Alright, so as you can see I finished the lap steel.

The entire instrument was made from a block of basswood and a plank of paduk, (the bright orange wood). I designed the body off of a shape I liked from a 1957 Supro that Ry Cooder is famous for playing. I modified the design by leveling off the inside (left side) curve of the instrument for comfort of the player.

Aesthetically, I designed the fretboard with a unique poplar dot inlay design and a tapered and curved end. The dot pattern is much easier to use for the lap steel player compared to the traditional "fret line" markings that are on other instruments because of how and where I placed the inlay.

I used an antiquing finishing technique to give the body the old classic look. I used teak oil on the fretboard to try and maintain the orange color in the paduk as long as possible, and then rubbed poly over the top.

I used Ibanez tuners and bridge on this instrument. I also used an Ibanez humbucker that I had from an old guitar... very versatile pickup so this thing sounds deep and clean when I want it to and it can scream some matchbox delta blues if I need it to also.

I am very impressed and proud of this instrument. I would love to hear your feedback. If you feel you would like to commission a lap steel or other piece of work from me, please send me a message!

Enjoy!