Ro-Pat-In Cast Aluminum Electric Hawaiian "Frying Pan" Guitar. Reported by the previous owner to have been purchased directly from the inventor, this may very well be the earliest production model. The first and most obvious tip off that this is other than standard production is the name engraved on the peghead is Elektro, and not the more familiar Electro in script. Today, two early models have been found with this spelling but the style and application differ drastically. Research has determined that this is not a misspelling. The first recorded use of the name can be found in the official minutes of the “National Board of Directors” of which inventor George Beauchamp was a member. This example also is a bit cruder in its casting and layout, the fret spacing is not regular. But the most telling difference is the dimension. The body measures 6 ¼” across the face. Not only is this the only known cast example with these measurements, but it also of the same size as the wood prototype that hangs in the Rickenbacker Museum.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Museum_of_Making_Music" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:User:Museum of Making Music">Museum of Making Music</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:">English Wikipedia</a>
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