Fender Champion Lap Steel template or partss

Hi everyone,

I have an early 50's Fender/Champion lap steel that was cannibalized many years ago that I'm trying to fix up and I'm looking for some help trying to source either replacement parts, templates or possibly patent drawings. I'm in need of the control panel assembly which is also the bridge cover and also a bridge. If anyone can help with drawings or sources of parts that would be great. I have a friend who works in a metal shop who told me he could make me anything there if I can show him a drawing etc. I'm not as concerned with it being vintage original parts as functional.

Thanks in advance,

DRx Hepcat

wow, it's been a LONG time since i logged in here!

anyway, your best bet would be to ask someone over at the Steel Guitar Forums (http://bb.steelguitarforum.com.) those guys know everything about everything about steels. just toss a post up in the "Steel Without Pedals" section, and i'm sure you'll get all the answers you need.

the reason i answered is because i'm actually starting a lap steel build, and i'm basing it off the Fender Champion. to me it's kinda like the Tele of lap-steels: simple design, but it sounds and looks good! in fact, the first Tele (well, i suppose Esquire) pickups were the same ones Leo used in the Champion, and for a long time a lot of people would gut those pups out of old Champions and install them in their Tele's. the Champion is the whole basis for GE Smith's signature model Tele!

Post a picture... I have a 58 champ. I think there was a style change in the 50's.

If yours looks like mine, I can make any drawing you need (engineer with CAD software).

i completely forgot that the Steel Guitar Forum requires a one-time $5 registration fee to post, sorry about that! it is free to browse though. also, i found the following website with quite a few close-ups of some Champions, which may be of some help: http://online.physics.uiuc.edu/courses/phys406/406emi_lap_steel_guitars.html. just scroll down a little and you'll see a bunch of Champion photos listed. most of them are nice and large closeup shots.

the control plate itself looks to just be stamped steel that was chrome-plated. anyone with basic metal working tools should be able to recreate one pretty easily. i had a suggestion though: often chrome-plating places are expensive and want to plate in large batches. since you said you're not particular on keeping it vintage-correct, you may be better off just having it made out of a sheet of stainless steel, and then polishing it yourself with a buffer pad and various buffing compounds. it would be quite a bit cheaper that way, and i can't imagine it would take more than half an hour or so to polish it yourself.

oh, BTW... i had a quick request for you Champion lap steel owners. is there any way someone could take a couple measurements for me (preferably with calipers if you've got 'em!;) if someone could post the following measurements, i'd REALLY appreciate it!

Body thickness.
Width of body at widest point.
Width of neck at the nut.

thanks guys!

Thanks to all for your replies,

I hope my lap is a match for yours Piece Of Ash?! If possible could you also include a CAD drawing of the bridge as well as mine has been plundered? Here's a photo:
136178

Many thanks,
Drx. Hepcat

I was on ebay yesterday, trying to figure out how much to ask for my Fender DeLuxe 8 string. I saw a 6 string Fender bridgeplate. Didn't pay attention to it, but it might be just what you need, depending on the era of your guitar Do an ebay search for "Fender lapsteel."

Sorry boogie... my Champ must be one model newer than yours. Mine is assymetric.

I would keep my eyes on Ebay or forums for some pictures. Between that and carefully studying the fading/sunburn on yours; I think you could home in a shape.

But I also see weird little parts pop from time to time on Ebay.

Look through these photos...

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=b2ie7&va=fender+steel+champ

Note that yours appears to be 3 pieces... near, far, and ashtray. I bet the ashtray is worth its weight in gold.

Thanks for checking. The search continues.

Best, Drx Hepcat



Look through these photos...

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=b2ie7&va=fender+steel+champ

Note that yours appears to be 3 pieces... near, far, and ashtray. I bet the ashtray is worth its weight in gold.

Now is a great time to find fender lapsteel parts on ebay. Im guessing its due to the economy but theres been a flood of parts and complete steels lately.

Is this the fish?

Yes that looks like mine with a different color MOTS covering. That's the one!

Thanks, Drx Hepcat

Is this the fish?

Wow... I could have sworn from those pics on yahoo that plate was 3 in pieces.

