NMM 5207.  Electric lap steel guitar by Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, ca. 1949. BR-9 model.  No serial number. Gift of Robert C. and Ruth Newman, Gainesville, Florida, 1991. Note: Click on any image below to see a larger image. The BR-9 electric lap steel guitar was introduced in 1947 for beginners. The fingerboard was numbered for ease of learning positions, and it sold, in 1949, for $52.50 (guitar alone) or $99.50 for a complete outfit with case and amplifier, as opposed to $250 for the professional-grade Console Grand mounted on steel legs. Gibson introduced a similar student model, the Skylark (EH-500), in 1956, and by 1959 it was apparent that Gibson did not need two student-grade electric lap steels. The BR-9 was discontinued in that year, while the Skylark held on until 1968. The electric lap steel, first sold in the mid-1930s, declined in popularity in the '50s and '60s, while the star of the pedal steel guitar, which had gained great popularity in the hands of professionals like Speedy West, rose. The electric lap steel has recently experienced a revival, however, and it is once again being produced by numerous companies, including Gretsch, which calls its Electromatic lap steel "a smooth, yet sonic blast from the past." NMM 5207 was originally purchased by Floyd Smith Newman (January 6, 1906-February 14, 1964), M.D., who practiced medicine in the late 1940s and early 1950s in Shattuck, Oklahoma. Front, Back, and Side Views Fretboard and Peghead Views of Tailpiece, Controls, and String Attachment Amplifier Original Bar Return to Gibson Electric Guitar Checklist National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069 ©National Music Museum, 2006-2007 Most recent update: December 20, 2007 You are the 8,587th visitor to this page since December 14, 2006 The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page