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Topic: My lightweight lapsteel |
Brian Henry
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 11:22 am |
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I will be going to New Zealand in February on vacation and decided not to take my PEDAL steel with me. I looked around for a lightweight inexpensive 10 string lap steel and could not find one for under $100. So I decided to make one and it only weighs 4 lbs and apart from the old Carter key head the cost in parts was $95.
I found a very nice tiger maple plank on eBay and gave it 4 coats of tung oil and three coats of lacquer. Then lots of polishing with polishing compound. It's basically a maple plank 4" x7/8" x 30". I used a 22 1/2" scale, a George L pickup and made the bridge out of aluminum. The jack is mounted on the outside aluminum rim. These rims screw of with wing nuts, for easy air travel and space. It really sounds good. I guess the reason for the low cost is, I did all the labor my self, which wasn't much except for the polishing and rubbing to get a fine gloss finish. Here it is!!
Last edited by Brian Henry on 7 Jun 2021 1:10 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Ron Simpson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 12:58 pm
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That is a beautiful instrument Brian.
Ron |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Brian Henry
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 1:39 pm
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| Hi Peter and Ron, I have made a couple identical in shape from 3/8" aluminum like a solid fry pan style. They weigh about 9 lbs each. So this is much lighter. I never worry about tone and volume knobs as I use a volume pedal, a compressor and a slight delay. |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 1:48 pm
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| I'm impressed. That's a "travel steel". |
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Brian Henry
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 1:50 pm
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Peter and Ron, Here are some pictures of my aluminum one.
Last edited by Brian Henry on 7 May 2019 8:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Brian Henry
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 1:52 pm
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| yes David, it's only 4 lbs, it's just that my arm is still sore from all that buffing and polishing. |
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Joe Elk
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 2:28 pm
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Nice! Nice! Nice! Guys
Joe Elk |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 2:59 pm
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| Brian Henry wrote: |
| yes David, it's only 4 lbs, it's just that my arm is still sore from all that buffing and polishing. |
I bet!
But it's worth it. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 3:34 pm
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| That's a nice build. If you ever get a chance to make a sound clip I'd love to hear it. |
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Joe Elk
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 4:07 pm
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Again Nice. What tuning are you using. Forgot to ask on the the first reply.
Joe Elk |
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Brian Henry
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Posted 8 Dec 2016 4:54 pm
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| Joe, I play PEDAL steel e9th. Its the only tuning I know. So I tune this lap steel exactly the same. I have learned a couple of nice scales and am amazed what I can do on this. I don't do slants so my G scales are pretty long. My g scale harmony notes are wide apart and extend from the first fret to 13. I do miss the pedals and get tired after a while with such extended action. |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Brian Henry
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Posted 9 Dec 2016 7:48 am
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| Thank you Pete, it is really quite easy. Once you have a pickup,and a key head, it's just bits and pieces. Anyone could make one. I am just an English teacher by trade. I have a mini bandsaw, a drill, and a grind stone with a polishing wheel for aluminum. That's it! I f you want a template I'll make one on card stock for you. |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 9 Dec 2016 8:07 am
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| A most elegant solution! I bet your knees and left leg are always twitching when you play it going for the "ghost pedals." |
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Brian Henry
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Posted 9 Dec 2016 8:11 am
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| How right you are Paul. I love e9th and do reach for my imaginary pedals. It is quite amazing what one can do with these 10 strings! |
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2016 5:55 am Cool
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| Brian, That's just too cool and I love the fact you did it yourself. Great use of materials and imagination. |
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