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Topic: unknown lap steel |
Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 11:23 am |
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Hi guys I,m new to this forum and first off I'd like to know if anybody can idendtify this lap steel it s been in the family I believe for about 70 years. There is some family history attached to it but there again it could be all a myth but I'd like to find out.
Rod
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 2:07 pm
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That doesn't appear to be any US-made lap steel brand I've seen before.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 11:27 pm
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Thanks for the response Brad that could support a bit of the reported family history of this guitar. Because of some of the components on this guitar I think it may have been built some time before World War 2. For instance the volume pot under the Bakelite cover is very large, the same size as the knob you see in the picture, it's a 100k. The plug for the guitar end is a 2 pin Bakelite affair the top of this has been broken off and lost. The jack at the amp end is a standard 1/4" but is entirely of brass with a fibre like sleeve covering screw connections no soldering. Have'nt looked at the pickup yet. The body is one solid piece of wood which is extremely heavy, the fret board is laminated to the body the fret markers are cut into this but I'm not sure what was used to fill these. By the way it plays and sounds beautiful but I'm no lap steel player I play Strat for a hobby but I may have a go at this. The case, clearly made for this guitar is also a very rugged affair covered in a crocodile patern brown material and balances just right with the guitar in it.
It is said that this guitar was built by somebody in Hawii and my uncle was given it there on his way back home just after the war. It was then passed to my father late 50's he played lap steel. And then passed to my elder brother in the 90's he played a bit as well. He passed away 2 years ago and it was recently passed to me I'm now 70.
Rod |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 1:03 am
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I'm gonna take the pick up cover off today and lift the pick up and have a look for any clues but that may also be hand made.
Rod |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 9:18 am
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| Some pics of the pick up but the only marking on it is a number 15400 wich is the resistance 15k4.[/img] |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 9:23 am
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 9:26 am
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oh yea I was mistaken about the finish of the case it now appears to be finished in some sort paint more like a course crinkle paint that looks like croc skin.
Rod |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 2:06 pm
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| The furniture hinges on the case make me think that the case is hand made as well. Whoever built it, they made a nice looking instrument. Especially cool that your family has enjoyed it for generations. |
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Russ Cudney
From:
Sonoma, California, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 5:52 pm
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That pickup has the early "Charlie Christian" notches in the blade. Probably a copy or a mod.
_________________
1958 D8 Stringmaster, 1958 T8 Stringmaster, 1955 Q8 Stringmaster (in basket), 1949 Gibson BR9, 1953 Silvertone, 1957 Harmony H4 (yeah the cool black pearloid one), 1947 National Princess, 1969 Shobud S10 3X1 |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 24 Mar 2016 1:27 am
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Thanks for the responses so it looks like it was a hand built but if anybody has any other ideas I'd be grateful.
My uncle was a Japanese prisoner of war I think for about 2 years and apparrantly stopped off in Hawii on his way back to the UK why I don't know. And this is when he obtained the guitar well that's the story anyway. The guitars history before that we have no idea. He only passed away about 5 years ago someone should have asked him before but I don't think anyone wanted to bring back any memories of the abuses he suffered in the camp I suppose. He never ever spoke off this time there to anybody not even his wife who sadly passed away just a couple of years ago. My uncle never learnt to play the guitar either that's why it was passed to my father I suppose.
Rod |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 24 Mar 2016 1:42 am
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Oh yes Bill the case is as well made as the guitar and apart from the knocks and worn sort of paint finish is as good as it was when first made all those years ago even all the protective metal corner brackets and for me it was clearly made for this guitar as it balances perfectly when being carried the handle is set in just the right place to balance this very heavy instrument It would be interesting if someone could ID the wood. As I said this guitar is one piece of wood apart from the fret board.
Rod |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 25 Mar 2016 11:37 pm
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Russ I have looked at CC pickups and apart from the blade they are nothing like the pick up on this guitar totally different design. This pickup has two huge magnets side by side parallel to the blade about 50mm x 15mm x 10mm haven't measured them yet with a keeper on each end which straddles both magnet. The blade is also unusual in that it is split in the middle with a brass spacer between, each half of the blade is a part of a keeper. The keepers are also pulled together with a piece of threaded rod with a nut at each end. There is also a thin piece of non magnetic material between the magnets.
I have never seen a pickup made in such a complex fashion. I think it may be unique I have never seen one like it anyway. And at 15k4 ohms has quite a high resistance as opposed to CC's which are probably half that. I'm so intrigued by this I' m going to make one copying this design and stick it in a normal guitar and see what it sounds like just for fun. This guitar sounds stunning to my ears anyway. I need to check the pole orientation of the magnets as well.
Rod |
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Rod Welland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 25 Mar 2016 11:52 pm
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Another thing that's unusual on this guitar as opposed to other lap steels is that the strings normally cross a metal bridge on this one the bridge has a Bakalite like material set into the bridge which the strings rest on.
Rod |
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