C. E. Jackson
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Posted 16 Oct 2018 11:23 am |
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Bryan Martin wrote: |
Jack,
What is your opinion of the 185 in relation to the pre-war EH150 and 100?
Also, I always wanted to know which one of those guys in your forum picture is you.
From the very cold and very snowy, Great White North, Bryan |
Bryan, Admittedly, I have no firsthand knowledge of any of the prewar Gibson lap steels besides a 1943 EH-125 that I purchased as a carcass and am presently in the process of bringing back to life. My opinion is based solely on the posts from Forumite C.E. Jackson, who has one of the premier collections of prewar Gibson steel guitars.
Perhaps my choice of the words "holy grail" may have been a tad too strong. (Mr. Jackson, feel free to chime in here).
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Jack, thanks for your comment on my collection of prewar Gibson steel guitars. The favorite vintage steels in my collection are the Gibson EH-185(s). Over the years, I have collected 14 EH-185 steels, one of each model/type that Gibson shipped: 6 string, 7 string, 8 string, 10 string, diagonal pickups, and Charlie Christian (U-magnet) pickups. These are great vintage steels!
C. E. Jackson 
_________________
My Vintage Steel Guitars
My YouTube Steel Guitar Playlists
My YouTube Steel Guitar Songs
A6 tuning for steels |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 16 Oct 2018 11:51 am
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Hello everyone. I came across this post while trying to figure out what my grandpa's lapsteel is worth. Someone posted a picture that looks just like his. He recently passed away; none of us are players (unfortunately), and we have to sell it because we need the money to pay off the many medical bills he left behind.
Jack Hanson, Jim Sliff et al, you seem to be experts on this. How much should I be asking for this? |
I'm not Jack, Jim, or even et al, but there are a few clear things about your steel:
1. It's not a 1958-59 version with the very valuable Gibson PAF humbucker pickup on it. Yours has a P90 pickup of the typical mid-50s type, and the knobs, if original, also appear to be the early-mid-50s type.
2. The 2017 Vintage Guitar Price Guide lists Gibson Ultratones in excellent, original condition in the $850-1100 range, regardless of date. Note that this is a "retail" type of price that one would expect to see in a vintage guitar store.
3. Right now, I see three on reverb.com ranging from $895 to $1399 in what looks to me in very good to excellent condition. Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island sold one for about $1100. All of these show the earlier oval pickup (late 40s or very early 50s).
Using those examples as a gut-check, I'd say the price guide range is in the general ballpark of a retail type of price. That price guide is pretty generic for steel guitars, but yours looks like a pretty standard version of the guitar. You have a very nice steel, it appears to be in very good to excellent condition. I don't see anything changed, but one would need to inspect it more carefully to say that for sure.
As pointed out earlier in this thread - examples with an original PAF humbucker would command much more money because guitar players like to take out the pickup and put it on a 6-string guitar. But you don't have to worry about that.
Also remember that estimates like this are just estimates. What you can get for an instrument depends on other things besides the guitar - terms, location, and other things make a difference. But hopefully it gives you some ballpark idea where to start. |
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