Kalamazoo Lap Steel- Help Identifying
Moderator: Brad Bechtel
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Nicholas Wagoner
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- Joined: 25 Apr 2021 7:11 pm
- Location: Capital Region, New York, USA
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Kalamazoo Lap Steel- Help Identifying
Picked up this super mint Kalamazoo Lap Steel, all I had to do was put in new tuners.
The back of the head stock is marked "FKE", I have looked and all i can find is "EKE" models that look exactly the same. Is this the same model ? Safe to assume that it is also from the late 30's?
Currently have it set up to C6, and with the pick up sounds exactly like 40s country steel tones
I've attached some pictures also :
Bonus picture of the pickup guts:
The back of the head stock is marked "FKE", I have looked and all i can find is "EKE" models that look exactly the same. Is this the same model ? Safe to assume that it is also from the late 30's?
Currently have it set up to C6, and with the pick up sounds exactly like 40s country steel tones
I've attached some pictures also :
Bonus picture of the pickup guts:
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Michael Lee Allen
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Re: Kalamazoo Lap Steel- Help Identifying
It's a "KEH", Kalamazoo Electric Hawaiian, 1938 at the earliest. The letter/number combination on the back of the headstock is the batch/serial number.
MLA
MLA
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."
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Jack Hanson
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Re: Kalamazoo Lap Steel- Help Identifying
As Mike says, it's a "Kalamazoo Electric Hawaiian." According to Andre Duchossoir's Gibson Electric Steel Guitars 1935 - 1967, the "FKE-769" stamped on the back of the headstock can be deciphered thusly:
F=1940
K=Kalamazoo
E=Electric
769=Serial Number
Congrats! Nice find!
F=1940
K=Kalamazoo
E=Electric
769=Serial Number
Congrats! Nice find!
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Joe Cook
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Re: Kalamazoo Lap Steel- Help Identifying
That's a beauty, Nicholas! It is like new.