Quick Cuts: The “Wintonbeast” 7-String Lap Steel Guitar

by David Worthy

Originally published in American Lutherie #87, 2006



I don't know how the more unusual projects get off the ground for most people, but I vaguely remember a campfire beside the Guinness tent at the Fairbridge Folk Festival (about an hour’s drive south of Perth in Western Australia), and the usual guitar-head beer-talk that naturally ensues. Somehow eighteen months later I sent Andrew Winton a drawing with (almost) every silly idea I could think of for him to consider — and to my surprise he said, “Yeah, looks great!” So I built it. Andrew lives in Perth. I live in Melbourne, 2500 miles away.

The brief proposed seven strings, the word “orchestral” was in there, and “piano,” and, of course, “lap steel.” Andrew’s final preferred tuning was A a E a e a´ b´. String gauges run (low to high) .082", .045", .056", .045", .032", .017", and .017". The first six strings have a 27" scale; the 7th has a 36" scale. The top is western red cedar; the back and sides are Australian blackwood, as is the neck. It is bound in curly maple, and all the black is ebony. It was built in the Spanish style and required a few little inventions on the way.