If you’ve caught any visiting American country acts in Australia since live music has resumed, you may well have seen someone playing a Royal Hawaiian model Chandler. The build quality, the looks – and of course, the sound – has led a bunch of top players, (including Aerosmith’s Joe Perry), to seek out these great modern lap steels.
Sacramento Valley
Based in the town of Chico in the Sacramento Valley of northern California, Chandler Guitars was established by brothers, Paul and Adrian Chandler, producing two or three lap steel models and several guitars, (including the famous LectraSlide and Futurama). These days they have shifted into replacement and vintage-correct pickguards and scratchplates, supplying all the major manufacturers, plus collectors, luthiers and guitar dealers.
Ben Harper
Our Royal Hawaiian here was built by Paul Chandler in April of 1991, and features a look closely modelled on the legendary Weissenborns of the 1920s and thirties – brought back into favour by Ben Harper in the mid-90s – though unlike those hollowbody acoustic originals, the Royal Hawaiian is a solid body beast – solid Mahogany body, solid Mahogany neck. And that fabulous art deco Perloid board!
Vintage warmth
Where many other electric lap steels are “top-loaders”, the Royal Hawaiian features a string-through arrangement, similar to a Telecaster, allowing for the full transfer of the body timber’s tone. Chandler’s own in-house Charlie Christian-style CC-90 pickup and the solid Mahogany combine to deliver a rare lap steel duo of both great sustain and vintage warmth, that few others can match. Lovely top end chime is ensured by the bridge and (fat) slide nut, both in solid chrome-plated steel.
Andy Volk
Recalling the deco looks and magic of classic instruments of a hundred years ago, such as Oahu, National and others, steel guitar authority Andy Volk was so highly impressed by the Royal Hawaiian, that in his book Lap Steel Guitar, (see pic # 5), he pronounced it one of the best buys going in a modern lap steel.
Free courier delivery
What else? Natural satin finish, perloid tuner buttons to match the deco board, full 23¼” scale, fully USA made, and complete with its original blonde Tolex hard shell case, condition is Excellent+. Our FREE COURIER DELIVERY is included to any address in Australia. ($100 airfreight to New Zealand, and $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries)
Just Guitars
