True Vintage Giveaway!

It's here!  The True Vintage Giveaway is on.  Leave a comment and let me know, "what is your favorite vintage guitar?"  It could be one you already have or one you hope to just hold at least once.  Or just leave a comment.  Be sure to leave some way for me to get in contact with you.

I will be giving this prewar Hohner Marine Band harmonica away for free.  I'll ship it right to your door.  I've been doing this blog for almost a year now (August 5th is the 1st anniversary).  I'm glad that there are some other people out there that care about vintage instruments.  I thought it would be nice to give back.

This harp is in new old stock condition.  It would make a great collector or player if you are so inclined.  It is in the key of G which is my favorite key.  For more info on prewar Hohners then check out my previous post: Prewar Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas.

Good luck!!

Prewar Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas

I've been on a big harmonica kick lately.  A couple of years ago I happened upon an old Hohner Marine Band with a star in the circle on the back cover.  The ends of the covers were bent in and there were some funky graphics on the box.  After a bit of searching I came across this website: Pat Missin Prewar Hohner Marine Band Changes.  Take a minute to educate yourself on vintage Hohners.  While the star on the back is a cool piece of history that is long gone, the real deal on these old harps is the type of brass used for the reeds that is no longer available.

I'm having a bit of trouble finding some solid info on the specific brass alloy used for the reed plates.  The basic understanding is that this type of brass was used for the reeds and reed plates until around the 50s.  It was only made in a couple of factories world wide and eventually became not economical to make.  Harmonicas only used a very small percentage of brass and the other consumers of raw brass went to a cheaper form.  The prewar brass is thinner but more sturdy allowing for easier manipulation but also lasts longer.  I could easily tell a difference when I got my first prewar Hohner in the way the reed plates reacted under hard and soft playing.

I'm currently building my collection (I've got about 12 now?  I'm hoping to have around 30 of different keys and conditions).  I want to make a fancy display for them and show them off at guitar shows.  They may sell, they may not but I don't care.  I think they are really neat pieces of history and undervalued.  You can't get that kind of brass now anywhere.  Your only chance is finding a good condition Marine Band or Old Standby.  Plus, the boxes are very aesthetically pleasing and would look nice on your desk next to your vintage Gibson J-45.  At least they look nice next to mine.

"Mouse Ear" Marine Band

1947 Gibson J-50

The surge in quality Spruce and skilled craftsman that came when the boys returned home in 1946 prompted the reintroduction of the Gibson J-50.  This model was simply a natural finished version of a J-45 and had previously been in production in 1942.  Aesthetically pleasing Spruce became progressively more scarce during the war so it was discontinued in 1943 until late 1946.

1947 happened to be the first year of the new and still current block logo.  Few other changes were made from 1946.  The necks tend to be a bit smaller in both width and girth but not by much.  The bridge remained rectangular, the tuners still open back Kluson and the neck was still tapered in depth near the headstock.

Gibson flat-top guitars of the 40s and earlier tend to be of a much lighter build than that of the 50s and later.  This J-50 in particular is very light.  I don't have a great way of weighing it but it is noticeably lighter than my 1954 J-45 and 1943 (Maple) J-45.  Both the back and sides are made of solid Mahogany.  J-45s and 50s changed to laminated sides at the close of 1950.  The solid side guitars will have Spruce or cloth side supports to aid the sides from splitting.  My '54 J-45 has no side support while this 50 has Spruce sticks and the Maple has blue ribbon-like cloth.

This J-50 has a very early Factory Order Number.  That is the bold black "605" number.  This is basically a unique number that Gibson gave to a batch of guitars.  I can't remember how many are in a because it changed but I think it is around 70.  The red number is the number assigned to the individual guitar.  Essentially there 69 other J-50s out there with this FON but this was the 32nd one in the batch.

This is Gibson's current logo commonly referred to as the "block logo."  Gibson introduced this logo in 1947 so this guitar was from the first year of this logo and the reissue of this model.  This guitar was listed as a "Mid-50s Gibson J-50."  I looked at the picture and saw the straight bridge and had a hunch that it was in fact, late 40s.  The listing said the guitar was in Florida so I called the specific store and they gave me the run around a couple of times.  The next day I called again and they said the guitar had moved to their store in Nashville.  I just happened to be on my way to Nashville right then!  It was fate!

