April 2011     

This month's feature article: 5/2

"More than I anticipated..." my father-in-law says that all the time when he's OBE'd (Overcome By Events), and that's what this weekend was. I won't go into all the tiresome details, but rest assured I'm closing out April and making some improvements to get our May off to a new and better-working footing (I hope) as fast as I can.
In the meantime, if you've not visited the new page up for the first of the Harmony-built Silhouette/Bobcat series I'm working on, go visit the 1477 page now.

Let's go in "last thing in April auctioned backwards" order, shall we? It was a sad unit that closed out the month, lemme tell ya...

1484  Dano  speaker cabinet MOD $100 Grille painted black, edge wear, baffle shows water staining, back panel missing, Fisher speakers, personalized by Jerry Stanley, stamping indicates 1967 build



This is the body that bezel'd pickup from a couple days back was taken out of...

1443 Dano SBEG Neck and body $230 Painted red/silver, V/T network present, no knobs, no bridge, no pickups, no tuners, nut is present, pots date to 1962


1482 Dano tube amp $191 Could use a good cleaning, edge wear, paint and cig burns to top panel, innards show oxidation, operational status unknown, 12AX7 tube/mounting seems broken, stamping indicates 1965 build


1340 Valco tube amp $174 Clean, some edge/surface wear, logo screenprint worn at 'Sil' but strong otherwise, untested


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $845 Clean, light wear, logo strong, finish shiny


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only MOD $236 Front and back surface scrapes, NS knobs, NS tuners, no logo 


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only MOD $189 Surface wear/glitter loss on top, logo strong, NS Schaller tuners, looks like a crack at the tuner line


1481 Dano tube amp VG $250 Could use a cleaning, round speaker cutout, , light wear, knobs show some adhesive seep, some staining to top panel, sticker on (1) handle capture,



It's always good to see the rare 1473, no matter the condition...

1473 Dano tube amp F $175 Some edge wear, lots of overspray/paint seep at panel and grille edges, seller says "It is in good working condition but the case is ugly. Case has some tears in vinyl, some paint drips and smudges. It needs a really good cleaning."


1381 Kay SSEG w/ OC VG $990 Clean, light wear, big scratch on top on bass side of tailpiece, logo laminate and pickguard design look great, great graining on sides


1419 Dano SSEG MOD $395 Re-refinished (painted red/removed, then black/lacquer), sidewalls gone, logo missing, NS Grover tuners, NS knobs, 1/8" Corian material pickguard and access cover


856 Harmony baritone ukulele VG $107 Clean, light wear, binding tight, logo strong


851 harmony ukulele VG $31 Clean, logo and skier stencil strong, light wear, (1) tuner cracked/glued


1482 Dano tube amp G $257 Clean, edge wear, wear to tremolo knobs, rust to handle captures, tremolo status unknown, stamping indicates 1964 build, seller says "I USE MY GUITAR TESTED SOUND GOOD BUT IT VERY NOISY"


1448 Dano SSEG guitar and tube ampincase F $174 Wear all over to guitar and ampcase, logo strong, tone knob missing, volume knob insert in bad shape, saddle missing, rust to speaker cage, case clasps missing, stamping indicates 1966 build, seller says guitar works but ampcase "as is"


853 harmony ukulele VG $41 Clean, light wear,  logo strong

 

4/29

Spring Break day off with one of the wee ones yesterday. Saw Rio. Funny movie, no Silvertones in it. OK, final day of April tomorrow, and then May Day is on its way! I'll try my best for a monthly update and some $$$ totals for April over the weekend, See you next month!

Alright, back to it with a duo of 'Rocket'-related 1454s. Sweet!

1454 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $850 Clean, minimal wear, light paint wear to Bigsby, logo strong, all stock, pickguard missing


1454 Harmony HBEG w/ C G $699 Clean, a bit faded, some edge/surface wear, paint worn from Bigsby, pickguard missing, logo 'shadow' present, truss rod cover broken at tip screw, some side flaking, jack repair, playing wear to neck, wear/flaking on back, NS Schaller tuners, come finish checking


1478 Harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $630 Clean, some edge wear, rust to whammy, some pickguard shrinkage/repair, logo strong


1420 Harmony SSEG F $225 Edge/surface wear, logo strong, chrome dull, metal rusty, bridge split in a way I've never seen before, seller says "Looks all original and in pretty rough shape. I plugged it into an amp and was able to get a sound, but no other testing was done. The bridge and bottom strap button are broken, the fretboard has separated a bit and a couple tuner ferrules are missing."


