An excellent opportunity for a Rebuild or Custom Build platform:

A compact size MOTS Maggies are vavlued for as well as their sound;  And  fully aged "slab" of excellent old wood ready for any custom parts and / or treatments.

If an original specs pickup is desired, it would have to be custom wound.  I know that
Jason Lollar has done these before, and Lindy Fralin probably has too.  Both are top shelf experts by which all others are measured.

Shown below is a diagram I made of how these Magnatone "Maggie" pickups are wound around their half-donut magnet and installed.  (I still have the magnet for this Maggie):

The coil was wrapped around a bobbin fixed on the winding machine.  Somehow (???) the coil was removed from the winding bobbin and secured with 6 bands of masking tape.  Then the magnet was inserted and both inserted into the guitar's routed pickup cavity that is larger than the pickup and has an extra rounded routing in the bottom to receive the magnet centered in the pickup's routed cavity.  The pickup is then wired to the pot leads.  Then a bees wax based compound was poured in "hot" to pot the entire pickup in the cavity.  While the wax was still warm the pickup was pressed exactly flat aligned with the guitar's top.  Then the guitar's top and sides (and back edges) were covered in MOTS and the MOTS trimmed on the back leaving about 1/4" lip of MOTS around the entire perimeter of the back of the guitar.
2-17-04
Magnatone Leilani, silver-grey MOTS
ce 1948-49

WITHOUT PICKUP OR POTS;  AND TUNER KNOBS NEED REPLACING.

PREVIOUS OWNER REPORTS:  1948 Leilani Lap Steel by Gourley and according to the Vintage Guitar price guide was made by Magnatone.  Finished in a black or grey Moto (MOTS / pearloid) finish and is in Excellent shape being 55 years old.  The finish is in excellent shape and the electronics sound great as well.  The only problem I can see are the tuning peg button's are shrinking do to their age but are very much in tact and funtion perfectly.  I dated this from the Stack Pole pots which (were) 1948.  A great vintage piece with a remarkable sound.

DENNY'S NOTES:  How do you put it nicely that an ebay seller is a color blind liar?

This Maggie's color is a Maroon & silverized MOTS that has aged to a darker Maroon color.  MOTS tends to darken with age.

The owner couldn't have possibly determined that the electronics sounded great, ....because the pickup potting had picked up some moisture through a crack in the MOTS covering it, and as is not-uncommon with these Maggies, that moisture swelled the petro bees wax potting the pickups are mounted in, and pushed the pickup up through the MOTS to the point the pickup touched the strings and made the Steel unplayable !

The pickup was also disfunctional, having had it's coil wires and bobbin torn and ruined in the potting swelling.  I removed the pickup and discarded it;  It's condition had no recycling use.

This Maggie still presents an excellent opportunity for a Rebuild or Custom Work;  See notes below the pictures below.

2-17-04
oOo
An excellent opportunity for a Rebuild or Custom Build platform:

A compact size MOTS Maggies are vavlued for as well as their sound;  And  fully aged "slab" of excellent old wood ready for any custom parts and / or treatments.

If an original specs pickup is desired, it would have to be custom wound.  I know that
Jason Lollar has done these before, and Lindy Fralin probably has too.  Both are top shelf experts by which all others are measured.

Shown below is a diagram I made of how these Magnatone "Maggie" pickups are wound around their half-donut magnet and installed.  (I still have the magnet for this Maggie):

The coil was wrapped around a bobbin fixed on the winding machine.  Somehow (???) the coil was removed from the winding bobbin and secured with 6 bands of masking tape.  Then the magnet was inserted and both inserted into the guitar's routed pickup cavity that is larger than the pickup and has an extra rounded routing in the bottom to receive the magnet centered in the pickup's routed cavity.  The pickup is then wired to the pot leads.  Then a bees wax based compound was poured in "hot" to pot the entire pickup in the cavity.  While the wax was still warm the pickup was pressed exactly flat aligned with the guitar's top.  Then the guitar's top and sides (and back edges) were covered in MOTS and the MOTS trimmed on the back leaving about 1/4" lip of MOTS around the entire perimeter of the back of the guitar.
COPYRIGHT 2005 WD Turner
Wound coil secured with masking tape straps.