New Guy, with a 1939 VEGA model 100

[Craig McClure]

Hello all, i'm 77, retired, & southern by choice. Ever since the early 1950's I've been thrilled by steel guitar music. I've waited so long to act on it because a world of info has opened up to info that was near impossible to know back when. As an un-wealthy retired educator & banged up sport motorcyclist, less hazardous thrills are a sensible pursuit. I'm nearly finished improving a scavenged early ROGUE Lap steel.
I admit a fondness for historic items that are beautifully made with an Iconic presence. In saving up for a NEW instrument, I came across the Lap Steel in the Title & bought it - even though it was untested, & likely needed work. After getting it home, I tuned its original strings t0 C6, then plugged it in to my little 9v. practice amp. with 3" speaker, & got a huge surprise. IT PLAYED, despite the dust & surface corrosion on Magnets & aluminum. In fact it sounded clear, rich & lush - through my little amp. Only fault: is the Volume & Tone Pots are frozen - probably where they were set decades ago. It cleaned up nicely & IMO is beautiful, & well preserved. the high gloss finish shows minor crazing as 85 year old Shellac can. Its Knobs are original. Not even any Moth holes in the red felt backing. I am completely thrilled with it, & would love to hear some remarks & am seeking information & guidance. ?
No hurry to fix/replace pots - but I should have appropriate USA made replacements - IF original pots are not repairable. I've read the early horseshoe pickups are low output. My Horse Shoe magnets are 7/8" wide & 3/16" thick they are NOT strong magnets, but had a couple of debris paper staples stuck to them. The Wooden big end is 2" thick & heavy, & tapers to head. The nut appears to be bone, The fret board appears to be rosewood with MOP Dots.
WHAT IS THE BEST C-6 STRING SET TO BUY FOR IT ? What POTS ? What modern replacement Capacitor ? OTHER ADVICE ???? Thank up Front, Craig

[Noah Miller]

You can measure the pots and cap to see what their values are. Sometimes very old electrics use pot values that aren't common anymore, but 250K-ohm or 500K-ohm would be standard modern replacements. I wouldn't worry about country of origin; that's not any indicator of quality. Cap values from the '30s have likely drifted, but measuring what's in there now will give some idea of which way you want to go for the new one.

This is not a low-output pickup. It's possible for the steel magnets to lose some charge over time, but they can be re-charged. It may not be as hot as the full-size humbucking Vega horseshoe pickups, but I'd expect it to be at least as loud as whatever came in the Rogue.

[Jack Hanson]

That is a wonderful vintage instrument in stunning cosmetic condition for its age. It wouldn't hurt to pull the knobs and let a drop or two of Triflo -- or another light oil -- dribble down the shaft of each pot. Let gravity do its work and allow it soak in for awhile, and there's a possibility they may loosen up. And there's a slim possibility that it could be as good as new (but don't count on it). If it works, great! If not; Plan B. Might as well give it a shot.

If you need to replace the pots, I would concur with Noah's advice. And given the horseshoe pickup, I would consider wiring it up like a Ric.

ps -- I would sooner have that Vega than a container load of Rogues (but that's just me).

[Craig McClure]

Hello Jack. I agree with Noah's advice. & second your sentiments. I'd been experimenting to improve my scavenged Rogue - but NOTHING will make it as good as the VEGA. In cleaning the VEGA up I began letting some good penetrating products work on the Pot stems, but realize that any twisting on the stems could move & damage the old wiring. I read that some older pots can be opened, & cleaned from the rear - I'd prefer that, & a perfect time to disassemble & buff up the big aluminum plate, before reassembly, & restringing.... THANKS FOR THAT ADVICE

WHAT would be the IDEAL brand & weight of a C6 set of strings for the VEGA & other lap steels ??

I had been saving for a clone of an early Gibson Lap steel - when I came across the VEGA, which was the surprise of the decade - & a keeper.

[David Matzenik]

Wow! Nice guitar!

[Craig McClure]

You can measure the pots and cap to see what their values are. Sometimes very old electrics use pot values that aren't common anymore, but 250K-ohm or 500K-ohm would be standard modern replacements. I wouldn't worry about country of origin; that's not any indicator of quality. Cap values from the '30s have likely drifted, but measuring what's in there now will give some idea of which way you want to go for the new one.

This is not a low-output pickup. It's possible for the steel magnets to lose some charge over time, but they can be re-charged. It may not be as hot as the full-size humbucking Vega horseshoe pickups, but I'd expect it to be at least as loud as whatever came in the Rogue.

HOW DO THEY RE-CHARGE THE HORSE SHOES ? I read something about putting powerful button magnets on the horse shoes - I have a stack of them - but don't want to hurt anything with them - without asking first ??

[Paul Mageau]

I recently replaced the pots and cap on my 1940's Vega lap steel. I measured the stuck pots I have an it was a 25K audio taper pot. That is not typical by today's standards. I chose 250K(more common) for my fixes.

As for the cap it's a 0.1uF cap. You will hear that the type of cap(e.g. new old stock(NOS), orange drop) makes a huge difference in sound. As an electrical engineer and musician, the fact is that the difference will be very subtle if at all noticeable under normal temperature conditions. No need to buy a $6 orange drop cap from Stewart MacDonald. Any reasonably priced film or ceramic cap will do. Just make sure you get a non-polarized capacitor. If you really want an orange drop type cap, buy from a film capacitor(same type as an orange drop) for $1.17 at Digikey

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/det ... 104/302564
Let me know if I can help further !

Paul

Orange Drop Myth Busting :
https://www.mouser.com/applications/aud ... nge-drops/