I am just getting into lap steel, and put a check in the mail last week for an old Magnatone. It is guitar-shaped with a grey pearloid covering, white fingerboard with stair-step cutaway at the end, peghead narrows towards end, with a volume and tone control. I saw the Magnatone history on Brad's page of Steel. Can anyone tell me more about Magnatones or even the model that I will have.
Thanks
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Brent Graves
Negaunee, MI
Magnatone
Moderator: Brad Bechtel
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Brad Bechtel
- Moderator
- Posts: 8530
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: San Francisco, CA
Here's a history of Magnatone from the amplifier perspective:
http://www.vibroworld.com/magnatone/index.html
There were a series of articles in Vintage Guitar magazine a while back. You might be able to pick up a back issue from them.
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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
http://www.vibroworld.com/magnatone/index.html
There were a series of articles in Vintage Guitar magazine a while back. You might be able to pick up a back issue from them.
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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
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Brent Graves
- Posts: 15
- Joined: 29 Jan 2001 1:01 am
Thanks. I found the amp web site previously by using the Dogpile search engine. The Magnatone factory must have been a busy place. How are Magnatones perceived by players? It seems that the big money goes for Gibsons, Fenders, and Rickenbachers. Is there more to it than name appeal? Any idea which model I may be getting? Thanks for your time. I assume that you have answered these same questions hundreds of times before.
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Brent Graves
Negaunee, MI
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Brent Graves
Negaunee, MI
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Ian McLatchie
- Posts: 872
- Joined: 29 Dec 1998 1:01 am
- Location: Sechelt, British Columbia
Brent:
It sounds like you're getting the garden-variety Magnatone, of which untold thousands were manufactured by Dickerson. You'll find them not only with both Dickerson and Magnatone labels, but Oahu, Leilani and several other brand names. Grey pearloid is the most common, but there were a number of other colors, including some strikingly beautiful shades of pink, green and blue. Some have a volume knob only, others a volume and tone. There are a number of other individual differences, the most important being the bridge and nut. The ones with a solid metal bridge are definitely preferable, as the earlier bridge (a thin metal rod) tends to sag in the middle, and doesn't hold the strings very firmly in place.
The first lap steel I owned was also a grey Magnatone, and it was an excellent instrument on which to learn. As a player, they're not generally well regarded, as the bar pickup tends to produce a relatively thin, sweet sound far less versatile than most Rickenbackers, Gibsons or Fenders. They have their charm, though, and I'm sure you'll have a great time with yours.
By the way, the Vintage Guitar series Brad refers to is really worth seeking out, even if just for the photos. I think it appeared maybe two to three years ago.
It sounds like you're getting the garden-variety Magnatone, of which untold thousands were manufactured by Dickerson. You'll find them not only with both Dickerson and Magnatone labels, but Oahu, Leilani and several other brand names. Grey pearloid is the most common, but there were a number of other colors, including some strikingly beautiful shades of pink, green and blue. Some have a volume knob only, others a volume and tone. There are a number of other individual differences, the most important being the bridge and nut. The ones with a solid metal bridge are definitely preferable, as the earlier bridge (a thin metal rod) tends to sag in the middle, and doesn't hold the strings very firmly in place.
The first lap steel I owned was also a grey Magnatone, and it was an excellent instrument on which to learn. As a player, they're not generally well regarded, as the bar pickup tends to produce a relatively thin, sweet sound far less versatile than most Rickenbackers, Gibsons or Fenders. They have their charm, though, and I'm sure you'll have a great time with yours.
By the way, the Vintage Guitar series Brad refers to is really worth seeking out, even if just for the photos. I think it appeared maybe two to three years ago.