVE THE BRIDGE! Sometimes beginners think that will provide even string spacing, but the point of contact of the strings on the bridge is a crucial factor in the sound of the steel.~~W.C.~~ [This message was edited by Wayne Cox on 27 June 2005 at 10:09 PM.] |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 27 Jun 2005 10:55 pm
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| Most steels have grooved bridges, which can be a real pain if you build one that way. Getting the buzz etc out of the thing will take time and rile you up (it does me) |
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Steven Cearley
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 28 Jun 2005 5:06 am
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| So in building a seven string model I would at least need to use an eight string pickup. Strings will go through the body so I won't need to groove the bridge which will eliminate buzzing. Mine will be a two piece similar to a Ricky. Should both pieces be made of the same material? I've figured on Mahogany for the body so far. Can't wait to get my dremel out and get started (actually a friend of mine has a ton of wood working equipment for building cabinets). |
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Randy Reeves
From:
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 28 Jun 2005 6:57 am
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curious. why a two piece? if you have a solid slab of wood you could simply cut and shape both dimensions.
I did with good results. I tapered the back of the neck and shaped in a titled headstock so as to get that bend behind the nut. |
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