1950s Fender Champion Mix-Mash Lap Steel (Part 2)

I originally whipped this up for its owner back in 2019 as a 3x2-strung instrument, but at the time I'd decided to make it an "easy-back" mod so that it could be restrung back to 6x1 "normal" stringing. He's been buying some expensive gear, lately, so this lap steel is back here for sale and I did restring it "as-normal" this time around. That was it, though -- it didn't need anything else because I'd already done the rest. It can easily be restrung for 3x2 setup again, though, as the saddle and nut are slotted to accept that arrangement if desired.

The rest is as per the original blog post. This is an earlier-'50s Champ body that came with its tuners, tuner plate, and "fretboard." The owner bought the later-style bridge/control plate and I routed the body and cut the pickguard to accept it. This is specifically because he wanted to use a height-adjustable pickup in a mount that could be palm-muted without the integral pickup cover like on the earlier Champ plates.

Said new pickup is a Duncan Lil '59 and it sounds superb on this lap steel. Played clean it can get some great country chime but dug-in and pushed it'll do dirty blues and rock right away. I like it. The adjustable poles also let you dial-in balanced string output which I find a huge boon.

I wired the  new harness to suit, too, with the volume control a fast-rotating pot that's nearest the bridge and pickup for easy swells. The tone pot is a little stickier and farther away to keep it from being nudged too much. There's an open, non-used hole that would have been for the jack on the later Champ control plate, though it's now filled with the smiling face of a lady pulled off of an old cigar box.

A new jack-cup and Switchcraft jack finishes-off the harness and the knobs are modern, relic'd, dome-style ones.

It's currently in open E tuning (EBEG#BE low to high).

Repairs included: modding to fit unoriginal parts, new wiring harness, new pickup, new jack, new knobs, etc.

Body wood: poplar?

Bridge: adjustable

Fretboard: aluminum marker-style

Pickups: 1x Seymour Duncan Lil '59 Strat-sized

String gauges: 52w, 38w, 28w, 20, 16, 12

Scale length: 22 1/2"

Nut width: 2 1/4" (2" spacing)

Body width: 7 5/8"

Body depth: 1 3/8"

Weight: 4 lbs 11 oz

Condition notes: the pearloid has damage along the sides but looks good from the front and "player's perspective." The aluminum "fretboard" has tons of neat wear on it -- as does the back of the instrument. Clearly, it's been modified heavily, but a lot of the parts that the eyeballs catch are "period" if not correct. The old Kluson tuners are not great but work fine -- just like any old Klusons!