Lap Steel Electric Guitar
This lap steel guitar is a very rare example of the first electric instrument produced by the Gibson Guitar Company. Known as the E-150 model, this instrument has a hollow cast aluminum body and was made to play Hawaiian style "slide" music. There were approximately 100 of these guitars made in late 1935 through early 1936, but far fewer survive, especially as many were donated to aluminum drives for the War effort in 1942. This example has the serial number 179 (serial numbers start at 100 for this series) stamped on the heel of the neck. The instrument is fitted with a bar magnet pickup, later nicknamed the "Charlie Christian" pickup. It was designed in 1935 by Walter Fuller and has an unbound black plastic coil. The instrument has bakelite knobs for the volume and tone controls that are placed on either side of the bridge, a design requested by the performer Alvino Rey. The instrument has a rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot markers. There are twenty-nine frets marked on the fretboard, but to facilitate slide playing the instrument does not have raised frets. Stenciled in black across the top of the headstock: Gibson.
Artwork Details
- Title: Lap Steel Electric Guitar
- Maker: Gibson (American, founded Kalamazoo, Michigan 1902)
- Date: 1935
- Geography: Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Cast aluminum, Bakelite, plastic
- Dimensions: 31 3/4 × 8 7/8 × 2 1/4 in. (80.6 × 22.5 × 5.7 cm)
- Classification: Chordophone
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Jonathan & Faye Kellerman Foundation Gift, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.414a, b
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Gibson
1982
Gibson
1952
Gibson
mid 1960s
Vivi-Tone
ca. 1933
Rickenbacker, Inc.
ca. 1934
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.