Magnatone Melodier Lap Steel 1950s Grey Pearloid — w/ Case

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

Magnatone is best remembered today for their vibrato amplifiers — the real FM vibrato that Buddy Holly and Lonnie Mack ran through, the kind that made players switch allegiances and never look back. But before the amp business took over, Magnatone was deep in the Hawaiian steel guitar world, building instruments out of their Los Angeles factory for a market that was genuinely mainstream in American music during the 1940s and early 1950s. The Melodier is one of the instruments from that period.

Wrapped in the swirly grey pearloid finish that was either a bit green from the factory, or is just aging that way— the same mother-of-pearl style covering used on drum sets of the era, applied here to a wooden core body with clean, sculpted lines. The pickup is the standard Magnatone unit of the period, wax-potted directly into the body in the characteristically tidy fashion that gives these instruments their uncluttered visual appeal — no exposed pickup hardware, no visible poles, just clean lines and chrome. Volume and tone controls, standard quarter-inch mono output. The keyless tuning design keeps the headstock clean and gives the instrument its distinctive silhouette.  The tuning bolts have stripped a bit, so someone slotted them to allow use of a flathead screwdriver for tuning.

Condition is very good with light wear consistent with a 70-plus-year-old instrument — the grey pearloid finish is intact and presents well, the electronics are fully working with quiet, responsive pots, and there is no structural damage. The original case is clean and intact, which on a Magnatone of this era is genuinely notable — these cases do not always survive in usable condition. The tone on these instruments is gritty, singing, and immediate — bright enough to cut through a mix, warm enough to sustain a slide phrase, and with a midrange character that is distinctly different from the Rickenbacker horseshoe pickup sound or the Gibson lap steel sound. It is its own voice, and players who know it tend to be loyal to it.

For a steel player looking for a legitimate piece of Los Angeles instrument history, a slide player who wants a genuinely playable and characterful vintage electric platform, or a collector who wants a clean Magnatone example with its original case intact — this is an honest, well-preserved instrument from the end of the Hawaiian steel's mainstream era.

SPECS:

• Color: Gray/Green MOTS
• Weight: 6lbs 0.5oz
• Fretboard: Plexi with some kind of distortion from age apparent under the fretboard in spots. See pic.
  
• Fret count: 24
• Nut: Original
• Nut width: 1-7/16"
• Scale: 22 3/8"
• Total length: 25"
• Width: 7-1/8":
• Body depth/thickness: 1-3/4"
• Hardware Color: Nickel
• Pickup: Original Single coil
• Pickup Reading: 
  
• Bridge: Original
• Tuners: Original Keyless. One stripped, notches added for flat head. See Pic.
• Pots: Orignal
• Knobs: Original
• Case: OHSC
• Notes:

Shipping policy:

Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.