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Topic: Old Kay Lapsteel Pickup Question |
Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2011 6:00 pm |
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I bought this a few years ago for not too much money. I really like its looks and feel, but the pickup is pretty weak. I think it has a natural magnet and has lost its magnetism. On a lark I added a couple of small ceramic magnets to the underside and it actually boosted the output enough to help the signal to noise ratio. But I have two questions...or more:
1. What is this guitar, and when was it made? I think late 40's.
2. Can the pickup be rebuilt to modern specs, and by who?
I know, that's four questions  Here are some pics
No, I wasn't eating natural cheetos...my son had placed them by the computer and I didn't notice them till just now...no, really  Tasty though!
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 16 Dec 2011 7:32 pm
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Deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 2 Aug 2012 12:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 22 Dec 2011 9:33 pm
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Thanks for the confirmation of my dating-by-guesswork age of the steel!
Anyone know how to contact Mr. Lollar?
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Jan Viljoen
From:
Pretoria, South Africa
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 4:00 am Kay copy
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Hi Guys,
I once saw a Kay model on the internet and the shape mesmerized me so much that I wanted one as well.
I scaled up a picture, enlarged the plan, printed, and saw out the shape.
I use African Rosewood bought from a local timberyard:
http://www.timbermerchant.co.za/about.html
So far so good, albeit a bit slow.
Thanx
[img]
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Sierra S10, Stage One, Gibson BR4, Framus, Guya 6&8, Hofner lap, Custom mandolins, Keilwerth sax.
Roland Cube 80XL, Peavey112-Valve King and Special, Marshall 100VS. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 7:07 am
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So, Lollar isn't taking repairs at this point 
Any other thoughts about people who do quality rewinds on this type of pick up? The whole tickup is about 1/4 inch thick, the blade just sits on the bobbin and the magnets stick to the underside of the blade...very simple. I'm hoping to have a better quality verion of this put together to fit in the same area.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 7:51 am
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Try Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe (vintagevibeguitars.com). While he doesn't promote repairs, he might be interested in a challenge like this -- he does great work and he's a nice guy, to boot.
Also, Curtis Novak (http://curtisnovak.com/) has a good rep online (I don't have any personal experience) and he advertises repairs on his site.
Good luck -- looks like a cool instrument.
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Peter
---------
www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 28 Dec 2011 5:20 pm
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Just for kicks I measured the ohms resistance of the pickup. 1.6K....that answers a couple of questions! That has nothing to do with the magnetism does it? This is just the resistance of the actual copper winding, right? Why would they make such a weak coil? Weren't amp circuits less adjustable to signal variance in 1949?
I had 2 questions...now 4.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 28 Dec 2011 9:56 pm
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I can take a stab at a couple of those questions.
The 1.6k reading should be just the resistance of the coil winding and any attached leads. It has nothing to do with the magnet(s).
In this case, with a 1.6k reading, my best guess is that its wound with a larger diameter wire like many of that age were. With something like a #38 wire, that reading would not be out of question. A pickup wound with a larger wire will generally always have less resistance than a pickup wound with a smaller more "modern" wire size.
The resistance of a pickup coil in of itself is not a very good indicator of output. It can be handy when comparing pickups of like construction wound with the same size coils and same diameter wire, apples to apples, but not when comparing apples to oranges, or a Stringmater to a Ric Horseshoe for instance.
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Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
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