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Topic: Anybody Know Anything About This Old Lap Steel? |
John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 8:47 am |
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I've had this little monkey since I was a kid,
have y'all ever seen one or know who made it?
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Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 9:05 am
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You just can't beat an old 5 string guitar.  |
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Larry Carlson
From:
My Computer
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 9:12 am
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It was manufactured by Valco.
I would imagine it was produced in the early 1940's.
_________________
I have stuff.
I try to make music with it.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
But I keep on trying. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 9:16 am
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Looks like a Valco-made lap steel similar to the Supro Irene body shape, but with a different pickup cover and control assembly. There might be a serial number on a small metal plate on the back of the head of the instrument.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 9:54 am
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You're right, There's a plate that says "V1926" on the neck
Just found this on the web:
V for Valco serial numbers on back of lap steels neck:
V100-V7500___1947
V7500-V15000___1948
V15000-V25000___1949
Looks like it was a 47 model
_________________
Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 10:17 am
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I'll bet you could blaze a trail or two with that. Looks like it may have already knocked off a branch or two.
I'll bet it would propel a canoe nicely as well.
I Wonder how it sounds and plays though.
Kidding of course. I love all those old lap steels. I had an Electro and a Supro at one point. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2015 7:57 pm
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| Didn't Waldo Otto play one of those? |
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 3 Apr 2015 1:57 am
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Does anyone have an 8 string junker they would trade me for this old guy?
Any beat up old junker would do.
_________________
Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 3 Apr 2015 3:32 am
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I have attachment issues 
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Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 3 Apr 2015 3:37 am
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John, I can't believe you'd give up your childhood guitar; it's a Trail Blazer!
However, shoot me a price (it was born same year as me, 'Near You' by Francis Craig and His Orchestra)...
... unless I've made the mistake of believing an American. 
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Chris Sattler
From:
Hunter Valley, Australia
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Posted 4 Apr 2015 10:28 pm
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| Paul Honeycutt wrote: |
| Didn't Waldo Otto play one of those? |
Nice try Paul. I think he played a Fender and yes he was in the Trailblazers. But the other band, Hot Rize, didn't allow them up the front of the bus. They were bluegrass bullies.  |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 5 Apr 2015 2:52 pm
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| Chris Sattler wrote: |
| Paul Honeycutt wrote: |
| Didn't Waldo Otto play one of those? |
Nice try Paul. I think he played a Fender and yes he was in the Trailblazers. But the other band, Hot Rize, didn't allow them up the front of the bus. They were bluegrass bullies. |
I was wondering who'd get the joke. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 15 Apr 2015 7:31 pm
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I often wondered just how many of those low-priced guitar were made back then. Department stores sold them as well as music stores and music teachers....
Must have been a bunch sold. The Gibson BR-9 was produced in the thousands, and it wasn't really all that cheap back then... |
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 2:24 am
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I heard that door-to-door salesmen traveled around demonstrating them
and selling them for a while. Don't know if that's true or not but
I heard it from a good source.
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Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 3:16 am
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John, did you decide to keep it? I thought it could be pretty nostalgic, stringing it up, playing it....
It's a real piece of Americana.
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 6:40 am
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John,
What you're talking about was Oahu. They had salesmen/players going around and if you signed up for so many lessons you got to keep the guitar. The student model guitars were pretty basic but the instructor models were very nice. They had quite an organization going. |
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Michael Greer
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 7:09 am
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Just to add to what Erv shared about Oahu...they certainly must have been quite an organization.
I have a copy of the very detailed "door to door " salesman training material.
it's about 50 pages thick full of sales tips and tricks.
The interesting and humorous part of the manual were the social references very typical of that time period. ...1940's and 1950's
Stuff like " don't waste time on the sales attempt with the wife....make an appointment when the decision maker , husband will be home. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 8:55 am
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| in the seventies, alot of similar steels sold used for around $10. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 9:02 am
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A lot of them were used for kindling.  |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 9:08 am
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| Paul Honeycutt wrote: |
| Didn't Waldo Otto play one of those? |
Guess not too many people got the joke! |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 9:12 am
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| There was a joke? |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 9:39 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| There was a joke? |
Waldo was the steel player for Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. ---> Click Here |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2015 10:05 am
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| I love it! |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Apr 2015 12:03 pm
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I've been to the site of the old Oahu company. It's now a parking lot.
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Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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