GAA's Early-50's Gibson Royaltone

Introduction

Pictured is a Gibson Royaltone lap steel guitar formally owned by me and now owned by a total Gibson lap steel fanatic. They are somewhat rare. Occasionally you'll see one for sale on eBay.
This article on the Gibson website mentions Royaltones. According to the article they were only made from 1950 to 1952. The Royaltone name was also used on lap steel made a few years later. That model had a solid finish and a more rounded shape.
It's an unexceptional lap steel. The one cool thing about it is that the styling is reminiscent of a 50's Les Paul - the speed knobs, the P90-style pickup and, especially, the maple top.
Below are some additional pictures for all you Royaltone-curious folks.

Flamed Maple Top

The fretboard is a synthetic material. The frets and fret markers are painted on.

Headstock

Standard Gibson Headstock shape. The Gibson logo is just a decal. The nut is metal. The tuner buttons have "shrunk", which is common for guitars of this age. They are still functional. It never had a serial number.

The Case

The case is simple and inexpensive. Obviously it was not a top of the line instrument.

	Introduction Pictured is a Gibson Royaltone lap steel guitar formally owned by me and now owned by a total Gibson lap steel fanatic. They are somewhat rare. Occasionally you'll see one for sale on eBay. This article on the Gibson website mentions Royaltones. According to the article they were only made from 1950 to 1952. The Royaltone name was also used on lap steel made a few years later. That model had a solid finish and a more rounded shape. It's an unexceptional lap steel. The one cool thing about it is that the styling is reminiscent of a 50's Les Paul - the speed knobs, the P90-style pickup and, especially, the maple top. Below are some additional pictures for all you Royaltone-curious folks.
Flamed Maple Top The fretboard is a synthetic material. The frets and fret markers are painted on.
	Headstock Standard Gibson Headstock shape. The Gibson logo is just a decal. The nut is metal. The tuner buttons have "shrunk", which is common for guitars of this age. They are still functional. It never had a serial number.
The Case The case is simple and inexpensive. Obviously it was not a top of the line instrument.