Herrnsdorf Elektro Artist W8 Tube Amplifier, 1958, made in Germany

 

Link: radiomuseum

Country: Germany
Manufacturer / Brand: Elektro-akustische Werkstätten, Markneukirchen
Year: 1958 ?

Category: Audio Amplifier or -mixer
Valves / Tubes 4: ECC83 EF86 EL12N EZ80
Main principle Audio-Amplification
Wave bands - without
Details

• Power type and voltage Alternating Current supply (AC) / 110; 220 Volt 
• Loudspeaker Permanent Magnet Dynamic (PDyn) Loudspeaker (moving coil) - elliptical 
• Power out 8 W (unknown quality) 
• from Radiomuseum.org Model: Elektro-Artist W8 [mit EL12N] - Elektro-akustische Werkstätten
• Material Leather / canvas / plastic - over other material 
• Shape Console with any shape - in general 
• Notes Koffer-Mischverstärker mit Eingängen für Mikrofon, TB/TA/Radio und Gitarre. Die Lautstärke ist je Eingang separat regelbar. Für das Summensignel stehen ein Summenregler sowie ein Höhen- und Tiefenregler zur Verfügung. 

Source of data -- Original prospect or advert

Electro Artist Double Lap Steel Guitar

Electro Artist Double Lap Steel

Now here's a whole area of the guitar world about which I know very little: lap steel guitars. Before we go any further, I must stress that I'm not talking about pedal steel guitars - that's a whole other field and a very complicated one with all their pedals and knee levers and so forth. It's a different instrument really.

The lap steel, however, most of us guitarists can relate to, even if it is foreign territory to many of us. It's still usually recognisably a guitar, albeit one that you play in a weird way. Occasionally I find myself looking at lap steels on eBay and thinking, "Yeah, I could play one of those. One of these days, I'll get one..."

I did experiment a while back with an old Teisco guitar on which I raised the nut, tuned to an open chord (D, I think, if I remember) and tried playing it lapstyle with a slide. It sounded interesting, but was much harder to play that I imagined it would be.

This Elektro Artist looks like a bit of a lapfull! I think I'd want to put legs on that, it's quite a behemoth! It's the lap steel equivalent of the doubleneck guitar, even though it doesn't have "necks" as such. But look at all that mother of toilet seat and 14 strings. Outrageous! The headstock (do they call them "headstocks" on lap steels?) is enormous.

I love looking at pictures of such guitars. They do not all look alike and there are some very interesting and original designs to be seen. Quite a few have an art deco feel to them and look like forgotten relics from the 1940s.