The Steel Guitar Forum

Some of you may have seen a couple of in progress pics of this, and well ... here she is ready to sing.
She is strung in open E and setup as a rockn blues slide monster that does not disappoint.
The pickups are some sweet hand wound units from BG-Pups and setup with a 6 way rotary switch, the positions are as follows.
1) bridge
2) bridge split
3) outer coils neck / bridge
4) neck / bridge together
5) inner coils neck / bridge
6) neck

And some basic specs
24" scale
3/8" spacing at the nut
curly maple body
padauk fretboard, covers, and rings
Mother of Pearl position markers
nickel silver frets
bridge is string through body / stainless and padauk
pickups are BG-Pups
6 way rotary switching
the maple was colored with amber shellac wash coats with Tru Oil on top

and some pics


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Ooooooh Tom, words fail me. That thing's beautiful! I bet it sounds sweet, too. Great job!

That is stunning!

Beautiful Tom! Love the slotted headstock! They are not all that easy to get right.

Cheers

Alan

Now that's a fretboard I could live with.

Jude

Beautiful, Tom! I love to see an original concept executed with such panache.

Beautiful Tom! I particularly love the look of the back!

Fred

I am absolutely, as my English friend says, gobsmacked. That is possibly the most beautiful lap steel I have ever seen, and I am not overstating it. Great design, the slotted head is EXACTLY what I want in a steel and the figuring in the wood is unbelievable. If I was a rich man...or just not a broke one...

Incredible!!!

Oh no, he's done it again........

MY EYES!!!!! MY EYES!!!! Don't look directly into it -- you'll have to have it!!!!!

wow! another work of art. beautiful.

Thanks all, your kind words and encouragement is much apreciated! I'm very happy how it all came out, its been a fun build

And Peter ... you can look all you want, this one is spoken for

That guitar is GORGEOUS!

Tom - Just another one of my dumb thoughts - On the piece on the opposite side of the controls knobs - Could that have been made the lid to a compartment that could hold the slide and picks - Sorry, just my brain working over time - DB

That cake guitar was pretty good, but this one really makes me drool

Beautiful grain matching on the wings and another bloody amazing finish.

Thanks again all

Dennis ... sure, you could route it out and use some small neodymium magnets to hold the cover in place like some custom builders do for screwless control covers.

Tom, sir---there a few aesthetic choices you have made on some of your other beautiful, wonderful steels that have not suited me, personally. Which does not diminish my admiration as I look at them.
I cannot say that about this one. This is.....wow.

Tom you and maple are one! You outdo yourself again. Just a curious question:How much time do you spend building?Are you retired and can spend your days in maple dust? LOL You are one of the premier builders of lap steel and don't have to take a back seat to any others.

Oh my! From every angle little details pop out at you. The dot markers for the 6 position switch are very tasty!....As is everything else about this instrument. Choice of material....priceless!

Super work and attention to detail Tom!

Tom Pettingill wrote: ... you can look all you want, this one is spoken for

Phew! Close call....

I really love the look of this one, Tom -- the blend of old and new is great. It's an homage without being an imitation. Great contrast in the wood, too. Out of curiousity, how much does it weigh?

Thanks everyone

Jon ... Thanks, its a project I had been wanting to do for a while and I'm happy I had a chance to bring it to life.
The design as a whole has a lot of possibilities with different woods, pickups, and will scale well into a sweet 8 string too.

Gary ... maple is one of my favorite woods, the problem is the fancy stuff can get pretty pricey.
I don't spend as much time building as I'd like, still have one of those pesky day job things
Though, I am lucky that I can adjust my schedule to make time when I need. One of the advantages of being self employed.

Rich ... Thanks, its the small things that add up to make the whole.

Peter ... just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water ... cue Jaws theme ...
I'll definitely be doing a couple more with at least one 8 string, just have not decided on what woods yet, I've got some cool stuff in my wood stash.

Awesome Tom....Another beautiful steel

Thanks Roger

Out of curiousity, how much does it weigh?

And I just realized I forgot to answer Peters weight question.
I did not weigh it, but my best guess is 9+ lbs, shipping weight was 12 something.
It measured 33" long and 11" across the lower bout.

Just a note. I do make cases to fit Pettingill guitars. I just did one. www.hattoncases.com
They are awesome guitars.