Gibson EH-100: does this seem like a good deal?

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Hello folks,
I'm looking at this and considering buying it as I need a lap steel and I've heard that the pre-war Gibsons sound awesome. I know I'm risking someone snagging it, but could you good people with more experience with these instruments tell me if it looks authentic, and if that is a good price for what it is, it's condition, etc. The price is bit high for my pocket, but I don't mind investing in vinatge guitars if it seems like a good price and I can resell later if I need to.

Here is the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/1930S-GIBSON-EH-100-STEEL-LAP-GUITAR-EXCELLENT_W0QQitemZ7352947384QQcategoryZ33040QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks for your help!
Cliff

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Cliff,

They're good guitars, but they don't have the same sound as the EH-150. If you're looking for "awesome sound", you want the EH-150 with the Charlie Christian-type pickup.

This lap steel does appear to be in very good shape, with only normal cuts and bruises from being around 60+ years.

For what it's worth, I sold mine two years ago for around $450 in similar condition. Given how eBay has been running lately, this is probably an okay price.

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Thanks, Brad,
I thought this was the one with the Charlie Christian pickup. I guess I was thinking of the EH-150. I thnk I'll pass on this one and hold out for an EH-150.

Thanks a lot for your help, much appreciated!

Chuck Fisher · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.

Gad, i think it might be my old one!!!

I like these models, I think the pickup is very similar to the old eh-150, the guitars arent as ornate, but the back doesnt get the 15 or so screws holding it together, which are ugly but makes the eh-100 hard to service pots or electronic bugs. (but more elegant IMO)

The price is pretty OK, this one has less common florentine fingerboard-end.

BTW there is a plunky-hollow sound to these, an authentic woodiness. They don't sustain like a stringmaster or a bakelite. A great bluesy honkytonk Duane-Eddy kind of sound came out of mine.

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

Folks out there looking for old lap steel guitars should know that an excellent place for finding them is at the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Conventions in Winchester, Indiana (July) and in Joliet(October).

You not only see them, but you can play them to try and see if it is a fit.

The internet is a guessing game, or a gambling game.

The only drawback to finding a steel guitar at the conventions is that it might not be the specific one you are looking for.

But after seeing and hearing the various guitars you might change your mind.

Just trying to help.
Aloha,
Don

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Chuck, I'm still thinking about the EH-100 I played over at your place a few years ago and fell in love with. Sweet, sweet tone.

Kevin Ruddell · From: Toledo Ohio USA

Don ;
Can you give us any details on the HSGA convention you mentioned that takes place in July at Winchester Indiana . I wasn't aware of this event

thanks

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

Kevin,

The Hawaiian steel guitar convention in Winchester, Indiana is sponsered by the Aloha International Steel Guitar Club and occurs always on the first Thurs through Saturday after the July 4th holiday.

The atmosphere is small town homey. A lot of the Hawaiian players like it because it reminds them of Haleiwa, Waipahu, Wahiawa, small towns in Hawaii.

Aloha,
Don

Chuck Fisher · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.

Bill,

That EH-100 went to a new home, I love them, but as you know my physical condition wouldn't allow me to turn those antique pots, and they are sealed in, and original, so I use an EH-150 which is openable and contains new modern pots.
The EH-100s have the same wide-aperture blade and single-coil bobbin albiet squared-corners on the bobbin, in my book is still a Charlie-Christian-type pickup. The body not having the screws in the back and the almost gaudy highly-figured maple (of the eh-150) makes it very elegant-looking.

The pointed ends of the original eh-150 pickup I guess is the only genuite CC pickup, but electronically it looks the same to me. There are blade differences in the different years of both guitars, but the main deal for the tone is
1. wide blade (aperture)
2. single coil with heavy scatter-wound wire
3. looseness of old windings causes microphonic behavior

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Chuck,
I have a late 30's Grande Console D-7. It has Charlie Christian pickups, but it has screws for the pole pieces, not the blades. Do you know anything about these pups? Transitional?
JB

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Hey Chuck:

Good to hear from you.

In a week or so I'll be playing at the HSGA in Joliet on a borrowed EH-150. I've played that instrument before and I'm pretty sure it also has a blade pickup. Both your 100 and this 150 sound great to my ears.

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

i have both an EH100 & an EH150
believe it or not i find that they sound pretty much the same

Cliff, that EH100 looks original to me
now if it sounds as good as it looks & the price don't get too high, you could have yerself a nice steel

Max Laine · From: Pori, Finland

Here's an EH-100 cracked open. Is the EH-150 different except for the notched blade and black color? http://koti.mbnet.fi/maxvaari/EH100.jpg

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Max, thanks for sharing that photo. Is it dfficult to open up the body on the EH-100?

Cliff

Willis Vanderberg · From: Petoskey Mi

Hi Clifford:
I just had the back off a EH-100. It is not diffacult. Remove all the small screws around the outside edge of the back. DO NOT attempt to remove the four larger screws, in the middle of the back. These are to adjust the height of the pickup in relation to the strings.Someone had tried to remove these four screws and the pickup was in contact with the strings.

Old Bud

Max Laine · From: Pori, Finland

Cliff, sorry I didn't mean cracked open literally, it has the back attached with screws. The one on the auction above has glued-on back.

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Hi Bud and Max,
the screws on the back seem like a good idea, but on one with a glued-on back (like the one in the auction, as Max points out) how can a person get to the pots and other components?

Thanks,
Cliff

Chuck Fisher · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.

John - I dont have any real experience with the pole-type pup on the ConsoleGrand you mentioned, I think that pickup is used on the EH-185 which I lust after. The blade pickup has less horizontal sensitivity than vertical, making the tone kinda "phase" more than a pole-type which has more even response to horizontal and vertical string motion. Perhaps Howard or one of the guys that has a Gibson Orgy going on might comment on that particular pickup.

Also, on the EH-100 back, I cant see an easy way to fix the electronics, that big plate is sitting on springs w thru-bolts for pup-height, ground wire fastenings look like you can't fish stuff out the pickup-hole. Looks like split back off with razor. Most are unbound, if you do an ugly job a luthier could put on binding to cover it. Or you could -cringe- put screws in it. (I could not do this) I think the back would come off easy, the hide glue on my EH-150s top let go, its old hide glue... The sides are cold-molded ply and pretty much unbreakable.

Max Laine · From: Pori, Finland

Luthiers use steam to open glued seams on stringed instruments, I can't see why it couldn't be used here? Probably calls some finish touch-up afterwards.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Chuck, thanks for the reply. I just did some surfin' and it appears that the EH-185 came with a CC pup, and later, the ES-300 pup. I couldn't find any that had a CC with screw-in polepieces like mine. Mine are definitely CC's, and the guitar is very fancy. The florentine fretboards, bound, with the biggest pearl block fret markers that I've ever seen. And it's black. JB

basilh · From: United Kingdom

You say

Chuck Fisher · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.

Big plate has 2 big bar magnets stuck on it. I heard some eh-150s had a big military-magneto-style horseshoe on the plate too, but I didn't see that.

Maybe Jason Lollar will tell us his experience.

That Console Grand sounds like its nice, black, most I see are maple...

I think these and eh-100s are undervalued.

Baz, how are you liking that EH-185?

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