1947/48 NATIONAL LAP STEEL GUITAR>

MoonDoggy · #1 01-30-2009, 12:19 PM

I'm selling this sweet vintage piece of history for a co-worker friend of mine. It was his dad's who got it new for his 16th birthday. (Apparently it has no sentimental value so my friend wants to sell it!) It is an electric lap steel from National. It has a bridge pickup with the 1/4" cord fixed to the guitar. The body top and sides are a silver pearloid material. It comes in it's original (and beat up) chipboard case w/ green felt lining.

The guitar is in good/ok cosmetic condition for it's age. The chrome on the bridge and pickup is worn. There is a quarter-sized piece of the plastic pearloid missing from the first 'step' on the top side of the guitar (shown in the last pic). There is also a crack in the pearloid on the bottom side of the guitar about 1 inch long. The white plastic tuner buttons are a bit chewed up and dry-rotted, but still function.

Here are some pics that my friend took of the guitar (there is a junky set of strings on it now):

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...20Lap%20Steel/

Please ask any questions or concerns and I'll try to dig up more information on this thing.

My coworker would like to get $300 out of it. (I'll ship worldwide, but shipping anywhere is at buyers expense.)

Thanks

Dan

sargebaker · #2 01-31-2009, 12:11 PM

oh man... I've been wanting one of these... The obvious: does it work?

MoonDoggy · #3 01-31-2009, 07:22 PM

Yes. It works. Suprisingly, the pots barely had any scratchiness to them, which is amazing for an instrument that hasn't been played in decades!

MMcC · #4 02-01-2009, 11:11 AM

I'm interested too. So this is still more instrument than antique? Alot of older vintage lap steels just feel and look gross and I can't imagine actually playing them.

MoonDoggy · #5 02-01-2009, 01:02 PM

Yes, this is fully functional and not just an antique novelty. For a 60-year old instrument, I'd say it's very playable. It's not like a fretted instrument where neck bow and high action is ever an issue! Structurally, this thing is great. Cosmetically, it's right where you'd expect an instrument this old to be, if not in better than expected condition.

When I first started researching these, I was a little disappointed (actually VERY disappointed) that they weren't worth more than a couple $100. I had really hoped my coworker was sitting on one of those Antiques Roadshow $2000 finds!!!

I played around with it using a distortion pedal through a small Gibson tube combo amp, and it had an awesome dirty delta blues tone to it. It also sounds great clean and would be great for country or Hawaiian music! Take into account I have no idea how to play it, but there's no arguing that it had great tone.

The local lap steel player in my area (the only one as far as I know) says if this was cut in half with a chain saw, it would still be worth $150 as long as the pickup works. It's definitely an instrument with life in it and it deserves to be played.

Thanks

Dan

sargebaker · #6 02-01-2009, 02:20 PM

yeah, that pickup is somewhat of a grail of moderate holiness... Argh... I realy don't think I can swing it at the moment.

MoonDoggy · #7 03-12-2009, 06:59 PM

The friend I'm selling this for could use some cash as he is worried about being laid off. (I already got the axe!)

He said to ask $250 obo. Any takers??

Thanks

Dan

MoonDoggy · #8 05-02-2009, 02:49 PM