657 Harmony Classical w/ OC E $225 Clean, minimal wear, stamped F-65 GM


1471 Dano tube amp VG $250 Clean, some edge wear, some grille staining, scuffs on back panel


1481 Dano tube amp MOD $162 Could use a good cleaning, light wear, AC cord spliced in, ground wire on back panel screw, NS Fender 8" speaker, both knobs re-decorated, rust to handle captures


1481 Dano tube amp MOD $203 Clean, light wear, re-capped, NS Jensen speaker, 3-prong AC mod



Serendipity, thy name is Silvertone! Two 13XX series amps, both with the odd 'pointer' knobs. Non-stock? Ran out of the normal brown 'deco' knobs at the Dano factory? I'll post the question here, but I'll call it non-stock in the descrip.

1333 Dano tube amp G $325 Re-grilled, covering wear, tape residue on side, logoplate shiny, handle worn, NS 'pointer' knobs,  NS footswitch incl.



This rare 1334 looked great in the one shot of the back provided. Wonder what the front looked like?

1334 Dano tube amp $250 Back looks great, handle clean and strong, NS 'pointer' knobs, seller says "Works great! Excellent collectors item!"


1838 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp G $59 Clean, light wear, no case or accessories evident


802 Banjo w/ OC G $104 5-string w/ resonator, could use a good cleaning, wear all over, logo strong



UNK Kay FHAC MOD $285 Clean, some edge wear/flaking on sides, logo strong, hanger hole at peak of headstock, NS tailpiece, NS MIJ pickup and jack, NS brass pickguard, stamped N-5, original "How To Care For" pamphlet incl., probably a 619


UNK Kay FHAC VG $130 Clean, light wear, 3-bolt neck, lamination lines showing at headstock, logo strong, truss rod cover missing, mis-ID'd as a 40s-era guitar, more likely a 1240 from the late 60s



Dano pickup $82 Judging from the other items this seller had up, it came from a 1443


Dano pickup & V/T assembly $100 Seller says "What you see is what you get. Pickup works but missing mounting thing. Pots date 46th week of 1963 and one pot is missing the shaft."


1495 Teisco (?) MIJ Bass body $47 Clean, finish cracks, light wear, logo intact (!), partner to the neck from the 19th, odd cross-hatching to finish; I thought it was a scanner/photo artifact but it appears at all angles and in all shots of 'burst finish


Here's one from the "I love what sneaks in through the filter with the word 'Silvertone' in the title department":
NOS from CPI Manuf. of New York. Did we ever really wear belt buckles this big? Didn't sell for $22.

 

4/27

Interesting midweek haul... a nice 1454, a faded Kentucky Blue, a Sears solid state amp, and a mystery Kay factory second. Dig in!

1454 Harmony HBEG VG $760 Clean, light wear, light checking, logo strong, tuners changed from original then changed back, serial 1929H1454, (hanger?) hole in top of headstock


653 Kay FHAC VG $475 Clean, light wear, faded color, logo strong, finish checking


604 Harmony FTAC G $34 Clean, edge/surface wear, buckle rash, logo strong, NS tuners,


1448 Dano SSEG guitar and tube ampincase G $495 Clean, treble half of pickup looks to be splitting, NS saddle, NS knob inserts to guitar, guitar has edge wear, plenty of glitter, logo strong,  amp has (1) NS tube, ampcase shows covering wear, pot dating indicates late 1963 build


1455 Teisco HBEG w/ C G $260 Clean, some edge wear, whammy arm present, logo strong, pickguard missing


1423 Sears solid state amp VG $175 Clean, light wear, rev/trem functional, footswitch incl.


1423 Harmony SSEG $383 Sold as project, pickups present, logo and truss rod cover missing, NS tuners, pickguard broken, selector switch missing, V/T network present otherwise, functionality unknown



Dano footswitch $75 Clean, tested functional



661 (?) Kay FTAC 4-string tenor guitar$175 Clean, no logo, stamped L 5521 and 'SECOND' inside



4/26

I used the word 'barebones' down in the 'Parts is Parts' section, and that's kinda what we've got today. After a humongous weekend, things are a little quiet on the Silvertone front. Here's a nice 'Chris Isaak' to start off with.

1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $800 Clean, light wear, logo strong, pickguard missing, light buckle rash, scratch on upper bass bout


1211 Harmony FTAC VG $82 Clean, light wear, block logo strong, soundhole decal looks good, light buckle rash, light rust to tuner plates


1481 Dano tube amp G $400 Could use a good cleaning, some stains to covering, knob inserts discolored, back panel present


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $500 Oxidation to front and back panels, some edge/corner wear, dent in back panel @ fuse holder, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet F $265 Rust all over, recently re-capped, rev/trem functional, speaker lead clipped, no footswitch



1482 Dano tube amp knobs $21 Set of 6, looks like some adhesive residue or unremoved paint on inserts


14XX Harmony knobs $54 Three knobs


1454 Harmony HBEG neck and body $153 No hardware or electronics


1429/1454  Harmony HBEG barebones $181 Auction mentions pickups but none in evidence, nut & tuners incl.



