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Topic: DIY 8 string lap steel |
Michael Lester
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2022 9:49 am |
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I've decided I'd like to try building my own 8 string lap steel.
Is there anyone on the Forum who bought a Hudson or Georgeboards kit but did not complete the build?
Would the not completed kit be for sale?
Michael Lester |
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Tony Boadle
From:
Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland
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Posted 27 Jun 2022 12:39 am
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I've built one or two in the past, Michael.
George will sell you a fretboard (various choices) plus a nut and saddle. You can buy two sets of six of machine heads on eBay (use eight, keep four!)
The challenge might be finding an eight string pick-up.
I bought two six string pups with tone and volume controls, once again on ebay. Cheap as chips and they work fine, fitted one above the other, simply offset to cover the eight strings.
Pic attached hopefully, note the home made palm pedals btw. Good luck!
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Michael Lester
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2022 6:39 am DIY lap steel
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Thanks Tony...I like what you've done with the steel in the photos.
I have several pickups I've swapped out of pedal steels so that part of the process should be OK.
I was hoping to find a 'kit' that someone started but decided not to finish. I think it would be a good learning experience. |
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Tony Boadle
From:
Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland
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Posted 27 Jun 2022 10:48 pm
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| The most important thing I've learnt during an eight-string build is the amount of strain that's put onto the guitar body. My first build involved 3/4" thick solid mahogany, that wasn't strong enough to prevent very slow bowing, only fractional, but enough to require regular slight re-tuning. The problem was only solved by inserting a metal truss rod bar into a cut channel and then adding a second matching body to the original, doubling the thickness! |
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