magnatone lapsteel

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Removed.
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"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Removed.
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Removed.
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Delete.
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Delete.
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Delete.
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Casey Lowmiller · From: Kansas

I love the Mark Vs. Surely there are more of them out there...somewhere.

Casey
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Known Coast to Coast as
"The Man with The Plan"

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Casey, they show up on 'the bay' occassionally, but expect to fork out at least a grand. Well worth it.

Dick Dale learned on a Mark IV. Always wanted to ask him about it, but you know what he'd say, being a die hard Strat man...
BTW, Dick has been in bad shape for some time now, and it's doubtful he'll pull out. It'd be nice if the stupid R&RHoF would induct him while he can still appreciate it.

Scott Thomas · Posted 8 Mar 2009 4:36 pm

Well, he's been battling and I understand he is starting to play out again some. I wouldn't count him out just yet.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

That's great to hear, Scott, the guy will give it his all until there is no more. He was my first guitar hero.

Richard Terry · From: Sacramento, California, USA

I played an 8 string lap steel but always on a stand in 1950-51, a late 40s design? I don't have a clear picture of it, but since the Ethel Starr studio in Fresno where I studied handled magnatones, I was wondering if anyone knows of circa 1950 8 string; I think it had plastic on top, light colored sides, some black trim. It didn't look like a version of the single neck magnatones I've seen posted here. When & If find a photograph I'll post it.

Richard Terry
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RH2 Chandler, D10 SuperSlide

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Removed.
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"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Richard Terry · From: Sacramento, California, USA

Thanks for the reply Michael. I've been wondering if you knew Ethel, ahem, Mrs. Starr. I took lessons from her from probably 1947 to about 58-59. My first electric was a Leillani (spelling) and I have a picture of me barless, pickless and cordless posing with the guitar and an amp. So far I've found only a distant image of that 8 string, a group stage photo of a bunch of us Starrites at a guitar competition, Burbank, Oct. 1951 and they have several guitars like mine. But a lot of the kids are playing double neck magnatones. Later I played a triple Magnatone say 53 - 59. She took the magnatone in trade when I bought a Fender 400, I think, in late 1959. Now, of course, I wish I still had that Maganatone.

Thanks for your comment.

Richard T.
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RH2 Chandler, D10 SuperSlide

Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

i heard ethell starr sold her bigsby to a student each time she got a new one is that true

Chris Lucker · From: Los Angeles, California USA

Michael

I am still laughing at your "There was lots more truth in advertising claims back then" comment.

My sides ache.

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

I'm the guy who wrote the oft-quoted bit about Magnatone and Bigsby in Guitar Player a couple years back.

The Magnatone catalogs state very clearly that Paul Bigsby was responsible for the design and patterns of those guitars and steels.

I've had a chance to see dozens of Magnatone Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V and the steel guitars over the years. I've also had a chance to personally inspect 34 real Bigsby instruments first hand (spanish guitars, acoustics, mandolins, tenor guitars, lap steels, console steels, pedal steels).

I can only tell you that Magnatone instruments show absolutely no sign of "the man" having a hand in their manufacture. They are great looking and great sounding instruments, very unique, very cool....but man they are crude. They really look like a company making their first effort at building a guitar. They show no sign of the craftsmanship, finishing, or playability of an actual Bigsby instrument. I can state with 100% certainty that Paul Bigsby had nothing to do with the actual manufacture of these instruments. Design, yes. Manufacture, no.

Deke

Richard Terry · From: Sacramento, California, USA

Daniel and Michael

In the Oct. 20, 1951 photo of the Fifth Annual West Coast Student Guitar Competitions, International Guitar League, Burbank, there are fifteen students in Hawaiian get up and twelve are playing steels of which seven are at Magnatones. Three students, myself included, are playing smaller lap steels. There are a couple of steels that are partially hidden but look different from the Magnatones. Ethel is seated at a piano which is how she accompanied us in concert or in the studio.

I never saw or heard her play the Bigsby until she played it at the biggest production she put on during my time which was at the Fresno Memorial Auditorium. She played St. Louis Blues. She did not, at least in my experience, or memory, play the steel while giving instruction. I have no idea if she sold "hand-me-down" Bigsbys to her students. She seemed to us a very good business person and ran the studio with great energy and direction. Things were done her way is how I remember it. I think getting to buy a Bigsby from her would have been a kind of anointment, an offer not to be refused.

RT
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RH2 Chandler, D10 SuperSlide

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Deke, you're right--they are crude. But damn, do they ever sound good--better than any of the other Magnatone models I've ever played (I'm talking lap steels).

I have a G70 that I just cannot come to grips with selling, it sounds that good. I don't think there's a better steel in the 300-400 range, period.
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Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

I have an "Eddie Bush Special," obviously a Magnatone G-70 that was made for a teaching studio in Los Angeles, and it's a great sounding lap steel. Prob'ly my favorite next to my Bakelite Rickies.

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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

Herb--

Thanks for posting pictures of the Eddie Bush steel! I have seen one "Eddie Bush" model AMPLIFIER in my life, a small student model from the early 1950's. So seeing the lap steel brings it all together. I guess Eddie Bush was a guy who played in hawaiian bands around Long Beach back in the day. I've talked to a few guys who remember him. He's in my 1962 Musicians Union directory that I found.

Deke

Doug Freeman · From: Los Angeles, CA

I can't speak to the Bigsby/Magnatone connection, but I just picked up this clean Magnatone G-65 that I'm in love with. I suppose if any Magnatone lap guitar hints at Bigsby influence this might, at least with the blonde wood and some of the contours. Interesting too that this one has the Magnatone decal (and a fatter one at that) -- before this I had only seen decals on the pearloid models.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

My 1959/60 Varsity 8 str. has the very same decal.

I had an 8 str. like this one pictured but didn't like it as much as the older one.

Doug Freeman · From: Los Angeles, CA

By the older 8-string, you mean the Troubadour, like this?

For myself I'm enjoying the "newer" 6-string pictured in the prior post. It just sounds like a bigger guitar -- probably has to do with the longer string length and maybe the newer pickup?

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Yes Doug, a Troubadour! Only mine is the older style, while your's has the German carve on the inside and much nicer overall vibe.
Interesting that you say the 6er has a bigger sound. That's why I didn't keep the newer 8 str. (like this) I had, it didn't have enuf low end and oomph. Maybe just a differing wiring set up?

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