1956 Fender White Studio Deluxe Lap Steel Electric Guitar

Overview: This beaut is an old Fender "White" lap steel (look it up: they're somewhat common). It's like a Studio Deluxe from the same time -- with legs, hard case, and all -- and is all original and in good shape, save that I've added a Rolling Bender for the "B" string location. This also entailed a tiny bit of cutting to the rear deck below the control plate and some nickels shoved under the saddle to raise it so the string off the bender had good back-angle over the saddle.

For the right player, this will get you a pedal-steel sound in a simple, lap steel format. I've been keeping it tuned to open D or open E (DADF#AD or EBEG#BE low to high) and the higher "A" or "B" string in these tunings raises a full step when the bender is in use. I'm sure it would also be useful for open G tuning with the bender set for a half-step raise, too.

Tone: It's bright, clean, and sweet with that '50s-style country twang.

Feel: I bought this for band use just a few months ago because I wanted to be playing on a real lap steel with legs (as I swap around on instruments when not playing bass) but we're finding that at full blast, with three various electric guitars running, we're all sitting in too tight a frequency spectrum, so we're shuffling instruments around and this one is cut from the mix. Oh well! There is nothing quite like the ergonomics of these old Fender steels -- they feel "pro" and are well-thought-out in their curves to make them comfortable players.

Interesting features: Well, for one, the added Rolling Bender is nice to have. I originally rigged it up with a foot pedal but found that standing and hitting pedals was not near as comfortable as sitting and hitting pedals with the feet. I also found that setup time was easier with using the bender sans-pedal and just using my forearm to engage it. It's nice that the forearm bend means I don't have to lose palm-muting as is often the case with "forward-facing" levers. It also, strangely, feels a lot more natural for me to play this way as I'm not having to shift my wrist position while playing and bending at the same time -- just my lower arm.

Also -- this steel has legs, an original hard case to store them, and packs-up compact and tidy. The tripod leg setup is much more stable than 4-leg versions. I've even put some spare plain strings in the case pocket and I've reinforced the case as well.

Repairs included: I gave it a mild cleaning, modded/installed the bender, and checked it all out. It's in good health and ready to go.

• Weight: 7 lbs 0 oz (body)
• Scale length: 22 1/2"
• Nut string spacing: 1 15/16"
• Bridge string spacing: 2"
• String height off board: 7/16"
• Pickups: 1x original Fender single coil

Condition notes: It has some finish wear and tear here and there but is overall in good shape. The bridge cover/wrist rest is missing. I modified it a little to fit the bender mechanism. I had to cut the case a little and include a little "safety cover" for the side to allow for the length of the bender, but the case is in beat-up shape (but nicely functional) so it was no great loss to its condition. Aside from the bender, everything else is original to the instrument. The tuner buttons are starting to get a little brittle but have been holding-up just fine. The tuners themselves (like all old Klusons) have a little slack in them here and there but hold pitch fine during performance once you've got it tuned.

It comes with: It has its original hard case and legs.

Consignor tag: JW