by François » Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:04 am
As a Harmony fan I may be able to say more... The brand is Supertone, as can be seen on the partial decal on the headtstock. It was more than likely built by Harmony.
These alloy "trapezoidals" tuners are typical of the Harmony products of the period. Theye were sold as "Tune-Rite" models.
This model was sold in Sears & Roebuck catalog in 1938 as model # 2299, and was sold bundled with its amplifier. It was not proposed without amplifier this year. If we follow the Sears numbering system, this means the lapsteel itseld could be call a model #299, the added "2" means kit "with carrying case" or "with amplifier".
I suoppose it was only produced for one or two years (different models in 1937 and in 1941..). I believe Sears did not proposed electric lapsteels before 1937, so it can be called a very early model. Not so rare though, I see a couple of these models each year on ebay.