Fantom1, to the best of my knowledge they had a single coil in them. Probably not a p-90 (damn it!!) i have one sitting to my left even as i type this. Sometime in the next 2 weeks (with the help of a friends digital camera) i will slowly disasemble it to see what is inside.
This puppy has never been gotten into or does it apear that anything has been removed or replaced except strings. Hoping to come up with date codes to determine its age. It has been in my posession since '70 or '71 ( i think). My memory is getting a bit fuzzy as age (and my youth)creeps up on me. Will post as the project goes on. Just got back from a quick 'rehearsal' gig the news about the p-90 is tooooooooo sweet. The truth will be known soon enough.
There is absolutely no id type on the guitar itself. I hope the pot or cap codes will give an indication as to its age. $600 is not way too high if it includes the original gibby amp. Also, beware because (again my understanding) is the the jack plate will probably be a copy. They are the same ones that were used on the original LPs. I saw an auction wher an 'original' '50s jack plate went for over $150. Freaking crazy!!
The value of these axes by themselves is around $450. I will as soon as we begin to 'open' her up. Originally posted by stxrus $600 is not way too high if it includes the original gibby amp.
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Also, beware because (again my understanding) is the the jack plate will probably be a copy. They are the same ones that were used on the original LPs. I saw an auction wher an 'original' '50s jack plate went for over $150. Freaking crazy!! The value of these axes by themselves is around $450.
Please tell me where BR-9s are bringing $450! I regularly sell better lap steels than that for less. I guess if you can sell the jackplate for $150 and the steel was mint with a hardshell case, then it could bring that.
I have never seen a BR-9 bring more than $250-$300. And alomost all have lost that vintage jackplate.
Tw59, i base my information soley on some e-bay auctions i looked at when i knew the br-9 was winging its way back. At the time i had no idea about it at all. All i knew it was a gibson lap steel. Several searches turned up the fact that is was a br-9, but not much more info. So, maybe my pricing is off, but i have no other reference than ebay. I got this from a bass player that needed some cash and couldn't pay it all back.
He gave me this lap steel (i think he owed $25 or so). It got put away. And with the exception of 2 string changes and trying to learn the damn thing from a pedal steel book it has sat in a closet since '70-'71. Download opera mini 5 beta 2 handler apk.
It belonged to his dad. Who never really played it much. I feel the jack plate and everything else is original. Even the screw heads show no sign of ever being touched by a screwdriver. I'm probably just stuck in the old price mode.
To me a BR-9 was no big thing, because they were common. Great guitars though I have rarely seen a strong lapsteel market except for specific brands and models, and the BR-9 had never been 'sought after' by lap steelers. The price may be currently accurate. I don't trust ebay as a price barometer, because I see things sell both higher and lower than I am able to get in my store and at shows. It sounds like you have a great lap steel, and maybe it is time to try playing it again.;) Rock on.:dude. I am NO expert by any means. The br-9 was an introductory/student instrument that did come with an amplifier.
As soon as i get some pix i will post them. While this axe is no where mint it still is pretty cool. And now i can say spin i have a vintage gibson electric guitar spin the paint is gone from the top of the headstock and the heel, the open tuners are sorta jammed up (will try some graphite on them to loosen a bit), there are some dings and such on the body, and the fiberboard case has efinately seen better days. The plastic 'radio' knobs are just dirty and the plastic cover is without any breaks. The fretboard is in good shape and the dotted i gibson logo (painted i presume) is almost flawless. The original steel was lost a number of years ago.
I have no idea where it went. It was just not around one day. Tw59, you seem to know a fair bit about these. Could i email you with any questions i might have? Really looking forward to learning this puppy.
Stxrus, email me about any of this stuff. I have been intrigued by lap steels since I started getting into guitars.
BR-9s were a painted guitar with a painted stencil? logo that matched the common gold decal in size and font. Most BR-9s come with Kluson strip gears with the covered housings often robbed for Juniors. Uncovered Kluson strip gears were on the early ones late 40s I think. There is an odd variation were the finish is a wrinkle texture, which makes the logo 'blurry'. Fantom1, it seems only the last Ultratones had PAFs. No other Gibson lap steel did, that I can find.
