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Read the full description below. If you're interested in this guitar, please call 512.922.8596 or contact us here. -
Very few modern luthiers have captured that Larson Brothers sustain and what I call “shimmer” with a new build. This guitar, built by the master luthier Hans Brentrup in late 2009, has it in spades. We’ve never played anything but a 30’s Larson Bros’ that has the sustain this guitar has. Hans’ unique tone bars do what only the Larson tone bar system did– get the body of the guitar to sustain and impart that wonderful shimmer to the trebles especially.- Brazilian Rosewood back and sides
- Engelmann spruce top
- 000 size
- 25.34 scale length
- Easily accommodates Medium or Heavy strings
- Hybrid ladder laminated bracing with Carbon fiber “Tone tubes”
- Mahogany neck
- Slotted headstock
- Golden Age tuners
- Ebony fingerboard with MOP dots
- Pyramid bridge
- Tortoise body binding
- Lacquer finish
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Mint condition. Period. Exceptional Larrivee 12-fret parlor guitar with a straight grained Sitka Spruce top and beautifully figured Brazilian Rosewood back & sides. Part of a very limited run of guitars built of high grade old stock Brazilian rosewood. Abalone rosette and tortoise shell pickguard. Ebony bridge w/ compensated saddle. Mahogany neck w/ microdot inlays, ivoroid bound ebony fingerboard, 1-3/4" nut, 24-1/4" scale, 13-1/4" lower bout, Larrivee logo peghead inlay, chrome tuners w/ebony buttons. -
This rare 1926 example of Bacon & Day’s Super, Plectrum banjo is in wonderful condition– collectors quality, but it plays wonderfully. And this is the rare “Super” model A, gold plated. (All original, and with matching serial number on rim and dowel stick.) Original soft pedal stamped "Pat. Pend. B.&D. Soft Pedal." The original gold plating is in great condition, showing extremely little tarnishing, and no thin spots. In fact the banjo shows very little playwear at all. Original plectrum neck, original armrest– in fact all parts are original. Produced in the golden age of Bacon & Day (B&D) production, this banjo was made in Groton, CT. Although the earliest Bacon banjos were produced by various makers for Bacon from 1906-1920, the company’s best era began in 1922 when David Day left the Vega company to partner with Fred Bacon who had begun crafting his instruments in-house in 1920. The B&D banjos produced in this era are of considerably higher quality and are the sought after models by both players and collectors. The photos tell the story. 26 inch scale length. 22 fret plectrum 11″ rim In a recent hard shell case. ... no longer available ... -
This week, to honor the just-announced winners of the 2018 Wayne Henderson Guitar Festival, we call out not an individual guitar, but rather one of the greatest American luthiers working today– and especially that luthier’s (and great player’s) work for youth in his area. We’re speaking of course of Wayne Henderson, and his legendary Festival. Every June Wayne Henderson hosts on of the most culturally important music festivals in the U.S., at the amphitheater in Grayson Highlands State Park near Henderson’s home and shop in Rugby, Virginia. The guitar- and generally music-loving attendees hear great music while supporting scholarships for young musicians in the area. And at the heart of the festival is the guitar competition. Click here to see the just-announced winners. And here’s a look at Fretboard Journal’s visit to the festival– and to Wayne Henderson’s luthier’s shop– a few years back. Click here for the article. . -
If there is a better-preserved Martin guitar from 1937, we have not seen it. This instrument is as an almost time-capsule condition 0-17H, still in its original case. And of course with its original Hawaiian set up. Many people convert these pre-war Martin Hawaiian set up guitars, to “Spanish” style, i.e. regular steel-string flat top set up. And that is certainly an option for whoever acquires this instrument. But this example, is just too nice, and too original for us to want to convert it. And the tone is exquisite (On request, we’ll send you a link to a video/audio clip of one of this country’s best, most famous dobro/pedal steel players playing slide on this great Martin 0-17H, right here in our shop.) All mahogany of course: mahogany back, sides, and top. Brazilian rosewood bridge, and fretboard. The guitar has no play wear. We won’t call it pristine– even under-the bed-guitars that have not really been played, have a few nicks from just being in the case and moved around a couple of times in 70+ years. But it’s as close to perfect as you’ll find in any 1930’s Martin. The neck is straight as an arrow, showing no bowing at all. No cracks of any kind. All original parts, period– down to the nut, bridge pins, and ivory saddle. The guitar is 12 fret to the body, unlike the regular 0-17’s from this period that were 14-fret. -
