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Post new topic Can someone price this for me? Very new to lap steels.
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Author Topic:  Can someone price this for me? Very new to lap steels.
Chris Pass

 

From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 1 Mar 2009 8:48 pm    
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I've played guitar for a decade and I've been wanting to pull the trigger on a lap steel for the past 8 months or so... and I'm finally going to do it.

I really don't know what's good and what's not. I'm definitely looking for something that plays well and that's going to last me (as in, i'm not going to need to "trade up" real quick).

a friend of mine has a gibson ultra-tone from the mid 50's he's wanting to sell.




not sure if this is a good player, worth buying, how much to offer, etc etc etc.

can anyone help me out with the pricing on this lap steel, some info on it, or maybe info on some others i should look at?

Thanks!
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 1 Mar 2009 8:56 pm    
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For what it's worth (no pun intended), here's a recent eBay sale that went for $716.

Link to auction on eBay.
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George Keoki Lake


From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
Post  Posted 1 Mar 2009 10:11 pm    
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As far as the quality is concerned, no problem. That was a good model. The only drawback was the
decorative cover over the bridge which inhibits proper r/hand blocking and/or muting. With this model, I think the cover could be removed quite easily, but be sure to save it in a safe place. Price ? Around 700.00 to 800.00 is about right.
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Ron Whitfield

 

From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2009 11:01 am    
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Look for the P90 PU that was used in some of these, the earliest models, probably. Most users prefer the tone/s on those.
These look great, but you can do even better sound and price wise, and these are (usually?) only available in 6 strings.
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Chris Pass

 

From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2009 12:19 pm    
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thanks very much for the info!

i can see how this ultra tone might give me some problems when muting.

can anyone suggest an alternative that would be the best bang for my buck in the $600 ball park?
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Ron Whitfield

 

From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2009 1:28 pm     I'll say it again...
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www.dynalap.com
You can get two excellant sounding and playing steels for $600.
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2009 2:17 pm    
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Here are a few on offer. Someone more knowledgeable than I can comment about their quality and pricing.

http://www.musicgoround.com/search.aspx?q=+steel&cid=8&scid=0&sid=0&z=&d=10&min=&max=&c=10&ob=6
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Richard Shatz


From:
St. Louis
Post  Posted 4 Mar 2009 3:53 pm    
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Chris,
That's one of the later high end Ultratones, late 50s I think. It probably has a P90 pup. What is unclear to me is the other hardware, i.e. the tuners and tone and volume control knobs.
It looks to be in great shape. I think it's probably original equipment. I have one that looks just like that except for the tuners and control knobs, which are from a slightly earlier era based on the tuner and knobs.

http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r39/rnshatz/Gibson/?action=view&current=9568.jpg

It's a great sounding player, but I agree that you need to remove the pickup/bridge cover for muting purposes.

It's also a beautiful Gibson instrument. This particular model is fairly uncommon. I don't think $700 is too much for something of this quality in this condition, but on the other hand times are tough and some things aren't worth what they were a year ago.
All I can say is that it's a good and collectible instrument. I certainly think $600 is reasonable and in a few years if you want to sell it, it won't be worth much less, but it might be worth more. JMNSHO.
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