The Steel Guitar Forum

I have had a piece of maple sitting on top of my hutch on my computer desk for at least 5 years. I asked Kevin Glandon if he would be kind enough to send me a pattern of one he built at least 5 years ago. He never said anything to about me not building the lap steel from his pattern. I had it traced off the the same amount of time. So here it is Kevin and many thanks for taking the time to send me your pattern. I got this new tablet and it took a while to figure out how to send pictures. Now, maybe someday in the future I will get a cell phone. Yeah, still don't have one and when I tell people they don't believe me!

That's real purty, Bill. A righteous chunk of maple, no doubt. Betcha it sounds like a million bucks with that string-thru pickup, to boot!

ps -- Was that your last Gronertone, or are there more of 'em coming down the pike?

That’s a real beauty, Bill. Of course we won’t believe you if you tell us that’s the last one. The raised centre portion of the maple is a really nice touch.

Beautiful ...

Beautiful lapsteel. Do you make them for other people! What is really intriguing to me though, is the lap steel stand it is sitting on. The only lap steel accessory that harder to get than a case is a stand. Do you make those too?

That is beautiful Mr. Bill. Glad you used the string through.

Carey Hofer wrote:Beautiful lapsteel. Do you make them for other people! What is really intriguing to me though, is the lap steel stand it is sitting on. The only lap steel accessory that harder to get than a case is a stand. Do you make those too?

I do/I did, but that was the last stand as well as the last lapsteel. I used aluminum, plexiglass and nylon, but it could very easily be made from all wood.

Fabulous..

What a beautiful instrument, Bill! You have really outdone yourself on that one!

Thank you Corey, Kevin, Bill, and Steve. Coming from you guys I really appreciate the kind words. Kevin and Bill I know are builders, and Steve is the Guitar Doctor. On this build I asked my "Teledoc" (Steve) for some advice. Corey I don't know what your nitch is, but I'm sure you have one or two........everybody does, they sometimes just don't realize exactly what it is.

Wow, that's really nice. Great job. I build guitars as a hobby but definitely not on your level.

Very nice and unique! Congrats.

Bill Groner wrote:
I do/I did, but that was the last stand as well as the last lapsteel. I used aluminum, plexiglass and nylon, but it could very easily be made from all wood.

Great looking work on both.
Inspiring

I’m late to this party, but I wanted to say that’s beautiful work, Bill. Simple and gorgeous. And with that pickup, I’m sure it sounds amazing. Well done (again)!

Super nice work, Bill.

I’m late to this party, but I wanted to say that’s beautiful work, Bill. Simple and gorgeous. And with that pickup, I’m sure it sounds amazing. Well done (again)!

Bill Groner wrote:This was the first one I built with just clear poly on it. My son is now happy, he always kept telling me to finish one that way, glad I finally listened to him.

I have been using StewMac wipe-on clear poly to touch up the necks on my Kalamazoo toilet seat guitar rebuilds (that have been assembled piecemeal from parts). I've pulled the old frets, re-radiused the fingerboards to match the bridges, installed new frets, and leveled, crowned, and polished 'em. The wipe-on poly goes on easily, sands quickly, and polishes out nicely. No need to wear a respirator. What's not to like about it? Works great for my porpoises. Most likely wouldn't use it on a high-quality vintage instrument, but for these 1960s Kallys that were built to sell for between $89.50 and $114.50 retail, it's just the ticket.

Boy, talk about going out in style! You've sure done it, Bill!! Congratulations on a wonderful progression of builds.

Oh boy, that is beautiful! Love the wood you used and the design. Tom Pettingill would have loved what you did. What scale and what tuning. That pup will be killer for growling blues.

Beautiful work, Bill!

Thank you David, Stephen, and Joe. I was happy how it turned out. Since the 7 years I've been on the forum, I have made a lot of friends (I never met) and have gained a lot of knowledge from them. I think my building knowledge has gotten better as well. This forum is a great tool for both. Here is my first build in 2016.
I believe it was about 2 1/2" thick......I didn't know what I was doing, but everyone has to start somewhere.

Hey Bill, why don'cha line all seven(?) of 'em up against the wall and snap a photo to share with your Forum friends?