New (1937) National New Yorker!

[Fred Kinbom]

Being very happy with my 1947 National New Yorker, I got increasingly curious about the 1930s model with the hidden extra pickups under the fretboard, and after having heard David Siegler's recordings of his such New Yorker, combined with my friend Paolo raving about one he'd tried belonging to a lap steel collector in Lyon, I started seriously looking into and researching this. I learnt what to look for to determine if the extra pickups where there or not. Thanks a lot to David and also John Bushouse for all the pics, sounds and info so generously shared here on the forum! Anyway, when I got a 1937 model off eBay for only $470, I was very pleased indeed! It’s in great condition – just a few hairline cracks in the top layer of bakelite.



(One can apparently still find a bargain on eBay with a bit of patience and luck - this was listed as "1940s-50s", only described in a few sentences and without a thumbnail gallery picture. The following day, another 1930s New Yorker with loads of pictures and a detailed enthusiastic description fetched $970 - and that was one without the extra pickups!)

Special thanks to Mike Neer for helping out with getting it over here (the seller shipped "US only")!

The sound of this lap steel is something else! Such incredible bass response from the fretboard pickups! I’m talking bass of Jamaican proportions here! It’s a very unconventional sounding guitar. Really cool and with a very unique palette of sounds. And it sounds wonderful unplugged too (the bottom D-string rings like a church bell!).

My 1947 New Yorker has a wonderful, warm and crisp clean sound. Great on the treble side but a bit weak on the bass strings if I dig in a bit. This 1937 model is the opposite – it lacks a bit of the other’s sparkling treble, but it has bass like no other guitar I’ve played! A very warm and original sound on the lower strings!

As soon as I have familiarized myself more with the tonal possibilities of this guitar I will record some sound clips.



Beautiful art-deco headstock (and excellent tuners!).




The guitar in its original case – in which I found some "Black Diamond" Hawaiian strings that are probably from the 1930s too (?), an ancient cable and a Stevens steel (does anyone know when Stevens bars were introduced) – like a little museum.

On the back a previous owner had put on some Velcro tape strips. I removed these carefully. There is a slight trace of the sticky tape strips (not stickiness, but the surface is a bit "matte" and less smooth than the finish in other places) – any ideas on how to get rid of that?




There are also initial decals on the side from a previous owner, but I think I’ll leave those on, as they are part of the instrument’s history after all. What would you do?

I think the slightly over-sized white volume knob is a replacement. Has anyone got an original black National knob to spare?

(I will continue in a new post, as there is a limit to photos per post.)

[Fred Kinbom]

Here are both the New Yorkers, side by side.





As you can see, they have some differences in appearance. The headstock on the older one is bigger (and the tuners better) and the neck is a bit wider, for example. Although the body is slightly thicker on the 1937 one, it is quite a bit lighter than the 1947 model. I guess this is due to the cavity for the extra pickups, compared to the solid later model, which also has a fretboard made of brass rather than bakelite. Maybe also a lighter type of wood?

Here is the 1937 bridge pickup without the cover (sorry about the dark picture).

[Fred Kinbom]

So, now I got two of these and they are my only electric lap steels. And I have admittedly a very soft spot for these sweet-sounding Art Deco instruments - a third is on the way! A 1941 model that I picked up for a bargain price from an antique dealer in Peru! It looks to be in need of a bit of TLC, and I intend to fix it up, and maybe sell it on eventually (I can't really justify having three!) - if I don't end up liking it too much. These two may appear similar but they certainly have very different characters.

Thanks to all you guys on the forum for all the knowledge and sharing spirit that has contributed so much to my enthusiasm for this great instrument that is lap steel guitar!

Fred

[Tom Pettingill]

Thats a great score Fred !! Looking forward to some clips later on

[John Bushouse]

Absolutely bee-you-tee-full guitars; in my opinion, some of the best looking steels there are.

So how do the other sets of pickups work with only the one tone knob?

[Harry Sheppard]

Fred,

I have a 7 string version of your guitar and will agree that ther is no other guitar that sounds like it. Most of the sound is from that bridge pickup which has an unusual design. Also the bridge is made of the same plastic used on the top of the body which looses some sustains but gives the warm sound with lots of bass. If you get a chance, try it with a Roland Micro Cube amp on the JC 120 setting. It makes a very portable pair and incredible sound when the amp is run through a mic. The little amp really compliments the bassy sound of the guitar. I use mine every week and sold all my Fenders and Rickenbachers.

