Lap steel is such a sweet sound, in the right hands. But, "in the right hands" is the trick. Clearly not mine.
It is an instrument I always wanted to get into, but haven't. I like it when Steve Howe or David Gilmour use it, in a rock context, but I can't see how it would be used in my own music. Still a great sound.
David Lindley was the guy that made me want to give it a try.
I did the Lindley thing for awhile with an old Rickenbacher but got interested in 8-string A6/C6 and the western swing players. I made my own using some very old Paul Bigsby-machined parts I found in a thrift store. You can do a LOT more with an 8. I also played E9 pedal steel for awhile but you really need to put in the time with that. BTW---National made a 6 string lap steel in the 50s with a lever back by the bridge to raise the I chord to a IV.