The Gibson pedal steel EH-610 had a PAF, but with a black mounting ring and brown bell knobs!. I believe only 26 PAF Ultratones were made, based on my limited research with the help of others. They all seem to have 1958 serial numbers.
Not all Gibson lap steels got serial numbers. The records show some shipped in 57 besides 58 and 59 but I suspect these were left over P-90 models made a year or two earlier. Originally posted by kjs357 The most I've seen a BR9 go for was $350.
Like TW has said, these are actually quite common for their age. I have a like new one also with a mint case that I cannot give away. Sure you can (I have a like new one also with a mint case that I cannot give away.) just send it to me. E-mail me for the forwarding address. I will gladly take that stray off your hands. These little axes are beginning to get under my skin.
For the last 3 weeks i have kept it out of the case so i can just look at it. It is screaming, like a '30s tramp, for me to take her and just have my way. This is really a cool guitar. To have owned it for 30 years and never really seen it for what it is makes me feel goofy. Whatanassihavebeen (paraquoting hank spin anyways, send me that br-9.
It will have a great home, here in the caribbean.
1950 Gibson Lap Steel Guitar
DATING GIBSON GUITARS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL NUMBERS Gibson has used various methods of numbering from 1900, so it is not simply based on the serial number to identify the year of manufacture. From 1902 to 1976, Gibson instruments have a serial number or a FON (Factory Order Number) or both. However, in the beginning this was not done consistently, so that there are also be instruments without identification. Where to find the serial number The serial number is stamped or punched on the back of the headstock. If you want to know the production year of your Gibson guitar, you can calculate it with the serial number decoder, or find it in the tables below. Factory Order Numbers (FON) with a letter from 1935 to 1941. FON consists a batch number of usually four digits, followed by a one letter (sometimes prefixed by a space) followed by one or two digits (ranking).
1935-1937: Letter between the batch number and the order number. Apptoko download minecraft. 0123 A5. 1938-1941: Two or three letters before batch number. The first letter is the year. If there is a second character follows it is the code for the type of the instrument. (G = Gibson, K = Kalamazoo, W = Recording King (Montgomery Wards). If follows there is a third letter E, it stands for Electric.
Exceptions: Some high-end models and lap steels from 1939-1940 have been added the letter A, to the prefixes D, E or F. 1st Letter PRODUCTION YEAR A 1935 B 1936 C 1937 D en DA 1938 Ex (x = any letter) 1939 F en FA 1940 E (no sequel letter) 1941 G 1941 H 1942 Factory Order numbers with a letter from 1952 to 1961. The letter preceding the batch number in the FON, and indicates the year of production. The batch number, the first four digits of the FON, followed by a one or two-digit number. This letter shall stand before the FON lot number.
Y1234 23 This were used from 1952 to 1961 on archtop models and stamped on the inside of the F-hole. On flat tops it became the neck block stamped. FON PRODUCTION YEAR Z 1952 Y 1953 X 1954 W 1955 V 1956 U 1957 T 1958 S 1959 R 1960 Q 1961 Gibson serial numbers 1952 to 1961, solidbody model. An ink-stamped number from the back of the headstock.
Gibson released solidbodies in 1952. No serial numbers were used, Gibson just started therewith in 1953. The first digit of the serial number is the last digit of the year. If the stamped number consists 5 digits, there is a space between the first and second digit (a separation between the last digit of the year and the actual serial number). When a six-digit serial number is concerned, there is no space, because the highest number in four digits (9999) has been exceeded and so fills the space. This was the case in the years 1955, 1956, 1959 and 1960. In 1955, Gibson forgot to put back the serial number range to 0001.
So they had just put the year from 4 to 5. For this reason, the array of four-digit serial number was exceeded after 9999. Thence 5 digits and no space between the year (5) and the serial number. (After 5 9999 came 510 000) Evidently the production was high in 1956 because '6 9999' is exceeded. Also in 1959 and 1960 there was a high production, '9 9999' is exceeded for '932 000' or higher.
