The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi guys
I said in an earlier post that I was in the process of finishing my second lap steel.. so here it is .
I have played this guitar at some gigs and have had a lot of interest about it .. as in do I sell them ?.. so if you guys would be so kind as to give me you opinions on the styling I would appreciate( thinking of selling em as a hobby )






click on piccis to make bigger.
The paint is not the best finish as I rushed it a little because this was a prototype just to get me playing .
Grover locking tuners on a maple headstock with a maple and resin fretboard , fender electrics strat style bridge , through body stringing. Body is made of Hickory ( dunno if I'd use this wood again but does give a lovely tone ).. Blue metallic 2 coat and laquer.. only has 2 laquer coats and no polishing .
3 ply scratchplate.

Phill

It's definitely pretty. If I was in the market for a 6 string, I'd definitely consider it. Especially if, as you seem to suggest, you are actually going to improve on the blue lacqer finish, which if you ask me looks fine as it is (but maybe in person I'd see the flaws better). Whenever I buy an instrument, though, price and casing are issues. Have you given serious thought to those issues?

what is the scale length?
22 1/2" or more?

Looks great. One sticking point for me would be the headstock. 3 on a side or at least having the pegs pointing up would be a big plus.

Hi Guys
thanks for the comments. A case is no problem at all , as for price that will depend on the spec that I will build to .. I am looking at customizing up to point where the electrics and hardware are concerned.
The headstock was thought about a lot .. I felt that with the tuners all on one side then using these would be easier than if there were three either side .
I had thought of the three with vertical pegs but did not want to go with the slotted head , I wabted something a little different .. but practical , perhaps not so traditional and maybe attract the younger player because it looks a bit electric guitarish.
I do have in mind for future the more traditional style of Lap with the slotted square headstock abd a more acoustic appearance to the guitar .
Scale length is 25 1/2 inches, with 25 frets .. this moves the neck pickup slightly closer to the bridge so when combined with bridge pickup .. still gives a slight twang .. but is smooth enough for sweet ballads and forced harmonics to sound great.
Will be experimenting with different pickups soon .. any suggestions on preferences would be a great help to getting those all important lap steel sounds.
Thanks
Phill

I actually like the idea of six tuners in a row. I'd have to play it to see if it works as well as I think it would work. I also like that you have the output jack on the bottom of the guitar, although I could see problems with placing the guitar on a stand when switching to another guitar.
The finish does need upgrading in my opinion. I'm not a big fan of primary colors (except black and white) for guitars. A sunburst finish would be quite beautiful on this guitar.
A good Tele-style pickup would probably fit the overall look of the guitar. I look forward to seeing more work from you.

Hi Grad
Thanks for the nice comments . When you say a tele pickup do you mean a humbucker? as the guitar already has tele pickups on it only the single coil ones .
I am currently building my workshop inc a spray booth to finish the guitars properly ( I build and install fitted kitchens ) so double usage. inc a baking cabinet for the laquers.
I must admit the blue was an experiment .. I personally prefer wood colours the tobacco sunburst being one of my favourites but I am trying to be a bit adventurous ..lol.. maybe mistake there. I do not want to be a one trick pony as they say and if I can get them righ will be looking to market them on a part time basis .
I have been researching lap steels for a while now and have seen that the coloured ones go quite well ( artisan and the such like .. budget guitars ) but the quality ones all seem to be natural wood colours and sunbursts or pale colours like mint green or cream .. not sure which market to hit yet .
The budget ones are a bit awful in my opinion and the more discerning musician would appreciate something a little more classy and playable with good quality hardware and electrics as well as a good quality finish .
after all you dont get much for 80 quid .. about 140 dollars.
The materials for that guitar cost in the region of £180.00 or close on $300.00 so once I get the finish right it is not a cheap budget guitar.
Thanks again
Phill

Consider what they do with skateboard decks. There's no reason we couldn't have some interesting graphics applied to a lap steel.

Brad Bechtel wrote:Consider what they do with skateboard decks. There's no reason we couldn't have some interesting graphics applied to a lap steel.

true. what would we as 'adults' choose as graphics.
I could see a John Lee Hooker album cover wrap on a lap steel.
but I would settle for a classy metal headstock logo.

it is an interesting observation about sparky colors attacting young people and wood grain and sunbursts attracting older people. maybe, Artisan knows what they are doing.

As a home builder of lap steels I like the style of yours. the head is nice looking also! Blue is not my color, but after my attempt to build a red lap steel, I am not sure I would do another. Just don't have the set up to do it properly. Your having a drying booth is a major plus!

tthankyou all for your kind comments
Phill