4/25

Some great guitars and awesome amps sold over the weekend. Give 'em a gander!

1320 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $499 Clean, logo has been 'enhanced,' NS knobs, some play wear to neck, stamped S-51, seller says "The back binding has somewhat shrunk and is not laying down in some places, but is still tight. The front binding is in good shape. The pickup surround has a couple of cracks. Also the face of the headstock looks like it might have been refinished, or touched up at some time. There are 2 small cracks in the back. These cracks have been checked (small hole drilled at each end to stop crack from moving), and glued."


1444 Dano SSEG bass w/ OC VG $432 Clean, light wear, logo intact, NS finger rest, re-located top strap button, NS knobs, NS washer at jack, pots date to April 1964. Relisted from earlier in month..


1448 Dano SSEG guitar and tube ampincase VG $400 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, NS speaker, sidewall rub by jack, all hardware shiny


1457 Dano SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $500 Clean, cord keeper present on guitar, light wear to ampcase and guitar, grille bezel loose, selector switch intermittent, tremolo mentioned as a feature but operational status unconfirmed, footswitch incl.


1457 Dano SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $516 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, rust to case hardware, NS power cord, knob inserts discolored, tremolo unmentioned, seller says "THIS GUITAR IS OLD HAS OLD SMELL WORKS GOOD."


1482 Dano tube amp E $500 Clean, minimal wear, tremolo unmentioned but assumed functional, no footswitch, 1400 model microphone incl., seller says "stored in a box in a closet for 38 years"



Bids were a-flyin' on this setup, 42 bids annnnd... SOLD!

1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $585 Clean, light wear, some staining to top of speaker cab, logoplate missing from speaker cab, control face clean, recently serviced, xformers painted blue, rev/trem functional, NS footswitch,  jack added to speakers, stamping indicates 1966 build


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $650 Clean, light wear, oxidation to front and rear chassis, tremolo functional, reverb weak, no footswitch, unusual CTS speakers (dated 41st wk of 1964)


1485 Dano tube amp only VG $899 Clean, some edge wear, 1/4" speaker jack mod, rev/trem functional


1485 Dano tube amp only $150 Clean, light wear to control face, seller says "The amp turns on and will produce some sound. The small reverb and and related tubes are missing."


1471 Dano tube amp G $310 Could use a good cleaning, round speaker cutout, light wear, logoplate shows some ink rub-off,  back panel lightly stained


1472 Dano tube amp E $560 Round speaker cutout, clean, red border control panel with proper 'tremolo' spelling, re-capped, tremolo functional, stamping indicates 1961 build, no footswitch


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ OC VG $765 Clean, light wear, logo intact, plenty of glitter, NS tailpiece (orig. incl.), original paperwork incl.


1418 Teisco MIJ VG $300 Clean, whammy bar missing, truss rod cover missing, light wear, pickguard design strong, logo tag looks good


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $346 Some edge/surface wear, rust dots to NS tailpiece, whammy bar present, NS knobs, neck finish stripped, some picking wear on pickguard, logo tag missing, serial #150507, 'Get Your Slime On' sticker, seller says "...tone knob has little effect on the tone."


1208 Harmony FTAC w/ OC E $200 Clean, minimal wear, block logo strong, NS tuners, best one of these "One Foot in the Grave"  machines I've seen


605 Harmony FTAC G $39 Clean, edge/surface wear, logo damaged at 'S' and 'er'


600 series Harmony FTAC P $10  Wear all over, logo present, tuners rusty, bridge badly cracked, seller says "...GUITAR CAN BE A GOOD INSTRUMENT WITH LITTLE LOVE."


657 Harmony Classical VG $150 Clean, playing wear to top, 6"crack on bass lower bout, stamped F-61 JS, serial # 4X4XH657


604 Harmony FTAC $71 Clean, edge wear, playing wear to fingerboard, logo strong, no bridge, pickguard  or tuners, sold in a group of four; check the hep cat stencil on that last Kay in line!



FORTY-SEVEN bid WAR for this late-era ukulele, one of the last to be branded 'Silvertone.'

1256 Harmony ukulele VG $223 Clean, light wear, logo strong, neck and tuners tight, books and record incl.


853 harmony ukulele VG $38 Clean, logo strong, soundhole binding tight, light wear, NS tuners, 'Genuine Mahogany' sticker present but worn


805 Banjo F $83 Wear all over, armrest present, discoloring to head, logo strong, strap & books incl., seller says "Offered here for restoration."


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $76 Clean, light wear, tuning wrench incl. Relisted from earlier in month.




These 'Chris Isaak' parts were from the same guitar, just different auctions.

