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Relentless Axes

FEB 2010National Lap Steel

Posted by bh24

This is a 1935 Style 3 "Lily of the Valley" National Tricone square neck lap steel guitar that I found on eBay.

The original owner bought three of them in 1935 (clearly from the original receipt). This one was sold to me by her daughter, who kept it, the case and the receipt in pristine condition.

It is my go-to guitar at home and will be recording with it very soon. The tone is acoustically as good as it gets.

-ben

FAN CONTEST FEB 2010 Upload your Axe »
Upload the best axe and story and win an autographed "White Lies For Dark Times" songbook. Contest ends March 31, 2009.

  • 1 Joe Bob aka Homemade lap steel posted by ben4arsenal

    I always wanted to learn to play bottleneck slide, but it never felt right. So on an old cheap electric that I bought to try to learn I put it on my lap and tried it Ben Harper/lap slide style and it felt a lot more natural. I decided to break down the old electric and use its components to build a lap steel slide guitar.

    My dad can fix or build anything and I got very little of that talent. We never really have gotten along well, we are complete opposites in most all ways, and never have had much in common. But he offered his help in building this and I loved every minute of it. One of the best bonding experiences I've ever had with my dad, and there hasn't been that many in my 31 years. And that brings me to the name of the guitar, Joe Bob, in his honor.

    0
    Your rating: None

  • 2 Maton Acoustic posted by temcgowan18365

    This is my go to Acoustic guitar, I have owned this for 12 years, It an Aussie guitar called a Maton (Ben has played these guitars thought his career), To say that I love this guitar is an understatement, it has travelled the world with me, and has a great tone due to all the exposed wood form years of playing.

    A few years ago, after attending a Harper show, an artist friend of mine decided that she would do a cool ‘guitar tattoo’ on my Maton with sharpie, I left my guitar with her and a day later she had drawn this awesome design on my Guitar, that makes this guitar even more awesome and special to me!

    4.025
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

  • 3 My Axe posted by Lmbrjak

    An original issue 1993 Gransfors Bruks in hand-forged Swedish steel and hickory with custom leather sheath. I call her Freyja (Norse goddess of war - YEAH!!!) and I found her at the Home Depot off of Route 6 in Westfall, PA in the winter of '95. I was fully intending to procure a less expensive model on that fateful day, but when I saw this baby hanging on the wall, basking in the glow of the outdoor lighting department, I just had to have her! I guess it's true - sometimes you don't pick the axe, the axe picks you...

    BURN ONE DOWN!

    -Jude Crespo

    2.5375
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (4 votes)

  • 4 Homemade Lap Steel Skateboard Guitar posted by tibone

    This a the SK8GTR, a Lap Steel we've done with some spare parts and a real skateboard. Sounds great as it looks.I've helped with the concept, but the real designer was Kleber Borges. We both play guitar in the Brazilian rock band Tibone - http://bit.ly/9UI4rz If you want to see more pictures, go to http://bit.ly/dnKZe9 You can hear it at http://bit.ly/aMtpvy Hope you'll like it.

    5.169234
    Your rating: None Average: 5.2 (13 votes)

  • 5 Ben Harper Inspired Collection posted by mflynn78689

    My Ben Harper inspired collection (from Left to Right:
    *Martin HD-28VE
    *Martin 00-18V
    *Superior Lap Steel (Weissenborn copy)

    About 5 years ago I was in the Nazareth Park in Pennsylvania talking to Dick Boak, head of artist relations for the Martin Guitar company. I was wearing a 'Listen To Ben Harper' Tshirt. I urged Mr. Boak to work with Ben on a signature model Martin - highlighting Ben's history with classic Martin guitars such as his 50s 00-18. Mr. Boak humored me for a few minutes and I thanked him for his time and went on my way. Flash forward to the 'Both Sides Of the Gun' tour when I see Ben playing a prototype of what was to become the Ben Harper signature model! Did I have anything to do with this creation? Probably not. But I'll always wonder....

    Someday I will own one of those Martin HMs.

    3.469998
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (7 votes)

  • 6 ovation legend posted by lanegold83873

    one day early in 1990 i was out and about in london's west end with a young lady i guess i was trying to impress. i was only window shopping but we went into rose morris music store in denmark street and i wanted to try out an ovation, having played one backstage a few weeks earlier when some friends of mine were playing a gig. the assistant gave me 3 differently priced models to try. i sat down in the booth with the first (obvioulsy the most expensive) and began fooling around - i got completely lost in it and it must have been 15 minutes before i glanced up again to discover i'd attracted a small crowd - and the young lady was more than impressed. it felt to me that the instrument was playing me as much as i playing it. i immediately put a deposit down with a credit card and spent the next month raising the £1000 i needed to buy it. 20 years later it is still the best impulse purchase i've ever made - it is still my first choice instrument at home (despite all the other nice guitars i've bought since)
    - and i thank the young lady (long since lost in my personal history) for the motivation to walk into the shop.

