Rickenbacker Model B-6 Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1938), ser. #C-2198, original black hard shell case.

Rickenbacker Model B-6 Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1938), made in Los Angeles, California, serial # C-2198, polished black finish, molded Bakelite body and neck, original black hard shell case.

This is a nicely preserved original pre-WWII Rickenbacker (spelled Rickenbacher on the nameplate) Model B-6 six-string Bakelite steel guitar. These instruments were the professional standard of their day and are still considered by many the finest-sounding lap steels ever made. This B-6 features the famous 1 1/2" horseshoe magnet pickup found only on pre-war guitars and strings loading through the body, the combination of features generally considered to produce the finest sound.

The body is molded black Bakelite with hollow cavities covered by chromed metal plates; the screwed-on neck has integral molded frets and nut with inset white position dots. This guitar has the style of tuners used in the later-mid-1930s, individual units with hexagon baseplates and angular metal buttons, two of which have been replaced.

The fantastic sounding original Horseshoe magnet pickup is adjustable for height with a knurled knob on either side. The volume and tone controls are mounted on either side of it, topped with black Bakelite knobs with a etched arrow pointer used up into the later 1930s. On these earlier models the output jack is mounted on the bass side of the body, where the audience couldn't see it.

The body is marked below the bridge with the 1932 patent number; the pickup mounting flanges are marked with the patent number #2089171 which dates the instrument to later than mid-1937. As with all the early Bakelite Rickenbackers, this is a predictably great-sounding steel, an extremely nice example of the most sought-after player's instrument of its type.

Overall length is 29 3/4 in. (75.6 cm.), 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 1/4 in. (57 mm.).

This is a nice original example of this classic and sought-after steel, appearing used but not abused nearly 90 years along showing with mostly light wear overall. The body and neck show some minor scuffing but no dinks or chips. There is also some scuffing to the chrome plating on the cover plates, but no spots are worn down to the metal.

The sintered metal buttons on this style of original tuners are unfortunately randomly prone to crumbling; in this case four of them are fully intact and solid while the other two have more modern buttons fitted to the original shafts, not a perfect match but functional. All the machines work fine. The pickup and electronics appear original and unaltered, and have a very powerful output. As with all of these the pickup is microphonic but fine-sounding with the unique singing pre-war Rickenbacker character. All-in-all this is one of the nicer pre-war B-6 guitars we have had, a cool find complete in the original rectangular hard shell case sized to also fit the rare Spanish version. Overall Excellent - Condition.