Help me identify an old lap steel

[Freeman Keller]

This critter followed me home the other day and I'm trying to figure out what it is. The logo plate is missing from the headstock (there are two screw holes), there are no names or serial numbers or anything. Back of the neck has three grooves, pickup is a single big coil under the strings with a magnet looped around (looks like the old pictures of the original Dopyera "electric frying pan"), one volume control. Frets are simply little ridges on the top of the neck - someone painted them (looks like by hand). I haven't plugged it in yet so I don't know how it sounds - I'll do that this weekend.

 

Any ideas about brand, model, age and/or value? My normally understanding wife said "what are you going to do with THAT thing?" Should I dust off my steel and play a little "Steel Guitar Rag"?

 

 

[Stackabones]

Dust it off and make it sing, brother!

[Freeman Keller]

Well, I got a reply from Brad Bechtel at Brad's Page of Steel -
"That's a Rickenbacker Model S or NS lap steel, made sometime between 1946 and 1954"

I think it has found a new home (sorry, Dear)

[JasmineTea]

Not sure, but I think Rickenbacker was the only company to use horseshoe pups.

[Sweb]

The thing work? Can we think insulation breakdown test before applying power? I'd run a megger across it first unless you know for sure it's functional.

[Freeman Keller]

Hey, Sweb, are you a fellow electrical engineer? Think I should submit it to UL for a dielectric breakdown and hi-pot test? I've calculated the available short circuit fault current as 65kA rms symetrical and will be using class J current limiting fuses, but I'm still concerned about more than 6mA of ground fault current.

Maybe I shouldn't plug this baby in after all...