Post
by expatluthier » Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:24 am
Guess I took it for granted that folks knew all about these..foolish as I am. This is a solid body instrument played with a steel slide whilst laying in your lap, Hawaiian style. I injured my fretting fingers a while back, so the slide route seemed the obvious alternative, as I'm a blues fanatic anyway. Sonically and electronically, it's basically a funny shaped Les Paul. No metal frets, as the strings never contact the neck. The back is arched/domed slightly to give it some nice lines. Sides are bent to shape and glued on, extending up the neck also. Keen eye, Dennis....yes these are double bindings, laminated. I went that way because I will radius the edges to about 1/4" to soften the look and reduce edge damage. Top back and side plates are about 3mm thick crotch rosewood that had too many defects to make a chambered instrument, but too beautiful to just cut up into headplates and such.
Tricky parts? Hmmmm....just getting the parts sized, I guess. I don't have any kind of band saw anymore. This instrument was made almost entirely with hand tools. I do use a laminate trimmer though, to rout binding ledges and fret line channels. I plan to do some inlay work on this instrument with some really spectacular gold lipped shell that I found in a market here
p.s. Case you were wondering, I still have to cut and inlay about half the fret lines. It will be a 22 fret board, inlayed with gold pearl
"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings" - Unknown
Actually, I took a few days off work and buried myself in my latest project, a Weissenborn Lap Steel. Getting close to done, so I'll post a pic or two. The body/neck is cut from a solid slab of Sapeli, dressed out on the top, back and sides with crotch Madagascar Rosewood. The fingerboard/center console and bindings are African Blackwood. Fret lines are inlayed Yellow Sandalwood. Natural water buffalo horn were used for the nut, inlayed Pegplate and bridge saddle. Pickup covers are crotch mad. rosewood. Pickups are a matched pair of seymour Duncan '59s with gold covers. Gotta finish the fret lines and fretboard binding, final carve the pickup covers and final shape the headstock, then it's about ready to clean up and get a french polish with natural amber shellac. 