Take Martin’s best era for 12-fret guitars, add more scale length, and you get the best of both worlds–that’s what players say about the 000 sized 12-frets, if they can find one, from the mid to late 20’s. This was the biggest, loudest Martin made for steel strings in this era, with a 25.4 inch scale length, the same scale length as a 30’s D-45! (The 14-fret 000’s of the 30s and later have a shorter, 24.5 inch scale). In no other instrument will you get the resonance (from thin tops and back), combined with the long scale length. It’s a big pre-war Martin 12-fret. That’s why this instrument is a highly sought-after prewar Martin. This crack-free 000-18 has great provenance: acquired from and set up by one of the world’s top Martin experts (in Tuebingen, Germany). 1 7/8” nut. Mahogany back and sides. Adirondack spruce top. Ebony fingerboard. It has original tuners (gear wheel below worm gear, ivoroid buttons), parts, and all original finish. Restoration by TJ Thompson and Dana Bourgeois: correct replacement bridge (ebony pyramid) and bridge plate (maple), and frets replaced (bar frets). Center seam repaired and cleated and touched up (shellack). Neck has been reset. Neck is dead straight, bridge saddle is medium height (allows set up for both higher and lower action if needed in future). Low action, and set up for light or medium gauge strings. The tone could not be better: all the clear separation of the mids that is the hallmark of the 20’s style 18 twelve-fret, but with fuller, louder, rounder bass. One of the most sought-after Martin 12-frets, original finish, crack-free. Restored correctly, cared for, and set up by the world’s best luthiers and vintage Martin experts, and ready to enjoy. -
Full size, Charles Fetique violin (French, early 20th century – circa 1930), with original label inside. This is a rich, sonorous instrument. A deep, round tone, that – like all good violins – does not make you work overly hard to attain. It has a darker, lush, round tone that professional players love – and great projection. We recently A-B'd this instrument against $5k+ violins in the area, and there was no comparison, this instrument was louder, more full, more round and full in the bass notes, and all around a stellar performer. This violin would be a great student violin upgrade – for that aspiring violinist who is ready to graduate to, and enjoy, a better instrument than what's typically available in the $4-5K range, at a very attractive price. And, the buyer will have the confidence of both a Letter of Expertise, and a professional appraisal: • Certificate: Jean-Jacques Rampal, Paris, 2014. (This is the letter of expertise, on this violin, from one of the top experts on French Violins, in Paris, France). And: • Written, professional appraisal of the violin, done from personal inspection, from one of the top violin shops/experts in Texas (Jay R. Rury Violins, Dallas), with a valuation of $3,500.00 Both the above documents will be included with the sale. The violin is in excellent condition. There are no sound post, or bass bar cracks. It was professionally set up to play, by Blackerby Violin in Austin. In a modern Tonerelli case. Price: $3250. -
Joseph Redman, based in Abingdon, VA, makes some nice, hand made, yet affordable classical and flamenco guitars. Their low price tags don’t reflect the quality of materials in each instrument. This was a custom order, featuring European Maple back and sides, and all hand French polished by Redman. Nice, rumbling bass response. The Maple tone here, doesn’t show up in the trebles as much as it does in the bass– adding a Maple crispness to the bass strings.- Finish: hand-rubbed French Polish
- 650mm Scale length
- European Maple back and sides
- Canadian Spruce top
- Ebony fretboard
- Neck: Spanish Cedar
- Bindings:
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A wonderfully preserved, crack free 12 fret 000-28 Martin, with gorgeous Brazilian rosewood back and sides. The tone of this instrument is wonderful. It stands up to many high end Spanish made classical guitars of the period for Brazilian rosewood warmth. While intentionally not built for concert hall volume, the bass tone and clarity of the trebles on large-bodied Martin nylon strings guitars with Brazilian back and sides is unsurpassed. This instrument is very well set up to play on stage, plugged in, and to record, if desired. It has great high end Gilbert tuners, with black housing, abalone dot and snakewood buttons. (Original tuners, in perfect condition, are in the case, so you can easily replace the originals if desired.) This instrument has an excellent custom engineered stereo pickup system, installed without altering the guitar: The pickup is the undersaddle type, supplied by EMG. The separate mic element is assembled in a foam mounting block with cable, endpin jack, custom made for this guitar. It is unobtrusive in its mounting. Jack is mounted in the endpin hole, so there are no extra holes in the guitar. The output jack is stereo, TRS (Tip wired to pickup, Ring wired to mic, and Sleeve is ground.) The addition of the internal mic adds a realism and depth that no pickup by itself can capture. The EMG pickup is excellent compared to most others in terms of exhibiting less of that harsh piezo sound. The result is a guitar that plays beautifully amplified, or on its own. The Martin “C” has the old elongated Martin 12 fret body. It was offered in the 00-16C, 00-18C and 000-28C in 1962. 1966 saw the last 000-28C. There were not many nylon string, 000-sized 28 models made, and fewer still with the quality of Brazilian rosewood this one has. And the condition on this instrument is stunning. No cracks anywhere, and very little wear at all. -
Another instrument from Enos Hernandez of Mexico, one of the best luthiers to ever live in work in Mexico, circa 1970’s. This one is a flamenco Blanca, with the classic cypress back and sides. Like the other Enos Hernandez we have, this one also has a cedar top. The instrument is super light weight, as a Flamenco Blanca should be, and it’s bright and percussive and raspy as a good Blanca should be. There is a scratch (not a crack) on back of guitar (see photo). There are dot position markers – original to the guitar, i.e. not added later – on top edge of fretboard (frets 3,5,7,9 – see photo). Scale length: 660mm Available January 2018 Price: $2950 -
