2017 November | Steel Trappings

Steel Guitar Workshop

Workshop Luthiers Construct Steel Guitars

November 15, 2017 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions, Instruments and Luthiers

A handful of enthusiastic students spent two days constructing their own steel guitars under the direction of luthier Bob Gleason of Pegasus Guitars and Ukuleles. Bob has taught a lot of guitar and ukulele building classes in Hawaii and on the mainland, and this will the third Lap Steel construction class he has conducted. He is the steel guitar workshop clinician for the Aloha Music Camp.

Lamination

The two-day workshop required concentrated efforts of the workshop participants due to the limited time available. However, the construction projects were all completed. Festival organizer Alan Akaka said, "The instruments I saw were beautiful and the feedback from those students were very positive."

Pomai Brown, one of the festival's featured steel guitarists for Saturday's ho'olaule'a, was among those building their own instruments. While he has many steel guitars in his collection, he never experienced building his own steel guitar. Bob was joined by his wife Anne who helped with the class. Said Bob, "Anne and I enjoyed our time with the participants and were pleased to help them build instruments."

Workshop Participants

Festival organizers are hopeful that a similar workshop can be offered as a part of the 2018 Hawai'i Steel Guitar Festival. Information about the workshop will be posted on the festival website and Facebook page when it becomes available.

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# Registration Fee Required

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