Acoustic Slide Guitars

Although my guitars are currently priced at the cheaper end of the scale, the quality and tone are of the highest standard. The price will go up as they become better known.

This forum compares a number of lap steels including mine

According to all the feedback so far, these slide guitars with graphite/wood bracing are probably the loudest Weissenborn style guitars made.

Check out some audio samples

Click on pictures to enlarge

I currently use Tasmanian Blackwood on all my back and sides, but the tops and bridge design vary.

The floating bridge version has great note separation and dynamics like an archtop guitar or a Maccaferri. The Blackwood top has a very balanced tone that is complimented by the mandolin type roundness of the floating bridge resulting in a sweet but clear tone. The Cedar top version has a loud midrange punch like a Dobro.

The fixed bridge design has a faster attack with louder sustain. People find this instrument easy to play because it takes so little effort to produce a big sound. The Cedar version is very full while the Blackwood has a drier midrange and emphasizes the top end for a more classic slide sound. (Like a Weissenborn but louder)

I have tried to explain some of the tone differences of the bridge design below. I also have some general info on guitar design.
This head design makes the tuners far more accessible than on a standard head. It is also very easy to fit the strings. These high quality Gotoh 14:1 chrome 503 tuners (left) can be upgraded to 18:1 black Gotoh 510s (right) for $60Aus
The neck inlays are highly visible for peripheral vision. This is very important during a performance.The multiple sound hole design allows the guitar to display a full 24 frets. It is also better for recording than a round soundhole.
The 50mm/2in removable brass nut fits deep into the neck and is set for a string height of over 12mm. The strings are 8.5mm apart at the nut. The extra width helps when using the slide on individual strings.
My slide guitars are hand made in limited numbers, which means that there is a waiting period. It also means that with proper care, they will last a lifetime.
The guitars are sent in a CNB plywood case. It is a normal guitar case with the accessory compartment removed, but it fits very well.

More info and specs

Fret scale length - 644mm.....Body length - 960mm.....Side depth - around 90mm

Fingerboard markings

Using large inlays as fingerboard markers is very different to using dots. The large wood inlays are good for seeing where you are with peripheral vision. (without looking directly at the fingerboard) If you were to include all the frets that are marked on a normal guitar (3, 5, 7, 9, etc) the markings become useless because they look the same. After a lot of experimenting, I have found that just using 5, 7, 12 and their octaves is by far the easiest way to find your position. I can do added frets for those who really want them, but I can promise you that after a couple of weeks of using my system, you would understand exactly why I have ended up using it as my standard. You really don't need a marker to show you 3 frets above or below the octave and you can always use stickers while getting used to it.

Bridge and Pickup

The strings at the bridge are normally spaced 12mm apart, which is a good fingerpicking size. I can also do a standard steel string spacing which is 11mm apart. I can supply and fit a US made K&K Fantastick pickup for $140Aud to match either spacing. Despite the low price, I find these to be the best undersaddle pickup I have come across, having a true tone and needing no preamp as they have more output than a strat.

Strings and tunings

I normally set the guitars up for DADF#AD tuning using GHS Phosphor Bronze True Medium .056w/.042w/.032w/.024w/.017/.013. The extra heavy top and bottom are great for this tuning. The guitars are optomised to a string tension of around 70kgs. (150lbs) Here is some info for calaculating string gauges.

Finishes

I have been using a gloss finish based on Erlac acid/catalyzed lacquer. But I have started to do a hand rubbed epoxy resin and tung oil finish which looks just like freshly oiled wood. Here are some samples of the resin/oil rubbed finish. So far I am really impressed with the look and feel of this finish and I will probably end up using it as standard.

 

Dynamic Differences in the Bridge

A fixed bridge guitar has a fast attack because the soundboard is already under tension. (the full tension of the strings is twisting the soundboard) The floating bridge however has the string tension supported by a tailpiece which means that only a small amount of that tension is being applied to the soundboard, and that is only applied as downwards pressure. (not the twisting pressure of the fixed bridge) This means that plucking a string hard or soft on a floating bridge instrument results in a greater variation of loud to soft volume than you would hear on a fixed bridge guitar. (It has more dynamic range)

Another difference between the two bridge designs is that the floating bridge guitar takes slightly longer for the plucked string to reach full volume. This minutely slower attack coupled with a faster decay actually makes the note more audible. If you look at a range of tailpiece (floating bridge) guitars including f-hole jazz guitars, Maccaferris (Django style), and resonator guitars like Dobros, you will notice that they are all mostly used as melody instruments. When they are used for chords, those chords are very percussive and are usually choked with the left hand.

So the floating bridge version has the advantage of individual melody notes being more audible and having more dynamic response to finger pressure. The fixed bridge however, has the advantage of the notes and the background sustain blending together and making the guitar generally easier to play. If you want the sound to fill a lot of space then the fixed bridge is the right guitar. If you want the individual notes to stand out among other instruments then you might want the rounded punch of a floating bridge guitar.