The Gibson EH-500 Skylark, built from 1956 to 1968, was built in the waning days of the popularity of Hawaiian music; the EH stands for Electric Hawaiian in the same way that the ES designation stands for Electric Spanish. In 1968, Gibson ceased production of not only the Skylark, but their entire line of steel guitars.
Lap Steel
Built from around 2001 to 2010, the National Model D squareneck resophonic guitar uses a wood body and single cone with a spider bridge. The body is built with Mahogany laminate for the top, and Walnut for the back, sides and 12-fret neck. Some models used laminate Spruce for the top, but this one is laminate Mahogany.
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MORE →The Beard Road-O-Phonic lap steel first appeared around 2006 and is designed and built in Hagerstown, Maryland at Paul Beard’s shop. The Road-O-Phonic has evolved over several versions and the second version seen here features a Maple body and neck with Flame Maple veneer for the top and back; the fingerboard is Ebony with a 23 inch scale length. The current version 3 uses a 25 inch scale length.
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MORE →Built from around 2001 to 2010, the National Model D squareneck resophonic guitar uses a wood body and single cone with a spider bridge. The body is built with Mahogany laminate for the top, and Walnut for the back, sides and 12-fret neck. Some models used laminate Spruce for the top, but this one is laminate Mahogany. In 2010, the Model D was replaced by the wood-bodied Smith & Young Model 11. National discontinued the Smith & Young line around 2015.
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MORE →Here is a rarity – a Royal Aire by National solid body electric guitar, dating to 1951 and one of the earliest production electrics for National and its parent Valco. Clearly a National model given its construction and components, Royal Aire branded instruments are few and far between. Around 1947, Valco contracted with Gibson to produce some Royal Aire flat top acoustics, based on the LG-3. Here, Valco / National used a National neck with its shield logo plate engraved to read Royal Aire.
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MORE →From the early 1930s until the rise of Rock ‘n Roll, steel guitars like this National Model 1008 Console 8 were very popular, and for novice players, often their first instrument. In fact, the very first production electric guitars were Electric Hawaiian steel models, and the first of those was almost certainly the 1932 Ro-Pat-In Steel. Ro-Pat-In quickly improved their name to ‘Rickenbacher’ and soon also introduced the very rare 1935 ‘Ken Roberts’ guitar, arguably the first production Electric Spanish style guitar. Rickenbacker at this time was also building metal parts for both National and DoBro.
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