1968 Barker Vintage Archtop Sunburst, Good, Original Hard, $3,995.00
All original 1960's William G Barker carved top acoustic guitar.
Barker made about 100-110 guitars I would rate this guitar as good condition all original, pickguard, finish, bridge, tailpiece, pickup, and case. gold plated Dearmond top of the line pick up with the lusted for adjustable pole pieces. The pickup alone is worth over $1000. it takes a regular 1/4 plug in the tailpiece jack mounted under the pickguard. Has a volume control on the pickguard. It has a few dings and some wear for sure as you can see in the pictures. The neck is like the wide ones from the 1950's with great playability and low actionThe top, back and sides have no cracks and no problems other than normal checking and quite a bit of finish wear on the sides and by the binding. It has the original tuners found on Gibson L5's of the same era. The good news is that this guitar is set up and plays like butter! Perfect! This is 4/64 at the 12 fret low E and 3/64 at the high E. It could be lower if needed but the action is already pretty low by archtop standards. The guitar sounds fabulous with lots of punch and power. Raising the action just a little to 6/64 and 5/64 ths and it is a power house.
Plugged in with the Dearmond pick it is the classic jazz sound that cannot be found very easily these days. This guitar comes with the standard Barker scale length of 24 27/32 inches. The neck is a standard 1 3/4 at nut and very full . It feels very good to play.
Maple back, sides, and neck ( German). Ebony fingerboard, rosewood hand carved bridge. The neck is Barkers standard 5 piece neck with the center strips he used. He also ran the binding around the neck heal, and neck joint not many other makers do this. This binding is all in good shape no problems but some chips of lacquer come off the edges that is common. Has the window inlay that Barker used until 1970 when he went to pearl inlay for his name.
To order an instrument, first CALL or FAX to confirm that the instrument is still available. Within the US we accept money orders, cashier's checks, certified checks, Mastercard, or Visa Amex, and Discover. Outside the US, please send US dollars on a US bank or bank transfer. Payment must include the purchase price plus shipping and insurance charges. Layaway plan voids approval period. A 25% non-refundable deposit will hold any instrument for 30 days. No COD's are accepted.
The customer pays all shipping, insurance, and bank charges including all charges for returned merchandise. All insurance claims are the responsibility of the customer. The original packaging and box must be saved. Shipping will be via UPS or Federal Express unless other arrangements are made.
If you are not satisfied, for any reason, you will be issued a full refund less actual shipping and insurance charges and a $75 restocking fee- provided that we are notified within 72 hours of delivery and the guitar is in the EXACT same condition as you received it. It must be packed carefully in the original box in the same way it was packed when we shipped it to you. NO full or partial refunds will be given any items damaged, marked, or modified. The Customer will be responsible for all shipping, insurance, and handling charges. If there is damage when I ship the instrument to you please call me immediately. The original box and all the packaging must be saved! I will deal with my insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance claim.