- Flamenco Blanca
- 650mm scale length
- Spanish cypress back and sides (custom, details on request)
- European spruce top
- Ebony fingerboard
- Sloane tuners
- Rosewood headstock veneer
- Cedar neck
- Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
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Brand new, Lester Devoe Flamenco Blanca, custom made (details on request). Lester Devoe needs no introduction to the world’s top flamenco players. His reputation was established decades ago (and his new models are the best ever made, and in huge demand worldwide). His guitars are played by the world’s top performing and recording flamenco artists. This instrument, custom made with a unique Spanish Cypress to add a more robust treble response to the legendary deep, throaty, percussive bass response of the Devoe Blanca, will amaze. -
100% crack-free, structurally perfect, this 00-28 is gold standard for 12 fret, pre-war Martin Brazilian Rosewood tone. Refinished to exquisite standards some 40 years ago, this 00-28 has some of the most stunning Brazilian rosewood ever used by Martin. This is the most beautiful, best sounding "Herringbone" prewar 00-28 we've seen. And with mileage on the finish, at the Arlington Guitar Show last fall, several top vintage guitar dealers were not sure if this wasn't the original finish on the guitar, it's that good. It is braced for steel strings. It has held steel strings for years, and not only are there no cracks or stress issues, there is no bellying behind the bridge. And if that’s not enough, there is a letter from Mike Longworth, signed by Longworth and dated 1984, documenting the guitar, and suggesting the use of steel strings on it. Condition:- No cracks anywhere.... Not a hint of a crack
- original bridge plate, in great condition
- original tuners
- original ivory bridge pins (the replacement bridge was made to accommodate these great original ivory bridge pins)
- Bridge is a perfect Brazilian Rosewood replacement, done by us, with old growth Brazilian.
- Saddle, and nut, carved from ivory (sourced by us, pre-CITES)
- Three very tiny screw holes above endpin from a previous tailpiece added and removed decades ago, were expertly filled by Tony Nobles–difficult to see more than a few inches away
- All the bar frets replaced by us (with Bar fret material from TJ Thomson), so it plays like a dream, with that full, cascading Brazilian tone that you'll only get from a fine 00-28
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Very rare, early Jerome guitar tuners, made in France. Rare kidney buttons, as seen on higher end Martin guitars from the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860's. Plates, shafts and buttons only. No posts or worm gears (there is one post and one worm gear). Price: $595. -
Crack-free, and superb tone. One of the finest sounding large bodied Gibsons we’ve ever heard. -
A wonderfully balanced and resonant Martin 00-28G, with some of the most beautiful Brazilian rosewood you’ll see on any Martin guitar, and in wonderful, crack-free, original condition. The Martin “G” is very different from the “C”. The “C” has the Martin 12 fret body. The “G” model used the 14-fret style body shape, but with the 12 fret neck, slotted headstock, and 25.4 inch scale. The 00-28G was first produced by Martin in 1936, and was discontinued in 1962, when Martin went to all “C” style for nylon string guitars. The 00-28G was Martin’s top of line model for nylon strings, from 1936, to 1962… and this guitar is the best example available on the market. The condition on this instrument is superb. No cracks anywhere, and very little wear at all... it's almost perfect. All original, tuners, nut, bridge, saddle, etc. Neck is perfect, has never been set, and shows perfect set up and action. -
