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Almost a year ago, I went to my friend's t-shirt/music shop and bought this lap steel for $40.

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/240110323?profile=original

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/153409911?profile=original

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/153409764?profile=original

As you can see, it's pretty rough. I decided that when it came time to replace the strings, I'd do some work on it first. Now the time has come, and I'm a little unsure, because it came with a story. After I'd paid for it, I was hanging out and talking, and the guy who sold it to me told me that somebody had told him that it looked like a Fender. That apparently Leo Fender built stuff like this to test pickups. Of course, I was skeptical. Still am. But now that the seed's been planted, I don't want to do anything until I know for sure. This baby needs some work, but I don't want to start tearing things apart and refinishing, only to find out it was worth something before I started messing with it. (Back in the '30s, my grandfather was given an old Edison phonograph. He took it apart so he could use the springs to make arrowheads. Many years later, he saw one on Antiques Roadshow worth $30,000.) So, if there are any experts out there, I'd appreciate it if you could give me a definite answer.