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Author
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Topic: Epiphone steels with horseshoe pickups - ?
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John Bushouse
Member From:
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posted 21 July 2005 04:09 PM
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Does anyone know offhand (or onhand, if you've got Gruhn's handy) when Epiphone stopped using horseshoe-style pickups on their lap steels? I ran across a guitar tagged as a 1950's-era steel, but the (rusty) horseshoe made me think it might be earlier. It's not a very distinctive guitar otherwise. It's also got pads screwed onto the back, similar to the Electar Spanish style guitar I've seen. It's got an Electar-shaped emblem on the headstock, but only the word Epiphone (no Electar).Thanks in advance for any responses!
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John Bushouse
Member From:
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posted 21 July 2005 04:14 PM
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Doing a little digging, I know it's not a Model M or a Zephyr (Brad, your link to the Electar Hawaiian is broken). It definitely has the split horseshoe-style pickup of the Model M, rather than the pickup cover of the Zephyr. At least the one pictured on Brad's site.[This message was edited by John Bushouse on 21 July 2005 at 04:16 PM.] |
Ron Whitfield
Member From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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posted 21 July 2005 11:05 PM
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Rickenbaker threatened them with a patent infringement lawsuit in the early 40s, around the time Rick changed pu designs and started becoming less desireable for some players. The Epi version sounds quite good, altho their guitars weren't quite as good as the best Rickys, even tho in the hands of David Kelii they sounded terrific. |
Paul Arntson
Member From: Bothell ,WA (just outside Seattle)
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posted 22 July 2005 12:08 AM
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I believe the Model M stopped using horseshoes in 1938. Not sure if that helps. My 37 has 'em but all the pictures of 38 and later I've seen don't have them. I think there was an article in www.vintageguitar.com about that.
-paulps here is a picture of a 1938 that clearly no longer has the horseshoe. There are lots of pictures of 37's and they all have the horseshoe.
http://www.kokomomusic.com/pages/guitars/electar_deco_lap_38.html [This message was edited by Paul Arntson on 22 July 2005 at 12:24 AM.] [This message was edited by Paul Arntson on 22 July 2005 at 12:24 AM.]
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Mike Neer
Member From: NJ
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posted 22 July 2005 10:03 AM
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This is the first steel I ever purchased. I recently added this Rickenbacher Horseshoe pickup. I've subsequently swapped out this bobbin for the original. It sounds very nice, not quite a good as my Frypan, but better than I remember with the original pickup (which has been gone for a long time).  |
Ron Victoria
Member From: Metuchen, New Jersey, USA
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posted 22 July 2005 10:13 AM
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Hey Mike,Is that the piece of aluminum I made for you to hold the PU? I guess it worked out fine. Ron |
Mike Neer
Member From: NJ
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posted 22 July 2005 10:20 AM
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Yes, it is, Ron. Thanks again. |
Bill Creller
Member From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA
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posted 22 July 2005 02:04 PM
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Th Epiphones I looked at from that era had an aluminum plate about 3/16 thick running from the nut to the bridge, on the top surface of the wood body. A good idea I would say, and we know it's not anything new. |
John Bushouse
Member From:
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posted 22 July 2005 03:58 PM
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Bill, the guitar I saw does have an aluminum plate from the nut to the bridge; it's also more of a triangular shape (very different from Mike's above) - I forgot to mention that. |
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