New BIG Bass Lap Steel Build 10 Strings!

[Bill Hatcher]

Finished this instrument for a fellow forumite. 10 string bass. Custom tuning. Made from a beautiful birch board that I bought about 45 years ago. Beautiful iridescent figure. Lace 4.5 bass bar pickup. Big huge sound. 32” scale.

[David Becker]

That is gorgeous! I can only imagine how it sounds. What is the tuning?

[Allan Revich]

That is gorgeous! I can only imagine how it sounds. What is the tuning?

Ditto on this ^^!

Any chance of posting a video of this beauty in action?

[Steven Pearce]

Bill, you are truly an artist! Another beautiful build.

[Bill Groner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7cy7vmv2Cs

It's a beaut Bill!!!!! Really!!!!

[Bill Hatcher]

That is gorgeous! I can only imagine how it sounds. What is the tuning?

The tuning is E G G# A Bb B C C# D E. The low E can also be tuned down to D to give the 5 under the G. It’s a very unique tuning.

One thing I have discovered with lap basses is the weight of the bar determines the amount of sustain you get. That’s true on any lap steel, but it is even more so on a bass. Big heavy bar....lots of sustain. If you need to play faster and busier lines, then lighten up on the bar.

[Bill McCloskey]

Interesting. Same intervals as the eharp tuning except the top 3 strings.

[Bill Hatcher]

Interesting. Same intervals as the eharp tuning except the top 3 strings.

then YOU would be able to play it!! i only play standard bass tuning E A D G so i am at a loss getting around on it.

[Bill McCloskey]

Love the opportunity to try, especially at that scale length. You can get quite a range as Claude Brownell demonstrated to persuasively.

[Cliff Swanson]

Oh my, that wood!! Gorgeous build Bill!

[Travis Brown]

Lovely!

[Andy Volk]

Well built, Bill and what a unique piece of timber.

[Mike Neer]

That's gorgeous, Bill. I love what you're doing.

[Allan Revich]

That is gorgeous! I can only imagine how it sounds. What is the tuning?

The tuning is E G G# A Bb B C C# D E. The low E can also be tuned down to D to give the 5 under the G. It’s a very unique tuning.

One thing I have discovered with lap basses is the weight of the bar determines the amount of sustain you get. That’s true on any lap steel, but it is even more so on a bass. Big heavy bar....lots of sustain. If you need to play faster and busier lines, then lighten up on the bar.

Is this lap steel tuned down a full octave, E1 to E3, like a bass guitar? I sure hope that forum member on the receiving end of this deal posts some samples!

[Bill Hatcher]

Is this lap steel tuned down a full octave, E1 to E3, like a bass guitar? I sure hope that forum member on the receiving end of this deal posts some samples!

yes it is down in the elec bass range. i tried to play just a simple tune on it. missed a note or two, but you can see how big and wonderful it sounds. all flat wound strings. 1.10" heavy bar. https://youtu.be/ldVNzowBC9M

[Allan Revich]

Is this lap steel tuned down a full octave, E1 to E3, like a bass guitar? I sure hope that forum member on the receiving end of this deal posts some samples!

yes it is down in the elec bass range. i tried to play just a simple tune on it. missed a note or two, but you can see how big and wonderful it sounds. all flat wound strings. 1.10" heavy bar. https://youtu.be/ldVNzowBC9M

WOW! That is so cool. Especially since this is not “your” tuning, you certainly made it sound pretty darned nice.

Thanks for posting that sample.

[Joe Elk]

like WOW
Joe Elk Central Ohio

[JB Bobbitt]

What are the string gauges?

[Bill Hatcher]

What are the string gauges?

.110 .104 .100 .095 .095 .090 .073 .073 .065 .060

[Daniel Baston]

Fantastic! What a sound and what a special piece of wood!

[JB Bobbitt]

Would you please tell us about the nut? Custom? Are the slots compensated for the string diameter? How'd you do that?

For me, that would be the most time-consuming and frustrating part.

Thanks a heap

[Steve Atwood]

This build was a challenge in many ways, but Bill is an adventurous guy and he likes that. He's patient too when things come up that have to be dealt with and sticks with it until the job is completed up to his very high standards.

