L'ami Fred Kinbom vend une de ses belles lap steel National mais était ce soir dans l'impossibilité de poster sur le forum, je transmets donc ici son annonce (en anglais désolé pour les non-anglophones)
(More photos HERE).
This lap steel is in Berlin, Germany, so this is probably more interesting for a buyer within the EU, as import duties in the EU and trans-Atlantic shipping have already been paid by me when I bought the lap steel and are reflected in the price.
Up for sale is my lovely vintage National New Yorker lap steel guitar, built in 1947 in Chicago. The art-deco design was inspired by the Empire State Building, hence the name New Yorker. This is variation number 11 (as numbered by National expert Mark Makin in his overview of New Yorker models) of this iconic lap steel model, a rare variation of the late 1940s model with a plain brass fretboard (the Roman numerical fretmarkers are coloured as on the standard black fretboard model, but rest of the fretboard is plain brass rather than painted black). The serial number V22xx dates it to 1947.
This guitar plays and sounds absolutely great! I am sad to see it go, but I have more lap steels than I need and need the funds for other equipment.
It is in very good condition considering it is 69 years old. The pickup sounds fantastic - classic lap steel sound. There are a few cosmetic flaws, as can be expected from such an old instrument - the left upper corner of the headstock overlay was damaged at some point in the past but has been glued back on. The plastic tuning knobs have shrunk and discoloured with age, but 5 of them are still there - I have replaced the broken one. One tuner is slightly bent, but works perfectly. Nothing of the above affects the playability of the guitar.
Everything apart from the replaced tuner knob (and the strings…) is as far as I know original - including the plexiglass palm rest/pickup cover (the manufacturer of National, Valco, had switched production to bomber aircraft nose cones during World War II and hence had spare plexiglass one production switched back to instruments after the war…).
I have tried to show all aspects of this instrument in the photos. If you have any questions, please ask. Here is an instrumental that I recorded on this lap steel, which will give you and idea of its sound:
http://fredrikkinbom.bandcamp.com/track/new-yorker-impro
The original case is long gone, but I modified a shotgun case, fitting it with foam and gold velour (see photos). The main lock of the case does not work, and the bottom is a bit loose, but it will protect the guitar well when shipped and works fine to transport and store the guitar in.
This guitar has an screw-on connector rather than a jack, so you need either a "Switchcraft 332a" adapter so that it can be used with a regular guitar cable. These are available from a variety of shops, here is one example (I do not endorse or recommend this particular store, it was just one result in a google search):
http://simplemics.com/product/switchcraft-screw-on-14-jack-adapter-model-332a/
In short, this is a working, fine and rare vintage lap steel guitar, sold as is. All sales are final - no returns. Insured shipping is mandatory as I cannot be responsible for any damage or loss in transit. I am sure whoever becomes the next custodian of this lap steel will be happy with it.
I am asking €700 plus shipping. Please send me a PM if interested.