Lap steel guitar

This is a custom-made lap steel guitar (also known as a Hawaiian guitar). Steel guitar is the name given to this kind of guitar but also refers to a method of playing using a metal slide (or 'steel'). Lap steel guitars typically comprise only the neck as it appears on a normal guitar. A musician lays the instrument horizontally in their lap facing upward towards them. Rather than press the strings onto the fret board like a normal guitar, the musician presses a metal slide against the strings to alter the pitch while the other hand plucks the strings.

Manufacture and design

This lap steel guitar was made in 2004 by Bill Sevesi, an internationally recognised musician of Tongan descent. The main body of the guitar is made from wood and has been painted metallic blue. A significant design feature is the guitar's adjustable pick-up which enables each string to be individually equalised on the guitar without utilising the amplifier. Sevesi claims this is unique and has attracted international interest.

Significance

Bill Sevesi is particularly known for his expertise on the steel guitar and has led or played in many celebrated dance hall bands in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Famous throughout the Pacific, Sevesi's contribution to the music industry has also been recognised internationally with a 1998 Jerry Byrd Lifetime Achievement Award from the Steel Guitar Players Hall of Fame, Inc in the United States.