First he had to work out what the scale of the guitar should be to get the best sound out of the strings that would be used for the custom tuning. That involves testing strings on a mock-up with a moveable bridge. There was some re-thinking on that when I decided to go for ten strings instead of nine (also on the design of the headstock to accomodate the big tuning machines).

Another challenge was working out an overall length that contained enough mass to provide the best sound and sustain, without being too long and heavy. He thought of a way to put the tuners under the guitar, and as a side project built the four-string bass which you've seen in another thread (viewtopic.php?p=3044726#3044726), but decided that wouldn't be practical for a ten-string.

String gauges for the tuning had to be determined and then strings found online, and they're not all available as single strings, especially flatwounds. Wound lengths and silk lengths vary between string makers.

Other issues came up that I'm not remembering, but the last challenge was string spacing - very painstaking work, coming up with a consistent distance between the outsides of adjacent strings (not on-center because of the thickness of the strings), that would be as wide as possible without the high and low strings being too close to the ends of the pickup.

I'm expecting the guitar to arrive tomorrow and have some ideas for some samples to post.

Thanks Bill!

[Bill Hatcher]

Would you please tell us about the nut? Custom? Are the slots compensated for the string diameter? How'd you do that?

For me, that would be the most time-consuming and frustrating part.

Thanks a heap

the nut is made from thick aluminum. i thought about ebony, but there is side pressure after the strings go across the nut and some make minor angles to the post of the gear so the aluminum is better. aluminum is a good material for nuts or bridges. there is reason to think that aluminum transmits the energy to the body faster than other materials like brass. the slots are compensated a little for the big low strings. since you are dealing with playing one string at a time mostly, the compensation is not as critical as with a multistring standard lap where you have to press the bar down and cover lots of strings.

cutting aluminum slots is just tedious, but not difficult. you make the spacing with a very small blitz saw blade and then deepen the cut with a little bigger saw blade and then widen and deepen with a small round file.

the bridge is ebony. a nice thick piece that is very rounded on the back side. the strings come up through the body and exit right at the edge of the ebony and then the large half moon shape makes for a flatwound friendly curve so you dont damage the string. even the labella string directions tell you NOT to come up through the body and make a severe bend at normal bridge pieces. the inner core of the string will break. the overall spacing is determined by the width of the pickup. the biggest lower three strings are spaced just a bit wider, then the inner 4 are a little tighter and the upper ones are 1/2mm tighter. very comfortable to play.

[Bill Hatcher]

This build was a challenge in many ways, but Bill is an adventurous guy and he likes that. He's patient too when things come up that have to be dealt with and sticks with it until the job is completed up to his very high standards.

First he had to work out what the scale of the guitar should be to get the best sound out of the strings that would be used for the custom tuning. That involves testing strings on a mock-up with a moveable bridge. There was some re-thinking on that when I decided to go for ten strings instead of nine (also on the design of the headstock to accomodate the big tuning machines).

Another challenge was working out an overall length that contained enough mass to provide the best sound and sustain, without being too long and heavy. He thought of a way to put the tuners under the guitar, and as a side project built the four-string bass which you've seen in another thread (viewtopic.php?p=3044726#3044726), but decided that wouldn't be practical for a ten-string.

String gauges for the tuning had to be determined and then strings found online, and they're not all available as single strings, especially flatwounds. Wound lengths and silk lengths vary between string makers.

Other issues came up that I'm not remembering, but the last challenge was string spacing - very painstaking work, coming up with a consistent distance between the outsides of adjacent strings (not on-center because of the thickness of the strings), that would be as wide as possible without the high and low strings being too close to the ends of the pickup.

I'm expecting the guitar to arrive tomorrow and have some ideas for some samples to post.

Thanks Bill!

its all up to YOU now!

problem with making instruments that have never been made....you spend a lot of time just figuring things out, because you dont have any experienced plan to go by. before you make a cut or make a part, you have to think several steps ahead and envision what it will look like and how it will work before you actually commit to a move that cannot be reversed.

all in all, i think it turned out great and we realized your thoughts for an instrument that you wanted.

[Jan Oelbrandt]

Spectacular instrument, contrast!
My own built lapsteel bass only has 3 strings