Constructing a Lap Steel

Martin Shaw · From: Wales, UK

Hi Folks,

I've just joined the forum but would like some advice as to the best components to build a simple 6 string lap steel.

I have the plans so I just need to get the timber and the main components.

What do think are best components to use, such as the timber for the body, pickup, nut, bridge etc.

Keeping the price within reason of course. Cool

)

Thanks,

Martin

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Check the Search button, because this subject has been discussed many times over, and there's a lot of useful information in the Forum archives.

One thing I would advise, though: don't build a 6-string lap steel. Put at least 8 strings on. Believe me, you'll be glad later that you did.

What part of Wales are you in ? I've been a member of the Ffestiniog Railway Society for about 40 years.

Martin Shaw · From: Wales, UK

Hi Alan,

I live in Abertillery, south wales.

I'll give the 8 string idea a consideration.

I assume that I just need to buy a bigger bridge etc?

Do I need a bigger pickup, I assume I do?

I have checked the forum but haven't found much in the way of difinetive answers so far but I'm still looking.

Martin

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Basically it's just a plank with a pick-up, machine head and strings. I can put one together in a weekend from spare parts. Ideally you need the proper pick-up for the number of strings, and 8, 10 and 12-string pickups are available, but I've several times used two regular guitar pick-ups and overlapped them.

Beyond the plank it's more of a craft exercise than anything. I've seen some beautiful lap steels which are real works of art, but I'm not sure they sound any better than the electric plank. Laughing

Here is a 12-string lap steel I built recently. It's basically a box. I built it hollow so I could play it without the amplifier turned on.
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n90/AlanFBrookes/08060209-1.jpg

Here's one that is basically a 2"x4" plank, sawed off diagonally at the top to take the tuners, fitted with parts from an old Hofner archtop, and with a tremolo arm thrown in for good measure. Sharp edges sanded round and then sprayed great and ivory. The fingerboard I made by masking off, then cutting slots in the masking tape where the frets would be and painting the slots silver. The tremolo is an interesting effect. Most people apply vibrato with their left hand on the steel, but with this you can apply vibrato with the palm of your right hand.

richard burton · From: Britain

One thing to remember with lap steels
is that they have a wider string spacing
than regular 6 string guitars,
to make slanting the bar easier.

Martin Shaw · From: Wales, UK

Hi Guys,

Nice pics!

Amazing how basically simple you can make a lap steel?

I love the box one, very basic but cool.

If it works don't knock it in my opinion.

What have you used for the bridge rod?

Thanks for the info on the bridge type, I didn't realise that...

I'll order the timber next week and get started.

I'll send a pic once it is done.

Martin

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

On the 12-string the nut is threaded pipe, which you can get from a hardware store. The advantage is that you can change the string spacing and the strings will hold in place.

On both instruments, the bridge is threaded rod with tapped pulleys. I've also used these for the nut of the solid. Again, the advantage is that you can adjust the string spacing.

I'm a great believer in roller bridges, which prevent strings sticking at the nut. If you build any instrument with a tremolo unit or pedals it's vital that you build a roller bridge and nut, otherwise the strings will break where they cross the bridge or nut.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Dennis Schell · From: Shingletown, Shasta county, Kalifornia

Try this:

http://buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel

If that don't work a search under "build a lap steel" should get you something....(At least that's what worked for me)

Best,

Dennis

BTW Alan, I'll remember your advice if I ever take on this project....(I've thought of it!)
_________________
"Bucks Owin"

Roman Sonnleitner · From: Vienna, Austria

Martin,
first of all, I think you'd get more answers to your question if you posted it in the "Steel without pedals" section instead of in "Pedal Steel".
Then you should search the old, closed "No Peddlers" section - you'll find LOTS of answers there.
For starters, here's a thread about how I built my own 6-stringer (I'm currenlty building an 8-string):

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12015&highlight=

As for tips, I can give you a couple:

