My luthier mate, Ian Chisholm, said to me a few months ago, "Fancy a new guitar on the 'Buy-two-get-one-free principle?" (I've commissioned quite a few instruments from him over the years, and I should add that "free", in this context, means that I pay for materials only and he builds it for nothing).

Naturally I said yes and, when asked what I'd like, said - being a huge fan of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - "D'you know, I'd like an electric lap steel". So we both went our separate ways rubbing our hands - me at the prospect of having a guitar I'd never played before, and he at the prospect of designing and building a guitar he'd never designed or built before!

I looked around the internet and was taken with the look and shape of a 1950s Gretsch body style, which we agreed on, and also agreed that the ironmongery would be Telecaster. The body was to be of maple, lacquered glossy black, and the "fretboard" would be ash with inlaid mother-of-pearl or abalone markers and thin ebony "fret" inlays.

Well, all was done a few weeks ago, and I've been enjoying myself getting my head and hands across the chords. Its 6 strings are tuned to a C6 chord (CEGACE), which gives me a C major on 6, 5, 4, 2 and 1; plus a C6 if I include the 4th string, and an Am on strings 3, 2 and 1. And so on - real Bob Wills-ish in sound.

I've tried out fingerpicks but actually prefer the mellower and more sensitive sound you can get by using fingernails. Anyway, it's great fun.

Anyone else into lap steel?