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Made by Kay in Chicago, this guitar is branded 'Old Kraftsman' and marketed through the Speigel catalogs of the era. Ink-stamped inside 'L1756, the guitar is essentially a Kay 672 Swingmaster from the early 60s. Touted in the catalog as part of the Gold K line: "Engineered for the sound you want ... the smartly designed professional pickups provide that perfect union of power, balance and...

Weymann & Son Keystone State Parlor Guitar c. 1906 | Weymann and Son was a Philadelphia instrument maker and seller from about 1894 through 1930. Their instruments rivaled those of Martin in both workmanship and quality of materials. This example dates to about 1906. Weymann’s very early guitars did not have serial numbers, and they started adding them about 1900. Sometime around 1910...

CF Martin 000-18 1926 | A nice example of the desirable, and fairly rare, Martin big-body workhorse 000-18 12-fret .. ever popular among pickers for its full sound and playability. This example was made in Nazareth in 1926, a few years before Martin went all-in for the 14-frets clear-to-the-body neck. Consequently, the 000s from this 12-fret period offer a larger body, producing the deep and...

Kalamazoo KG11 1936 vbg #1307 | Gibson's Kalamazoo line was created to help the company weather the depression. The Kalamazoo flat tops lacked a truss rod, and were ladder braced, allowing for a less expensive guitar. The Gibson name was left off to avoid cheapening the Gibson brand. That said, the Kalamazoo line of guitars was produced with the same fine materials and craftsmanship as the...

The snappy, and rare, Ray Whitley Model 1028 was produced by Gibson in Kalamazoo for the Montgomery Ward catalog as part of their Recording King line of guitars. It's well known that beginning in the early 30s, Gibson, to survive the depression, made a series of 'off-brand' guitars in Kalamazoo but without the Gibson name. These guitars reflect needed money-saving shortcuts such as no truss...

A Grand Concert-size Stella is automatically considered a pretty rare find; the addition of the deluxe fingerboard makes it rarer still. The Decalcomania ornamented instruments appeared in the 1920s, and were pretty typical on the Oscar Schmidt production line once the depression was in full swing. The ornamentation on cheaper birch was a more economical way to build a guitar than it was to use...

Harmony H6341 made in Chicago in the early 70s. This is a 000-size guitar, with a very nice neck feel and really good sound output. The guitar is all original with no evident repairs. We recently reset the neck angle for nice, low action, and glued a small crack under the fingerboard extension. There is a screw hole in the heel from a former strap button, and some of the white painted...

An interesting guitar banjo from what we believe to be the Fred Gretsch Mfg. Co., although it has some of the hallmarks of a Slingerland made instrument.  The Gretsch catalog no 36 shows a very similar instrument but with a different tailpiece.  A partial de*unsafe*ion from that catalog:  "Laminated rock maple lining and rock maple built-up neck with reenforcing strip through center.  Natural...

(vbg #1701) Gibson's Kalamazoo line was created to help the company weather the depression. The Kalamazoo flat tops lacked a truss rod, and were ladder braced, allowing for a less expensive guitar. The Gibson name was left off to avoid cheapening the Gibson brand. That said, the Kalamazoo line of guitars was produced with the same fine materials and craftsmanship as the regular Gibson line. In...

All original Vega Style N from the 20s with serial # 57771. The 'N' was the Vega entry-level tenor, but nonetheless, constructed to a very high Vega quality. There are 26 hooks around the laminate rim, and 17 frets on the fingerboard. The head measures 10 15/16" and the scale length is 19 1/2". There is a 'No Knot' tail piece and planet type tuners. The banjo is in excellent, unmolested...

Kalamazoo represents the Gibson 'budget' line of guitars marketed to help the Gibson factory survive the depression. However, the Kalamazoo line was still built at Gibson using quality materials and workmanship. This guitar likely dates to 1941, since the stamped FON appears to be a 'G', indicating a '41 production year, but the stamp is a bit faded. We know that the factory used the...

The Oscar Schmidt company was founded in 1879, and by the 1920s it was quite prosperous. But Schmidt's death in 1929, and the economic destruction brought on by the depression resulted in the sale of the Schmidt factory. By 1935, the company was owned by John Carner and trading as "Fretted Instrument Manufacturers Inc." This guitar was built at the time of Carner's ownership, since it bears...

This is a mid-thirties KG11 with a very old refinish, from sunburst to natural. Very difficult to tell, it almost looks factory. Consequently, this becomes a very affordable KG11. All components are original, including the bridge and tuners. Only missing the end pin. Very structurally sound, no cracks or evidence of prior repairs other than the finish and a tiny hole drilled through the...

Harmony had a run of almost twenty-five years with the venerable H929 acoustic flat top, aimed at the beginning guitarist. Production ended in 1970. This example is a 3/4-size guitar, with size and scale length suitable for children or for use as a travel guitar. The model stamp inside is clearly visible, but the date stamp is vague. Based on the older 'Stella' font, and the lack of 'steel...

In the throes of the Great Depression, many guitar makers altered their manufacturing to weather the hard times, some more radically than others. The Oscar Schmidt Company, in Jersey City, NJ, introduced a line of guitars produced from less expensive materials, but gave them a glitzy look to attract buyers in these grim times. These instruments were cataloged as 'Decalcomania', and the guitars...

In the throes of the Great Depression, many guitar makers altered their manufacturing to weather the hard times, some more radically than others. The Oscar Schmidt Company, in Jersey City, NJ, introduced a line of guitars produced from less expensive materials, but gave them a glitzy look to attract buyers in these grim times. These instruments were cataloged as 'Decalcomania', and the guitars...

From the Stefan Grossman Collection, an early and high-end Oscar Schmidt made acoustic guitar. The Schmidt company reserved the Sovereign name for its top-of-the-line instruments. This example has all the hallmarks of those instruments including select mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, spruce top, fancy marquetry trim on the top and back, and a abalone tree-of-life fingerboard inlay. The...

Open back five-string banjo in the Buckbee style. The neck is nicely carved into a soft 'V' and is made from walnut with a thin veneer fingerboard. The rim is spun over with 38 brackets. The four head stock friction tuners appear original, and the fifth string friction tuner is a replacement. The rim measures about 10 3/4" and the scale length is ~ 25 1/2". The fingerboard measures ~1 1/4"...

Guild began the manufacture of a 12-string acoustic guitar in 1964, and over the years the F-212 has become a workingman's twelve. This example is from the early years, 1965, and is, consequently, a great players instruments. The jumbo body is mahogany with a spruce top, and measures 15 9/16" across at the lower bout. The neck is three piece mahogany/maple with a Brazilian overlay on the head...

A stunningly clean example of a Gibson L-50 from the early 1930s. The FON, 416, makes this the earliest L-50 documented, as per the Spann book 'Guide to Gibsons'. That FON would place it in the Gibson logs as produced in 1933, although some would argue, due to its appointments, it's a '32. Regardless, it is the earliest incarnation of the L-50 manufactured in Kalamazoo. The benchmarks are...