I have a laser cutter and press brake. If you can find a loaner... I can duplicate it.

Looks like your bridge is intact, just the cover is gone. You are correct it is all one piece. It holds the control knobs, covers the pu and provides support for your right hand if needed.

Mine is in deep storage, I can get it, take off the plate and take some pics, make a drawing or two etc... and send it along.?

Bret

Hi Bret,

That would be great if you could do that? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks so much,
Drx Hepcat

Looks like your bridge is intact, just the cover is gone. You are correct it is all one piece. It holds the control knobs, covers the pu and provides support for your right hand if needed.

Mine is in deep storage, I can get it, take off the plate and take some pics, make a drawing or two etc... and send it along.?

Bret

will do, over the weekend, I'll post some pics, sizes etc for everyone. And if you pm me an addr I'll send you whatever template I can figure out to work from.

B

Here's pictures and some notes on sizing. If you want an outline traced I can do that.. send me an addr to send that to.

Thickness approx 1/32" with chroming on top and a dull silver underneath.
The "long leg" I'm calling it has the holes for the controls> Long leg length 4 5/16"
Short leg length > 2 7/8"
Cover width > 2"
Cover length from the 90 degree bends at the base > 3 1/4"
Cover height > 5/8" and flat on top not curved.
I make the radius for the cover bends at 1/2" to 5/8" radius.

Holes
Pots 3/8"
location on the legs>
Top hole evenly spaced left to right in the middle 3/4" center, from the top of the long leg it is spaced back 7/8"
Bottom pot hole is 9/16" from the 90 degree cover ben and 9/16" forward of the rear of the long leg.
Screw holes are 1/8" and countersank to allow near 3/16" width for the screw head.

pics>

More pics

see if that does it?

can you take a photo with the tape laying halfway across two holes, like the hole on the bass side and the same hole on the treble side. Or just measure the center to center distance?

I can trace this in autacad from the photos...

Hi piece, poorly done, got no tripod here at the house and rulers are borrowed from sewing kits. Maybe it'll do.

The distance from hole to hole L>R is 3 5/8" center to center.

pm me too with an addr and I'll send you a tracing too if you like.
enjoy,
Bret

Been to SugarLand several times on the way back and forth to M.D.Anderson. Too humid for me, but a nice place.

Too humid for me too!

No that should be enough...

Just goofing on the weekend... I'll make a drawing for the OP

Boogie & Papa.

Here's a PDF... print with settings that force (no scaling) 1 to 1 size.

Maybe see how good this fits???

Had a rough double yesterday and off to another gig but wanted to thank everyone for their help. I didn't get a chance to cut this drawing out yet but punched out the screw holes and they appear to be exact. I'll cut it out tomorrow and report back with results.

Gracias,
Drx. Hepcat


Boogie & Papa.

Here's a PDF... print with settings that force (no scaling) 1 to 1 size.

Maybe see how good this fits???

Close, but no cigar quite yet.

Need one more screw hole in the long leg outboard.

Correct cover width. Actual cover is 2" wide
The screw holes from the smaller leg to the long leg center to center show as 3 3/8" apart, actual is 3 11/16"
smaller leg gross length shows as 2 5/8" logt actual is 2 7/8"
long leg shows as 4" long actual is 4 5/16" long

At first I thought it was about 10% scaled small... apparently a bit distorted too, probably because I cannot get a good 90 degree pic.

Where the 3/8" pot holes are is pretty critical because the rout out in the wood leaves little room for error.
Anyway enjoy
Bret

piec I'd ike to see a few pics of the cut out and bend, and any tools employed if that is convenient.

It sounds to me as if you're not getting a 1 to 1 print from the pdf process.

Lemme post another image with references.

Somewhere in the Acrobat print dialogue, the window you just before hitting "print", there should be some options for "PRINT SCALING"... select "NONE".

Acrobat was doing something "handy" for you... that isn't so handy.

With a typical printer, and Acrobat doing what it's told, you should be able to verify the lengths of the lines in this image.

I'll try that piece, printers 'n me are not friends, well not gooood friends anyway.

I did an old fashioned tracing and sent it along to the OP this am.

Let me know when it's soup? I'd like to see the finshed unit. Goodluck.