Harry

[Fred Kinbom]

So how do the other sets of pickups work with only the one tone knob?

John, the chicken-head knob is a three-way switch: "Hawaiian", "Chimes" and "Harp". Not sure about the wiring side of things, but it sounds to me like "Hawaiian" gets most neck pickups and least - if any - bridge pickup, very acoustic and bassy; "Chimes" has most bridge pickup of the three settings, and sounds most like a "normal" steel; "Harp" has the best of both worlds.

That's just what it sounds like to me.

Harry - I tried it through the setting you recommended and is does sound great indeed. My only problem with the Microcube is that the small speaker rattles sometimes.

This New Yorker has even quieter signal than my 1947 one. I'm thinking of getting one of those signal boosters for gigging.

Fred

[David Siegler]

Congratulations Fred! You really scored on that one... I'm jealous. It's in better shape than mine and all three PU settings are working. Good for you. If those initials on the side are N. G. I think you can assume they mean Nice Guitar!

[Jason Dumont]

Awesome, Fred!
Talk about catch of the day. If you do have to take off any residue from stickers and stuff, I have had great luck with "Naptha" solvent. It hasn't harmed any of the laquers on the guitars I have used it on. I use a old sock and do little circles.

To shine up the matte spots where the tape was I'd gently buff it on a wheel.. I know not many folks have one of those but if you have access to one.
Gentle is the key word, it is very easy to buff through Nitro.

But of course my opinion is leave it brother. It's down on your lap anyway right?

Nice score!

[Mike Neer]

That's a lovely guitar, Fred. Glad to help. Best of luck with it and I expect we'll be hearing it in no time at all.

[John Bushouse]

Harry, thanks for the confirmation that my bridge is original!

[Rockne Riddlebarger]

Congratulations on such a cool find, can't wait to hear it one of these days!

[Chris Drew]

That's one sweet find you have there, Fred.
Can't wait to hear it!

When are you gonna gig with these? It would be good to hear them live.

BTW IMO keep the initial decals, the guitar has character!

[Fred Kinbom]

Since many people seemed curious about the sound of this beautiful guitar, I've made a little clip showing the different pickup sounds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbYVtmIJBVE

(The tremolo intro and outro is an improvisiation I played on the 1947 model a few weeks ago).

If those initials on the side are N. G. I think you can assume they mean Nice Guitar!

And, yes, Chris, I will let the initial decals stay.

Jason - thanks for the advice! I will take the final bit of it and let it be, it can hardly be noticed anyway, and I'm wary of messing with old guitar finishes (I almost destroyed the finish on an Oahu acoustic with nail polish remover until someone here saved the day with suggesting toothpaste could fix the damage, which it did! )

Thanks for the interest everyone, and I hope you will enjoy the clip. I intended to wait until I could play you something prettier, but, what the heck.



Fred

[Tom Pettingill]

Very cool tones out of that old beauty, that was a hell of a score

[Peter Jacobs]

Fred - great looking, great sounding guitar! Excellent score, you lucky dog!

[Matt Johnson]

Nice demo Fred!

I really enjoyed watching that. I've never really heard a good sample of the 30's model w/hidden pickups. The "hawaiian setting" sounds a lot like the aluminum Nationals from the same time period.

Like your voice also....keep the videos coming!

Matt

[Rick Alexander]

Sweet steel, Fred - congratulations!
Super video too, very interesting and informative.

[Gary Lynch]

Fred, a great historical oriented video. It was very well produced and easy to follow.

[Vince Luke]

Thanks for the primer, Fred.

I've always liked the looks of the New Yorker but haven't (knowingly) heard one, much less played one. Good to learn from this thread (plus Rick Alexander's a while back) that the beauty is more than skin deep!

Vince

[Fred Kinbom]

Thanks guys! I'm glad you enjoyed the clip! Man this guitar is great. It will for sure encourage me to play more electric lap steel.

All the best,

Fred

[Steinar Gregertsen]

Ouch, did I miss the party? Congrats on your new New Yorkers Fred! I'm sure there will be lots of good music coming from them in the future..

Steinar