Home made Guitsteel

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 3 Aug 2012 7:56 pm

I've always wanted a Guitsteel like Junior Browns and could never afford to get one made. So I thought I'd try to make one myself by splicing a telecaster and a lap together. I picked up a brand new Fender squire and a new Rouge 6 string lap, (The cheaper models in case I messed them up). So I went to work never doing this before and I figured if the guitar doesn't work at least it would look cool on the wall. Took my time on it and finally when the time came to plug it in, it turned out to work pretty darn good. It looks red in the final pics but it's a red orange with gold flake. Thought you guys would want to check these pics out.

Kelvin Monaghan · Post by **Kelvin Monaghan** » 3 Aug 2012 9:09 pm

Your a brave man chopping up two guitars,but the result is Awesome I love it .Cheers

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 3 Aug 2012 9:15 pm

I see you even made a slot for the steel when it's not in use. Good work.

Peter den Hartogh · Post by **Peter den Hartogh** » 4 Aug 2012 12:23 am

Great Job!
How did you decide on the final position of the steel?

Jeff Spencer · Post by **Jeff Spencer** » 4 Aug 2012 3:09 am

Great job Josh!!I have thought about the same thing - you have inspired me.
Any more production pics??

Terry VunCannon · Post by **Terry VunCannon** » 4 Aug 2012 9:28 am

I would like to know how much it weighs, and how you have it wired.
Great job!!!!!

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 4 Aug 2012 12:59 pm

Thanks for the compliments guys! I decided on the final position of the guitars just buy looking closely to pictures of Juniors guitsteel. Once I got it close to were I wanted it, I marked both guitars so I knew where to router out the holes for the bolts that would connect it ( they are just a set of bolts used for joining countertops.) I Gorrila glued the wood between the guitars and tightened the bolts bringing the two together. Used car bondo to fill the crack between the two guitars. I also used lock tight on the bolts. I ran the wiring from the Tele through a hole I drilled on an angle from the top of the lap (were the two connect) to the chamber inside the lap. Also routered out space for a 3 way switch to toggle between the two and routered for the controls for the tele. I used shielded wiring and that chamber insulating paint to help prevent buzzing. I wired both guitars to 1 jack on the lap. It weighs about 9 lbs, it gets pretty heavy playing out, I might make a stand to play it on like Juniors. I had a good time building it. Earlier this year I when to see Junior Brown play and brought it with and left it in the car in the slim chance I would get it signed. Well I bumped in to someone running the venue and she took it back to his dressing room and Junior got to check it out and sign it, I could't believe it, it was awesome.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 4 Aug 2012 1:04 pm

Nice job Josh! ... well thought out and nicely executed

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 4 Aug 2012 1:18 pm

Wow! Great lookin laps you got there. I like that art deco like look and the 2 tone wood. High Quality. About how long, average, does one take you to build?

Jeff Spencer · Post by **Jeff Spencer** » 5 Aug 2012 4:00 am

There a some of us here on the forum who want Tom banned from posting pics of his guitars....... its just too painful with too much looking at em!!

Just messin Tom, Josh..

Tom crafts some of the finest laps on the planet IMO

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 6 Aug 2012 3:56 pm

That's a nice job. How does the playing position feel?

Sam Skorheim · Post by **Sam Skorheim** » 6 Aug 2012 4:49 pm

thats really neat, great job

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 6 Aug 2012 7:14 pm

The playing position for the lap should really be having the guitsteel sit on a stand like Junior Brown does, easier to transition and play but I haven't made it yet. What I usually end up doing is when it comes time to play the steel, just sit on my amp laying it on my lap or put my left foot up on a floor monitor while standing and lay it on my left leg above my knee, kinda awkward. One thing I would like to get are lower hieght tone and volume controls if they make them, because If I'm not careful I hit them with the bar.

Nate Hofer · Post by **Nate Hofer** » 7 Aug 2012 4:34 am

Very cool! Curious what you do for a case.

