1939 Gibson Recording King "Ray Whitley" Model 1027 Burst
Made By Gibson For Montgomery Ward
High End Jumbo, Rosewood Back & Sides
Here we have a Gibson-made jumbo, made for Montgomery Wards, an extremely rare and high quality instrument. This one is the higher of the two models, being out of rosewood and being fancier, with attractive inlays and more. Ray Whitley was a country singer who became successful as a movie actor and had a penchant for custom Gibson guitars. At first, they wouldn't put his name on a model so he did an end run and went to Montgomery Wards, which resulted in this fabulous model with the unique bridge based on a late '20s bridge and a unique pickguard and peghead shape.
There are several cracks at the butt end most likely from having been dropped on its end pin, and otherwise it's in fabulous condition.
Schoenberg Guitars
Our "Cash price" policy: unfortunately, the credit card companies support "swiped" charges in which the card is physically run through the card reader. Phone-in charges are charged at a much higher rate (to the seller) which can take quite a big chunk out of a high-dollar sale. Thus, for those call-in sales, let's discuss the issue at the time; hopefully, we can figure some way to deal with it.