I got to the store an hour later and headed right for the acoustic room.  I didn't even look around because I knew my business was in the "nice acoustic" room.  I opened the door, looked around and was dismayed at the nagging thought that the unhelpful gentlemen in Florida had lied just to get me off the phone.  But then I saw it, all the way in the back corner, leaned up against the wall behind 3 rows of guitars on stands.  You read that right, leaned up against the wall.  I carefully picked it up like a child forgotten by the hourly workers in a nursery (what a sad metaphor!).  A quick check revealed an all original finish, no cracks, original tuners with replaced buttons, FON: 605 and the same stupid description (mid-50s).

I went looking for a salesman and when I walked past one he said, "You look like a man on a mission." Ok, I guess my game face isn't as good as I thought.  I asked him to tell me about that J-50.  His knowledge of vintage Gibson acoustics was.... lacking.  He read the tag, talked about the sweet tone, etc.  The poor guy had no idea what to say other than "sweet, sweet tone."  Whether he meant it or not he was right.  We put it on the bench so I could stick my phone inside it.  It revealed a slopily reglued brace under the shrinking pickguard and a tired bridge plate.  I showed it to the salesman and made my case for what I wanted to pay for it.  They accepted after some coaxing.

Do you have one of these that you would like to sell?  I'm looking for another.  Please email me about what you have for sale.

1967 Gibson ES-330

No, this is not the little brother of your ES-335, although the general look at model designation might lead you to think so.  The ES-330 was the next step after the ES-225 and was not supposed to be a more accessible 335.  The 330 differs from the 335 in three main ways: fully hollow instead of semi, P-90 pickups instead of humbuckers, and the neck meets at the 16th fret instead of the 19th.

This ES-330 came from a gentlemen in California who had bought it new in '68.  The serial started with a 0 and combined with the other features indicated a manufacture date of late '67.  This guitar was spared of the gigging lifestyle and was played lightly throughout its years.  It was brought along with the owner while he was in the Navy.  The guitar accompanied him on the USS Hornet to the Apollo 11 splashdown.  The original owner was a communications officer and was chosen to go on the trip.

Undervalued in the vintage guitar market

In my opinion, the ES-330 is very undervalued in the vintage guitar marketplace.  A '59 Gibson ES-335 retails around 30 grand while a similar condition ES-330 would retail for about 6 grand.  It doesn't seem fair does it!  I think the reasons for the value differences are:

1.  More prone to feedback at high volume since it is fully hollow and has P-90s

2.  Less celebrity appeal

3.  Outdated design when it came out compared to the center block semi-hollow 335

This model is more prone to feedback at high stage volumes because of the fully hollow design.  This was more of an issue in the 60s with the PA technology that was available.  A small club would rely on large amplifiers cranked way up instead of micing a smaller amp through the PA.  With modern technology this is less of an issue but still something to consider.  Since the stage volumes at my couch are much lower I don't have this problem.  In fact, the fully hollow design is one reason I love this guitar so much.  It is very light and comfortable on the couch.  Even the acoustic tone is to die for.  The P-90s are all I'll ever need to drive my tube radio/guitar amp conversion to the brink of blues bliss.

Do you have one of these that you would like to sell?  I'm looking for another.  Please email me about what you have for sale.

Mahogany Topped Blues Guitar: 1930 Epiphone Model 0

Pre-Gibson Epiphones have weighed heavy on my mind lately.  I bought this one off the Craigslist in my parent's hometown of Galatin, TN from a bluegrasser.  He didn't have much use for a guitar like this.  I didn't even haggle!

This is a C. 1930 Epiphone Model 0.  If it is the first one that you have seen then that makes two of us.  It is constructed of solid Mahogany throughout and features X-bracing with a single tone bar, 13 frets to the body and a deep V shaped neck.  It has a light build and is very resonant.  The bridge design is interesting but works very well.  It makes sense to be able to move the saddle around to adjust for intonation.

