2x4 Lap Steel Guitar Kit - the DIY Slide Guitar - You supply the 2x4!

Great little kit. I picked up a nice cedar 10 foot 2x4 from Lowes for about $12 (enough for 3 kits). You can get a 2x4 stud for only a few dollars if you want a cheaper option. The only tools I used were a circular saw and a standard hand drill. The only really tricky parts were cutting out the notches for the tuners and the pickup. Everything else went well. You can find many YouTube videos showing how to saw the notches with a circular saw. I used a speed square to keep the saw perpendicular to the side of the 2x4. Maybe spent six hours total and I am by no means an accomplished woodworker or DIYer. Only advice is to make sure you strip and solder together the black and white wires before you tape them back to the insulated core.

The pickup alone is worth the price of the whole kit and then some. Easy and fun to build, can take a few hours or a few days depending on how nice you want it to be.

This was my first attempt at a lap steel build. I really did not know what was in store. I gave it 4 stars for a couple of reasons. One, I am having issues with the humbucker pickup. It causes hum. It's obviously a ground issue that I haven't been able to reasonably solve. I'm assuming a defective instrument. I've ordered another to try. The other issue is that the instructions didn't include a couple of what I would call important items, i.e. a better explanation on the location and spacing of the tuner keys. I provided the "2x4" by creating a body out of exotic hardwoods I have laying around. Glossed it up with some lacquer, etc. Notching the nut and bridge was tricky and I would recommend taking some extra time to get the notches right. The directions sort of warn the builder to notch the items so that the strings will be the same height. It doesn't take much to make the strings slightly off which, in turn affects the playing of the instrument. Overall, it's a fun project to take on. I modified the suggestions in the directions to use black wire ties for fret markers and embedded the black wire ties into a fretboard I made out of butternut. Quite a bit better looking.

I have read reviews saying there is a humming. I don't have problem. I got a nice warm tone running it through my Fishman Loud Box. I'm a woodworker and made it using Eastern Red Cedar. It worked out alright, but I think a hard wood would be better due to some chipping issues I had. The template for the "non"fret placement was surprisingly accurate. When I played it the locations were spot on. I didn't use zip ties like they suggest. I cut a shallow slot at each one and painted them black. I also added dots on the fret board that I have some inlays coming to put in. I'd say I've got about 20 hours in it. But if I just used an old 2x4, I could probably do it in an afternoon, or less. I'm now going to build a Lap Steel Ukulele using the same kit.

Lousy instructions, cheap components but at least it’s expensive. Build a lap steel guitar, by all means, but don’t waste time and money on this junk.

I had a wonderful time building this. Directions were clear and concise...go slow and take the time to make sure it’s right. I used magic marker for the frets and bought some decals for feet markers. Best part...it really sounds good. I used a cedar 2x4. Just need to learn the tricks of the instrument.

Parts are cheaply made and junk for the price. The pickup was broken upon arrival. It would be cheaper to buy better parts separate and assemble instead of buying this kit.

I do a lot of woodworking so when I saw this kit I wanted to try and make it. The only problem with the kit is the electronics. No matter what I did, it has a hum in the amplifier. This appears to be a grounding issue in the pickup area. But I love the sound it produces. When you're playing you don't hear the hum.

Interesting fun project... and it works! Instructions were good but check the ones about drilling holes for tuners. Mine were wrong. Rest of project was good. Probably not for a professional steel player.

My Son loved building this ! He used a beautiful piece of walnut wood and it turned out great ! The sound is really good as well

Seems to be good quality for what I will build

Follow instructions, very straight forward. Sealing wood, everything fits nicely. Soon as assembly is done I will be trying it out.

Should be good fun. What I got meets about what I expected.