Here for sale we have a Luna Hawaiian electric Lap Steel guitar in Sunburst finish. Made in China, this instrument makes use of the popular Weissenborn design, which was pioneered by Hermann Weissenborn in 1920s & '30s Los Angeles. A Mahogany body & neck is featured, along with a Flame Maple veneer top and 23 fret Rosewood fingerboard & nut. The fingerboard is inlaid with handsome Abalone 'Rising Tide' fret markers, as well as a pearloid 'moon' marker at the 3rd fret. Chrome hardware is fitted including a compensated wrap-around stop tail & sealed tuning machines. A pair of open-coil humbucking pickups are installed, and are wired to a 3-way toggle switch, master volume and master tone controls. 
 
As the name 'Lap Steel' suggests, this instrument is designed to be played flat across the legs. Conventional playing is impossible on this instrument due to the square profile of the neck and high string action, along with the lack of raised frets. Instead, the lap steel is played with a slide, and tuned to an open tuning. Today, the sound of lap steel can be heard in a variety of genres, but the instrument was originally developed in Hawaii, and is often referred to as a Hawaiian guitar. Throughout the early 20th century, the lap steel gained popularity amongst musicians from more mainstream genres such as country, blues and rock and roll. Due to the way the instrument is played, it is not possible to change key without re-tuning the strings. After some early double-neck models allowed musicians to play in two different keys, the limitations of the Hawaiian guitar were fully addressed with the introduction of the pedal steel, which used pedals and levers to bend and change the pitch of strings during performance. 
 
The pair of open-coil humbucking pickups installed in this instrument deliver thick, smooth tones which work well in a wide variety of genres. The neck position is round and quite powerful, adding real texture to the mix. The bridge position is of course brighter, allowing the instrument to cut through easily. This is the perfect instrument for someone looking to expand their musical horizons and explore their creativity without breaking the bank. 
 
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.