D.I.Y. 2x4 Lap Steel Guitar

Using just half a 2x4, some guitar tuners, some bolts, and a pickup I build a simple lap steel guitar.
Website: www.lukemerwin.com
Twitter: / merwinmusic
Facebook: / lukemerwinmusic

[@gxtmfa]

These were the first instruments to be amplified and turned electric. They’re an underrated piece of music history.

[@hopefulhyena3400]

Are you talking about Lester Paul’s Rail? Or something even before that?

[@dereknolin5986]

@@hopefulhyena3400 I think the first commercially available electric guitar was the Rickenbacker A-22 "Frying Pan" lap steel, but I'm not 100% sure about that. That came out some time in the 30s.

[@voornaam3191]

No. When people say underrated, they have no idea how they Fuk these guitars. You really do. Besides, you must banter about trees growing in the Caribian wind, and nonsense like that. Why did you buy cheap Finnish Christmas tree wood?! At least apply linseed oil! This loox weird.

[@MrJaa358]

​@@dereknolin5986yep

[@moreorlesslikeso]

That reversed input jack cover is a great idea!

[@alanfbrookes9771]

Yep, I've always said that a lap steel is just a plank with a pickup and strings. The rest is just artwork. I've been building them since 1963. I was probably the first person to use threaded steel rod for the bridge and nut, and I did so so that I could change the string spacing any time I wanted.

[@claytondylan4769]

Hey, just wondering what wood you would recommend, I was thinking something like walnut would be nice?

[@RodKirkbride]

Alan F Brookes Dude...tell me more!!!!!

[@slowblack3947]

Yeah, you were the first to do it, but I was the first who thought about it, then I just sat back and watched other people doing it! ; )

[@chrisw5742]

It is genius. It won't cut the string because it is rounded.

[@benitobanana3943]

@@claytondylan4769 even a shovel is ok

[@valdrsvensson4921]

Nice job! I just built a 3 string lap steel guitar made from a 2 × 4. I can't stop playing it.

[@MerwinMusic]

Awesome! They are fun little instruments.

[@SuperJamesLe]

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[@danielblankley3149]

OKAY you hooked me.. I never heard of a 3 string lap steel. is this your original creation or have they been around before? Lots of us are novices out here about this topic. :D

Wow. Simplest design I've seen yet. Well done.

[@darkomtobia]

I just ordered a bunch of stuff to build one. Using a single coil, but if need be I can put in a humbucker later.

[@terryofford4977]

Hey that was a great show, in PLAIN English, nothing too complicated, unlike many who speak in Musical 'Jargon', Well Done and many thanks.!!! Terry Offord.

[@cynthiachurchill3955]

OMG... this is so awesome you have inspired me to build my own! Thank you so very much love it ❤🎸

[@michaelnewell9662]

i like how you reversed that strat jackplate - looks pretty cool

[@jackpasternak7586]

turning the input socket inside out is genius

[@seamanjive]

Now that, my friend, was F*UCKING GENIUS! Brilliant, well done

[@Laffy1345]

That's what I always wanted to play...great job. Subscribed.

[@keithrowe1007]

Well done lad. Love how you did the nut and bridge.

[@jauziontripoux2456]

What did he actually use to make the nut and bridge saddle ?

[@smallfishproduction3163]

Turning a simpel "stick" into a cool electric instrument .... I salute you!

[@Rendydany]

you should see Djent stick by jared dines and shovel by rob scallon

[@nicholausconner9434]

Awesome job dude

[@robbiecourt9231]

Fantastic lap guitar.. really cool.😎. sounds great too.👍👍👍

[@JDStoneCreations]

Nice! I'm about to try something similar but adding frets and some bass strings... a fretted lapsteel I guess... no idea how well its going to go, but this has given me inspiration!

[@yourmomsfavorite4199]

JDStone Creations sounds like s guitar neck??

[@mtguitarist4340]

This is amazing and creative . I love it.

[@tylerfox6877]

simple and great ! cool ! Bravo !

[@MarkMiller-zm2th]

Great build mate

[@mulekickhandmadeguitars8465]

THIS is just fabulous!

[@eddyyu7091]

Wonderful crafts!

[@fatdrunkbaby24]

This will save me some $, I've got my next project. Great idea for the saddle/nut and that backwards strat jack was a stroke of genius. It also looks great to my eye. Thank you for leading me to google fret calculator as well. In return, I'd like to offer an alternative technique for installing the tuner peg ferrule. You can just place each and use a clamp to press fit. A shorter adjustable bar clamp works great for this. Even better if you have the type with plastic protective ends. Cheers!

