1937 Vega Lap Steel
Serial # 35285. During the later half of the 1930's, many instrument companies were doing all they could to dive into the fray of the new electric guitar market. Vega, a highly regarded Boston manufacturer of banjos, guitars, and mandolins, introduced its line of lap steels during this era.
Their instruments featured two-point wooden bodies, with large nickel-plated brass plates that housed the pickup and bridge/tailpiece assemblies. Of significant interest is the pickup Vega designed: With its two large horseshoe magnets, double coils, and twelve non-adjustable pole-pieces these were the world's first manufactured "Humbucking" pickups, although that name wouldn't be coined by Gibson for some 20 years to come. Who knows, perhaps Seth Lover had one of these early Vega steels in his design-shop! The pickup sounds very good, with a strong output and a Tele-in-middle-switch-position kind of tone.
The steel is equipped with volume and tone controls, adjustable arch-top bridge, and Grover G-98 tuners. It shows some finish wear, but is in fine working order, with a new tone capacitor and output jack; and there is a non-original (capped) hole in the treble side of the metal cover-plate where we suspect a tone control was once installed.
The icing on this particular cake is the super-cool original hard shell case that's housed this steel all its life. With its original Vega nameplate, handle, and ruby red velour interior, it is a gorgeous accent to an unbelievably cool steel.
Their instruments featured two-point wooden bodies, with large nickel-plated brass plates that housed the pickup and bridge/tailpiece assemblies. Of significant interest is the pickup Vega designed: With its two large horseshoe magnets, double coils, and twelve non-adjustable pole-pieces these were the world's first manufactured "Humbucking" pickups, although that name wouldn't be coined by Gibson for some 20 years to come. Who knows, perhaps Seth Lover had one of these early Vega steels in his design-shop! The pickup sounds very good, with a strong output and a Tele-in-middle-switch-position kind of tone.
The steel is equipped with volume and tone controls, adjustable arch-top bridge, and Grover G-98 tuners. It shows some finish wear, but is in fine working order, with a new tone capacitor and output jack; and there is a non-original (capped) hole in the treble side of the metal cover-plate where we suspect a tone control was once installed.
The icing on this particular cake is the super-cool original hard shell case that's housed this steel all its life. With its original Vega nameplate, handle, and ruby red velour interior, it is a gorgeous accent to an unbelievably cool steel.