Gibson EH-100 Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1939)
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Gibson EH-100 Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1939), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # EGE-5581, sunburst top, dark stained back and sides finish, mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard, original tweed hard shell case.
The early model Gibson EH-150 with the "Charlie Christian" style pickup is generally considered the best sounding lap steel guitar in the Gibson company's history; this is its less fancy but equally fine "little sister" the EH-100. This model has the same sound and feel in a simpler package, making it one of the classiest electric instruments aimed at student players in the later 1930s. This beautiful 1939 model has some wear and repair bur remains nicely original and sounds great.
The maple body is finished in brown with a subtle sunburst on the top, which is single bound in white celluloid. The headstock has a white silkscreen Gibson logo and fits early pattern Kluson openback individual tuners with white celluloid buttons. The pickup has a white celluloid coil with twin blades for the bass and treble strings; underneath is the huge second generation "U" magnet. The bridge and nut are metal, and volume and tone controls are mounted together on the treble side of the body with 6-sided brown radio knobs. The output jack is located on the bass side rim, where the audience wouldn't see it.
All of these semi-hollow body maple steels have a very rich, powerful tone with plenty of definition; despite its original budget price this is an excellent playing and sounding steel, a classy-looking instrument in the best Gibson tradition!
Overall length is 31 7/8 in. (81 cm.), 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 in. (51 mm.).
Overall this is a good player's example of this distinctive prewar Gibson, all original with some fairly minor wear and repair. The most notable is two sealed cracks to the solid maple top, one extending back from the lower end of the pickup aperture and the other forward from the upper corner. These are solidly repaired but visible, not finished over or touched up with some old dirt in them making them stand out from the lighter top finish. Some of the back/side seams have been resealed, mostly at the back end of the body.
Apart from these repairs the all-original finish shows mostly small scuffs, scrapes and dings to the lacquer but no really heavy wear and overall remains in good shape. The only alteration is newer buttons on the original tuners. This steel sounds great with the second generation U-magnet "Charlie Christian" style pickup, which is bright sounding and quite powerful. This ready-to go 85+ year old steel still resides in the original yellow striped tweed case. Very Good + Condition.
The early model Gibson EH-150 with the "Charlie Christian" style pickup is generally considered the best sounding lap steel guitar in the Gibson company's history; this is its less fancy but equally fine "little sister" the EH-100. This model has the same sound and feel in a simpler package, making it one of the classiest electric instruments aimed at student players in the later 1930s. This beautiful 1939 model has some wear and repair bur remains nicely original and sounds great.
The maple body is finished in brown with a subtle sunburst on the top, which is single bound in white celluloid. The headstock has a white silkscreen Gibson logo and fits early pattern Kluson openback individual tuners with white celluloid buttons. The pickup has a white celluloid coil with twin blades for the bass and treble strings; underneath is the huge second generation "U" magnet. The bridge and nut are metal, and volume and tone controls are mounted together on the treble side of the body with 6-sided brown radio knobs. The output jack is located on the bass side rim, where the audience wouldn't see it.
All of these semi-hollow body maple steels have a very rich, powerful tone with plenty of definition; despite its original budget price this is an excellent playing and sounding steel, a classy-looking instrument in the best Gibson tradition!
Overall length is 31 7/8 in. (81 cm.), 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 in. (51 mm.).
Overall this is a good player's example of this distinctive prewar Gibson, all original with some fairly minor wear and repair. The most notable is two sealed cracks to the solid maple top, one extending back from the lower end of the pickup aperture and the other forward from the upper corner. These are solidly repaired but visible, not finished over or touched up with some old dirt in them making them stand out from the lighter top finish. Some of the back/side seams have been resealed, mostly at the back end of the body.
Apart from these repairs the all-original finish shows mostly small scuffs, scrapes and dings to the lacquer but no really heavy wear and overall remains in good shape. The only alteration is newer buttons on the original tuners. This steel sounds great with the second generation U-magnet "Charlie Christian" style pickup, which is bright sounding and quite powerful. This ready-to go 85+ year old steel still resides in the original yellow striped tweed case. Very Good + Condition.