The Old Rugged Cross

Fender Deluxe 6 lap steel guitar (1949-1955) #1
Introduced in 1949 with an elaborately sculpted body and Fender's improved "Direct String" pickup with an oblong casing featuring a larger magnet on the bass side. This design was intended to give the bass strings a meatier tone while keeping the shimmer of the high noted unaltered.
The squared off headstock has a metal well with the tuners mounted laterally and an integral raised flange acting as a nut. The metal fingerboard plate is pinned to the body with black paint screening to outline fret positions.
This was one of the instruments that fueled the company's early success before the Telecaster was born. The Deluxe was offered in 6 and 8 string format and set the design tone for the company's expanding line of console steels, which many pro players were then moving to.