Dating an early Epiphone flat-top

...can be difficult.  To be honest, I don't know the exact build year but I have had some help narrowing it down.  It doesn't have a label but does have a hand written serial number.  There are a pair of fellers that are cataloging pre-Gibson Epiphone flat-tops and working on a good way to date them.  They've contacted me regarding a couple of other Epis that I've had and I am excited to hear that they are working on publishing their findings.  

It seems like only super guitar nerds (like myself) end up liking these guitars.  I think that it is a shame that they aren't held in high regard by the general guitar public because they are of very high quality and rarity.  Maybe the information gathered by these Epi fellows will spark some well deserved interest in New York and Philadelphia (pre-Gibson) Epiphones.

How does this guitar record?

I have a friend who is working on his first full length album.  He has a 1951 Gibson J-50 that I am fond of and is kind enough to bring it over every once in a while to drink beer and play the blues.  This Epiphone is a good sidekick for his recording because it can do the fingerpicking (without picks) much better than a larger guitar.  Since you don't have to use picks to get great tone from her then you also don't get the pick slap or click.

Question for Twitter: What is the best guitar?

Maybe that wasn't the best way I could have worded that.  How about:

1. What guitar have you not been able to get off of your mind?
2. If any guitar could suddenly appear in your hands, what would it be?

Both of those questions should be qualified with "right now."

It may have looked like I was trying to start a twitter fight about brands, models, etc. but that was not my intent.  The question stemmed from a discussion I had with a friend over guitars a couple of weeks ago.  He recently started working at Gibson 5 star dealer and so began his dream of a Gibson J-200 True Vintage.  It was the pinnacle of tone and nothing else would do (paraphrased).  This was after he was really digging the weird 1930 Epiphone Model 0 I loaned him to record his debut album (Pete's Debut Album).  I had felt the same way about that guitar before as well.  There is still a soft spot in my heart for the huge tone that comes from a lightly picked fingerstyle blues on the old Epiphone.

In My Opinion

the best guitar is always the next guitar and I think that Pete would say the same thing.  There is nothing like the anticipation of an old guitar coming in the mail.  What will it sound like?  What weird features will it have that I didn't see in the pictures?

I recently bought a 1954 Epiphone FT-210 Deluxe Cutaway from a fellow in NY.  I had only seen pictures of these and could not wait to have it in my hands.  I knew that it needed work but I just didn't care.  It was the pinnacle of vintage guitars for the three and a half days that UPS had it, at least in my mind.  When it arrived I was ecstatic.  Among guitar forum geeks (such as myself) this is called an NGD or New Guitar Day.

What did it sound like?  Terrible at first, I'll admit.  I was so in love with it that I couldn't put it down.  After about two days of playing it, it really opened up and the tone was unique.  I love it now.

What weird features did it have?  It was ladder braced and had a weird compensated rosewood bridge/saddle.

The next guitar?

The Epiphone is still extremely cool only a week later but I've already got my sights set on another.  There is an eBay auction ending tomorrow on a Kalamazoo KG-12 with rare Maple back and sides.  It is a sickness!  The forum term for this sickness is GAS- Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

"Buyout" Period Epiphone Texans: Parts Guitars?

By the dawn of the 1950s, the Epiphone company was struggling with problems in both the accounting and labor departments.  The company's product line hadn't kept up with the changing trends in guitars such as the new solid body electric (Gibson's Les Paul model?).  It had moved the production facilities from New York to Philadelphia in an attempt to avoid a problem with the labor union.  By 1957, the company's doom seemed imminent which forced its sale to their biggest competitor, Gibson, for the sum total of only $20,000.

American made Epiphone guitars (both during and before the Gibson buyout) are fantastic instruments.  Their relative obscurity and high standard of quality is a recipe for a very inspiring guitar.  I recently came across an immediate post-buyout Texan that has me intrigued (1959 Epiphone Texan with strange features).  The description states:

"Gibson FON on the neck block indicating 1952 manufacture, starts with a "Z"; solid, un-kerfed linings (no one has ever seen this on any modern Gibson instrument); the word GUITAR rubber-stamped on the inside of the back, between the neck block and the first back brace; black paint on the heel underneath the clear coat, which has been seen many times on various Gibsons in the 1960's."

 1952?

