This beautiful Oahu lapsteel was made by Valco in 1953 according to it’s serial number X23168. Covered in beautifully aged white Pearloid and with a striking Lucite fretboard painted from the rear it certainly looks the part, but the sound is rather special too. The pickup in this lapsteel is the famous Valco string-through humbucker type with magnets both under and on the sides of the coils. This is the same pickup as the one Ry Cooder fitted to his Stratocaster.

Oahu Lap Steel Serial Numbers

Oahu Lap Steel Serial Numbers

Apart from two screws under the pickup cover there were no modifications to this instruments. The electronics are a large PIO capacitor made by the Industrial Condenser Corp. Chicago, two Stackpole wk06/1952 potentiometers and a 5/8” screw-on output that was also used on many vintage microphones. The no-line Kluson tuners with pearloid buttons work fine, the buttons didn’t shrink much and are perfectly usable. The polystyrene tone and volume control knobs are somewhat distorted from age but are still perfectly usable.

Get the best deals on Oahu Lap Steel when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Free shipping on many items Browse your favorite brands affordable prices. A demo of my 1950's Oahu Tonemaster. C6 tuning, played through a Fender Champion. Recorded with Digital Performer using a karaoke backing track of 'Cold Co. The serial number at the back of the headstock dates it to '55. The new tuners are Gotoh relic'd units and are basically direct replacements of the old Klusons that were on it. The new pots are 500k vs the 250k and it has a good, 010 Mallory cap, now. Upside-down Oahu label!

Oahu Lap Steel Serial Numbers Chart

Strictly speaking, a steel guitar is any guitar made out of metal, which means it can be a resonator guitar used for the blues and Americana music, a lap steel guitar popular with those who play Hawaiian music, or a venerable pedal steel, which is what gives country-western music and Texas swing their distinctive sounds.

Oahu Lap Steel History

The original case (with a dealer batch from Hulling’s Music House, Des Moines Iowa) is included, as is a 5/8” –> 1/4' jack adapter chord.