Therefore, the production in 1959 may be a '1', '2' or '3' in the second digit. Gibson stopped the stamped serial numbers at the end in 1960, although there are a few guitars made in 1961 with a '1' as a prefix. Some lap steels and Les Paul's from 1961 have such a serial number. Another exception to the above rules is in the autumn from 1958, where a some Les Paul Juniors and Specials had a four-digit serial number. 1st digit PRODUCTION YEAR None 1952 3 1953 4 1954 5 1955 6 1956 7 1957 8 At the end of 1958 had some LP Juniors/Specials a four-digit serial number without prior year digit.
1958 9 1959 0 1960 1 (rare) 1961 Gibson serial numbers, early to mid seventies. From 1970 to 1975, the 6-digit serial numbers randomly generated.
In a random sequence numbers were stamped on the back of the headstock. For some instruments, preceded by a letter. In 1970, the orange labels in the body of acoustic guitars were replaced by white with orange rectangular labels. The electrical models were provided with a rectangular with black and purple triangle.
It was also from 1970 'MADE IN USA' stamped on the back of the headstock. Some instruments from the fifties also had been such a stamp.
Gibson serial numbers, 1970-1975. At serialization in the 70s a random method was used. Guitars got six digits in any order, and in some cases they were preceded by a letter that none seemed to have no smeaningful sense.
Note that the series of between 1970 and 1975, may be an overlap from production in 1964 and 1965. The table below shows the years in which the numbers could relate.
Seral number range PRODUCTION YEAR 000000 - 0 100000 - 1 - 1975 200000 - 2 - 1975 300000 - 3 - 1975 400000 - 4 - 1975 500000 - 5 - 1975 600000 - 6 - 1972 and 1974 - 1975 Serials 1977-2013. The most sustainable numbering system Gibson was launched in 1977, an eight-digit number. The first and fifth digit representing the year of manufacture.
The three intermediate digits, the day of that year. The digits to six to eight gave the serial number. After opening of the new factory in Nashville, in the sequence numbers were also included the production site.
001 to 499 appeared on the instruments built in Kalamazoo, 500 to 999 built in Nashville. Even after the closing of the factory in Kalamazoo in 1984, this process was continued until 1989 in Nashville. In 2005 the system was upgraded to first digit at the end of the batch number was inserted. The sequence numbers were 500 to 699, after which the batch number 1 was increased, and the number returned 500.
Serial numbers 2014 to present. Gibson's most simplest system was introduced in 2014. A nine-digit serial number stamped. The first two digits indicate the year, the rest is a serial number for all guitars produced that year. Gibson serial numbers, from February 1961 until 1970. For all models, the serial number on the back of the headstock is stamped.
Some serial numbers are duplicated from 1963 to 1969. From this period, the 5-digit and 6-digit numbers can be confused easily and gives the wrong date. Serial PRODUCTION YEAR 0100 - 42441 - 61450 - 64240 - 71041 - (some 1963 en 1964) 96601 - 000001 - 0 (all 6-digit numbers starting with 0.
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Electric lap steel guitar by Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, ca. No serial number. Gift of Robert C. And Ruth Newman, Gainesville, Florida, 1991.
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Note: Click on any image below to see a larger image. The BR-9 electric lap steel guitar was introduced in 1947 for beginners. The fingerboard was numbered for ease of learning positions, and it sold, in 1949, for $52.50 (guitar alone) or $99.50 for a complete outfit with case and amplifier, as opposed to $250 for the professional-grade Console Grand mounted on steel legs.