6 vs. 8-string: Both are about equally difficult to build and learn; an 8-string will give you a few more options, but depending on what style you want to play, a 6-string might also suffice (say, for open tunings, rock/blues playing, etc.) One problem with 8-string building is sourcing the parts - there are literally hundreds of available (regular guitar) pickups you could use for a 6-string, but only a few makes of 8-string lap steel pickups (like Pete Biltoft from www.vintagevibeguitars.com, Jaon Lollar, or Jerry Wallace's TrueTone pickups; make sure the pickup you get has the wider lap steel pole spacing, not the narrower one for pedal steel).
Tuners are usually sold in sets of 6 - so for an 8-string you'll need two sets, and have 4 left over after you finished...

About pickups for 6-stringers: I personally love the sound of full, warm, powerful P90 pickups for lap steel, Tele-bridge-pickups will also work well.

About wood: depends on what tone you're going for: Mahogany: full & warm; maple: bright & clear; alder: balanced; basswood: similar to alder, but dents easily; swamp ash: spanky, clear, with less mids. Sometimes bass neck blanks work well for building lap steels; since lap steels don't have trussrods, make sure that youw blank of wood is at least about 4 cm or 1.75" thick, so that it doesn't bow.

About bridges& nuts: lots of ways to do those; some people use regular Tele ord hard-tail strat bridges, some use regular bone nuts (blanks for acoustic guitar saddles work well for this, since they are higher than nut blanks); some people use round brass stock; I used aluminium angle stock - inexpensive, easy to find at hardware stores, easy to work with, very beneficial for the sound (clear treble, lots of sustain).

ABout fretboards: since you aren't really fretting the strings, you don't actually need real frets, but some people still use them for looks (no fret levelling needed, though...); or you might use contrasting wood or binding material inlaid in the fretboard for fretmarkers (that's what I'll do for my 8-string); or do it like I did on my first lap steel, and simply draw/paint the markers on the fretboard - doesn't look so professional, but works just as well...

Other construction details:
string spacing: at the bridge it is kind of dictated by the pole spacing of the pickup - usually around 10mm / 3/8" ; at the nut you have more freedom - some classic lap-steels, like most Fenders, had a considerable taper to the string spacing, with the the spacing at the nut almost as narrow as on regular guitars; I personally like the strings more parallel, that makes bar slanting easier, on my 6-string I used 10mm on both ends, my 8string will have 9mm ath the nut, and 10mm at the bridge.
String scale: classic lap steels used anything from 20" to 26" - longer gives more sustain, shorter will make playing slants easier; the most popular scale seems to be 22.52 or 23".BTW, the strings have to sit much higher above the fretboard than on regular guitars, so that you don't hit it; too high is bad, too, since due to parallax you'll have a hard time lining up your steel bar with the fret markers; I'd say use anything from 7 to 12mm (1/2" to 1/2").

Dennis Schell · From: Shingletown, Shasta county, Kalifornia

Just a thought but does it tend to "throw off" (intonation wise) someone who plays say a 24.5" PSG and then switches to a 22.5" scale lap steel for a song or two? Or is the switch a "seamless" so to speak because of familararity, uh familuraty, uh "being familiar"?

Just curious, I've never tried a lap steel...

Dennis
_________________
"Bucks Owin"

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

Dennis. I play lap steel and standard guitar.
when I first played a lap steel I could not believe how much faster I was.
then I realized the shorter scale helped me speed up.I do not think you will find problems in playing with two scale lengths.
our ears knowing how the notes sound really snaps to the fore and makes the short scale a breeze.

and Martin. do check out Steels with out Pedals both new and old.
there are quite a few excellent builders to be found.

Dave Horch · From: Frederick, Maryland, USA

...or you buy one of those Artisan EA-1 6-bangers for about $50. For occasional use, they seem to do okay. I've got one and have gigged with it. No problems.

Google search "Artisan EA-1" should get you something on it.

-dh

Matthew Prouty · From: Warsaw, Poland

Martin,

I wanted to throw up some pics of my guitar I made.

