looking for info on Silvertone / Rhythmaster pickup

[Chris Trapani]

Curious to see if anyone has any info about when and where this lap steel was made. It says "Silvertone Hawaiian" on the neck and has a pickup with a label that reads "Rhythmaster Guitar Mike." Purchased in New Delhi in December 2022, with a VERY old set of strings on it, possibly original. Thanks!

[Noah Miller]

I'm not sure what model that fretboard came from, but it has no relation to the rest of the parts. Looks like a homebrew steel.

[Jack Hanson]

The body resembles an upside-down version of the first variants of the postwar Gibson Century/Ultratone.

[Phillip Holt]

That's a really cool looking steel. Love those rectangular tuning machines. How does it sound?

[Fred]

I think the fretboard is from a late 1940's Silvertone model 1315 built by Kay. The rough metal work suggests homemade rather than factory built. The woodwork is good. The place where the headstock meets the neck looks hand cut rather than machined.

I'd clean it up and make it playable.

[Bill Sinclair]

I wonder what the heck that pickup came off of. Both DeArmond and Teisco pickups used the somewhat oddball "Guitar Mike" nomenclature on some of their pickups but none with the Rhythm Master designation that I could find. Very cool homebrew guitar.

[Fred]

I've never seen that pickup before either. Since it came from India I'd guess it's from either a British or Australian manufacturer.