Identify vintage lap steel

[Roger Swallow]

I have a vintage lap steel that looks very much like a 1940's National needing repair. It closely resembles a 1949 gray perloid in its original 'Hullings' De Moine Iowa case. There is no 'National' badge on the headstock so maybe it is a 'Hullings' knock-off, I know nothing about vintage instruments. The size, shape, finish, pick guard, metal plate control knobs seem identical. It has a screw on jack output, not a ¼". The fingerboard has a white on black 'Art Dec' design like the '49 but a much different pattern. The overall condition of the finish is great no significant dings, etc.
Downside:
the machine 3-in-a-row pegs on each side are useless with the plastic knobs crumbled away.
The nickel steel pick-up plate is corroded and the pick-ups possibly useless. The volume/tone plastic knobs are missing and the pots look their age.
The metal wrist bridge over the pick-ups and strings is missing.
The condition of the electrics is unknown as I have never plugged it in, not having a screw-on jack anyway.
I would like to know what this instrument is... and I would consider getting it back to some kind of playing condition, at minimal cost, of course. I have no illusions of it being a valuable antique worth restoring but I would hate to see it crumble away if there is a viable alternative. So I have joined the forum hoping for some help. I will post photos...

[Roger Swallow]

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[Roger Swallow]

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[Jack Hanson]

It's a Valco for sure, circa 1954. Valco built Nationals, Supros, Airlines, Silvertones, Oahus, and a plethora of various house brands in Chicago from shortly before World War II until they went belly-up in the late '60s - early '70s. If I had to guess, I'd say it was a Supro. Noah will more than likely know the model and have a catalog photo.

[Jack Hanson]

It's relatively easy to refurbish the original Kluson tuner plates. Break off what remains of the disintegrating plastic, flush the old lubricant from the housings, relube, and rebutton. If you don't want to hassle with it, there are modern reproductions that will drop right in. Personally, I prefer the Japanese Gotoh TK-0700-001s, but there are Chinese knockoffs available too.

[Noah Miller]

It's most likely a Supro 1400 Supreme based on the fret marker pattern. It has a 1954 serial, and the grey pearloid is correct for that date, but the light fretboard was catalogued a year later (along with a red pearloid covering). This probably represents a transitional point between the two eras (the differences are only cosmetic).

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[Glenn Wilde]

The worst issue I see is the missing parts of the pickup, that is a string through design and it's missing it's side magnets and top plate. There is a thread going here about a similar guitar and the magnets are available but finding that top plate and screws might be hard.

[Roger Swallow]

Glenn, Noah, Jack, thank you all so much for your immediate replies. Wow! This is certainly food for thought. The tuners seem easy and I see the srew-on jack is not a problem, but the absence of all the pick-up components may be the governing issue. Although I will search down the post dealing with this issue, too. Thanks again guys. I do not play steel, so if the PU issue is prohibitive, I may hand it on to someone who would enjoy it.

[David Venzke]

Modern replacement magnets for the pickup can be purchased from Rick Aielo (NiBros) for very modest cost and a top plate could be fashioned from mild steel stock. Two of the pickup mounting screw holes are threaded for machine screws (the two closest to the volume and tone controls) and the other two (closer to the bridge) are through holes that allow wood screws to attach the bridge plate to the body (#6 or #7 screws IIRC). If you get a screw on cord, you can "tap test" the pole pieces in the pickup to make sure both windings are good before restoring the pickup completely. The guitar looks to be in restorable condition with a little time, effort, and expense. Good Luck!

[Glenn Wilde]

There's some value there if you just want to pass the project on, put in in the classified section and take some offers, someone here might have fun with it if you don't want to.

[Roger Swallow]

Thanks David, and again Glenn. All these tips are much appreciated... I think I may have a crack at it this summer – a fun project for sure if I can find space on the to-do list; maybe I will learn a lick or two! If not, I will probably hand it over. Watch this space....!

[Rick Rienks]

The ID as a Valco sounds correct. My ‘61 Supro has a pickup top (over the strings) plate similar to yours. I am guessing it enhances the magnetic field. I also notice the screw slots in the pole pieces. They must be screwed into something. The screw jack is old school but so am I. Consequently, I have at least one. This being the 21st Century, they may be as scarce as hen’s teeth. My Supro had bad tuners and I replaced them with new Gotoh locking tuners. I’m fussy about easy accurate tuning. Aren’t we all. Post length must be considered. These are short but a turn and a half on a locking peg is sufficient. There are many great musicians here with lots of experience in the mechanics of their instruments. I was a full-time repair guy for 20 years and had a huge customer base. That means lots of repairs every day. You do discover that there is always more to learn. Read every comment, think about the info offered and be cautious as you proceed. Try not to do something you can’t take back.