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Topic: Oahu Tonemaster Lap Steel c. 1940 |
Christopher Anderson
From:
California, USA
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Posted 17 Nov 2011 1:11 pm |
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I started writing a song and just needed to have some slide but couldn't get what I wanted out of my Taylor so I bought this 1940's
pre-Valco Oahu Tonemaster for ~$300 on ebay. I hate buying instruments on ebay but it plays beautifully and came fully functional.
The tuners are fine and the electronics, including the pots, are original and working fine. It looks like it was played heavily for a year
and then stored in a dry basement for 70 years. It's not a string through pick-up model I don't think but it's one of the warmest lap
steels I've heard. I'm playing it in D right now through a Keeley Comp to a Fender VK. To get some dirt I tried running my
Hermida Audio Distortion pedal after the Keeley Comp and it sounded great! I think it'll be a great lap steel to learn on. There
are plenty of posts on recommended videos and books so I won't turn this post into one of those.  I've been playing fingerstyle
in the same vein as Fahey and Kottke ever since I learned to play so I feel like this is a pretty natural progression.
If anyone here has any more information on these lap steels I'd love to hear it! Information seems to be scarce on these. I also posted
a similar message on TGP to see if they had any info because I know there are a couple lap steel nuts over there. 
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 19 Nov 2011 10:32 am
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Deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 2 Aug 2012 12:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Richard Shatz
From:
St. Louis
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 8:12 am
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The prewar Tonemaster and more ornate Diana were made by Kay.
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 8:38 am
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Deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 2 Aug 2012 12:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Richard Shatz
From:
St. Louis
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 9:19 am
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| Michael Lee Allen wrote: |
| In this case "more ornate" simply means adding decalomania/stenciling. Other than that it's the same instrument. |
No doubt. It is the same. 25" scale. The Diana also has a tortoise shell binding front and back. It's not very visible in the photo above.
Great sounding instruments. I think these are under appreciated, therefore the $300 price.
Does yours have a toggle switch on the metal back plate? If so, what does it do? |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 10:31 am
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Deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 2 Aug 2012 12:41 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 12:24 pm
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| Richard Shatz wrote: |
| Does yours have a toggle switch on the metal back plate? If so, what does it do? |
I had a Diana with the toggle switch. It cuts the volume, along with some of the treble. The 1941 Oahu catalog called it a "touch control", saying it "gives the player with a soft touch an added range of volume with which to work and a great amount of sustained tone. It compensates for the loss of volume encountered when a foot pedal is used and steps up the volume for satisfactory operation on a battery amplifier."
Of course, this is a nonsense marketing gimmick - you can't boost the volume without some sort of active circuitry. In reality, the louder setting was about average for a pre-war instrument's output. |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 12:38 pm
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| Noah Miller wrote: |
| I had a Diana with the toggle switch. It cuts the volume, along with some of the treble. The 1941 Oahu catalog called it a "touch control", saying it "gives the player with a soft touch an added range of volume with which to work and a great amount of sustained tone. It compensates for the loss of volume encountered when a foot pedal is used and steps up the volume for satisfactory operation on a battery amplifier." |
I didn't realize that they had battery amplifiers back then- I wonder if it was a Pignose. 
Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 2:42 pm
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| Sure make one wonder what happened to all the instruments that were built back then... |
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