For Christmas, I picked up a little eBay present — a 1954 Carvin Model 50 Lap Steel guitar.

Now, this is definitely a project guitar for me. This thing was a little dirty, could stand new strings, and needs a little TLC to get back up to snuff… all of which will be fun. Kevin’s indicated that I should keep it stock, but I have some desire to pretty it up — new hardware, etc. — and maybe even replace the pots for volume and tone, along with the 1/4″ socket.

However, I still have to learn to play the thing. I’ve laid some questions out on some guitar fora to see if I can get some help figuring out what tuning scheme to use on it, where to get strings, and what kind of learning materials I can find to teach me to play the steel guitar.

And if I like playing it, I could see me picking up another of these down the road. Will it be a Carvin/Kiesel? Who knows… Part of me likes the idea of keeping to vintage instruments like this, but part of me would like to put a “new classic” instrument in the corral.

Of course, that assumes I figure out how to play the steel guitar, and find an opportunity to use that knowledge from time to time!