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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Hi, been posting elswhere on OFC about this project but this might be a better place. Building a lap steel with major woodworking input from my Dad. Here's some photos of the story so far. Ready to drill for tuners, headstock might need trimming a bit. Whaddya think?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37071329@N02/sets/72157623891335877/ |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3611
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Looks pretty stout. Basic design seems right. What kind of wood are you using?
And, what are the big holes for? |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Stout? it would make very serviceable cudgel or battering ram. Must remember never to drop it on my toe. I might slim it down a little if it proves too bulky but sits comfortably on the lap as it is. Thought it was mahogany but might be some sort of teak, it was originally a laboratory bench top. Big holes are for the pots, which will be fitted to some type of plate screwed on to the top. I've been trimming out the middle of the headstock to allow the strings a straight route to the tuners. Didn't realise how nice it was to work with a nice piece of hardwood! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | seems long
you got the scale right? |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | There's a bridge (made using bone blank) going in between tailpiece and pickup. Scale length 22.5". Maybe it looks long because pots are behind tailpiece. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | I strung her up. Sounds pretty good but I need to work on the saddle as some strings not ringing clearly. Also might bring pickup closer to the strings. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | What about my paper fretboard? I made a table in MS Word, made the cells black, the borders white and set the height of each row.
Edited by sycamore 2013-03-07 7:41 AM
 (Lap Steel Strung Up.jpg)
Attachments
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 Lap Steel Strung Up.jpg (29KB - 0 downloads)
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | More photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/37071329@N02/
Any thoughts on string gauges and tunings? I'm using open G with heavy gauge electric strings to start off. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Also, a query on tone pots. I have used a 250K log pot and a 33nF capacitor. It has no effect over most of its rotation, everything happens in the last few degrees (ie. tone setting from 10 to 1 has no effect, then a huge change between 1 and 0). Do I need to get a different pot? Linear rather than log maybe?
Edited by sycamore 2013-03-20 11:44 AM
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Finished off a few more details. MDF fretboard painted black, fret markers drawn using a silver marker pen. Made a pickup mounting from a piece of mahogany (part of an old drawer, possible Victorian). The only outstanding issue is the tone pot.
 (Lap Steel Almost Finished.jpg)
 (Lap Steel Pickup Mounting.jpg)
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Lap Steel Almost Finished.jpg (77KB - 0 downloads)
Lap Steel Pickup Mounting.jpg (68KB - 0 downloads)
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | And got one of these to play it with
http://www.bing.com/shopping/shubb-sp1-pearse-guitar-steel-663049/p... |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Goin to put legs on it. i think 3 is the right number but where to put them?
one at the narrow end and 2 at the wide end like this http://www.vintageprojects.com/woodshop/SteelGuitar.pdf
OR
One at each end and one in the middle like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-USA-Deluxe-6-StringMaster-Lap-Steel-... |
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Lap Steel Project
