Epiphone Electar Zephyr Lap Steel Guitar 1943

Epiphone Electar Zephyr Steel 1943 full front view

Comments	Here’s a very cool Epiphone Electar Zephyr lap steel guitar from 1943. These were amongst the very first solidbody electric instruments. Introduced in 1939, the Zephyr was made until 1957. Epiphone was arguably the premiere arcthop guitar builder in the United States from the 1920’s to the 1940’s, with Gibson in constant competition. As music became more popular and accessible, venues became larger and volumes rose. These steel guitars were among the first instruments to be intended as all-electric, requiring amplification and not adapted from an acoustic model. This particular example, made during the year Epi Staphopoulos died, is in good playing condition. The top cover material has shrunk and is peeling but is otherwise in good playing condition.
Serial Number	#7930, built during 1943 in New York, New York, USA.
Pricing	$599.99 CAD with case.
Neck	Maple neck with metal fingerboard.
Frets	Metal fretboard, bolted on, with visible markers.
Body	Maple body with ‘trap door’ for electronics access on back.
Finish	Original black lacquer finish on most of body; the top uses a white plastic veneer that is separating and warping with age.
Hardware/electronics	Pots and output jack likely updated, original tuners and bridge hardware. Missing pickup cover.
Playability/Action	Fun to play and very cool to look at!
Case	Case included.