Cleaning MOTS

Hi,

I just picked up a 1940's National Guitar Lap Steel, with MOTS finish. With the exception of the tuner buttons, this thing is in great shape.

But, there is some sticker residue on the MOTS finish, and I don't know how to remove it safely. I was thinking rubbing alcohol. Any ideas?

Thanks,

edg

AFAIK the best accepted product for sticky residue is Naptha (lighter fluid). I'm not aware of any surface that it will harm and it evaporates cleanly with no residue of its own. If anyone knows otherwise regarding possible harmful effects, please chime in.

Hi Eddie,

I had the same thought, but I don't have lighter fluid. I don't even know where to get it. Home Depot maybe, as Naptha?

Anyways, a friend suggested denatured alcohol, and that did the trick.

Thanks,

edg

You know the rule: it does not exist without pictures!

You got any before and after photos?

Glad to hear you found a solution for removing the stickers.

Hi Eddie,

I had the same thought, but I don't have lighter fluid. I don't even know where to get it. Home Depot maybe, as Naptha?

Anyways, a friend suggested denatured alcohol, and that did the trick.

Thanks,

edg

Glad it worked out. I would have been wary of using denatured alcohol or acetone--those can really eat up some materials.
You can usually get lighter fluid anywhere they still sell cigarettes. It's useful to have some on hand for removing stickers.

You know the rule: it does not exist without pictures!

You got any before and after photos?

Glad to hear you found a solution for removing the stickers.

Craig, you really think any of us is interesting looking at the top of a throne?

- Jos

Ed, I would love to see it! It is older than most of the people on this forum.-- Darwin

Craig, you really think any of us is interesting looking at the top of a throne?

- Jos

Yeah, but this is apparently THE mother of toilet seats !!

Pix Tuesday, when I can show you all my shameful habits.

edg

Hi Guys,

As required by the rules of the GbL, No pix means it does not exist, I have finally posted pix of my lap steels.



Left to right:

Aloha brand. Tuned to E7. Has the original case, but it was so beat up I replaced some of the panels. Fretboard is clear plexi or plastic of some sort. In really clean condition.

Richenbacher. Not sure of the model. Tuned to C6. Has the original case. And the previous owned left a steel in the case. One of the tuners is twisted a bit off axis. Otherwise in clean condition. Note the spelling of the name. They changed the 2nd H to a K sometime after WWII.

National Guitar. Might be a Princess model. I found some pix to that effect. Found other pix which show another model as the Princess. I love how the knobs have a scale underneath them. They only go to 10, though. Serial number shows that it was made somewhere in the 1940-1942 time frame. Fretboard is rosewood. I assume that the fret markers are bakelite or some sort of plastic. There is pitting on the metal parts. There is a cigarette burn sized mark on the fretboard. The original tuner button are falling apart. Currently there are no strings on it.

All 3 lap steels work just fine. Compared to guitars of a similar age, these are in very good cosmetic and working/playing condition. I suspect that guitars of this nature have spent an extended period of time as closet queens.

Buying a lap steel set me to thinking: "I can build one of these things." And I can.



Left to right:

The first one I built. 22.5" scale. Cosmetically, not pretty. I did a lot things wrong, and I learned a lot. The fretboard is a pre-inked plastic sticker. Cut it to size and apply it. Currently tuned to Open G. John Pearse makes a string set for Open G for resonator guitar, that have nickel cores. So I used them. Much better sounding than D'Addario XL 13s. The pup is a P-90, I think from Seymour Duncan. But I am not positive. I had a local machine shop make me the bridge and nut. It turns out that the guy who owns the place used to play guitar, and his son uses the CNC machines to build guitars. I found him on google, and just called. Random good luck. The body is maple.

The middle one was going to be a guitar, but the wood was damaged, so I decided to make it into a lap steel 'Ukulele, 17" scale. This time I cut my own fret slots and inlayed black purfling from LMI. my saw work is not perfect, but I am getting better. Still remaining are: cutting the underneath of the headstock and installing tuners; the electronics, and routing the back cover plate. It's supposed to be maple, but I am not positive I keep changing my mind on that. I expect to tune it to C6, just like a standard tenor 'Uke.

The one on the right is roughed out. You see the pencil marks for the nut, bridge, frets, and dot markers. So lots of work left on this one. I will be cutting my fret slots & what not eventually. Maybe this one will be pretty enough.

Any interest out there for a G&L lap steel? With a Z coil for the pup? Saddle lock bridge.

Let's discuss it.

Take care,

edg

Any interest out there for a G&L lap steel? With a Z coil for the pup? Saddle lock bridge.

Let's discuss it.

edg

It would be a true Tribute to Leo et al .
I've read Leo loved the sound of hawaiian guitar, spurred him from radio repair to instrument production.
I have a Magnatone Lelani amp in blue MOTS ...needs TLC. The one I bought for my buddy( his works great )
is a little tone factory.
Do you have any experience with the old little amps?

I'll fess up I've pulled a pickup from an old champ lap steel. No regrets ,it is the coolest sounding pickup I've played.
And it gets heard alot now that it's in a longer scale instrument that I can intonate (guitar vs. champ lap scale).

elwood

I'll see if I have a pic of the little maggie amp.

Hi Elwood,

I have no experience with amps. High voltage scares me

Take care,

edg

Ed, you are very talented. The built ones are cool but your builds are awesome. I think the one on the right would be cool with a z-coil. Thanks for posting.-- Darwin

Darwin,

Were I to do a Z-coil, I would: 1) Have to use a saddle lock bridge to get the proper spacing over the pup; 2) Have to figure out a way to make the mounting hole in the wood correctly; 3) Change the nut, as the spacing would be wider at the nut than at the bridge, by 1/64" per string, or go with it as is since the difference is only 5/64".

Damn you, Darwin. Now you got me thinking about this. NOT FAIR, man. NOT FAIR. The string spacing would only be off by 1/64", if I used my existing bridge. So close enough for govt. work. I could make a mount for the pup out of a contrasting wood, like walnut. I have some maple I could use, too. 1/4" ply wood with a koa veneer. I could do that. 1/4" MDF would be more stable. So really, it wouldn't be that hard.

Let me think on it.

Edit: 5 minutes later

Darwin, no Z coil on the 3rd guitar. You will notice on #1 & #2 that the hole for the pup is FUBAR'd. The StewMac template is really bad, and I am having a new one made, 1/2" thick, poly carb (lexan) instead of plexi. I want to use it once, prove that it works, once. The longer scale LSs that I am building are 22.5" scale length. I am thinking that I might do one that is 25" scale length. In that case, I would feel good about using a Z coil.

edg

I like this Ed, you are now thinking again. Whatever you do, please post pictures when you are done!-- Darwin

Does anybody have a mechanical drawing of the Z coil bridge pup? Something with dimensions on it?

Thanks,

ed