c. 1939 Rickenbacker Silver Hawaiian Lap Steel model NS 100
Maker
Rickenbacker International Corporation
(American, founded 1931)
Datec. 1939
ClassificationsMusic
DescriptionCirca 1939 Rickenbacker Silver Hawaiian Lap Steel model NS 100 guitar, serial number D 1665. The guitar features nickel plated body, stamped from sheet metal, 1 1/2" horseshoe magnet pickup, Bakelite nut, volume and tone knobs on the same side. In original board case.Adolph Rickenbacher (later Anglicized to Rickenbacker) and George Beauchamp co-founded what later became the Rickenbacker guitar company in 1931 as the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (ElectRO-PATent-INnstruments). The company is credited as the first maker of electric guitars and were originally known for their steel guitars.
In the early 1930s, lap steel guitarist George Beauchamp created the first electric guitar pickup, which allowed for lap steel electrification and the removal of the resonance chamber. This innovation revolutionized the guitar world, making the lap steel guitar the first electric stringed instrument and allowing for the amplification of all guitar styles. In 1932, Rickenbacker began selling the first commercially available electric lap steel, the Electro A-22, also known as the “Frying Pan."
By the 1960s, the Rickenbacker designs had expanded into conventional electric guitars, and the brand's popularity was catapulted when John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney of The Beatles began using their instruments. The Beatles spurred interest among other musicians, including John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Tom Petty, and Geddy Lee (Rush).
This electric Hawaiian guitar is a very early example of an electrified instrument and of a Hawaiian guitar. It also features Bakelite knobs, which is a relatively early application of plasticized material on an instrument. The instrument’s branding still features the original Germanic spelling of “Rickenbacher.” The modern spelling, ”Rickenbacker,” did not become the official spelling until 1950.