This is not your father’s J-55. And it’s not a $20K guitar. It is a wonderful player. This is an original 1939 Gibson Jumbo 55, also called the “J-55”, serial # EA5652. It is the rare, stair step headstock model, only made for a brief window in the late 30’s. It delivers the trademark, large body, prewar, long scale Gibson tone, like no other. It plays beautifully, with original bridge, frets, braces. This guitar has of course the original, Mustache bridge, and more rare– the stair step headstock. Original bridge plate. Original binding including on fretboard. Original pearl logo on the headstock (with original finish). The pickguard is a nitro cellulose reproduction meticulously crafted in our shop. It has the long scale, 25 ½ inches, that makes this model so great. And a little-known original feature of this rare model is that it has a 1 11/16 nut width, that combined with the low action makes it effortless to play, and with tone that cannot be equaled in any postwar Gibson. The intonation is spot-on, and the intonation and fretting/action are great even at the high fret positions. It was refinished in a deep Gibsonesque red, decades ago– and that makes this guitar the most affordable true 1939, stairstep headstock J-55 you will ever find. (Top thickness is fine, there was no thinning in the past). The tone is superb. And the action is superb– low and fast without sacrificing tone or volume at all. -
This is a very well made, custom Hawaiian guitar. Made by George Bailey, and signed and dated underside of top, 2009. The body style is similar to an early Ditson. In other regards, its size, sound, and feel is quite similar to a 1930’s Martin 0-17H.- Mahogany back, sides, and top
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Ebony bridge
- Flush frets, with raised nut and saddle, for Hawaiian playing
- Ladder braced
- Lower Bout width: 13 ¼ inches
- Scale length: 25 inches
- 1 ¾ inch nut
- Crack-free
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Signed by Martin factory foreman, underside of top: “Dec. 8, 1893”, this 0-28 is in wonderful original condition.- Instrument is 100% original: finish, bridge, ivory nut, ivory saddle, ivory bridge pins, bar frets
- Brazilian Rosewood Back and Sides
- Adirondack Spruce top
- Shows very little wear
- Scalloped braces (X-braced)
- Original maple bridge plate in perfect condition
- Original French-polish shellac finish throughout
- 13.5" wide at lower bout, and 4.25" deep at the endpin
- 24.9" scale length
- 1-7/8" wide nut
- Soft-V neck profile
- A couple small top cracks, professionally repaired and not an issue. Two finish checks/cracks, that due not go through wood, on back
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Martin established the X-brace as the standard in American guitars, but that was never pre-ordained, or set in stone. The fan-bracing of the Spanish guitar has equally appealing qualities, and is a century-plus long standard that continues to dominate the design of the classical and flamenco guitar. Not an “Estudio” (student) model, this is the top of line model, 1a Ramirez flamenco. If you’ve never played one of these exquisite cypress Ramirez flamenco guitars–you’ll be surprised at the tone. Spanish cypress back and sides. Cedar top. First of all, the guitar is so light. It floats in your hands, yet it’s tight as a drum. It’s one of the lightest guitars you will ever play (due to the lightness of the wood, and also to the use of tuning pegs–so that the head and neck of the guitar are not pulled down by gravity, allowing the head to float effortlessly at about eye level. And the raspy bass is unbelievable. It’s all about that percussive tone and throaty bass. Conventional wisdom says rosewood for a “classical” guitar, for sustain; and cypress for a flamenco guitar, for the percussive, throaty quality, and more volume. Action is low, as it should be for flamenco. And that wonderful wide nut (2-1/8 inch), you’ve got so much room to move on this beautiful ebony fingerboard. Original finish. As with almost all these old Ramirez flamencos with the tap plate on top, there are shallow, thin hairline cracks where the top edge, and bottom edge, of the tap plate (clear plastic) meets the top (similar to the small cracks you get on an old martin, due to the guard being glued to the top). There is also a six-inch long hairline finish crack on the top above and parallel to the fingerboard (does not go through the wood), and a 3-inch long hairline finish crack below the fingerboard. A few dings here and there, but finish is that original, beautiful high polish reddish-amber. -