[@earthstrong7855]

thanks for showing us how to do this, a parting tip you'd get better results with a brass or plastic hammer instead of the carpenter hammer.

[@Sathyr1]

Woho, great job man !!

[@mylesbrown6604]

This shit is like a fuckin asmr video. I thought I was going to learn how to make a cool guitar but instead I’m drifting asleep to the most beautiful background music

[@smitbar11]

Crude workmanship

[@fred.chapman]

Sounds good! Thanks for the video.

[@gRosh08]

Nice Art work!

[@shecontrolsme666]

I thought about buying one but you’ve inspired me to do it myself lol

[@ReverendBow]

Nice job and cool video

[@robguitarwizard]

cool build! Gave me some ideas. I like how you used the teardrop jack fitting in reverse.

[@MythicGuitarCompany]

Next time put a nail through the tuner grommets, hold from other side, tap with hammer.

[@MerwinMusic]

That is a great idea!

[@thefox8778]

that's a fab bit of music

[@konino10]

😂😂😂Fantastic job ...simple but effective. Congrats you guy!!

[@wmperry2790]

Also the 'verb on the lap steel is an actual enhancement to both the lap sound and its setting - Like it was thought about reather than reflexively slathered on until 'proffessional results" were achieved. Because you have to have stereo, compressed, reverbed tracks, thats what good recording is. Why not a bit of bpm'ed delay and then some tube modeling? enhance, maximize and serve. Thats why i figure it was the actual room sound, either just good mic placement or 2nd (omni?) mic for the overall room.

[@wmperry2790]

i guess I've got a "thing" about reverb/delay/processing often being used to make music uniform, predigested, and at minimum safe from objection to the 'sound' = its the same sound you know from reputable brands. i think this may be why so much music is so weak and same-y regardless of genre: it wants to be a trouble-free fit into your amazon/hbo/etc. project. Hey! I'm a ranting crackpot! Heed My Words or Be In Error! apologies

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

Gonna have some spare pickups once I get my Seymour Duncans in my Ibanez RG... I want to make a lap steel now!

[@MythicGuitarCompany]

Awesome, man

[@dionisioavaliacoes]

Olá, moro no Brazil e sou Luthier, gostei muito do seu projeto. Você teria as medidas deste instrumento. Parabéns e muito sucesso

[@sebastiannick789]

oiii brasil aqui!

[@2GoldensTosa]

Cool usic in the background! Is that you?

[@MerwinMusic]

Yes. A little song I wrote and played on the lap steel from the video.

[@user-lu7fc2mb6h]

手作りのsteel guitar の出来上がりが楽しみですね🎵

[@danielblankley3149]

GREAT VIDEO! I only wish you had included written how to and specs for saw cuts and fret measurements for us novices who know little about making a guitar. (like where the heck did these measurements come from?) The video moves too fast and is too fuzzy to discern it from that alone. My cuts were wrong for my eBay tuning machines and my different style pickup.. redoing many times to make it fit made my cuts too deep and I had to begin again with a new 2x4. THIS IS SUCH A GREAT PROJECT.. can you upgrade with maybe a text instruction how to do it, to accompany the video? I really liked the overall concept of a cheap lap steel build!

[@davefoster6156]

Looks very cool

[@GregoryPearsonMusic]

Great job - how did it last? Perhaps some stronger bracing would prevent curvature over time?

[@greenlightspeedshop7053]

This is a kool vid friend

[@SuperNova-Steve]

Very Cool

[@PoppabearsCave]

nice video! pretty cool.

[@Ricardo-go7yu]

Superb!

[@boatbuilder1]

Great!

[@simplelifediy1772]

love it!!!

[@die-cry-hate]

What are and where did you get those metal tubes for your string feeds? I have the furrels for the bottom but I need something like those tubes to stop the strings from biting into the wood when they are tightened. Is this something that can be ordered?

[@MerwinMusic]

I think they are supposed to be bolt spacers or stand offs. I found them in the hardware section at Ace.

