Low cost and I do mean Low cost lap steel

Gary Stevenson · Post by **Gary Stevenson** » 25 Aug 2007 3:43 pm

I could not believe this guy had the nerve to post this on Ebay . the item number is 220143176613 under lap steels. If I knew how to post links I would have.But tears running down my face from laughing would have prevented my posting anyway.

Edited by Brad Bechtel to add a link to the auction on eBay.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 25 Aug 2007 4:13 pm

Hardly as funny as the cigar box tenor for only $950!

But, there is a nice Magnatone Lyric with no reserve and few bids.

Charley Wilder · Post by **Charley Wilder** » 25 Aug 2007 5:58 pm

That's great! Just great!. I'll bet it works like gangbusters too. I knew a guy just like him once. He could have cobbed together a space shuttle out of junk parts. But whatever he made was solid and worked like crazy! Made my day! This is a great forum but there is no where near enough humor around here. We need more stuff like this. We're all much too serious here!

Colin Alder · Post by **Colin Alder** » 25 Aug 2007 7:47 pm

I'm gonna steal that pillow/backing idea

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 25 Aug 2007 8:14 pm

I kinda suspect you folks don't appreciate fine workmanship when you see it !

norm mcdaniel · Post by **norm mcdaniel** » 26 Aug 2007 5:14 am

Well Guys Ive made some lap steels that I was ashamed of but that one takes the PRIZE. Im still trying but maybe Ill get one right soon
Keep smiling
Norm in Waco

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 26 Aug 2007 9:12 am

It looks like it was built by a 10 year old kid!

Remember these beauties from years past?

Jack Musgrave · Post by **Jack Musgrave** » 26 Aug 2007 9:15 am

does it come with a hard shell case for that price

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 26 Aug 2007 10:33 am

The current bid of .99 sounds about right!

Matthew Boris · Post by **Matthew Boris** » 26 Aug 2007 11:21 am

I dunno, $25.99 isn't bad considering that it'd cost you $6-10 bucks for tuners, another $5-10 for some scrap pickup components, $6 of strings, and a few hours of your time to replicate this yourself.

Still costs 1/3 of what a Galveston (shipped) would run.

Who knows, maybe some poor college kid will buy it, and turn out to be love it, and upgrade next year.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 26 Aug 2007 12:53 pm

Funny, I kind of like the way the guy's demo sounds. Song belongs on some kind of creepy soundtrack and that's not such a bad thing.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 26 Aug 2007 5:46 pm

Yeah, that tune wasn't bad. But the best part of this auction is, there are actually 2 bids!

Fess up, whom on this forum is after this beauty?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 26 Aug 2007 6:15 pm

Whoa! it's up to $5.50

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 26 Aug 2007 8:12 pm

You guys talk like this steel was supposed to be something incredible. The guy's not claiming it to be a Stringmaster or anything. I think it could very well sound fantastic.

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 26 Aug 2007 8:16 pm

Nah, the best part of the auction is the $25 for shipping, handling, and INSURANCE!!

I can laugh at that all night, but then again, I haven't built anything better...or at all.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 26 Aug 2007 9:04 pm

I think it could very well sound fantastic.

Yes, it could sound fantastic. These string-through-body designs have excellent sustain.

And the Cardboard pickup plate also improves the tone. It really stiffens it up.

The scotch tape firmly holds down the $2 flea market pickup. Bigsby tried that design in 1951 but rejected it after the tape kept coming loose on outdoor gigs.

The best feature is the Variable Scale Length. 23 3/8" on string 1, and 24 13/16" on string 6.
The slants are already built in. The player doesn't even have to slant the bar!

External ground wire provides visual proof that the guitar is grounded.

Unfortunately the 10 year old kid who built this left it out in the rain. It needs a fret job. Water paint tends to run in the rain.

Precision Machined Keyhead is firmly held in place by drywall screws.

New 'staggered tuners' design looks attractive, but the tuners don't actually turn because the buttons bump into each other.

Duct Tape String Mute device behind the nut pays homage to the old Fender String Mute. Junior has thought of everything!

This guitar is a "Signature Model" personally signed by Junior, as seen in the picture.
It's THE FOLK ART MODEL, or the F'ART MODEL for short.

INSURANCE!!??

Denny Turner · Post by **Denny Turner** » 26 Aug 2007 11:55 pm

I am really attracted to crudely made musical instruments. I think it would take a humanities institution many years of study to cover the huge abstract such instruments represent; Perplexing from mechanical perspectives, yet interesting if not inspiring from a perspective of humanities; ...And allot of fun observing each other toy with the abstract.

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 27 Aug 2007 12:31 am

I'm wowed by the level of condescension directed at the builder of this admittedly crude, homebuilt instrument.

Nothing says that the scale length is irregular from string to string... except perhaps a viewer whose sense of proportion is easily confused by asymmetrical surroundings.

Denny Turner · Post by **Denny Turner** » 27 Aug 2007 1:47 am

It's a shame someone robbed the 'shoe pickup out of that pedal Ric.

Denny Turner · Post by **Denny Turner** » 27 Aug 2007 2:08 am

That ebay audio file is begging for Tommy Hall on electric jug!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 27 Aug 2007 2:51 am

I'm reminded of a similar guitar built by luthier Danny Ferrington to test pickups. He built that guitar out of scrap wood laying around the shop in exactly one hour. Ry Cooder stopped by, borowed it and wouldn't give it back 'cause it sounded so good! The steel here may be extremely crude but it represents a yearning to play music that's kind of touching.

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 27 Aug 2007 3:03 am

Doug B-You are a funny guy! But seriously in 1951 Bigsby was using a a type of tape similiar to Scotch but it was a translucent yellow in color- and it was not used to mount the pickup down but rather to be wrapped around the coil to cover the pickup wire

Matt Johnson · Post by **Matt Johnson** » 27 Aug 2007 6:29 am

I contacted the seller when the auction began, commenting on how the mp3 demo was pretty cool. He responded with many thanks and sent out a CD he made. IMHO, when someone takes the time to build, like he said, an admittedly crude instrument, I tend to think that the person wants to play ASAP and not get caught up in the craftsmanship part of it. The song is good, the "kid" is polite, and that makes the guitar cool to me.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 27 Aug 2007 9:18 am

I applaud the effort and desire to build.

Gary Stevenson · Post by **Gary Stevenson** » 27 Aug 2007 5:19 pm

Luckily we hear music with out ears and not our eyes. I did not laugh at the lap steels sound, I was just taken aback some by how basic and crude it was. I agree with the comment that some one may buy this on the cheap and discover the fun of steel playing.Maybe with some good tools, time and some good parts he could show up a lot of us.Anyway he had fun and it does make music.I will bet in the hands of Rick, Steiner, or any number of you quality players it would make fine music.So to quote "forest gump" thats all I have to say about that!!!!!!!!1

The Steel Guitar Forum

Low cost and I do mean Low cost lap steel

Low cost and I do mean Low cost lap steel

Low Cost Steel Guitar

why shouldn't the guy have the nerve to post it on eBay?

a steel guitar high horse of a different color

ears not sight!