Good morning guys. Firstly, thank you all for what you are doing for serving members and veterans! I think, here in the UK, we have a long way to go before our boys and girls in the armed forces are recognised and appreciated as they are across the pond!

I served 10 years in the British Army and carried out several active tours of duty including a 2 year residential tour in Belfast, NI. I have been out for approaching 18 years now. I am currently unemployed due to PTSD which I have just recently sought treatment for and have my first appt with the PTSD team this coming Wednesday. It's a huge step for me but I know that its the only way I am going to get better. Luckily, I have a beautiful and extremely supportive woman by my side to keep me in check!

I recently got to thinking about learning to play an instrument to try and occupy my time and keep my mind busy. Being a huge blues fan, I started looking up 3 string CBG's and this is when I came across the Diddley Bow. Now, I've never been very good at music so thought this would be a great stepping stone and a good way to get me started.

I recently tried to make a lap steel for myself but have hit a bit of a wall with the more technical aspects. What string do I use, what about a pickup, do I need a tuning peg etc.... I'll try and add a photo of where I'm at. The bottle is a 12 yr aged Glenfiddich Single Malt bottle and I found the rusty old key whilst digging in the garden! I have added a couple of pennies either side to secure the string as and when I work out what string to get!

In the meantime, I wondered if anyone had a dusty old, disused one string lying around that they would like to throw my way? I'm happy to cover shipping costs but am unable to offer anything else except my participation on this group when and wherever I can.

Thanks in advance folks :-)