The pre WWII lap steel Richenbachers are valuable collectibles, and their pickups are considered by many lap steel players to be the best sounding ever made.Rickenbacher is credited with the first electiric instrument,the lap steel "frying pan" model 22 in 1932. That model is very rare,and expensive if you can find one available in half way decent shape. The model 59 was a student model; and sells generally for less than half the price of a frying pan. The model 59 was made from 1937-1943. I love the model 59 for straight ahead blues. For western swing the Fender stringmasters, the deluxe 6, or 8; or Dual 8 Professionals are much more highly regarded by most players. If Blues is your interest though;definately consider the vintage Rickenbachers!

  The model 59 Rickenbacher's body was stamped out of sheet metal,and it has a horseshoe style wrap around the strings pickup. The fingerboard will have either black, or white dots for fingerboard markers on the metal neck. Most have either a black,or an Ivory crinkled paint finish. In 1939 some had a shaded grey that fades to black at the edges ,that would be perhaps called a grey burst finish.

 The model 59 has two control knobs for vol. and tone;except the original 1937 which only had the one vol knob.

                                                                        1938 model 59

 It is valued in excellent condition at a low of $700. to a high of $750. In absolute mint all original condition, its value would be over $1000. In ok condition,meaning  scratches, and scrapes; but perfectly functional shape, I have seen these sell for a low of $300. to $550.

 The first question I ask a seller is the pickup the original? Then I ask if the electronics work ok? Do the vol/tone controls function without any scratchy noise. Some crackly sound when turning the controls is really no big deal to me. The pots could be a bit dirty, and spraying them out might totally solve the problem. They could have rusted out so much though that they may soon fail, and then would need to be replaced. Ask if the sound cuts out totally when turning the tone knob. If it does? Chemicals from the insulation material surrounding the wire wraped around the pickups magnet may have destroyed the pickup. Old pickups can go dead. Without the original pickup functioning, the lap steel is worthless to me.

 Are the tuners still viable? Are they stiff, loose, or bent? Are the tuners buttons dried out, and yellow? They will then need replacement, and this is an easy do it yourself project. Allparts have exact replacements for a reasonable cost. My evaluations are as a player, if you are a collector, you should of course be more critical regards the parts being all original. Player, or collector; the pick up HAS to be original ; and it has to play loud and clear!

 A little back ground.... Rickenbacher changed its name to Rickenbacker in 1949. It changed the size of the horseshoe pickup to 1 &1/4" after WWII. Before that the pickups were all 1 &1/2 ". That fact alone can help you date the old Ricks. There is never ending controversy about the exact dating of these old guitars. Rickenbacker has a very nice web site, but they admit themselves that it is difficult to put an exact date on the vintage steels.I've tried their serial number decoder, and found it to be useless on these vintage models. To make matters more complictaed; some of the exact same models were made in totally different time periods,yet can look very similar. The Gruhn guide to vintage guitars can certainly help, and I recommend it.

 Some of the 1946 thru early fifties Rickenbacher model NS lap steels look almost identical to the model 59 in the greyburst from 1939. Remember to check the size of the pickups. If its 1 &1/2 inch? Then it is a pre WWII, so it is likely a model 59. The model 59 also has control knobs on opposite sides, where as the model NS has them both on the same side. The model 59 has a metal plate with the logo Richenbacher, where as most of the model NS steels have a decal logo. The model 59 is a bit more valuable, so knowing these differences can help.

If you would like to hear exactly what a model 59 sounds like? Check out the book/CDR titled.. Vintage Lap Steel & Slide Guitar for Blues...It is  available here on E Bay. This is part two of the Vinatge Lap Steel Guitar instructional series  This book/CDR is entirely in the popular blues tuning of open E major. Several of the songs on the CD were recorded with the model 59 Rickenbacher.

 There is a link in the E Bay listing for - Vintage Lap Steel & Slide Guitar for Blues -  to a putfile page where you can sample exactly what a model 59 sounds like. Just click onto my listed items to find it.

 The fact that the model 59's entire body, and neck are made of sheet metal creates one down side . When metal gos through temperature changes, it contracts, and expands. This makes it go out of tune a lot. This hassle is worth it to me because they sound so good, but out on the road it would be a real pain!

 The single coil pick ups on these old lap steels is what the real appeal is all about. These single coils were all hand wound , and each has a slightly different sound. You can have six of the exact same model, made in the exact same year; and they will all sound a bit different. My model 59 is a 1939 with the black, and grey burst finish, and sounds spectacular! It has the deep, mid range sound , with  incredible big bass notes. It has almost no treble, which is  fine  for blues, though not practical for most other music.

 If you are looking for a lap steel for country, or western swing ? This is not the instrument for you in my opinion. You'd be better off with a National,or a Fender lap steel for those musical styles. In the fifties , after Rickenbacher had long since changed to Rickenbacker, the pickups were re voiced to sound more like the more popular Fenders. This is most unfortunate in my opinion. Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker had its own unique sound, and if I want a Fender sound, I'll buy a Fender,

.I use my model 59 for nothing but blues/ blues rock. I set mine up in standard open E tuning. Low to high: E,B,E,G#,B,E. The strings load through the back of the model 59's body itself , which will allow this lap steel to handle the heavy gauge strings used in open E. This is a logical design as it is very stable. Some of the old vintage lap steels have the strings attach to a bridge that is screwed down to the top of the body. The strain of the heavy gauge strings used in open E tuning can cause the bridge to lift right off the body! No such problem with the model 59;  so for me the Rickenbacher is a natural fit for blues in open E tuning.

 The model 59 is a heavy guitar, around 25 pounds,and as such can be tough to hold for a long session. I use a keyboard stand, and recommend that for playing lap steel anyway. I almost never play a lap steel in my lap.

 The model 59 was made with a matching amplifier with the exact same finsih as the lap steel. Not too many have survived,but on occasion you will see one on the used/ vintage market. They look nice together as collectibles; but its the lap steel I'm interested in.

 The model 59 has a 22&1/2 inch scale, and is considered a short scale. I can play every blue note I want to play without any difficulty on this short scale length. As I wrote earlier,when playing jazz/country/ swing on steel;  I prefer a National, or Fender set up in alternative tunings (such as open C6th, open E 6th, and open A ).  The book/CDRs  titled  Vintage Lap Steel Guitar For Western Swing & Country Blues/ Vintage Lap Steel Rags,Jumps, and Stomps  have many written , and recorded examples in these tunings.

 For blues this Rickenbacher is perfect! The only other lap steel I like for blues as much, might be an Ephiphone Electar. Especially the Zephyr models from the thirties, they sound a lot like these old Ricks to me. If you are looking for a straight ahead blues lap steel, the model 59 is a great choice. If you want to learn some of the great old blues classics like Statesboro blues,Trouble No More,Shake Your Money Maker on lap steel.Consider buying the lap steel instruction package titled Vintage Lap Steel & Slide Guitar For Blues.

 One warning, do not try to adjust the height of the pickups. They are at a fixed position, and have non adjustable poles.If you try to adjust them , you could tear the windings on the wire in the pickup, and destroy it!

 I've heard it often said that these old pickups will loose too much strength after all the years of use, or storage. I have several vintage lap steels from the thirties, and they still sound great!  They  still sound strong, and powerful. So just use the information I am giving you for what it is, a guide ; don't let it scare you off, these old lap steels can sound amazing!     

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