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Topic: Inside every dark steel is a silver (well, aluminum) lining |
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 2:58 pm |
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"Aw, that's a shame, someone painted over a perfectly nice EH-150. Hang on, why is it silver under the paint chips? And what's wrong with the heel? And the body shape, and... wait a minute!" Thus, my brain eventually realized that it was seeing a 1935 E-150, misidentified and mis-priced as a much less valuable instrument.
That's why I frequently check Guitar Center's online vintage inventory: you never know what misidentified treasures will pop up. Remarkably, this is the third cast-aluminum lap steel I've purchased from them with a non-original paint job. (I've also gotten a '30s A-22 and a '50s Trotmore in similar condition. It turns out the Trotmore was painted by the original owner so I left it alone, but that Frying Pan cleaned up nicely.) This Gibson is slightly trickier because they got paint on the wooden fretboard, but it's still quite salvageable.
According to Duchossoir's book, this is the earliest bridge type used; it dates the instrument to late 1935. The serial, which was revealed by peeling back the felt on the back, agrees with this. The rosewood fretboards are supposedly a minority, but there seem to be plenty of pics of them online.
I've played one of these before, and it was hideously bright and noisy (which is how I usually feel about CC pickups - I know, I'm a heretic). This one is delightfully mellow, combining the best elements of Gibson and an original Frying Pan. Everything on the outside looks original except the paint, and the pots sound scratchy enough to be original, so I'm hoping that there have been no modifications or replacements aside from the aesthetics. Stripping paint off of aluminum steels can be challenging depending on the type of paint, but worst case it can always be buffed off. At least I know that the electronics work, which is more than I could say for my National prototype.
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Michael Greer
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 3:46 pm
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Noah
I suggest you watch a YouTube video tonight
Hank Williams 1952 hit " You Win Again "
Great find my friend
Mike |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 4:58 pm
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I'll have to give it a listen.
I managed to get the felt off the back and open it up - everything's still wired just like it left Kalamazoo. I also noticed that the pickup is a good 1/4" off-center, but even with these ancient strings I'm not hearing a balance problem. The paint is flaking off pretty easily, so this looks like an easy restoration. |
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C. E. Jackson
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 5:00 pm
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Noah, that is a great find. I have one and it has a super tone. Mine has an ebony fret-board. Here
is information from an earlier post.
1935 GIBSON METAL EHG
"The Granddaddy of Gibson Electric Steels"
Gibson EHG Bar Pickups (a.k.a. "Charlie Christian Pickups") And Other Information
Gibson's first bar pickups used a pair of large flat magnets, 4 1/2†x 1 1/4†x 3/8â€, made of
nickel and steel. By late 1937, Gibson changed to cobalt and steel. The Fret-board is V-end
unbound ebony–29 frets. There is a fret marker after the 29th fret.
Still sounds great and a pleasure to play. Truly a piece of steel guitar history. You will enjoy
playing that steel.
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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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 5:04 pm
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| Insanely cool story. This kind of stuff is the only reason I regret living 40-50 miles from the nearest GC. That's the only sort of taking advantage of stupid that I could live with. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 5:59 pm
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Oh it wasn't local - I had it shipped from halfway across the country.
I managed to scrape up a lot of the black paint, but there's a layer of silver underneath (not sure if it's paint or primer). I found some acetone and it's dissolving both layers. This might be my weekend project now. |
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John Dahms
From:
Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 20 Nov 2019 7:12 pm
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Noah, Thank you for being astute enough to recognize and save this one. Sometimes we win one. You sure did this time.
_________________
Time flies like an eagle
Fruit flies like a banana. |
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Tom Snook
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2019 2:10 am
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The pickup,bridge and headstock are dead giveaways,what was it listed as?and HOW MUCH 
ALOHA
_________________
I wanna go back to my little grass shack........ |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 21 Nov 2019 4:09 am
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| Tom Snook wrote: |
| what was it listed as?and HOW MUCH |
It was listed as a 1930s EH-150, painted black, for $449. Shipping and tax brought it to $527. I can live with that  .
Does anyone know if these were finished somehow? I assume they weren't lacquered because they haven't yellowed like Rickenbackers, but there's a picture in the Gibson steels book that appears to show pick wear through some sort of clear layer. Wax, perhaps? |
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C. E. Jackson
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Posted 21 Nov 2019 8:09 am
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| Noah Miller wrote: |
| Tom Snook wrote: |
| what was it listed as?and HOW MUCH |
It was listed as a 1930s EH-150, painted black, for $449. Shipping and tax brought it to $527. I can live with that .
Does anyone know if these were finished somehow? I assume they weren't lacquered because they haven't yellowed like Rickenbackers, but there's a picture in the Gibson steels book that appears to show pick wear through some sort of clear layer. Wax, perhaps? |
Noah, that was really a great buy at that price! I had a similar experience once, and
bought a steel and amp which appraised for 3x what I paid for it. Sometimes we find
some great deals.
I don't find but one song which I have recorded on my 1935 GIBSON METAL EHG. It
will give you some idea about the tone of these steels. It is on my YouTube site.
(NOW AND THEN THERE'S) A FOOL SUCH AS I
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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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2019 8:28 am
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| I have some water transfer decal paper and can probably make you a decal from C.E.s picture if you want. I know the original was probably silkscreened though. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2019 8:34 am
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I haven't bought any guitars from Guitar Center but I have bought some amps.
They advertise free shipping from one of there stores to another and I talked them into doing that on the amps.
They were shipped from the east coast and I'm quite sure the shipping amounted to more than what I paid for the amps.
Erv |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 21 Nov 2019 9:13 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| I have some water transfer decal paper and can probably make you a decal from C.E.s picture if you want. I know the original was probably silkscreened though. |
Thanks Glen - I already ordered a stencil, which is not quite the same script but very close. If that doesn't turn out well I may take you up on your offer. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 23 Nov 2019 12:39 pm
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95% of the way there.
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2019 1:20 pm
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| Quite the transformation! Congrats on a great find. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2019 7:21 pm
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| Lookin good. |
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