Lap steel number two is a console

Gerald K. Robbins · From: South Coast Oregon, USA

Strung up my second homemade steel with strings on hand.

It can rest on a table or bench, and i built sockets for standard adj, legs for sitting or standing.

To start out this is tuned in high bass G. Still needs wiring hookup and volume pot.

gkentr

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

Beautiful job! Well done!
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

Allan Revich · From: Victoria, BC

That looks fabulous! Nice work.
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)

https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database

Joe Elk · From: Ohio, USA

Very nice looking steel!!!!!!
Joe Elk

Bill Groner · From: QUAKERTOWN, PA

Love it!
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40

Tony Oresteen · From: Georgia, USA

Wow! Looks good!

What is the scale length?

What is "high G Bass" tuning?

Thanks!
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Tony
Newnan, GA

Too many guitars, not enough time to play
'72 Sho-Bud 6139, '71 Marlen 210
'78 Fender Stringmaster Quad black
PedalMaster D8

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

That gives me ADOS - Attention Deficit...Ooh, Shiny!

Nice job!
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

David Knutson · From: Cowichan Valley, Canada

Beautiful steel!! I'm intrigued by those double course treble strings. Is the third "string" an octave? Or am I seeing it wrong?
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David K

Tim Toberer · From: Nebraska, USA

Gorgeous guitar!

Bill McCloskey · Posted 21 Jun 2024 11:42 am

I love the three sets of double course strings. I've never seen that before. Love to hear what that sounds like.

Gerald K. Robbins · From: South Coast Oregon, USA

Thank you all for your kind comments.

High bass G is dobro tuning. GBDGBD

Since that's what I'm learning to play steel on, That's what I strung this up with, but with 10 strings.

Scale length is 23.5 "

Yes, those are double strings for the top 3, or make that 6. With the G an octave.

DD
BB
gG The high g is above middle C
D
B
G
D

Still working on the string gauges.

For now it's .017-.017, .022-.022, .013-.023p, .034, .038, .048, .054.

The wood is curly pyinma, a wood I had never heard of. VERY curly, dense and heavy.
The end product has great sustain.

I'm not up to date with recording, no smart phone or social media, no u-tube channel.
I have recorded with my camera, but the files are large.

Thanks again for your interest and kind comments,

gkentr

John Harmon · From: Virginia, USA

Really nice looking instrument. I'm jealous. John

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

I really like the way the saddle and the nut are sandwiched in wood. Is there some tonal reason for this? And do those double course strings stay in tune? I've never seen that on a lap steel.

The whole thing is gorgeous. Crazy good skills there, Gerald!

Gerald K. Robbins · From: South Coast Oregon, USA

Thanks John, please don't be jelous,
While I agree that this project turned out to be one of my better projects,
I understand what it really is,

It's a homebuilt, experimental instrument. With an experimental tuning. Built by an old guy with commom shop tools, one nice chunk of wood,
rattle can laquer, some scraps, used parts, and leftovers from 30+ years of banjo projects.

With 50 years of repairs, work history, home projects and experiments, I have some "transferable" skills that helped.

This steel guitar is not on a par with the beautiful instruments built by custom builders found here at SGF and elsewhere.

It is the best I could do with what I had to work with, and will serve me well.
It was great fun to build, I do love the way the cherry stain turned out.
With a Laurence 705 pickup, it sounds good through an amp.
It has the "potential" to make beautiful music, with either this tuning or retuned to a more common tuning.

My one wish is that if there is someone watching this post that is thinking of building a DIY steel, they might say,
"if he can do it, so can I", There are lots of parts for sale to help with a build.

I will leave off with one pic of the underside and the homebuilt sockets ready for the storebought adjustable legs that are available.

These are 1/2 X 13 thread long nuts, or "connector" nuts, sunk into 5/8 " holes, at 12 degrees, in curly rock maple.
Then the blocks are glued and screwed onto the bottom. Flush, to allow the guitar to rest on a table or bench.

Gerald K. Robbins · From: South Coast Oregon, USA

Hi Joe,
The doublrestrings stay in tune fine, just like a 12 string guitar. it is an experiment.

The jury is out on whether they sound OK or not. While they work fine with a straight bar, they complicate slants.

The "sandwich" bridge and nut are there to brace up the tall bridge needed to clear the neck, and to help transfer sound to the base.

The metal part is just scrap aluminum, from a tossed out street sign, about 1/8 " thick. Cut to shape on a bandsaw.
For the bend, I used a big vise and hammer. Then files and buffed out.

The wood for the sandwich is purplehart, more leftover scraps.

gkentr

Tony Oresteen · From: Georgia, USA

Barney Roach · From: California, USA

Absolutely IMPRESSIVE Gerald!! Huge WOW !!

Gerald K. Robbins · From: South Coast Oregon, USA

I've been experimenting.
First I changed out strings 5 and 6, g-G, for a .018p and a .026w.
That really helped with note seperation for the octave.

I started liking this tuning more, but started to miss having an octave for strings 7-8, the middle D.

After some checking,I found room for a banjo 5th string tuner to fit in between at the end.
it just fits and the other strings just miss.

For now I have,

DD
BB
gG
dD
B
G
D

Also made some temporary tall legs for standing.
It looks odd to have the guitat so high, but feels right when playing, and i can see the fretboard better.
An old back injury makes sitting and looking down a problem, standing up helps.

gkentr

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