1950s Silvertone (Harmony) H3 Lap Steel Guitar

Overview: Hoo, boy, I used to buy old Harmony/Silvertone lap steels like this guy a lot back in the day. I love their Gibson-made P13 pickups (like a mellower P90) and overall style. I mean -- that tortoise fretboard? How can you get mad at that? This one arrived via a consignor and it's in great shape because it's been gone-through before it got here. All I had to do was tune it up and do a few of the most minor adjustments. I have it tuned to open E at the moment (and in the video).

Tone: Played through a clean amp, it's got a round, even sound with a bit of a mids-hump and a nice attack to the top end. It can be "country" but, perhaps, most people will find them coolest for a blues-rock sound with a bit of gain, where it can turn into a roaring dragon. Mmmmmm...

Feel: While it's all Harmony, the handling is reminiscent of '40s Gibson lap steels -- plenty of spacing to the strings and an easy control layout.

Interesting features: I already mentioned the tortoise fretboard -- but how about the yellow finish against all that tortoise binding, too? The last guy to work on it upgraded the wiring, added a normal 1/4" jack (compared to the "hardwired cord" of the original configuration), and fit StewMac repro tuners for more tuning stability. The nut was also swapped-out. It's got all the "upgrades" you could want.

Repairs included: Nothing, here, but it's good to go!

• Weight: 4 lbs 9 oz
• Scale length: 23"
• Nut: 2"
• Pickups: 1x original Gibson P13 single coil

Condition notes: There's plenty of wear and tear, fine finsh hairline weatherchecking, and whatnot, but overall it looks grand and respectable.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: OOS