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Topic: Introducing the Harbor Lights Lap Steel Guitar |
Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 5:28 pm |
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Hello all,
I was going to introduce this after the new year but with all the cool custom made guitars on the forum lately, I though I would give a preview of what I have been working on. There is really nothing new, only a blending of several guitars with a few of my own designs.
Before you say "oh no, another frypan" let me say that the only thing frypan about this guitar is the shape of the body. It was not my intention to recreate the frypan, only create a lap steel that had all of the features I have ever wanted in one guitar. Obviously the frypan shape was important as well as the dual blending pickups and the koa and ebony woods found on many high end ukuleles.
The body is solid maple and mahogany with a neck through design. The maple gives a nice tight bass and the mahogany really fattens up the top end. The bridge, fretboard and binding are all ebony and the headplate, top and back are koa. Remember, this is a prototype so I did not use my best woods. Scale length is 24.5" and very comfortable. Yes, there are real frets and the position markers are white pearl. The nut and saddle are bone corian and it does make a difference in the tone as compared to bone or metal. Strings load through the body.
The pickups are custom made for my guitars by Pete Biltof at Vintage Vibe Guitars. The bridge pickup is low impedence 1.5k and very strong, clear and bright. The neck pickup is similar to a Stringmater but with a blade. The blend control is the same as a Stringmaster with all positions very usable and the tone is huge and very versitile from bright to full humbucking. It overdrives my Princeton Reverb at about 4... Very nice.
This prototye is a 7 string but I also have templates for an 8 string model as well. The 8 string will have the same string spacing as a Stringmaster. The 7 string has a full 3/8" string spacing at the nut and 7/16" at the bridge.
I do plan on limited production of these after the first of the year and I already have 4 more bodies almost ready to go. This guitar is not for sale so I thought I could put it here for discussion. Please email for more details.
Thanks,
Harry
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 5:40 pm edit
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edit
Last edited by George Piburn on 21 Jun 2012 7:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 6:05 pm
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| Very, Very Nice!!!!!!!!! If I were you I would consider one of Rick Aiello's new "Portal" pickups for the bridge position. Your Craftsmanship is second to none! Beautiful! |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 7:47 pm
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That's a beautiful guitar.
I also like the little stand it's on. Did you make that, too? |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 8:02 pm
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Personally I like the frypan shape. Very nice job on that Harry. The shape of the neck is really nice, and not cumbersome looking with squared off edges etc
The seven string arrangement is my favorite  |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 8:44 pm
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Thank you everyone for the kind replies. I have owned MANY prewar bakelites and frypans and never had a problem with the output jack on the player side. Just use an "L" shaped 90 degree plug and you are good to go. I have never liked the looks of the output jack "off center". The production models will use concentic knobs set into the top for the volume/blend controls so there is no room for the output jack on the audience side.
Rick makes great pickups but I really like the way these pickups work together and the range of tones available. I also needed a compact design because the body is so small.
This guitar has not been sanded or finished so I expect the color to improve significantly. I also plan to finish the neck/sides a cream color similar to an old Stringmaster to really show off the koa and ebony.
Thanks for the comments on the neck Bill. I tried very hard to get rid of the "blocky" look on the neck. I also like the frypan shape and find it to be the most comfortable to play on your lap. It feels very stable.
Harry |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 9:17 pm
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| Harry, does that guitar have a Teflon or nylon bridge and nut? |
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Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2008 9:29 pm
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| Bone colored Corian... Great stuff. |
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Steven Cearley
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2008 5:45 am
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"This prototye is a 7 string but I also have templates for an 8 string model as well. The 8 string will have the same string spacing as a Stringmaster. The 7 string has a full 3/8" string spacing at the nut and 7/16" at the bridge."
Just curious on the 7 string why the difference between the bridge and the nut. Why not make it 3/8 for both? |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 17 Dec 2008 9:27 am
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| Some folks like the 6 string spacing on a 7 string guitar. Of course it also depends on the pickup pole spacing, unless a blade type is used. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2008 11:03 am
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| Harry Sheppard wrote: |
| Bone colored Corian... Great stuff. |
How/where do you purchase Corian in a ready to install custom nut size/shape w/cuts?
What other nut tone can you relate it too? |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 17 Dec 2008 1:15 pm
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Harry,
That's a great lookin' Steel Guitar.
Good luck with it!
Roy
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2008 4:54 pm
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Steven, I have never seen parallel string spacing a real advantage and a 1/16" taper over 24.5" is a non issue.
| Quote: |
How/where do you purchase Corian in a ready to install custom nut size/shape w/cuts?
What other nut tone can you relate it too? |
Ron, unless you get lucky and can find the appropriate colored corian at your local cabinet shop you will have to buy it off Ebay. Do a search for "Bone Corian" to see what is available. If the precut stuff doesn't fit your your guitar you will have to buy it in sheet form, route the top edge with the correct radius bit and cut to thickness with a bandsaw. Cut and thickness sand the blanks to the right size, cut the slots and you are all set. The corian works well with standard wood tools and polishes to a nice shine.
It is dense but has a cool effect on the tone. The nut makes no difference except on the open notes but the saddle will really give a full, thick tone. Metal saddles are great for sustain but they sounded too thin and twangy on a small bodied wood lap steel. I feel metal works fine on bigger, heavier bodied guitars but the corian added the fullness I wanted on mine. This guitar does NOT sound thin. If you have ever heard the tone of an early National New Yorker, you will hear what I mean. They use the same black/white/black plastic material used on the top for the saddle. It sounds warm and full. You will loose a little sustain but I think the tone is worth it, especially if you pick hard. For having such a small body this guitar has an exceptional acoustic tone which comes through the pickups. |
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Joe Delaronde
From:
Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 17 Dec 2008 9:35 pm
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Harry
That is a super beautiful job.
Where did you get the stand??????
Joe |
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Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 19 Dec 2008 4:49 pm
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| The stand was made by Ibanez available for about $20.00. They are small, light and stable enough for most lap steels. |
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