Oahu Publishing Co. Electric Lap Steel
by Kathy Ivey
(Forsyth, GA)
Guitar on left has a seal the one on the right has no markings.
I have two guitars that were bought in early 1940's used. One has a Oahu Publishing Co. seal on the neck. The other does not have a seal. One belonged to my Mom (right) and the other to my Aunt (left). Both are in very good condition. During the war they took Hawaiian music lessons on these guitars. The guitar's were bought in Charleston, SC. They took lessons in Charleston at Sabback Publishing Co. I have shown my Mom's guitar to several people in my area and they have no clue as to what it is. I hope you can help us to obtain any information about them.
ANSWER
Hi, Kathy--
Both guitars are electric lap steel guitars, which were popular during the late 1930's and the 40's.
Here is the Blue Book general info regarding Oahu Guitars:
"Instruments previously built by Kay from the 1930s-1960s, however the Oahu trademark has been used all the way into the 1980s. Previously distributed by the Oahu Publishing Company of Cleveland, OH.
The Oahu Publishing Company offered Hawaiian and Spanish-style acoustic guitars, lap steels, sheet music, and a wide range of accessories during the Hawaiian music craze of pre-war America. Catalogs stress the fact that the company is a major music distributor, but the instruments were really built by the Kay Musical Company. They produced a number of Hawaiian style guitars in the 1930s and 1940s, primarily. In the late 1930s, Oahu developed a line of lap steel guitars and amplifiers."
It is very difficult to find pricing information on these guitars, especially without knowing the exact model. I was able to find similar but not identical Oahu electric lap steels for around $475-500.
The other unmarked guitar is impossible to trace without a model number or some kind of identification. My guess would be that its value is about the same or a little less than the Oahu.
Lynne
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