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Topic: "American" brand 6-string -- Has anyone ever seen these? |
Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2017 8:16 am |
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Can anyone explain the 6-string "American" brand lap steel that was manufactured circa 1948, almost certainly by Gibson. It is virtually identical to the 1948 KEH (Kalamazoo Electric Hawaiian) aside from the branding silkscreened on the headstock. Here's the American:
Here's the KEH:
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Posted 8 Jul 2017 3:34 am
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I like the fret markers! You can read them!
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 8 Jul 2017 3:59 am
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Boy, can you! All the graphics looks the same as the Kalamazoo.
I'll bet it was built for a foreign market. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 8 Jul 2017 6:49 pm
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| For maybe a chain store, like Valco basic lap steels were..... |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2017 4:57 pm
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| Scott Duckworth wrote: |
| I like the fret markers! You can read them! |
| Charlie McDonald wrote: |
| Boy, can you! All the graphics looks the same as the Kalamazoo... |
| Bill Creller wrote: |
| For maybe a chain store, like Valco basic lap steels were..... |
Aside from the color, the fretboard graphics on both are nearly identical to the 1946-47 version of the Gibson BR-6:
Per Andre Duchossoir, the design is credited to Barnes and Reinecke, the Chicago industrial design firm who is the namesake of the Gibson "BR" series of postwar lap steels and amplifiers.
I'm inclined to agree that the American was produced either for export or as an exclusive entry-level price leader for a major jobber, music store chain, or retailer.
Would like to know how many American "KEH" lap steels like this one still survive out there. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 6:10 am
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Would like to know how many American "KEH" lap steels like this one still survive out there. |
There's at least one more - this set was sold by Gruhn's. |
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