It’s been a while since I mentioned the home-made Lap Steel. Those of you who thought I’d given up would be wrong.
Having never owned, or even played, a Lap Steel, deciding to build one might seem like a strange idea. But I’ve never let not knowing what I was doing get in the way before, so why start now?
My orginal design was a bit complex and had slowed the project to a snail’s pace. So I decided to design a “Simplified” version. Something I could start building right away (and didn’t make my head hurt).
For some reason, when I export files from AutoCAD some lines seem to get lost.
I have finished milling all the wood and have assembled it for a dry run.
It’s features include:
JB Trembucker (bought from Lew)
Hipshot Trilogy and Roller Nut (a special order through Black Rose)
Roller Bridge
Gotoh 16:1 Tuners
Six-way Switch wired for:
1) Series
2) Split (Stud Coil)
3) Parallel
4) Series, Out of Phase
5) Split (Adjustable Coil)
6) Parallel, Out of Phase
(Thanks to ArtieToo for providing the schematics to figure out how to wire it up).
CTS 250k Volume Pot
CTS 250k No-Load Tone Pot with a .047 Orange Drop cap (Also from Black Rose).
Switchcraft jack in a Strat jack plate I robbed off and extra body I have laying around
The body is Walnut with a Birdseye Maple cap. A 59 Trem might have been a better choice since these are both bright sounding woods, but it still sounds great.
This isn’t a great picture, but you can see my next project in the background. I’m calling it a 50s Tele Custom (A MIJ 50s RI neck on a MIM Standard Tele body with a ’72 Custom pickguard).
The nails in the nut are just temporary until I apply the finish and poly.
I haven’t had much of a chance to try out the Trilogy yet, so I don’t know if it was worth the expense. The Trilogy, Roller Nut and Roller Bridge made up about half of the part cost. So it will be a waste if I end up not using it.
You’ll notice the missing Vol knob. For some reason the Hipshot O-ring knobs will fit on some CTS pots and not others. Anyway, I’m planing on using black Gibson “Top Hat” knobs with pointers.
I have a few touch-ups to do on the body. Next week I plan on taking it apart, giving it a coat of danish rubbing oil (maybe) and then several coats of Poly. I’m going for a mirror-like finish.
I’m also going to see if I can fix the frozen adjuster on the Trilogy while it’s off of the guitar.
A close-up of the Control panel, bridge, etc. Or since this is the SD Forum, maybe I should say a close-up of the JB Trembucker.
Headstock detail – The odd offset of the tuners is so I could keep the strings in a straight line from the tuners to the tailpiece (looking down on the guitar). It should work great for a 7-string.
Submitted for your approval,
Having never owned, or even played, a Lap Steel, deciding to build one might seem like a strange idea. But I’ve never let not knowing what I was doing get in the way before, so why start now?
My orginal design was a bit complex and had slowed the project to a snail’s pace. So I decided to design a “Simplified” version. Something I could start building right away (and didn’t make my head hurt).
For some reason, when I export files from AutoCAD some lines seem to get lost.
I have finished milling all the wood and have assembled it for a dry run.
It’s features include:
JB Trembucker (bought from Lew)
Hipshot Trilogy and Roller Nut (a special order through Black Rose)
Roller Bridge
Gotoh 16:1 Tuners
Six-way Switch wired for:
1) Series
2) Split (Stud Coil)
3) Parallel
4) Series, Out of Phase
5) Split (Adjustable Coil)
6) Parallel, Out of Phase
(Thanks to ArtieToo for providing the schematics to figure out how to wire it up).
CTS 250k Volume Pot
CTS 250k No-Load Tone Pot with a .047 Orange Drop cap (Also from Black Rose).
Switchcraft jack in a Strat jack plate I robbed off and extra body I have laying around
The body is Walnut with a Birdseye Maple cap. A 59 Trem might have been a better choice since these are both bright sounding woods, but it still sounds great.
This isn’t a great picture, but you can see my next project in the background. I’m calling it a 50s Tele Custom (A MIJ 50s RI neck on a MIM Standard Tele body with a ’72 Custom pickguard).
The nails in the nut are just temporary until I apply the finish and poly.
I haven’t had much of a chance to try out the Trilogy yet, so I don’t know if it was worth the expense. The Trilogy, Roller Nut and Roller Bridge made up about half of the part cost. So it will be a waste if I end up not using it.
You’ll notice the missing Vol knob. For some reason the Hipshot O-ring knobs will fit on some CTS pots and not others. Anyway, I’m planing on using black Gibson “Top Hat” knobs with pointers.
I have a few touch-ups to do on the body. Next week I plan on taking it apart, giving it a coat of danish rubbing oil (maybe) and then several coats of Poly. I’m going for a mirror-like finish.
I’m also going to see if I can fix the frozen adjuster on the Trilogy while it’s off of the guitar.
A close-up of the Control panel, bridge, etc. Or since this is the SD Forum, maybe I should say a close-up of the JB Trembucker.
Headstock detail – The odd offset of the tuners is so I could keep the strings in a straight line from the tuners to the tailpiece (looking down on the guitar). It should work great for a 7-string.
Submitted for your approval,
