Bluestem lap steel design philosophy and a typical instrument example.
Designs featured here will generally follow the same design philosophy, as I work very hard on the development of what I consider to be a solid instrument design that is both utilitarian and esthetically pleasing. My lap steels somewhat follow traditional designs that are based on traditional guitar shapes. I believe these to be far more attractive than the rectangular wood slab designs. There is nothing wrong with an instrument that pleases both the ear and the eye. Quality woods and components teamed with superior craftsmanship produce an instrument that is worthy of respect from the discerning musician. Lap Steels can be purchased at a much lower price, but it is true that you get what you pay for. Entry level instruments are fine when you want to determine if lap steel is a genuine interest, but when you're ready to progress beyond beginner status it's time to consider a professional grade instrument.The lap steel is unique in its simplicity, and as such there are many fine builders and a few factory built instruments that can readily meet your needs. As far as what I have to offer, my instruments will be similar in design with slight differences in electronics, hardware, and finishes. A few of the laps I have produced in the past are featured on the more lap steel examples... page.
In addition to the standard model I occasionally build more unique one-of-a-kind instruments and present them in the "currently for sale" area, so please check back later or contact me if you don't see what you're looking for. I also do building on request if there are slight variations in design that you may desire. See "Ordering a Bluestem lap steel" on the Lap Steels Currently Available page.
My instruments are individually crafted and feature quality construction with only the finest components and materials used. If I didn't think my laps offered something beyond what's currently offered I wouldn't build them. I've invested a lot of time and energy into creating an instrument that functions well as a total solution to many problems found in other designs. The body shape is what I consider to be the ultimate in comfort and the hand lies nicely at the bridge position, allowing quick palm muting when necessary. The volume control is smooth and easy to use, and maintains some of the high end as the level is decreased from maximum due to the additional treble bleed components installed at the volume pot. This greatly improves the common complaint of muffled sound as the volume is decreased. A brief description of these and other special features is presented below.
Features that set Bluestem laps apart:
- Modern body style works with the 22-1/2" scale length for ultimate playing comfort
- "A" shaped angled headstock for a straight path and proper string breakover angle to tuning posts
- Figured maple top wood (birdseye or flame maple) with triple contasting center seam inlay
- Ebony headstock overlay with mother of pearl "Bluestem" script logo
- Gotoh enclosed deluxe tuners
- 2" wide solid brass nut with 11/32" string spacing as standard
- 22-1/2" scale (Excellent balance between tone, tension, and ease of bar slants)
- Ebony fretboard with 1/4" and 5mm mother of pearl position markers
- Twenty-four 18% wide profile nickel-silver frets (easy to see proper note locations on stage)
- Stainless steel top loading bridge assembly (easy string changes!) with solid brass bridge (2" string spacing at bridge)
- Control cavity lined with copper shielding
- Stainless steel control plate with 1/4" Switchcraft output jack (no groping to find a side mounted jack)
- 500K CGE audio taper volume control with special treble bleed circuit and large custom volume knob
- Bluestem split single coil hum cancelling pickup... simply the best sounding pickup I've heard, but without the noise.
A short MP3 demonstration of the split single coil hum cancelling pickup can be found HERE.
A longer demo can be found on the "Just the FAQ's ma'am..." page. - Pickups mounted in small beveled oval scratchplate
- Stainless steel screws used at all body locations
Birdseye maple natural finish lap steel #6348
The following instrument serves as an example of the features found on the typical Bluestem lap steel. There may be small differances in wood used, design, pickup selection, and the number of strings; but the basic features and design are common to all lap steels produced by Bluestem Strings.
Top view of instrument
Top view of body
Rear view of instrument
Bass side view of body
Treble side view of body
Birdseye maple body cap with blank/white/black center seam and stainless steel and brass top load bridge assembly
Ebony headstock overlay and inlaid mother of pearl Bluestem logo
Rear view of headstock
Please visit my other website designed to provide information on musical instrument construction. There are free plans as well as construction tips and techniques available at the present time.
Rudy's Sketchbook of Musical Instrument Plans, Ideas, and Inspiration
If you desire to contact me about Bluestem Strings products:
Due to scoundrelous spammers actively mining sites for e-mail addresses, I'm forced to include the following text version of my e-mail address meant to confuse the automated robo-search of websites for e-mail addresses. Please e-mail me at:rcordle (substitute the at symbol here) fastmail (substitute the dot here) fm
Please include "Bluestem Info Request" in the subject line, Thanks!