1960's Sears/ Silvertone Model 1448 Black Sparkle
"The popping of the cork on a good bottle of champagne should be no louder than a lover's sigh."
Nicholas the Troll
The Time: When one sees many guitars over time, it becomes easy to discount or undervalue the less expensive ones. You may find yourself thinking, "Oh, that's just a twelve hundred dollar guitar and then the result of this type of thinking may lead to you not give your best effort when attending to it. Such was the case here with this little Model 1448 and it was a lesson that was overdue in coming. Humble pie tastes better with butter, trust me.
As I was preparing to photograph this guitar and case, the CEO of our company walked in and sat down. The cruel thing was, she let me shoot all of my pictures before quietly asking, "You're going clean the white parts, aren't you?" I shot over my best "let me do what I do" look and continued with my work until I heard a very soft "Okay" as she left. Folks, it might as well have been a jacked-up four-wheel-drive truck that ran over me because it was at that moment when I realized that I had indeed not given this guitar my best. In fact, I had cheapened the entire package by dismissing it as just another inexpensive guitar. Shame can be a heavy coat to wear, especially when it's hot. Now to redeem myself.
I put on Steve Vai's "Flexible" and got some hot water and a toothbrush. I sat myself down, took a nice, deep breath and went over every inch of white binding on this guitar. I waited until it was dry and then I did it again. After restringing and cleaning the rest of the guitar, I have to admit that I felt better and made a solemn vow to never do what I did again. The reason I'm even writing this story is to remind myself that every instrument that comes in this shop deserves both my best efforts and respect. If I can't give that every time, I should probably go work for the damn cable company, right? Well, that ain't going to happen. Ever.
The Volume: Sometimes, when I'm checking a guitar out after it's been set up, I plug into our shop amp and crank up the volume on the distortion setting. It's noisy, it bugs the hell out of the neighbors and usually gets me in trouble if a certain "someone" is on the phone. Not so with this guitar and amp combo, hence the quote at the beginning of this description. I warmed everything up and began playing- quietly. Now, I'm genuinely surprised by how good this pair sounds together and I gave them the same reverence I would give a 'Burst plugged into a Dumble. Lesson learned that day? You get what you give and that's what I got.
This guitar and case are in very good condition: There are a few light scratches and small dings, but being sixty-something years old, she looks and plays great for her age. Everything has been detailed, so the package will arrive ready to go, straight out of the box.
As always, we thank you for stopping by and please email, call or PM with any questions!
Southern Elk Music Co.
We accept, Paypal payments, credit cards, bank wire transfers, personal checks, cashier checks, and of course, cash in a local pickup situation.
We ship via UPS Ground unless other arrangements are made. "General" costs are: Guitars and basses East of the Mississippi river- $55.00-$65.00 Guitars and basses West of the Mississippi river- $65.00-$75.00 Amps- to be determined. All shipping costs can be determined before shipment with a simple inquiry. Items must be returned within 24 hours (of notification of intent to return) in original, as-shipped condition with all original packaging and no signs of use. Buyer assumes responsibility for all return shipping costs unless the item was not received as described.
All customers get a 48-hour, no-hassle return period. Our singular purpose is for you, the buying client to be more than satisfied with your purchase. If there is ever a problem with one of our items after receiving it, please email us at southernelk2112@gmail.com or call Ray Mauldin at 404-895-3459.