~1890 Haynes "Benary Celebrated" luthier project parlor guitar
Kovacik Guitars offers this c. 1890s "Celebrated Benary" solid Brazilian rosewood and spruce parlor guitar that is a worthy candidate for restoration. Built by John C Haynes & Co, the same manufacturer responsible for William B Tilton guitars, to which the Benary guitars bear considerable resemblance. Cosmetically the guitar is very clean and shows little to no wear, and the tuners are the only non-original component, though they are quite old (1930s most likely). The original ivoroid tailpiece (emblazoned with the patent date "Jan. 26 '86" and "New York") is in excellent condition with no cracks or other damage. The ivoroid medallion bearing the "Celebrated Benary Guitar" legend is loose from the "Tilton's improvement" bar that runs through the body of the guitar but can easily be re-glued in place. I affixed it to the bar with a small piece of tape for the photos. The neck angle looks good for the height of the original floating bridge. The original ebony nut is present. The guitar will need to be refretted. The top has two hairline cracks (one about 2" the other about 3") that are tight but need to be glued. The bass side has a clean, straight crack along the lower bout to the waist that needs to be repaired and the back has several cracks that require repair. Two of these cracks are quite long and are open so they will require hydration to close them prior to gluing. It is safe to assume also that the back braces may be loose over the cracks. It will need a fair amount of effort to put it into playable order but it is a worthy project for the hobby luthier. The guitar comes with a modern chip board case. Due to condition the guitar is sold as-is so make sure you ask questions and that you want it before you buy. Ships to US destinations only, no international shipping offered. $795 plus shipping, NYS buyers add 8% sales tax.
Kovacik Guitars and Fretted Instrument Repair
9:02 AM
Money order, personal check (must clear before item ships), cashier check, wire transfer, Paypal.
I generally ship by UPS and will ship an item within 48 hours (usually the next day) of having received or cleared payment. Exact shipping costs will be added to the total for the buyer once the buyer has provided a shipping address. I insure everything for fulll purchase price.
Items are sold with a 48 hour approval period unless clearly marked "AS IS" in the listing. AS IS items are not returnable. If an item is going to be returned it is at the buyer's expense and the item must be shipped within 24 hours of the buyer notifying Kovacik Guitars of intent to return. Any returned items must be shipped in the original packaging and MUST be fully insured when returned. Once an item is returned to Kovacik Guitars and judged to be in the same condition as when originally sold a full refund will be issued.