[@die-cry-hate]

@@MerwinMusic I ended up finding half inch long slotted springs which work perfectly! Thanks

[@xnamkcor]

According to the schematics of a pre-built pick guard I saw on amazon, the 4 screws around the pickups are 3.7" apart. So I was thinking of just securing that part to a 2x4 and just letting the other parts and the pick guard hang off. If I really need to maybe wood glue and extra piece of 2x4 to the side of the 2x4 to make a small section that is 8x2. Or use some extra sheet of hard plastic sheet. Is shorting an electric guitar with your body painful?

[@carlostheearthling1778]

real talk thank you .. i appreciate you

[@j.lietka9406]

Cool make / build! I would have thought you would have used a kind of mallet to seat (tap down) the key system, and not a regular carpenter hammer

[@wmperry2790]

whats the music? its unusually good

[@MerwinMusic]

It's me playing the lap steel!

[@wmperry2790]

I was hoping that was the answer- just the right amount of things happening in it - not too ambient not too flash - i really like the near acoustic tone of the lap steel

[@johnnys.828]

nice guitar, bro

[@lukao6114]

Thanks for posting measurements

[@darrylmcintosh8490]

Very cool. 4th video of yours I have watched. You specific a scale in the comments below. What made you choose that particular scale length?

[@MerwinMusic]

If I remember correctly I chose the 23" scale length because that is pretty standard for lap steel guitars.

[@ehsproject]

Solid!

[@vancabrera8833]

how do you drill the string through body? what size drill bits and what is that circular thing that you put on the holes?

[@MerwinMusic]

I don't remember what the metal pins were called. I just walked through the hardware store and said these will work. They are like a spring pin but without the slit. Just used a drill bit that fit the pins I found.

[@steby123]

Next thing " Steel Guitar Rag" !!!!

[@Grmalj47]

I started thinking about building one... this is the simplest one I found and it looks and sounds great. Do you have a scale diagram, to draw frets? Or can you send a link where to find or buy it?

[@MerwinMusic]

Google fret calculator. Then you enter the scale length, which is distance between nut and bridge and then it will tell you the spacing for everything. Since the frets are just guides and don't actually touch the strings on the lap steel they don't need to be perfect.

[@zackzmuzack]

Do you by chance have a break down of all the parts needed to make this for someone whose not familiar with guitar parts? I'm curious to see how much it would cost. Thanks for the awesome video.

[@danielblankley3149]

I SECOND THAT and a written specsheet of saw cuts and fret placement.

[@danielblankley3149]

I found on eBay you can get a KIT with all the parts except 2x4 for under $60 to build the above 2x4 lap steel

[@buenafe]

Aliexpress has some cheap guitar parts: geared tuner pegs, pre-wired pickups, strings. Maybe about $10-12 total. Keep in mind, these are cheap quality, which might be okay for a first build. I suppose alternatively, CL sometimes list broken guitars which can salvaged for parts for $10-20.

[@swirlingabyss]

Impressive. Very nice. Now, let's see Paul Allen's lap steel guitar.

[@joecarpino]

I’m making one now

[@ashrendar7173]

So you just used metal tubing for the bridge and nut?

[@MerwinMusic]

It's called all thread but it is basically a bolt that doesn't have a head on it.

[@DougReid]

I have a mahogany slab door that I salvaged from a house fire and have been planning on making a lap steel from it.

[@MerwinMusic]

Nice. Probably could make a couple...Or a Telecaster.

[@tonymontana3949]

hi can you tell me the title of track who plays in last part or is your synthesis

[@MerwinMusic]

All of the music I just made up.

[@tonymontana3949]

@@MerwinMusic special

[@leborgneguillaume4555]

Tro cool

[@greenlightspeedshop7053]

Diring video what music is being ayed thanks Von Karl

[@MerwinMusic]

It's a song I made up, recorded it with the lap steel.

[@74dartman13]

Cool!😎

[@dirnt9478]

Name of the song? Great job.

[@MerwinMusic]

Just something I made up for the video, played it on the Lap Steel.

[@stevenslaughter8473]

Nice video. Thinking of making one of these for my son. I think I know the answer to this question, but just to be sure… the fret board is just a reference, right? The strings are set high and never press down onto the frets?

[@MerwinMusic]

Yes they are just reference for where to move the slide. Which is why they don't need to be perfect.

[@geoycs]

So cool!! How did you decide where to locate the bridge? Does it have to be precise like with a guitar?

[@MerwinMusic]

The distance between the two threaded rods sets the scale length. That is really the only thing that kind of matters on a guitar like this.

[@jackmorgan1052]

What was the scale length from the nut to the bridge?

