Vintage Guitars Info - Gibson lapsteel vintage guitar collecting Vintage Guitars Info's Gibson Lapsteel Model Descriptions. History, collecting Gibson lapsteels vintage guitars.
Private vintage guitar collector. Pictures, history for Gibson lapsteels vintage guitars. Pre-War Gibson LapSteel Model Info. Post-War Gibson LapSteel Model Info. A Note on LapSteel Collectibility.
I don't individually rate each lapsteel model for collectibility, because they all pretty much fall into a 'D' or 'D-' category. Remember, they are basically obsolete instruments by todays standards. Therefore they are only interesting as historical sidenotes. Pre-War LapSteels 1939 EH-150 LapSteel. Model: EH-150/E-150 LapSteel Available: 1935 to 1943 1935 E-150 Metalbody LapSteel introduction specs: cast aluminum body, guitar-shaped body with shoulders angled into neck (at a sharper angle than wood EH-150's), Charlie Christian pickup with bound blade, 2 knobs on opposite sides, unbound ebony fingerboard with 'V' end (a few with rosewood), inlaid fret markers, metal nut, open back tuners with metal buttons, black painted logo.
98 Metalbody instruments shipped, available 10/1/35 to 3/9/36. January 1936 EH-150 Woodbody LapSteel introduction specs: hollow guitar shaped body, shoulders taper into neck more gradually than earlier metal model, maple top (often flame maple), screwed-on back, Charlie Christian pickup with bound blade and unbound outer edge, 2 knobs on opposite sides, triple bound top (early models with single bound top), bound rosewood fingerboard with V-end, pearl fingerboard inlays, pearl logo, no peghead ornament, sunburst finish, 6 or 7 strings (more strings optional). 1937 EH-150 LapSteel specs: glue-on bound back, bound outer edge of pickup, knobs on same side (1 black, 1 brown), triple bound top and back, 4-piece diamond peghead inlay. 2 neck version available 1937-1938. 1938 EH-150 LapSteel specs: pickup blade split in middle (pickup magnet underneath top changes to horseshoe shape), triple bound top and back, chrome plated bridge cover. November 1939 EH-150 LapSteel specs: ES-300 type oblong pickup mounted at a slant. Late 1940 EH-150 LapSteel specs: Fleur-de-lis peghead inlay.
1941 EH-150 LapSteel specs: square-end metal fingerboard with fancy markers. October 1942 EH-150 LapSteel specs: Solid mahogany body, 5 sided metal control plate, metal covered pickup with raised center (some with tortoiseshell material in center), knobs on opposite sides, triple bound top, single bound back, metal fingerboard, fleur-de-lis peghead inlay (specs identical to the EH-125 except for a trible bound top). EH-150 discontinued 1943. 1938 EH-100 in sunburst. Model: EH-100 LapSteel Available: 1936 to 1941 Early 1936 EH-100 LapSteel introduction specs: hollow guitar shaped body, shoulders taper into neck, all maple body, ES-100 type blade pickup with white rectangular housing, 1 knob on treble side (late 1936 models with 2 knobs on opposite sides), rosewood fingerboard with square end, dot fingerboard inlays, silkscreened logo, black finish, 6 or 7 strings.
1937 EH-100 LapSteel specs: sunburst finish. Late 1937 models with 2 knobs on treble side. 1940 EH-100 LapSteel specs: solid mahogany body, metal-covered pickup, 5 side control plate sourronds knobs and pickup, knobs on opposite sides, no body binding, square-end metal fingerboard with fancy markers (some with rosewood fingerboard and pearl dots), point at top of peghead, silkscreen logo, natural mahogany finish. EH-100 discontinued 1941. Model: EH-125 LapSteel Available: 1940 to 1942 1940 EH-125 LapSteel introduction specs: guitar shaped solid mahogany body, shoulder taper into neck, metal covered pickup, 5 sided metal control plate, metal bridge cover, single bound top and back, metal fingerboard with fancy markers, fleur-de-lis peghead inlay, pearl logo, sunburst finish. EH-125 discontinued 1942.
Bolt-on back Roy Smeck Special lapsteel, 7 strings. Model: Roy Smeck Special LapSteel Available: March 1936 to 1941 March 1936 Roy Smeck Special LapSteel specs: A white finished EH-150 (bascially follows the EH-150 specs except for color and binding style), 'V' end ebony fingerboard with w/b binding, dot inlays, black peghead binding, 6 or 7 strings. Says 'Roy Smeck' on peghead just above the nut. Diamond crest on peghead. 1941 Roy Smeck Special LapSteel specs: last few shipped have natural finish, tortoise binding, and white painted hardware. Only 14 shipped total.
The whole transaction started with an e-mail I received from a guy who wanted to sell me a 50's jackplate. Ended up with me purchasing one of THE nicest condition vintage Gibson BR-9 Lapsteels, original case and matching Amp I have EVER come across!
An 'Under-The-Bed' special!! The only problem is, I have NO IDEA what year the lapsteel was manufactured! There is no serial number on the back of the headstock. It wasn't removed, it came stock from the factory without one. I won't bore you with a lot of superlatives, but just check out the photo of the pickup (from a 'looking down the neck' angle). NOT ONE spec of rust!! Issues: 1) A small, rough patch on the back, where the owner told me used to be a piece of velcro.
2) A slight ding on the lower bout below the strumming area. 3) I have no fucking idea how to play one of these! Click on any 'thumbnail'. I use Jagwire strings for lap steel. You probably haven't heard of them.
But they are handmade, and great quality. They make three 'Steel Guitar Forum' sets for three different lap steel tunings.
E major or A major tuning is fun, easy and great for blues and rock. However, the great advantage of 6th tunings (C6, A6) is that if you treat the 6 as a root, it gives you a minor chord without having to slant the bar. Drop me an email and I'll send you a PDF of a magazine article I wrote with lots of info.
Enjoy that BR9, it looks great. BurstMeUp, Here's a link to 'THE' resource for steel guitar and lapsteel. Scotty set the standard years ago.and folks that have gone through his shop are the who's who of the music industry. Buddy Emmons to Jerry Garcia. I picked up lap steel playing over the past year and find the E 7th tuning the easiest to adapt to any tune. It is a blast to play!!
Gibson Lap Steel Serial Numbers
Look at Scotty's site for 'strings, non-pedal'.and you'll find Item #SIT6E7 for the perfect set to work with. There's also lots of music available in the C 9th key.but I find the E 7th more easily playable on the fly.
It's much more intuitive and easy to jump in with to augment any tune. If you're looking for a pedal.the Goodrich model 120 is the place to start. I would not go with other volume pedals.too much coloring. When we gig.I use channel one Vibrato of my Deluxe Reverb for guitar.and channel two Vibrato for the lapsteel. Using the volume pedal.I have the lapsteel ready to go with just a foot rotation. Scotty is still around and doing well.
Gibson Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers
He has an assistant Don Curtis who teaches and he's a great wealth of information as well. Scotty's son works in the shop but is a non-player. Try it.you'll love it!!