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Topic: Help Needed With Identifying Hager Lap Steel |
Michael Harrington
From:
Ann Arbor
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Posted 26 Apr 2017 11:24 am |
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Hi Steel Forum,
I'm reaching out to try and find any info on a lap steel I discovered after my grandfather passed. It was lying in his attic without a case and what appeared to be the original strings. Along with the guitar are various types of bars- a bullet, dobro style bar, and two gold bars that read "ELTON" (see pictures). There are a couple of Hawaiian method books by Nick Lucas and Roy Smeck as well.
Some history: My grandfather worked and taught at a music shop in (I believe) Kalamazoo, or near by- called Hager music. There's also a stamp on the headstock that reads "singing HAGER guitar". His name was Bob Harrington, who was also known as the "Flying Mayor", as he worked for American Airlines and was mayor of East Ann Arbor in Michigan back in the OLDEN days.
If anyone has info related to this, I would be ecstatic. He unfortunately passed before I became serious in playing music and this guitar was never mentioned much while he was around. None of my other family members and relatives seem to know much of it's history, either.
Thanks for reading-
Michael
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2017 12:12 pm
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Hi Michael,
I have no info on your guitar, but as a fellow Michigander, I did want to say hi, and thank you for educating me a bit on "East Ann Arbor" which I'd never heard of before (I've lived in the A2 area for a few decades now - currently in Chelsea). But, sure enough, East Ann Arbor was a real thing!
http://pittsfieldhistory.org/index.php?section=history&content=east_ann_arbor
That guitar sure looks cool, though - neat knobs, and I love the little squares of "brake light plastic!" |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2017 12:38 pm
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The pickup assembly looks like a Regal. Quite likely your lap steel was built by Regal as a private-label instrument. I once had a Recording King (by Regal) with the same pickup, and it sounded wonderful. Great heirloom; congratulations on your attic find.
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Michael Harrington
From:
Ann Arbor
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Posted 26 Apr 2017 1:20 pm
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Andy- I sent you a PM about meeting up sometime as I'll be in Chelsea playing in a few weeks. Funny story about that plastic- when I took this guitar to my local tech, he seemed to think that was done later on. I am willing to bet that my grandfather was responsible- he was a tinkerer and it runs in the family..
Jack, thank you for the info. The pickup on my guitar is somewhat dead and I've been meaning to get it fixed- but nonetheless, it's still a very cool guitar. One thing that has me thinking is the extra mold in the bridge piece, under the right knob. Was this used for something? My steel has this same design and I'm wondering if it was made other than for aesthetic reasons. |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 26 Apr 2017 1:27 pm
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deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 12:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Michael Harrington
From:
Ann Arbor
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Posted 27 Apr 2017 5:53 am
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| Michael, thanks for the great info and for getting rid of more of the mystery involved with this guitar! I figured the "bump up" was used for something like a cord but wasn't sure. Neat!! |
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