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Topic: Old VEGA nonpedal, 7-string |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 1 Nov 2001 7:00 pm |
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Got a new student who walked in tonite with a very retro- art-deco looking 7-string nonpedal steel made by VEGA. It has 5 push-buttons for various tone settings ("Contrabass", Bass, Mid, Hi, and Ultra High or somesuch language) and the strings fan out away from the nut and connect to knurled wheels for tuning. Each wheel is about 1.5" in diameter. Comes with 4 legs, twin-pole pickup, colored bars as fret markers. Very curious looking guitar, must be from the 40s I guess, or very early 50s.
Do any of you know any more about this guitar you can share with me and him?
Thanks,
Jim
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www.jimcohen.com |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 9:20 am
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Vega lap steels are relatively rare, and I have almost no information on them (not even model names). The only two model names I've been able to discover are the Odell and the DB-DG (which was a doubleneck eight string model).
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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 9:27 am
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Thanks, Brad. I think the owner is going to email me some digital photos of this horn, and I'll post em for all to see.
jc |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 10:28 am
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| All I can add is that Vega instruments were made here in Boston. From the two or three I've seen, I'd put them roughly in the same category as Magnatones, Supros or Kay brand standard guitars ... lower-end instrument lines. |
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Steve Feldman
From:
Central MA USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 11:08 am
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The 'Vega' company was originally founded by A.C. Fairbanks, who in ~1892 started making the finest b@njos of the day in the Boston area. It became the Fairbanks-Vega company in ~1922 and some of the old 'Tubaphone #9', 'White Laydie #7', and Fairbanks 'Electrics' remain some of the most beautiful (IMO, e.g., carved heels, delicate inlay, engraved German silver, etc.) and sought after acoustic instruments ever made.
Lap steels by Vega are a new one on me, however. [This message was edited by Steve Feldman on 02 November 2001 at 11:09 AM.] |
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Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 11:14 am
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| I've seen Vegas listed on Ebay from time to time, and they've looked like the Magnatone and similar steels. Most of them have been pretty beat up. Never saw a picture resembling the one you describe, though. |
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Eric Stumpf
From:
Newbury, NH 03255
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 11:53 am
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| ....there was one identical to the guitar Jim has described that sold on eBay about 3 or 4 months ago. I see Vega console and lap steels on eBay quite regularly and each and every one is unique. They do appear to be mid-line instruments. Some of their pre-war guitars were cast aluminum like the Fry-pans. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 12:13 pm
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| About 10 years ago, I owned one of the cast aluminum models for all of about 24 hours. I returned it 'cause I didn't feel it was a quality instrument. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 4:22 pm
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Gee, and I thought every kid on the block had one!
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 4:47 pm
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This one's an 8 string. The widest 8 string spacing I've ever seen on any steel. I use a 10 string bar for this one.
Check out the tuning wheels...they don't make 'em like they used to.......
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 5:06 pm
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I'll admit, I know very little about the Vega,or Fairbanks-Vega, not to be confused with Garcia y Vega. Upon close inspection, you'll notice that one of the tone buttons is a golf tee. This leads me to believe that this was a custom model that allowed you to knock off a shuffle, a hula, and a rag while playing the back nine!
No laughing Jody! You understand this mister?
(sorry folks)
[This message was edited by HowardR on 02 November 2001 at 07:13 PM.] |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 5:10 pm
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| Viva Las Vega! |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 5:11 pm
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Thanks, Howard! Yup, folks, that's the same guitar! How 'bout them tuning wheels!? I like those! And I forgot to mention the sliding volume control knob on top too! The pickup is different on this one vs the one I saw last night, and this one was 7-string vs 8-string.
What tuning do you use on this Howard? And, what do you figure one of these is worth?
[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 02 November 2001 at 05:25 PM.] |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 6:25 pm
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Howard
OIY VEY |
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Frank
From:
West Memphis, Ar . USofA, where steeling comes natural
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 7:31 pm
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| Last time I saw that many wheels , they were on passing me on the road. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 7:50 pm
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Folks, history was made this week. We witnessed the return of both Michael Jordan and Jody Carver. Oy vey is what can be said of Jordan's playing though.......
Jim, I have the Vega tuned to A6. In my opinion, it's a mid quality instrument. I picked this up on ebay about 2 1/2 years ago and paid about $350.00 for it. I don't really know what it would fetch today. I have only seen this model two other times since then and don't recall what they sold for. Eric Stumph mentioned that one was on ebay 3 months ago. Perhaps he would know what it went for. I'm also curious.
Andy, I'll post a photo of the metal Vega Sunday evening. It is very similar to the 1930's Dobro and National cast "horseshoe crab" lap steels. I believe that these were really cast zinc. |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 8:10 pm
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Howard
Im NOT BACK,,,,just stopped by,,,,,Im History |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 2 Nov 2001 8:11 pm
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Yes, Jody, you're 'history', as in 'living history'. That's why we like it when you just stop by!  |
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Eric Stumpf
From:
Newbury, NH 03255
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Posted 3 Nov 2001 5:15 am
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| ...HowardR....LOVE those pictures! What a cool guitar that is. The eBay guitar I was following is no longer in the eBay Completed Auctions file so I don't know what it went for at auction's close...I stopped looking in when it passed $400. Your instrument is in much better condtion and the eBay guitar was missing its legs. I'd say you got a really good deal. |
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Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 3 Nov 2001 6:56 am
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The comparison to Magnatone is an apt one, both in terms of the middling quality of most Vegas as players, and the company's fondness for all sorts of oddball designs and features. The Vega model I've seen most often is the black six-sting with multi-colored fret markers which often turns up with a matching amp; I think the model name of the amp, and maybe the guitar as well, is Challenger. I've also seen a very attractive sunburst model, guitar-shaped, also with multi-colored markers and binding.
Like Magnatones and Epiphones, the ones I've played have all been more show-than-go: desirable as wall hangers, but ordinary sounding. The only player of any stature I can think of who played a Vega was Bud Duncan, with Maddox Brothers and Rose, who used the black six-string mentioned above. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 4 Nov 2001 7:17 pm
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Here is the cast metal Vega. Andy, this guitar has a beautiful tone. I don't know how the Dobro or Nationals compare, but this one's a keeper.
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 5 Nov 2001 2:37 am
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| Interesting. This one is very different from the one I saw. Mine had a short scale, slid headstock, no star and purple felt glued to the underside. |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 6 Nov 2001 1:33 pm
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| Howard: Beautiful guitar! Is the pickup a Rickenbacher horseshoe? Rickenbacher apparently sold a number to other manufacturers, as I've seen or heard of them appearing on several, mostly obscure, brands of the period. I don't recall seeing a cast metal Vega with one, though. I played one of these instruments a few years ago, pretty beat up and with a conventional bar pickup. The sound was pretty thin, as I recall. You got a hell of a deal on this one. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 8 Nov 2001 2:02 pm
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| Ian, I think that you're right. I know that the pick up has historical value, according to the person that I bought it from. I cannot put my hands on a printout of the information at the moment, but I have an email to the seller and hopefuly I will receive some solid information. |
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