Gibson introduced a similar student model, the Skylark (EH-500), in 1956, and by 1959 it was apparent that Gibson did not need two student-grade electric lap steels. The BR-9 was discontinued in that year, while the Skylark held on until 1968. The electric lap steel, first sold in the mid-1930s, declined in popularity in the '50s and '60s, while the star of the pedal steel guitar, which had gained great popularity in the hands of professionals like Speedy West, rose. The electric lap steel has recently experienced a revival, however, and it is once again being produced by numerous companies, including Gretsch, which calls its Electromatic lap steel 'a smooth, yet sonic blast from the past.' NMM 5207 was originally purchased by Floyd Smith Newman (January 6, 1906-February 14, 1964), M.D., who practiced medicine in the late 1940s and early 1950s in Shattuck, Oklahoma. Front, Back, and Side Views Fretboard and Peghead Views of Tailpiece, Controls, and String Attachment Amplifier Original Bar Return to National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069 ©National Music Museum, 2006-2014 Most recent update: March 24, 2014.
Most sources state that the lap steel guitar was invented by Joseph Kekuku in 1885. The story is that, at the age of 7, Kekuku was walking along a railroad track and picked up a metal bolt, slid the metal along the strings of his guitar and was intrigued by the sound. He taught himself to play using this method with the back of a knife blade. The instrument became a major fad in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. The instrument became especially popular in Hawaii, as musicians played in tent-rep shows. It was electrified in the early 1930s, and in 1932 the first production electric guitar was introduced, the aluminum Ro-Pat-In (later Rickenbacker) A22 “Frying Pan” lap steel.
This made the so-called “Hawaiian” guitar the first electric stringed instrument (just a few years before Les Paul and Charlie Christian modified their instruments). The earliest documented performance with an electrically amplified guitar was in 1932, by Gage Brewer.
The lap steel, dobro and pedal steel guitar are associated most closely with Hawaiian music, country music and bluegrass, though some players have used them in rock music, jazz, blues, and other musical genres. Go check out John Paul Jones, and Davil Gilmoure.!!Matching Gibson Amp EH-150 MkI available!! Specifications. Type: EH-150. Serial number: FG925-22. Body: Figured Maple with bound top and back. Fretboard: V-end bound Rosewood with 29 frets.
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Fretboard markers: Dot inlay. Pickup: U-magnet with multi bound black bobbin. Pickup adjusting screws on back. body depth: 2 1/8″. Finish: Cremona brown with Sunburst on top, back and neck.
Gibson Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers
Headstock logo: Pearl inlay pre-war script Gibson logo. Headstock inlay: Pearl fleur des lis inlay. Tuners: Nickel open gear with butterbean knobss. Bridge cover with hand rest Related products.
From: Los Angeles, CA Posted 14 Sep 2012 11:58 am Guitar people who don't know jack about lap steels value these - at least ask lots of money for them - because they're Gibson instruments made in that company's heyday and they have the earmarks - korina mahogany, the peghead logo - of some of the most sought after guitars they ever made - Flying V and Explorer. As steel guitars go they're unremarkable, maybe even not very good - that pickup leaves a lot to be desired.
There are so many great lesser cost vintage lap steel alternatives, that the prices people ask for Skylarks are absurd. Happens to be my number one lap steel guitar market pet peeve. Wouldn't mind owning one, if I found it for $100 in a thrift shop, but that's about all. From: McHenry IL Posted 15 Sep 2012 6:51 am I read somewhere on internet that they only built this model for 5-7 years 1960 - 67? Dont quote me.
Gibson Lap Steel Guitar Serial Numbers
From: Princeton, Ontario, Canada Posted 15 Sep 2012 10:28 am Here is a C/P from a vintage guitar site: Model: SkyLark (EH-500) LapSteel Available: 1956 to 1968 1956 SkyLark LapSteel introduction specs: korina (African Limba wood) body, square end body with straight line on bass side, slant mounted pickup, control plate has shoulder to include knob, body beveled around fingerboard, open block markers with numbers, peghead points slightly to treble side, raised plastic logo reads upside down to player, natural finish. 1958 Skylark Deluxe LapSteel specs: introduced 1958 (discontinued 1959) with dot markers, 'Custom Deluxe' stenciled on peghead. 8 string models also available. SkyLark discontinued 1968.
1976 Sho-Bud Pro II, 1976 Sho-Bud LDG, BF Fender Deluxe, BF Princeton Reverb.
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