Kalamazoo KEH Oriole Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1941)
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Item # 9777
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Kalamazoo KEH Oriole Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1941), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, brown sunburst crinkle lacquer finish, hardwood body, original brown chipboard case.
This 1941 Kalamazoo "KEH" model is a bit of a sleeper, offering the same features as a period Gibson branded lap steel at a lower price. This 1941 edition also carries the "Oriole" brand on the headstock, with a discreet bird logo. It uses has the third generation pre-war Gibson pickup, an integrated unit with a metal cover and internal magnets. This is the distant ancestor of the later ubiquitous P-90, the "Charlie Christian" bar-magnet style used having been phased out in 1940. The unit is adjustable for height, mounted in a shaped metal plate with tone and volume knobs on either side.
The fingerboard is stenciled with simulated frets and a decorative position marker pattern. The bridge and nut are nickel plated metal, the tuners are the typical pre-war Kluson strips. The finish is an oddly textured brown sunburst, fairly unusual for Gibson. This steel is built to a fairly subdued-looking but effective design, with the same peaked headstock as the better known Kalamazoo flat tops of the same period. Apart from the finish and logo it uses the same chassis as the final pre-war Gibson EH-100 model. While not particularly flashy this is a fine sounding 1940s Hawaiian steel guitar nonetheless, a testament to Gibson's success in the early electric instrument field.
Overall length is 32 1/4 in. (81.9 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 in. (51 mm.).
This guitar is nicely preserved overall with only general light wear and tear and remaining all original. The finish is relatively clean overall with some minor dings, rubs and scrapes to the textured "oatmeal" finish. The plating on the pickup cover has some minor corrosion but nothing too bad. The sound is great, like all early Gibson steels, a bit sharper and more "electric" than those with the earlier blade pickup. This is a fine budget pre-WWII steel, then and now, complete in a battered but original chipboard case with the hinges torn out, functional for storage but not much else. A sturdy rubber band will be supplied for securing it for transport. One oddity is a small tag stamped "Volume Control" is in the case, presumable originally identifying this then-mysterious feature for the novice student! Excellent Condition.
This 1941 Kalamazoo "KEH" model is a bit of a sleeper, offering the same features as a period Gibson branded lap steel at a lower price. This 1941 edition also carries the "Oriole" brand on the headstock, with a discreet bird logo. It uses has the third generation pre-war Gibson pickup, an integrated unit with a metal cover and internal magnets. This is the distant ancestor of the later ubiquitous P-90, the "Charlie Christian" bar-magnet style used having been phased out in 1940. The unit is adjustable for height, mounted in a shaped metal plate with tone and volume knobs on either side.
The fingerboard is stenciled with simulated frets and a decorative position marker pattern. The bridge and nut are nickel plated metal, the tuners are the typical pre-war Kluson strips. The finish is an oddly textured brown sunburst, fairly unusual for Gibson. This steel is built to a fairly subdued-looking but effective design, with the same peaked headstock as the better known Kalamazoo flat tops of the same period. Apart from the finish and logo it uses the same chassis as the final pre-war Gibson EH-100 model. While not particularly flashy this is a fine sounding 1940s Hawaiian steel guitar nonetheless, a testament to Gibson's success in the early electric instrument field.
Overall length is 32 1/4 in. (81.9 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 in. (51 mm.).
This guitar is nicely preserved overall with only general light wear and tear and remaining all original. The finish is relatively clean overall with some minor dings, rubs and scrapes to the textured "oatmeal" finish. The plating on the pickup cover has some minor corrosion but nothing too bad. The sound is great, like all early Gibson steels, a bit sharper and more "electric" than those with the earlier blade pickup. This is a fine budget pre-WWII steel, then and now, complete in a battered but original chipboard case with the hinges torn out, functional for storage but not much else. A sturdy rubber band will be supplied for securing it for transport. One oddity is a small tag stamped "Volume Control" is in the case, presumable originally identifying this then-mysterious feature for the novice student! Excellent Condition.