This is a superb sounding 5 string banjo. Quoting George Gruhn in “The Vintage Catalogue”– “During the banjo boom of the 1920s, many musicians considered Bacon & Day to be the finest banjo maker of the time. Their instruments were prized for their exceptional volume and cutting power, as well as for their beautiful craftsmanship… we can only speculate what might have happened if Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, or some other well-known bluegrass player had used a Bacon & Day model.” • Bacon & Day Super, 5-string Banjo (Style A) Serial number: 25892 (early 1928) • Resonator, stamped on inside (in nickel-laminated maple): Bacon Banjo Co., Inc. Groton, CT. U.S.A. Dec. 20th, 1927 • Conversion, 5 string neck (original neck was probably a tenor or plectrum); Presumably, this neck is newer than the banjo– yet the advanced MOP fret markers are as found on the earliest versions of B&D Super banjos. We assume this neck was built by one of the very best U.S. “conversion” builders – with a re-use of the original MOP inlay at the peghead plus the dowel stick. Maple neck, with steel reinforcing rod. Fretboard is beautiful jet-black ebony; multi-layer neck bindings. • 22 frets • Scale length: 27 inches • Extended Maple resonator– nickel laminated on inside • Original flat Tulip-hole flange (not the “add-on” round-hole resonator of earlier years). • Original, top of the line Type III Silver Bell tone ring (No Hole tone ring) original to the instrument (this is the most sought-after, advanced tone ring, introduced early 1927). • Original 2 band Grover geared tuning pegs • Fults tailpiece, and included a variety of Fults tone pins. Bob Fults made the best tailpieces available. And his tone pins let you tweak the tone of your banjo. There are several interchangeable Fults pins included here– ivory, ebony, lead, sterling silver, brass, and copper. Plus a "tone lock". (Bob Fults recently retired, and these highly sought after Fults tailpieces and pins are no longer available.) In its original hard shell case. Price: $3950. -
Kohno Classical Guitar. 1976 This instrument is being sold for a customer in Houston with a large collection of guitars. This guitar was originally purchased from VintageAmericanGuitar some five years ago– and its tone has aged and improved. The original Kohno design was specifically different from the high-end Spanish "concert" guitars of the day which had high action and beefy necks (and often long 664 or longer scale lengths). The Kohno necks were moderately thin in profile and shaped for very fluid playability. They’re a joy to play, physically. The 660 scale length– not overly long to begin with– actually “feels” shorter because of the neck design. (And the string spacing at the 2-inch nut: 1 11/16 inches, is also a great feature that adds to the great left hand feel.) We’ve seen/played many Kohnos– this one is unique in the combination of woods, and tone. Cedar top (not spruce), and Indian Rosewood back and sides. The combination, and this guitar’s age and unique voicing produce a dark, bass-rich tone and super clear and strong mids rarely found in a Kohno. It’s louder, darker and deeper than other Kohnos, yet is has great string separation– and the high E string is bell-like and loud.- Solid Cedar top
- Solid Indian rosewood back and sides.
- Mahogany neck with 2 ebony strips
- Ebony fretboard
- 19 frets
- Rosewood bridge
- Gold engraved Fostero tuners. Fustero tuners are individually made by hand in Spain from the best materials…for decades they have adorned high end instruments built by Fleta, Ramirez, Kohno, Contreras, Bernabe and others.
- 660mm scale length
- 2" nut width
- String spacing at the nut: 1 11/16 inch
- Condition: One, repaired cracks:4 1/2 inches long, about 2 inches to the north (bass side) of the fretboard extension over the body.
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In the 1920’s and early 30's, the Hawaiian craze was in full bloom, and ukulele production was crucial to Martin’s success in this period. This is a wonderful, extremely well-preserved example of one of the most ornate of the Martin ukuleles, still in its original Geib case. Although Martin ukes built after 1916 carried no serial number, it’s possible to generally date them by stylistic elements. This Martin Style 3 is from the best era, the golden era, from about 1925 to 1930. Martin style 3 was first made in 1918. Martin Style 3, soprano (standard) specs:- Mahogany body
- 7 layer top binding
- 3 layer back binding
- Ebony fretboard
- 5 layer soundhole ring
- Celluloid ornament on top, behind bridge (known as the "parend", or “shield”)
- Bar frets
- Small pearl paired-diamond inlays at fret 5, 7, and 9
- Three lines inlaid down center of fingerboard
- Nickel plated pegs (introduced in 1923)
- CF Martin & Co, stamped on back of peghead, and inside-back (Martin logo was not put on front of peghead until 1932)