    - martin (fingers flynn) coult

    2.24
    Your rating: None Average: 2.2 (5 votes)

  • 7 2007 customized Gibson LPB1 bass posted by faivy

    I'm 53 and I've been playing and collecting mostly basses but some guitar since I'm 16. I just love the way they look & feel...especially the older ones. I took time off from playing in bands while my daughter was young but got into it again around 10 years ago. I currently am whitling down from my peak of 4 bands down to a manageable 2. While I love all kinds of basses my favourite is my '67 Epiphone Embassy Deluxe but with those batwing headstocks being so fragile I came up with a more manageable equivalent. Inspired by Zemaitis & Trussart I took a 2007 Mahogany setneck LPB1, got replica 60's Tbird pickups from Vintage vibe (with a Charlie Cristian look) Tuneamatic/stop tailpiece/bridge, chickenhead knobs with an aged steel plate on the front and trussrod cover. It sounds great,balances well and is incredibly unique!
    Phil

    1.638
    Your rating: None Average: 1.6 (5 votes)

  • 8 Midwest Guitar for Mom posted by AngelMusic

    My name is Sarah and like many of you, music makes our heart beat. For me, I have always found that music has a healing power. But not until recently, did I fully realize that. My Mom had a stroke the day after Thanksgiving 2009, and my home that was once Los Angeles, California quickly turned back to East Lansing, Michigan - spending a winter in the midwest. Taking the next flight out of CA, I flew home to be with Mom, soon to realize that I was moving home for good to be by her side.
    She spent 8 weeks in the hospital recovering, through miraculous high points, yet treacherous low points. But we made it through, and not a day passed that I didn't play my guitar for her.
    My Mom lost her speech due to the stroke, yet singing Ben's lyrics would come out crystal clear! Ben's musicianship and talent has inspired me ever since I first picked up a guitar 11 years ago, and this experience brought a new light to the power of music. Ben has helped me become a better musician and artist.

    4.021108
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (9 votes)

  • 9 Oscar's home made LP posted by scottz

    This is a LP kit that my 9 year old son put together (He's a big fan of Shimmer and Shine). We upgraded the pots and pickups and it sounds great. This is the second guitar that he has built and he spent close to 15 hours painting and putting this together over the course of a few months - it was an awesome project and now that it is all done, he couldn't be more proud of it. It's the gold stripe that makes this one work so well.

    Now he wants to build a bass. I may have a Luthier on my hands.

    1.834
    Your rating: None Average: 1.8 (5 votes)

  • 10 Honey Blonde posted by gururyan60251

    This baby got me in trouble with the Mrs. It's a Fender American Deluxe V-Neck, Honey Blonde. Prior to locating "the" one, I was having trouble deciding between this finish and the Candy Apple. Late one night my wife came into my office/studio/den while I was searching for images of the guitar to aid in my finish decision. I made the error of simply typing "honey blonde" in the search field. As my wife came in, up came all these images...none of them were guitars, and none of them included clothing.

    She still gives my "honey blonde" Strat the evil eye when she walks past it, hanging on the wall.

    2.275
    Your rating: None Average: 2.3 (4 votes)

  • 11 resonate! posted by musichead

    I had the fortunate experience of meeting and working work with Ben at a local radio station in Detroit back in 95. hearing his soaring blues skills began my interest in the early days of the blues. now, my playing has reached a level where I was finally ready to go there. with the tough times here in michigan, a few great family members helped contribute to this wonderful acquisition. and with the help of a dremel tool, i made an amazing bottle neck slide. now I sit and play those great robert johnson and son house tunes with great pride!

    3.234
    Your rating: None Average: 3.2 (5 votes)

  • 12 Signed by the great Ed Vedder!!! posted by CAG79

    This guitar is only a cheap strat, but its personally signed by the great Eddie Vedder. I'm a massive pearl jam fan, so I love this guitar (mainly just to look at really). But I just put a deposit on a new weissenborn guitar. So I will upload that when I get it. I'm excited!!!

    1.785
    Your rating: None Average: 1.8 (4 votes)

  • 13 Effort pays back posted by thp

    As though life is ruthless so is the state of the acoustic guitar and so is one's soul. The hardship of my life can talk for it's own but I rather talk about the harship of my guitars, although they are one. It would probably be selfish to be talking about my own past to win a contest I shall only say one thing:...

    .. . Thank you . . . . . . .

    1.54
    Your rating: None Average: 1.5 (4 votes)

  • 14 Why Buy a guitar when you can build one? posted by aaronmannes

    The summer of 2008 I decided that I was spending a lot of money on guitars... and I thought to myself If i learned to build guitars then i could have many! without the huge price tags!! So i probably spent twice as much on tools and books, and materials then any high priced Martin! BUT...in the end there is nothing like recording an original song from an original guitar. Something about that process to me is amazing and priceless. It took the summer to do but it gave me a new found respect and appreciation towards instruments and music. She has an adirondack spruce top... cocobollo back and sides..ebony fingerboard and bridge...maple binding... bone apointments... Cant wait for the next one!

    4.13875
    Your rating: None Average: 4.1 (8 votes)

  • 15 Serendipitously stumbling across the beautiful Asher-Harper Hawaiian Lap Steel posted by stellarvibes

    I was so inspired by Ben's last Innocent Criminal album 'Lifeline' that I decided to get myself a lap steel guitar... and the week of his Toronto concert, I scoured the internet, but couldn’t decide on a model. The day of Ben’s Massey Hall show, just before the show started, I serendipitously stumbled across the brand new electric Asher-Harper lap steel for sale, glimmering in its beauty at the merchandise table. And after seeing the sign that read ‘Includes meet and greet with Ben Harper,’ I immediately and frantically waved down the lady behind the merchandise table to ask if anybody had already purchased the guitar. Nobody had, and I whipped out my credit card… to which the lady responded: ‘Oh, sorry, all sales are cash only today, as the machines are down’. I laughed and thought she was joking. However, she was not. I found my seat and enjoyed the show immensely, though, saddened by the thought that my dream to meet my favorite artist and buy his very own guitar was shattered at the fate of a credit card machine not working. After the show, I went back to take one last look at the beautiful instrument, and buy a poster and shirt.

    3.251108
    Your rating: None Average: 3.3 (9 votes)
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