The Steel Guitar Forum

Thanks Peter. Yeah it's a mahogany body and neck and what was supposed to be a violin back for the top. Rosewood fretboard with MOP inlays.

Mike McBride wrote:Beautiful..

Let's see some crude ones too!

OK, you asked for it! Here's a tag sale beauty I found about 25 years ago. Home made pick-up (works!). I recently dug this out, and I'm trying to make up my mind if I should just play it, or enhance its rough beauty!!

Here is one I built a couple of years ago. Its made from a combination of birch and valnut.
I made the roller nut and bridge from aluminum.
The pickup is a p90 type of unknown brand.
This picture is taken a couple of years ago, now the instrument has the signature of Al Perkins, John Beland & the Bellamy brothers on it!


It also has a Hipshot B-bender system on it. works great!

If anyone wants to build me an 8, or more string, I'll buy the materials and pay you for your time!!!!

Jumpin' Jiminy!!!! Talent overload!!!

Johnne Lee

Being a little crude is what gives it character, sort of like a "rat bike" The pup is what is a real hoot and none the less it WORKS!I would play it out in public just for conversation it would draw!! and on a second look, I would not even wipe the dust off

Tighe you must have spent a fortune on strings alone. to keep them all playable

Steve M., It would be a crime to "pretty up" that axe. I'd wipe the dust off with a wet rag and play it! Someone, at some time, put a lot of loving care into that machine.

What talent! I'm lucky I can build a fire.

Alan B, you should publish a book with photos of your creations. Of course then we'd all want soundclips, and that way lies madness.

This is my 7 string home made oak frypan. Aluminum top and bottom plate. Aluminum bridge, pick-up made by Elva West. Strings through body using pop rivets
at top and bottom.

JOZEF SMITH wrote:This is my 7 string home made oak frypan. Aluminum top and bottom plate. Aluminum bridge, pick-up made by Elva West. Strings through body using pop rivets at top and bottom.

Hey J,

This is a WAY cool steel!

Thanks,

Johnne Lee

Thanks Johnny Lee, I use this guitar a lot.
Did you notice the T logo I made. I always wanted a fry pan steel but they are way beyond my budget, so I decided to make my own. Mahalo.

Terry Farmer wrote:Steve M., It would be a crime to "pretty up" that axe. I'd wipe the dust off with a wet rag and play it! Someone, at some time, put a lot of loving care into that machine.

Boy Terry, you said a mouthful, it does have "character"!

Several problems with it though:
The pup has v-e-r-y low output

That could be due to the fact that when the builder was fitting the pup base plate to the guitar, he hacksawed the formica cover plate, and inadvertently, cut the top off the tone circuit capacitor! [See picture] Nice Clarostat pots, though.

To get the strings off, you have to loosen all of them, and unscrew the bridge - the holes are too small to get the ball ends through! The wood screws holding the bridge on weren't holding too well, and the bridge was tipping over.

The ground from the "electronics" to the bridge, was crushed between the aluminum and the wood body, however, the insulation was never removed from the wire, therefore, lots of hum.

The headstock is a little too thick for the Kluson-style tuners, and they wobble in the holes (only two drill bits, remember?)

What I love about it is EVERY screw on it is different, and most had had a rough life before finding a home on the guitar.

The builder made do with what he/she found, and the only tools used (apparently) were 2 drill bits, a hacksaw, and 2 screwdrivers. Maybe we could have a competition to see who could build a steel with the fewest resources! The body appears to be yellow pine from the grain and color, but not as tough as some of the old growth timber.

I think I need to get it functional, replace the pup and bridge (Save them though, until I can make them work better), and get it playing. Any ideas for a bridge and pup?

Enlarge the Holes slightly to allow the String Balls to go through. Use a file to maintain the intergrity.

Replace the Capasitor.

Run the Ground to the Bridge.

Replacing the strings will bring up the output.

In this case Stainless Steel Strings will increase the output a bit more yet.

Don't change the PUP it is too awesome.

Steve M ... I'd first try and determine if the low output is the pickup, the connected wiring, or maybe its just mounted too low.
I'd disconnect the pickup leads from the pots and temporarily wire them strait through to the jack and see what you get.

For the bridge, you could take a step bit and open up the ball end holes. Step bits are handy and work great for reaming an existing hole.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=91616
On mounting, are the 2 existing screw holes stripped?
If not too bad, you could try a couple match sticks and some glue to shim it up and or a slightly longer or wider screw.
If too far gone, you can drill the hole out and plug with a section of hardwood dowel.
I'd also add at least 2 more screws to the mounting while your working on it.

Good luck with getting her going

I'm going to take your advice and slightly improve the existing set-up. Lots of great help here, and I appreciate it. Let me do some checking, as Tom suggested.

Tom Pettingill wrote:Steve M ... I'd first try and determine if the low output is the pickup, the connected wiring, or maybe its just mounted too low.
I'd disconnect the pickup leads from the pots and temporarily wire them strait through to the jack and see what you get.

For the bridge, you could take a step bit and open up the ball end holes. Step bits are handy and work great for reaming an existing hole.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=91616
On mounting, are the 2 existing screw holes stripped?
If not too bad, you could try a couple match sticks and some glue to shim it up and or a slightly longer or wider screw.
If too far gone, you can drill the hole out and plug with a section of hardwood dowel.
I'd also add at least 2 more screws to the mounting while your working on it.

Good luck with getting her going

Matt & his family lumber mill from France made these

Those look great CrowBear
Are the bridges left radiused or are the saddles ground down and flattened?

Thought I'd bump this thread with a couple of pictures of my latest build

Its made from European Ash, Abalone markers, rosewood frets and has an Irongear Jailhouse Rail pickup that is coil split. The pickup ring is made from walnut and the nut and bridge are aluminium

22.5 scale, it plays nicely and I love its overall small size.

The pickup is pretty hot and I'm still working out the best height for it

Here is my efforts, a National Dynamic Replica.




And a National New Yorker about to be finished, it has a Lace Alumitone Pickup and will have 2/3 palm levers fitted to the Bigsby unit.





You can listen by going to MySpace.

James.

What a feast of imagination, ingenuity, and artful execution this thread is. Amazing!

Danny James,

Thats a fine looking Ric style lapsteel Don.

Somebody beat me to it. I was thinking seriously of building my next one with a changer in it similar to the one you have.

Oh well I probably will go ahead and do it anyway

.

Your thinking is getting more straight all the time, Danny. When you build this guitar, bring it to Winchester and show me. I am from Missouri.

Aloha,
Don

Don, I'm working on a changer now and hope to cut out the guitar body this week. It won't be ready for Winchester this year though.

There are two fry pans on page 4 here that I really like the looks of too. Jozeph Smith's, and Roger palmers. I may cut out the blanks for all three while I'm at it. I still have enough "Wild Cherry to do the job. Maybe go for a horseshoe style pick up too, while I'm at it. Have to find a source for that yet??

Encouraged by this thread, I've decided to have a go at making an 8 string lap steel.

I understand the setup and maintenance of guitars, but I possess next to no woodworking skills However, if I plan carefully and take my time, I think I can make a playable instrument.

My wife thinks that I can make a good job and it's great to have that encouragement.

Mark Daniels wrote:...My wife thinks that I can make a good job and it's great to have that encouragement.

Go for it, Mark. A lap steel is only a plank with a pickup and strings. Anything beyond that is art. You don't need to be a skilful woodworker to build one.

Encouraged by this thread, I've decided to have a go at making an 8 string lap steel.

Like Alan said, go for it! Its a fun and rewarding experience. If you get stuck on anything, there is a lot of friendly help here at your disposal