| Author |
Topic: Frypan Lap Steel, 8 Strings, Hardrock Maple |
W. Johnson
From:
Oregon, USA
|
Posted 10 May 2017 7:51 am |
|
Recently a customer, who already has one of my frypan guitars made from aluminum, had me build for him one of my Frypan guitars, an 8 string, from wood. These days I rarely build lap steels from wood, I normally build from aluminum. We decided on Eastern Hardrock Maple. The fingerboard is made from Padauk wood, with brass frets and aluminum marker dots. The volume and tone knobs are also made from the same wood as the body. Scale is 22.5". It has a Jason Lollar Chicago 8 string pickup in it, which I measure at 8.92K. This pickup has a very massive magnet in it. I used my newer head stock design, that keeps the stings pretty straight over the nut to the tuners.
Here are a few pics.
Wayne
_________________
I am on Facebook as Innovative Guitars. Photos of all my work in photo album. I no longer make lap steels, but still make tone bars. |
|
|
|
C. E. Jackson
|
|
|
|
Joe Elk
From:
Ohio, USA
|
Posted 11 May 2017 4:57 pm
|
|
Very nice looking steel Mr. Johnson
Joe Elk Central Ohio |
|
|
|
Eric Dahlhoff
From:
Point Arena, California
|
Posted 11 May 2017 10:32 pm
|
|
Very nice looking. How does it sound compared to your aluminum ones?
_________________
"To live outside the law you must be honest." (Bob Dylan) |
|
|
|
W. Johnson
From:
Oregon, USA
|
Posted 12 May 2017 7:20 am
|
|
| Eric Dahlhoff wrote: |
| Very nice looking. How does it sound compared to your aluminum ones? |
Eastern Hardrock Maple wood is very hard and dense, has a tendency to have a bright sound affect on the tone. I can hear the difference between, say Mahogany vs Maple, if all components are exactly the same. Aluminum is even more dense and has the potential to be even brighter sounding, so I usually take measures to balance this out, by the way I construct my pickups and the placement of the pickup from the bridge, etc. The way I made this guitar, it sounds very similar to my aluminum Frypan guitars, tone wise. It has good sustain but it is a lot lighter and, sustain is probably a bit less. I think the Lollar Chicago pickup probably has somewhat stronger higher frequencies than my pickups I make. I don't know if that is the way the Lollar Chicago supposed to work as this is the first time I've used this pickup, which was very heavy and seems to have a very massive magnet in it. I really liked the tone. I already shipped it off so I cannot take a sound clip of it. I'll ask the customer if he can do so. He is a performer, I have one of his CD's he has made.
I've read some say the material used does not make a difference in tone, others say it does. I can hear a difference but it is subtle. Mainly the pickup used and it's placement, strings, nut an bridge, affect tone, I think, but I don't think it can be said the material of the guitar does not make a difference. The material used has a huge affect on sustain, all of my aluminum guitars have amazing sustain. Maple wood is excellent as well. One of these days, I want to make a Frypan from Zebra Wood which is a lot harder and denser than hardrock maple.
Wayne
_________________
I am on Facebook as Innovative Guitars. Photos of all my work in photo album. I no longer make lap steels, but still make tone bars. |
|
|
|