The body is easily dated using Gibson's backwards letter prefix used from 1952-1961.  They started with Z in '52 and ended with Q in '61.  These letters were stamped on the interior neck block and were proceeded by a batch number (usually 4 digits) then a unique rack number (the Xth number in that rack).  This guitar received a Z indicating that it was made in 1952.

Easy, right?  Not quite.  The description also states that this guitar has solid lining (as opposed to kerfed).  Lining is what gives the body's joints (top to rims and rims to back) a solid gluing surface.  Usually this lining is kerfed, meaning that it has small cuts vertically to make it bend without needed to be soaked in hot water and bent over a hot pipe.

Kerfed Lining

Solid Lining

Gibson phased out solid lining in favor of the kerfed style from 1933-1934.  I have never seen any flat-top Gibson guitar that used solid lining after 1934.  I would venture to say that Gibson did not build guitars using this kind of lining after 1934.  This is my opinion based on my experience so feel free to prove me wrong.  Edit:  I just acquired one of these guitars.  The lining is made of laminated Poplar.  The only other place I have seen this is on my 1954 Epiphone FT-210 Deluxe Cutaway.  I'm assuming Gibson got leftover strips of lining from Epiphone and used it?  Not sure.

(Edit)  At least Gibson phased out the use of solid lining made of Mahogany in 1934.  After acquiring a buyout period Texan I determined that this "solid lining" wasn't really solid.  In fact, it is made of laminated strips of what looks like Poplar.  The only other place I have seen this is on my 1954 Epiphone FT-210 Deluxe Cutaway.  Perhaps Gibson also acquired strips of unused lining from Epiphone as well as necks?

Gibson "J" body surplus

In the early 50s Gibson was selling some of their jumbo bodies to National.  National would manufacture a neck and bolt it on to a Gibson body calling it the National 1155.  These are great guitars for the vintage player on a budget but I am told that the necks are a bit difficult to get used to.  You'll have to decide that for yourself.

Since National ordered a bunch of J bodies from Gibson, they had more bodies than necks.  When a bunch of Epiphone necks showed up at Gibson's doorstep in 1957, the answer was simple.  They went downstairs to the parts basement and grabbed a bunch of J sized bodies.  That is how I would explain this guitar having a Z (1952) factory order number.

(Edit) .....but I'd be wrong.  After acquiring one of these, the tops were definitely made post 1955 judging by the bracing.  My next theory would be that Gibson needed finished bodies to sell to National.  Since National was bolting on the necks, Gibson needed bodies with uncut neck blocks (instead of cut for a dovetail joint).

When the Epiphone necks showed up in 1958 they were already cut for a dovetail joint.  Since the dovetail extension on the neck and the neck block were cut by two different manufacturers they differed to the point that they wouldn't fit right.  Gibson would need to use a body with an uncut neck block and cut it to fit the Epiphone neck.

So you have one of these short headstock Texans?  Send me some shots of yours.  Here is @guitaristo's (Instagram) 1958 Epiphone Texan that has recently been sold.  The serial on the blue label was an A-XXX number but he can't remember what was on the neck block.  I wonder if it was an earlier FON?

Why do these features even matter?

Although these Texans look like weird J-45s they are certainly not.  The main difference in a standard Texan and J-45 is the scale length.  Epiphone was using a 25.5" scale length so the necks were manufactured to this spec.  Gibson's traditional scale length and that of the J-45 is 24.75".  This alone makes for a tone that is probably louder and more piano-like than a J-45.  It also doesn't bend strings as well and may wear out your fingers a bit quicker.

This '58 Texan has more than just the scale length to set it apart from a J-45.  The body was probably manufactured in '52 which means that it differs from a '57 by the bracing.  The pre-'55 J bodies were made with scalloped braces while the post-'55s had straight braces.
(Edit):  Wrong again, TVG.  While the FON prefix was Y, the tops were definitely made in the late 50s.  The bracing is short and straight (unscalloped).

These buyout era features make for an interesting guitar.  Mine needs some braces reglued before it is playable again.  It was covered in 50 years of sweat and tar until I hit it with some Virtuoso cleaner.  Here are some shots of the clean up.

TVG