I wanted to just restate a couple points and reemphasis whats mostly been said.

1. I went for an 8 string and I juse 7 of those strings 90% of the time. I am not using Jerry Byrd's C6 which is great. The bass string on the bottom I use once in a while, but rarely. It does give you some interesting possiblities and if you use a more complex E9+13 style tuning you can do all kinds of stuff with it.

2. If I had built a 6 string guitar I would be wanting that 7th string. I am glad I went with 8 strings.

3. All of the parts were hand made and it was hard to make the bridge and nut. I used only hand tools with the exception of a drill.

4. Becareful if you make a lap steel, you might get addicted and spend lots of time working on a guitar.

Why did I build and not buy a Remmington or other quality instrument from a professional luthier and spend my time better practicing is because I am left handed and the world discriminates against us. They want to chare surcharges for making a guitar for us freaks so I made my own. It was a lot of fun!

M.

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

Matthew, I forgot how beautiful your project turned out.
dern drool got on my mouse.

Matthew Prouty · From: Warsaw, Poland

Thanks Randy! It sure has turned out to be a show stopped. I never knew how great a little lap steel can be as a travel companion. This guitar has already been to Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, and all over Brazil. Soon it will be coming to America!

Who knows maybe I will turn my garage into a woodshop and crank out a few of these next year.

M.

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

Vince Luke · From: Iowa, USA

http://www.bluestemstrings.com/page3.html
http://www.bluestemstrings.com/page5.html

Martin,

The above links have some good info re: building a lap steel and more by another forum member, Randy Cordle.

Vince

Martin Shaw · From: Wales, UK

Hi,

Thanks to all the folk who replied.

That's a beautiful guitar Mathew, I'm envious...

I had thought of the Artisan but some of the comments suggested that it would need a bit of improving.

There again I really wanted to build one as I love construction projects.

I'll check through all the suggested links, thank you.

The timber is on order, I've gone with american red elm due to the very high cost of hardwoods in the uk.

Also I can only buy them in 2.4mt lengths which makes mahogany over £120, a bit much when you only need about 3'

I'll send some pics when I get started.

Thanks again for all the help.

Martin

Dennis Schell · From: Shingletown, Shasta county, Kalifornia

Wow, NICE work Matthew!

Dennis
_________________
"Bucks Owin"

Matthew Prouty · From: Warsaw, Poland

Gents,

Thanks for the comments.

Martin definately keep us all posted with the progress and one quetion for you. How did you decied on Elm as your choice wood? I have never worked with it but understand it has characteristics of Mahagony.

M.

Martin Shaw · From: Wales, UK

Hi,

Yep, will do, I'll send some pics as soon as I can get started.

It will be a couple of weeks before the timber arrives.8-((

As for the choice of wood it seemed the best choice considering the price and avaliabilty in the UK.

The price of mahogany would be about $225 for a 2.4 mt length, that's the shortest length I can get delivered.

Unfortunately I don't live anywhere near a hardwood supplier!

The cost of hardwood in the UK is prohibitive to say the least.

Martin

J Fletcher · From: London,Ont,Canada

Speaking of the high cost of hardwood, perhaps you could find some reclaimed wood. ie an old table top, or mantle piece, etc.
Where I work there are some stair hand rails that are 50 year old birds eye maple, and sometimes I look at them and think " that would make some nice Telly necks!"...Jerry

Martin Shaw · From: Wales, UK

Hi,

Yeah, reclaimed timber would be fine.

Would you believe the only reclaimers yard near to where I live closed 2 years ago.

That's what you get for living in a rural location. 8-((

I can make 2 - 3 laps out of the length of elm I have ordered and that only cost £43 with delivery.

I'll just have to keep my eyes open.

Martin

Gary Shepherd · From: Fox, Oklahoma, USA

If you guys need any part like tuners, string ferrules, bone nuts, etc, feel free to send me an email. I have a few extras.
_________________
Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10 & Peavey Nashville 1000

www.16tracks.com

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