[@nijo5427]

Very nice, and inspiring. What effects/amp did you play through.

[@PaulRhodes420]

Build one for me! I would but may arms and hands are kinda messed up because of my handicap, and, I wanna learn how to play the steel guitar on a low income! Wishful thinking!! LOL!!!

[@anonymous_friend]

Is that backing track a cover of Ryan Bingham - The Weary Kind?

[@MerwinMusic]

No it's just something I made up to play on the Lap steel

[@jongauthier9289]

MerwinMusic it's a beautiful track. Struck a sentimental chord with me. Something with the open air between the acoustic chords and that slide playing, damn it hit me in the feels.

[@user-od7sr7nu6o]

Hello, I'm from Russia, thanks for the video, I made a guitar for your scheme. What is the guitar system , open G or open D ???

[@MerwinMusic]

The song in the video is open D. In my limited experience with lap steel I like that the best.

[@user-od7sr7nu6o]

MerwinMusic , why is it that in my setting of open D the sound is not as beautiful as yours! and does not look like it at all. combo booster Roland micro cube

[@user-od7sr7nu6o]

MerwinMusic do not tell me where you can see the lessons or take some kind of skill in playing lap steel gitar?! I have no music education, it's the first experience that I like! thanks for the answer !

[@robertfarmer7427]

Here is a good instructor, for lap steel, dobro, tuning, and much more....www.lessonswithtroy.com

[@davefromsouthdakota]

What did you use at t I end wher the strings come through?

[@MerwinMusic]

They are aluminum standoffs from the hardware store.

[@Havron12345]

Awesome video -- Can I get measurements please - and parts list

[@granny9643]

What pickup did you use, i want build one so if you can send me the URL that be cool :)

[@MerwinMusic]

NoNameGuy FLITE I just used a pickup from a Goodwill guitar I found. Any pickup will work but a humbucker is probably better.

[@granny9643]

Thanks ^^

[@jamesbrite6071]

Like number 800 built am gonna do that

[@joecarpino]

Did you just use a regular guitar neck dimensions for the fret placement?

[@MerwinMusic]

Yeah you go off of scale length. so string length or distance from nut to bridge is 23 inch. Then there are online calculators that will tell you every fret position.

[@Almanzajj]

how long is the lap steel guitar from bridge to tuners?

[@benreed9352]

What is the length of the 2x4? Also are you just in regular open tuning?

[@user-nm6vt1xv5m]

かっこいい

[@bluesdog88]

Hey thanks for the video, I have a spare hardwood sleeper lying around i think would sound good through a marshall lol, quick question do i need a capacitor on the pickup or is that just for a tone control? (I have no idea regarding wiring

[@MerwinMusic]

You can wire the pickup right to the jack. if you wanted tone shaping then you need to add a capacitor.

[@bluesdog88]

@@MerwinMusic thanks appreciate it ;)

[@robertruttan4478]

What kind of pickup did you use?

[@MerwinMusic]

One I cut out of a First Act guitar I found at Goodwill.

[@LostaraYil666]

Awesome! I'm thinking of doing a 3 string like this. Are the bolt saddle and bridge reliable? Also how did you get the right measurements for the frets?

[@clinclin1240]

Have you released this tune?? It's gorgeous

[@B.hydro.H]

I'm interested in having one and learning how to play, I can't afford one at the moment but how much would it be if you make one and ship it to New York?

[@jeffxanders3990]

Can you build me a 10-string, 22 1/2" scale length with BR6 P90s?

[@schipbreukeling3]

And next: the build of a multibender?

[@ashleymoore8627]

How do you do the fret markers on it

[@m3dnickofficial348]

Where I can get drawing?

[@bobdeluxeandtheideals1356]

🔥🔥🔥

[@fernandomorata6930]

I want it!! what is the distance between the threaded roads? I suppose that its important for the tunning

[@intelligenceservices]

think he said 23"

[@joferzly]

yes :)

[@brendancook9322]

Quick question: What template did you use for the "fret" spacing? Did you have an existing lap steel that you copied from?

[@MerwinMusic]

Just google fret spacing calculator. I just measured the distance from nut to bridge (which I believe on this guitar was 23") and then typed that into an online calculator to give me the fret measurements. Since you aren't actually using the frets they just have to be close for a reference.

[@brendancook9322]

@@MerwinMusic Perfect. Thanks! One of the things I really appreciate about your channel is the clarity vs. flash. Really refreshing!