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Topic: Requesting info on old 8-string, 3-knee lever, steel guitar |
Kevin Dionne
From:
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 6:30 am |
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I came by this old 8-string, 3-knee lever violin shaped steel, with an old Gibson Falcon tube type amp with cover and spare tubes. Would like info on both value, how old, who made the guitar etc. One picture is attached to this post. I have others available on request. Please contact me by answering this post, or email Kvn_dionne@yahoo.com.
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 7:46 am
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This is almost certainly the brother of this lap steel discussed earlier. I don't think we ever found a maker but the name Wilkanowski came up as a possibility.
Someone went to a lot of trouble to build such an instrument, but until the previous one showed up, I had never seen such a model before.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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James Mayer
From:
back in Portland Oregon, USA (via Arkansas and London, UK)
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 9:11 am
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| I'd play that. The one in Brad's link, as well. |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 10:31 am
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| Wow. Incredible. |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 11:26 am
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I'd have bet the farm the one I posted about was a one-off, and now we find another!
I'm gonna freak until we know who the hell was producing such elegant steels?
I'd certainly like to see more of this one, Kevin.
How does she play and sound? |
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Kevin Dionne
From:
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 5:17 pm Adding other pictures of this guitar
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| I'm not sure how to add more than one picture of this guitar. If anyone can give me some advice, I will be glad to add the other pics. I have of the guitar and the Amp. Maybe someone will be able to better identify the builder and give us some history. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 5:39 pm
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| Do you mean the amp was made by the same who made the guitar? |
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Kevin Dionne
From:
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2011 7:52 pm Mystery Steel
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| Ron, No I was'nt implying the Amp was an oddity as is the guitar. It's just an old Gibson and it works, and I recieved it from the same individual as the steel. I'm assuming the Gibson was the Amp he played the steel through. Hopefully someone will be able to give me some advice on how to add the other pictures, which may help identify the original builder of the steel, and it's age. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 2:22 am
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I think we've tapped out the well on info for these, but the forum never ceases to amaze, so there's hope.
As for value, the usual, whatever one is willing to spend. Their looks say lots of $$$, but sound and playability heavily contribute to the equation. Few are paying $$$ for wallhangers nowdays, no matter how good looking. Have you played it? |
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Laurence Pangaro
From:
Brooklyn, NY
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 5:41 am
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Looks to me like that fret board was lifted off a Gibson EH-275.
LP
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 10:15 am
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| really neato! a gypsy lapsteel with levers. the 7 string the guy demos on you tube is too cool. like the other fella said,'very steampunk'. |
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James Mayer
From:
back in Portland Oregon, USA (via Arkansas and London, UK)
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 10:48 am
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I'm thinking about all these boutique lap steels that are out there and how they cost $$$$. None of them look nearly as cool as these violin steels. Purely subjective, but think most modern lap steels are pretty plain and even ugly.
I guess all those curves might be prohibitively expensive.....
Are they solid or hollowbodied? |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 2:22 pm
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| James Mayer wrote: |
| ... I guess all those curves might be prohibitively expensive..... |
A basic violin shape with some sexy curves is easy enough. Its the level of detail and hand work that puts something like these two unique examples over the top. There is some serious time invested in creating instruments like these, so yes, to 100% duplicate one today would be very expensive. Woodworking aside, just the lever system would be a huge time sink in itself.
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
Follow me on Facebook here |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 2:42 pm
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| Could it have been built into a Viola body? I mean,,, the Violin/Viola body looks older. |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 8 Nov 2011 4:03 pm
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| What a COOL guitar. Does it sound good? |
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Kevin Dionne
From:
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2011 4:09 pm Old 8 string steel
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Kevin Dionne
From:
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2011 4:21 pm Antique 8 string
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| I guess I was so intent on trying to get the other pictures on here so everyone could get a better look, I forgot to answer a couple of your questions, No I have'nt attempted to replace the strings and play it yet (this week, I hope, time permitting), and the body style is solid. Hopefully this might jog someones memory banks. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2011 5:33 pm
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| That era of Gibson amps are usually quite bright w/little low end, it'll color the sound clips a bit. But can't wait to hear them. |
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Kevin Dionne
From:
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2011 8:18 pm More amp pics
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2014 10:46 am
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I know this is a Zombie Thread, but Falcon's are cool amps. The older ones are better but the brown ones can be made to sound real good. I know a guy who collects them. The reverb is before the preamp so it's like using a Fender-style outboard reverb tank. You can turn down the volume to have a seriously renerberated signal coming out of the speaker. The monitor output is a line level tap off the OT (IIRC) You can preamp it into a larger amp that way, or a DI box.
There's a cap replacement you can do to improve the overall frequency responce. I have the details somewhere. I was collecting info on them for a while since I had one for a while, but sold it before I had a chance to have it recapped and brought up to spec.
That lap steel is crazy! I'd love to know more about who built it and what his ideas behind it were. |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2014 10:46 am
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I know this is a Zombie Thread, but Falcon's are cool amps. The older ones are better but the brown ones can be made to sound real good. I know a guy who collects them. The reverb is before the preamp so it's like using a Fender-style outboard reverb tank. You can turn down the volume to have a seriously renerberated signal coming out of the speaker. The monitor output is a line level tap off the OT (IIRC) You can preamp it into a larger amp that way, or a DI box.
There's a cap replacement you can do to improve the overall frequency responce. I have the details somewhere. I was collecting info on them for a while since I had one for a while, but sold it before I had a chance to have it recapped and brought up to spec.
That lap steel is crazy! I'd love to know more about who built it and what his ideas behind it were. |
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Michael Hogan
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Posted 23 Jul 2014 11:55 am Eh 275?
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| To me it looks like a heavily modified EH275 encased in a violin style body with a metal plate covering the original pick up and control cavities. Who would not want to own it? |
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