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Topic: Identify Lap Steel |
Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
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Posted 16 Jul 2008 5:18 pm |
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I am a pedal steel player who can't play a lick on a non pedal steel, but my wife has a friend who has her mothers old lap steel. I know it is a Fender, but would appreciate any information you could give me on it. Model,Year, Value, Etc. Also she would like to have it put into good playing condition. Where can I get the tuning keys? Are they made to the strap they are mounted on or are they individual? You can see the knobs are missing. What tuning would be good? C6? I work on pedal steels and can do the work if I can get the info and the parts.
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 16 Jul 2008 5:32 pm
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That is a Fender Champion, most likely early '50. If it is all original, and it probably is as a one owner guitar it is quite valuable $500-600 minimum IMO. These things have very bitey pickups that Tele players like to steal as Keith Richards.
You can buy a set of tuner buttons from stewmac.com that come with instructions of how to put them on. Do not change the original tuners, that will cause a loss of value.
The only negative I see is the masking tape that could discolor the finish. Goof-off will take it off but be carefull with solvents, do not let it get under the MOTS finish.
Cool guitar, wish I had one in my collection.
Best,
Rich
Oh yeah, C6 is good. I like open E or D for blues. |
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Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
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Posted 16 Jul 2008 6:17 pm
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| Rich, I looked up the tuner buttons. Have you installed any of these. Looks like the plastic ones might be the easiest? Anyone else have any information or has Rich about covered it? I apreciate the help. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 16 Jul 2008 6:35 pm
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You could buy replacement Kluson-style tuners and install them. They're exact fit replacements. Just save the old tuners in case you ever sell the guitar.
Here are the tuners as sold by Stewart-Macdonald, but there are many other sources for the same thing.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 16 Jul 2008 6:36 pm
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Rich pretty much covered it.
All I would add is that it's easy to put the new buttons on.
All you do is take a soldering iron and heat up the post, then push the button down onto the post.
The heated post will slightly melt the plastic and make the button adhere to it.
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BIG STEEL |
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2008 7:46 am
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Just my opinion so this may not be worth much! (hehe) I don't like to take thing apart unless absolutely necessary, a tuner change for example on a vintage instrument. Having screw slots that have never been distorted by being run in and out for example is a slight degridation of the guitar. It could be argued that the new buttons fall into the same catagory. Brad may be right on the money here, it depends on your point of view.
The real value of the instrument comes from it having all its original parts, pickup, pots, tuners etc. It could be argued years down the road that the tuners where changed due to the witness marks on the screw heads! Yes, collectors in the vintage market are that picky. Lap steel guitars (and amps) seem to be the next area of intrest for the big guys. Even in a time where prices are sliping on vintage Strats, Teles and Pauls, Lap guitar contine to gain value. I would guess because they can be had for a lower cost of entry to begin with.
I would consider this Champion to be a very collectable originals example, something that should be kept in mind when it is serviced and played. I really want to date my Stringmaster D8 but looking at the hardware under a glass it has never been apart. I think I am going to leave the bridge plates and tuner pans in place until I need to lube tuners or clean pots. I have very good tools but don't want to raise burrs on any of the hardware. Call me nuts, just my personal preference of vintge guitar ownership.
All the best,
Rich |
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Charley Wilder
From:
Dover, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 18 Jul 2008 10:24 am
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Rich,
If you are that touchy about it, it may be for good reason! I pulled the pan on my D8 a few years back and the mark was completely unrecognizable! I had three or four people look at it and nobody had a clue what it was! I put it back and left the rest alone. I bought it new in '67 that I know for sure!  |
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 18 Jul 2008 12:34 pm
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Charley,
I know how you feel and it is too bad Fender didn't have sequencial ser #s. My SM D8 from the 60s has never been touched and as badly as I'd like dates, I'm not going there.
I thought I might get some flack for my opinion so thanks for the pos. feedback. I am pretty particular about 100% original instruments. I will restore, refinish and modify something that has been previously abused by the same however. I feel the same way about my modern instruments and amps as someday they will be vintage and will most likely survive me. If we only knew what was going to bring the big bucks in 20-30 years! I think lap steels from the 30s-60s are going to be very valuable. They are already 3-10 times their original retail value. |
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Posted 18 Jul 2008 2:22 pm edit
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edit
Last edited by George Piburn on 20 Jun 2012 5:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
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Posted 27 Jul 2008 3:04 pm
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| I appreciate all your input. I don't believe this Champion is all that pristine that it should be kept without any alteration. I like the idea of putting on the new complete tuners so that this lady can attempt to learn to play this Champion. I will impress upon her that it should probably be kept close to original and we need to keep the old tuners. She wants it in playing condition. I think she will take good care of it. And by the way, it was her grandmothers, not her mothers. My wife says I don't listen to her. Any of you had that problem? |
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Jim Konrad
From:
The Great Black Swamp USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2008 5:04 pm
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| Danny Letz wrote: |
| My wife says I don't listen to her. Any of you had that problem? |
What was that you said?
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Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 4:13 pm
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| I don't want to appear to be in any way slighting Rich Hlaves opinion of vintage or collector instruments. This one is not quite as nice as it appears in the pictures and the lady who owns it wants to play it. It's kind of like old cars. Some people think they were meant to be driven. I have a JCH pedal steel. I'm trying to keep it as original as possible, but sometimes you have to substitute some part to keep it playing. Thanks again. |
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Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
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Posted 31 Aug 2008 5:07 pm
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I haven't done anything to this guitar yet. We plan on putting on the StewMac Vintage-Style 3- On Plate Tuners. (#4095) They seem to measure out OK. One question. There is a press in bushing with them for each peg. I don't think that will work because there is a metal plate on the top side of the guitar. Will the tuners be alright without the bushings?
I think this guitar may have been tuned to A6. What are the string gauges for this tuning and do you think this would be the best tuning for this lady who, loves western swing music, to learn on? If not, what tuning and what gauges? |
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