The Steel Guitar Forum

I found a maple board at a local lumberyard that appeared to have some nice flame in it (for ten bucks), so I thought I'd see if I could make a lap steel out of it. I already had a pickup that was from my Dynalap, so I only had to buy some brass stock and tuners (eBay, $12 for two sets of 6).

It's pretty simple, basically just a couple of pieces of wood stuck together. My woodworking skills are rudimentary compared to many here, but I think it turned out rather nice. I made the 23" scale fretboard in Photoshop and printed and laminated it. Actually, I made a number of fretboard designs, so I can change it when I want something different.

I love the tone of this guitar. It sounds somewhat like my Dynalap, which is no surprise, given the similarity of materials, scale length, and overall construction, but it's sweeter and more transparent in the midrange, possibly because pickup is a little further from the bridge. It has a nice bell-like clarity all the way up to the highest frets, and the harmonics (chimes) seem to pop out effortlessly.

Anyway, it was a fun thing to build for very little money. I think it's a keeper. I may add some legs at some point, but it sits nicely on the lap. I'll try to record something with it when I have some time.

simply stunning Jerry. Congratulations. Did you make the fretboard?
Thanks for posting
Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. The fretboard is pretty simple. I found an online fret calculator that creates simple lines which can be saved as a pdf file. I took that into Photoshop and adjusted the line width, added a wood texture, and position markers. I have several different designs, so it's easy to change if I want something different. I saved the finished file as pdf, then printed it at 100% on a large format printer. If it's done correctly, the printed size should exactly match the document size, so the dimensions will be perfectly accurate.

at some point, I may make a wood one with fret wire and binding.

If that is the product of 'rudimentary woodworking skills' then I hate to think how mine would rate

It certainly looks very nice. Well done.

Nice work. I thought your fretboard came out pretty good too. That's a nice hunk of wood with the flame showing.

What kind of finish did you use?

Nice job Jerry!

Wow, that's a beauty! Congrats!

Very nice. May we see the underside?

she looks mighty fine Jerry
how 'bout a sound clip of both of ya's ?
been a while you know....

if my hands weren't thoroughly unusable. I'm lucky I manage to pick up a bar or s fork for that matter. I'd try this myself. Nice work.

Thank you all for the replies. The finish is Tru-Oil over shellac, hand rubbed. I made the finish job more complicated by deciding to dye the wood, which could have been a disaster, but came out okay. The orange color is a combination of TransTint honey amber and a little bright red.

The underside is unfinished right now. There are some things fastened with screws from underneath, and I haven't decided about legs yet, so I plan to cover the bottom with some kind of fabric or something lap-friendly.

I probably jumped the gun by putting it up for "show and tell" before I had a sound clip or video, but I'm extremely happy with the way it sounds, and I'll record something as soon as I can.

I still haven't made a case for it, but I found a case at a sporting goods store that's made to carry arrows. it was inexpensive and just the right size, so that may be all it needs for now. If I end up using it for gigging (which I probably will), I will make something more substantial.

That's really beautiful, Jerry. Congratulations.

Beatiful!

Elegant and Gorgeous, Jerry!!!

What a great use of technology for your fretboard! Thanks for sharing this info. The beauty is in the simple design working well with the timber grain and colour - I am now inspired and off to the shed to see if I can find me some timber in the huge pile I have. Cant wait to hear it.
Well done.

Beautiful! Can you tell us how you connected the tuning key frame to the body? Is it epoxied? I dont see any fasteners or plugs..

Thanks!

Very nice!

Looks great Jerry.
I am sure it sounds great too.
Todd

Thanks, everyone. Hal, the keyhead is fastened with screws from underneath, as is everything else. It would have been better to glue the wood parts and have a finished underside, but at the time, I thought I was building an experimental guitar where I might remake some parts. I also wanted to be able to remove the neck in case I decided to put a volume and/or tone control in that space behind the bridge. Since it came out so nice, and sounds so good, I think I'll just keep it the way it is, and enjoy playing it. Now I'll have to make another one to experiment with!

Incredible!

yeah..wow..for a first timer you've outdone yourself. and a first for me is seeing the way you flared out the end of the neck to fit the lines of the headstock. never seen that done before and it's very pretty!

looks dad gum good to me...Nice!

Jerry, That is so nice! I am making a lap steel and I'd like to talk to you about your fretboards. Would you like to sell one?
Please email me. Thanks, Don

That's outstanding, Jerry. I'd never think that was the work of a first timer. Congrats.

Absolutely beautiful !!!