acoustic lap steels?

[Chris Walke]

Guess it's just part of my lazy nature, but I find myself pulling out my dobro alot more than my lap steel, simply because there's nothing to hook up, no amps to pull out, no volume pedal needed, etc.

I've been thinking about this for awhile. Has anybody ever made an acoustic lap steel? You might say, yeah, a dobro, but I mean a short scale, 8-string thing that can be used as a practice guitar or for acoustic jam sessions. I hate getting together with my acoustic instrumentalist friends and being the only guy lugging an amp on the porch. Well, I don't hate it, but it bugs me a little.

Perhaps something with a resonator cone. I think about the small resonator cones that are placed in those metal body National ukes. Wouldn't it be cool to put something like that in a lap steel scale dobro? Throw 8-strings on the thing and tune it to a C6?

Anyone else think this would be a cool idea?