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 7 Aug 2012 8:52 pm

It just fits in a gig bag I found in a local music store. I would be nice to get a custom hardshell case for it.

Dave Bader · Post by **Dave Bader** » 11 Aug 2012 2:16 am

Josh Rossow wrote:It just fits in a gig bag I found in a local music store. I would be nice to get a custom hardshell case for it.

I gutted a SKB bass case and build new guts to fit mine. It worked out really well.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 15 Aug 2012 12:37 pm

Josh, for a stand like Junior uses you could just get a heavy duty music stand and turn it backwards. The bottom "lip" which is used for holding books on would rest against the bottom edge of the "guitsteel".... The thing though that I never liked about Junior's rig was that the guitar neck was too "straight out" for me as I've always favored the standard guitar neck pointing up a bit. Are you going to put a hole in the top edge of the guitar to stash your bar like he does?.......JH in Va.

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 15 Aug 2012 6:45 pm

Hi Jerry,
I did drill out a space for the bar with a paddle bit, you can see the bar sticking out in third to last pic I posted. Definitely going to use a heavy duty stand. On stage, Juniors guitsteel sits pretty stable on his stand. Its almost like it locks on to it some how or it could be just balancing on it really well. On stage at the end of some songs he will step away from it and drop tune the e string for the last note, he doesn't seem to worry about it falling off. I'll have to play around with my guitsteel to see how it balances.

Peter den Hartogh · Post by **Peter den Hartogh** » 16 Aug 2012 1:13 am

There might be some ideas in this topic:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... =guitsteel

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 16 Aug 2012 9:35 am

If you ever build another one, you might find that angling the lap steel to the regular guitar by about 45°, putting it at the same angle as a Melobar Skreemr, might give a better playing position.

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 16 Aug 2012 8:15 pm

That's a cool idea Alan, looks like a 12 string. I thought it might be neat to add one of those Hip Shot String benders on the telecaster bridge to get some pedal steel effects out of it. Or maybe install it on the lap.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 17 Aug 2012 10:11 am

I recommend you do both, but don't use the Hipshot Trilogy, because that's just a mechanism to allow you to change tunings on the fly, and you can't use it to change chords while you're playing. I have an Essex lap steel that I fitted with Duesenberg Multibender palm levers, and I use it a lot. There's no set-up time, compared to a pedal steel, and you can get pedal steel sounds from it. For what you do, it would word perfectly. You can just grab it and take it out to a gig.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... duesenberg

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ight=wrist

I don't have anything against the Hipshot Trilogy, and I have two of the 8-string versions installed on lap steels, but it just allows me to use different tunings. Other people use them on regular electric guitars for the same reason. But they wouldn't do much for you, and you can't install both a Hipshot Trilogy and a Duesenberg Multibender on the same guitar because they're incompatable.

(I've tried it.)

Personally, I don't see the point in combining regular and lap steels. You can have both on stage side-by-side, and pick up whichever you want to play. With two separate instruments you can get both of them set up exactly as you want them, without the compromise of having another instrument glued to it. It reminds me of those 12-string/6-string double-neck guitars which are just an incumbrence, but, each to his own, and I don't like to hinder innovation.

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 17 Aug 2012 5:51 pm

Yeah, I'm with ya on that Alan. Makin this guitsteel and adding stuff to it just keeps me kind of sain with all the stresses I got. I know separate instruments can be dialed in better, but people get a kick of different types of instruments played on stage and they are fun to play. I got a Epiphone double SG and it's heavier then heck but I love crankin out 12 on rythm then doin a little lead.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 18 Aug 2012 9:13 am

If you ever see Basil Henriques on the Bob Brolly Show, he sits at a pedal steel with a Stratocaster strapped round his neck, and he switches back and forth between the two with apparent ease, often several times during a number.

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 18 Aug 2012 10:26 am

That would be cool to try.