The Sweet Sound of the Lap Steel Guitar
photos courtesy of Estaban Bojorquez
source AllAboutSurf.com
by Ken McKnight
posted 2003-09-15
The sweet sound of the lap steel guitar is one that has found its way into lots of great music over the years. From country to blues, rock to folk, the tiny instrument played primarily on your lap, or on a stand, makes a unique sound complimentary to any style of music. There has been a huge resurgence in the instrument lately mostly thru the musings of great artists such as Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Ben Harper, Rob Ickes, Roy Smeck, Junior Brown, Noel Boggs and this months featured artist, Michael Witcher.
Photo courtesy of Estaban Bojorquez
It takes a great musician to play the lap steel but it also takes a dedicated artists touch to build these delicate sounding string instruments. One of the bright spots in lap steel construction today would be the models designed and constructed by Estaban Bojorquez. This master craftsman is a Los Angeles area multimedia painter / surfer / sculptor / musician / filmmaker that is no stranger to the art / music world in Southern California.
"I'm a Folk artist," explained Bojorquez with a smile, "I'm making Folk art that you can play."
"I started building a series of lap steel guitars after my friend and partner, Kirk Putnam came to my shop and brought with him a Melobar. He asked me if I could build one like it and I said, well, yeh!"
For those unaware, the lap steel guitar is different from most regular six string models in not only the way it is played, but also in the way it looks. Smaller and narrower, laps are held primarily while sitting and with the guitar facing you. You don't just push down on the strings to get the sound you want, instead smoothly sliding a steel bar that is pressed against the strings. And for most players, the lap steels are usually tuned to one of the many "open" tunings used in guitar playing. The most common of these tunings would be the open E or open G.
Historically the lap steel seems to have been born and made popular in the Hawaiian Islands as part of the slack key style of playing that dates back into the late 1800's. The sound was heard by passing sailors and brought back to the mainland where it found it's way into the more familiar American blues and country.
Photo courtesy of Estaban Bojorquez
"My Laps are not like traditional vintage lap steel guitars," spoke the artist Bojorquez.
"I don't predetermine any of the designs. They just come about and each is different from the first."
Estaban applies a different look with different materials to each one of his creations. No two guitars are the same. He builds them with the rarest of woods and strangest materials possible. From the wood stocks of Ash and hard rock Maple using Analin Dyes, to the richly textured and rare, Australian Lace woods. The texture of the instruments as well as the sound each makes varies greatly from one to another.
Photo courtesy of Estaban Bojorquez
There are Laps that are made from Plexiglas (of all things), and tempered Aluminum. There is a very odd looking flying "V" styled brass lap steel guitar, straight out of a Star Wars episode. Each has it's own deep resonating sound, each with a personality of its own.
"A lot of my materials," Estaban gestured around his studio, "have come from wood and materials I have around the yard here. I don't just buy a piece of wood and make a guitar. I'm actually using found objects to construct them. Like the rest of my art."
Bojorquez is well known for his art. For years he has been featured as a lifestyle beach culturist, depicting the lifestyle he has lived all these years. He has been written about in many magazines and newspapers. There is artwork he has created in restaurants, homes, and stores all over the southland. His home and galleries reflect the ocean themes of his world from surreal looking surfboards, a partially restored Woody, a table made of keys, or a beautifully ornate art piece made of collected bottle caps. There are paintings, freestanding diver dummies, masks of a million different styles, looking glasses, shrines, strange posters, sculptures, woodwork, or the hand built commissioned desk with the rare, hard to find wood.
