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Topic: Tri State or not Tri State |
Matt Berg
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2020 9:39 pm |
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Just picked this up item, and I've compared it to the Tri-State steels pictured on-line. https://reverb.com/item/35139971-unknown-lap-steel-40-s-50-s-sunburst
Seems to be the econo version of a Tri-State, and I'm not even sure if Tri-State was an independent or manufactured by one of the big Chicago companies. There are a lot of similarities (pickup, fret markings), but the body shape, pickup plate and tuners aren't identical and it has no logo. The tailpiece is the only feature that isn't at all similar to the Tri-State. Certain things like the knobs and the tuner plates look very close but not identical.
Any ideas what it is/who may have made it? |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 27 Aug 2020 1:46 am
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| Tri-State was a brand, not a builder. From the name, I think it's a safe bet they were a store. I've seen other steels bearing their name that were built by Guldan, but the steel in the Reverb link was built by Regal. |
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Matt Berg
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2020 9:16 am
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| Noah Miller wrote: |
| Tri-State was a brand, not a builder. From the name, I think it's a safe bet they were a store. I've seen other steels bearing their name that were built by Guldan, but the steel in the Reverb link was built by Regal. |
Noah, you are the man! Any info on Regal lap steels? Only info I can find here on the forum is in reference to their resonator guitars. The electronics and tailpiece on mine are substantially different, but I think you've nailed it based on the body shape.
Makes sense to me that some store ordered from one manufacturer and later re-upped from someone else, trying to make something similar. Not unknown for store brands to miss getting labeled, I have a Gibson made Montgomery Ward armpit guitar that's unlabeled on the headstock, but there's a tiny label inside. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 27 Aug 2020 9:42 am
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This body shape is probably post-War, which limits the date because Regal was bought out in 1951. The pickup is probably built by DeArmond.
The modern Regal brand of resonators is unrelated to the original company. |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2020 10:54 am
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Matt,
Your Gibson made armpit guitar sold by Montgomery Wards may have been branded as a "Recording King". |
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Matt Berg
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2020 4:53 pm
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| Greg Forsyth wrote: |
Matt,
Your Gibson made armpit guitar sold by Montgomery Wards may have been branded as a "Recording King". |
Yup, it has no name on the headstock whatsoever, just a tiny sticker inside the F Hole probably telling someone at the factory where it was destined. From what I've read, Sears and MW sold guitars without their respective brand names from time to time.... |
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