1446 Harmony HBEG neck $152 Logo nearly gone, no nut, no tuners, playing wear to fingerboard


1446 Harmony HBEG body $103 No electronics or hardware, pickup switch bezel present , side cracked at jack hole, pickup mounting holes enlarged


1446 Harmony HBEG knobs $66 Full set of (4)



4/22

Twenty one years (and sixty pounds) ago, I rode my tent and gear-laden mountain bike 300 miles to Washington DC to celebrate the 20th Earth Day. I'm a bit less physically ambitious these days, but I do know we're all doing our part by recycling Silvertonium! It's a precious, finite resource that needs to be managed with care. Our first up today is a great example of some ultra-rare Silvertonium, a nearly intact pack of strings. Can you imagine the path this plastic package has taken over the past 50 years to end up on this page today? Maybe it passed from owner to owner of a Silvertone guitar, maybe it sat in the same case until just this past week, or was discovered in an old music shop's back room.

3642 Made in Italy strings $20 G and high E missing, "Non-tarnishing, durable, for any type of play." Although the packaging is patented, I could find no citation for it.



Here's a fine 1478 with the rare 'Type 1' whammy assembly, available on this Silvertone only from 1963 to 1966!

1478 Harmony SBEG VG $550 Clean, light wear, finish checking all over, whammy bar present, logo strong, pickguard trimmed/repaired on bass and treble side top. Relisted from March


1457 Dano SSEG guitar only G $223 Edge wear, logo worn about half away, cracked/repaired at tuner line, electronics functional


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $400 Clean, whammy bar present, some edge dings, logo tag looks good, (1) slider switch cover missing


1455 Teisco HBEG w/ C E $525 Clean, minimal wear, whammy arm present, logo strong, chrome shiny


1476 Harmony SBEG MOD $29 Refinished black, repro logo, NS tuners, pickup assembly stamped 1964, so it could be a 1477 or 1476



Here's a sadly 'shamed' 621...

621 Harmony FTAC G $47 Clean, edge wear, logo magic-marker'd away, stamped F-63, making this one of the first 621 models, seller says "It could also use a new nut or new saddle. Up to the 12th it is fine but it starts to fret out at the 12th fret. The nut and saddle look a little low."



Hint: if you want more money for your 604, call it a 'parlor guitar.'

604 Harmony (?) FTAC VG $81 Clean, light wear, logo strong, heavy striping, unusual headstock, odd bridge... Kay?


1481 Dano tube amp VG $250 Clean, light  wear, round speaker cutout, knob inserts discolored, logoplate shiny, grille tight, back panel present, sticker on back panel


1482 Dano tube amp MOD $275 Originally had a square speaker cutout, seller says "It has been upgraded with a new baffle and new Jensen Special Design speaker. But it also comes with the original diamond baffle and original speaker. Power cord has been upgraded to a grounded 3-prong cable for your safety. Both of the channels work perfectly, however, the tremolo circuit is not functioning."


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $405 Could use a good cleaning, grille staining, wear all over, (1) knob missing, dent to front panel, footswitch incl., seller says "Amp has been checked out and everything works."


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet F $327 Could use a good cleaning, wear all over, rust to speaker cages and xformers, some maker cabinet chew on back of speaker cab, untested


660 Kay Classical w/ OC VG $31 Clean, light wear, inner label in great shape, stamped L 6422 - 660


802 Banjo w/ OC VG $108 5-string w/ resonator, clean, light wear, logo strong, bridge missing



1446 Harmony HBEG neck $174 Logo strong, NS Tusq nut, truss rod cover present, tuners/ferrules missing, fingerboard binding tight


1484  Dano tube amp parts
Speaker Cabinet logoplate $24 Light rust, post and clips present


Grille material $10 Some black overspray on edges


Handle $10


 

4/21

Some tasty treats for your Thursday, starting off with this never seen by me Silvertone radio promo item that went for just $15. It's a wooden bank with a large slot in back for paper money or coins, and a slat screwed into the bottom for removal of your savings, all gussied-up with a Silvertone tuning window and a rose appliqué on top. I have seen another bank, with the same tuning dial label, but it was more of the 'tombstone' variety.



Here's a beautiful 1481...

1481 Dano tube amp E $300 Clean, minimal wear, square speaker cutout, one small paint scuff kept it from 'near mint,' seller says "I GOT THIS FROM THE WIFE OF THE GUITAR PLAYER WITH DICKIE BETTS A COUPLE YEARS BACK FROM HIS ESTATE WHEN HE PASSED AWAY, DAVE CONNELL." The only guitar-playing Dave Connell I can find (besides my bass-playin' buddy David Connell of The Connells), is alive and well. Anyone got any ideas?

PHOTOS BY BANANAGUITARS


A super-rare 688...

688 Kay FHAC w/ C G $223 Clean, light wear, 'wind chime' logo strong, NS tuners, looks like treble wheel is missing from bridge, screw 'repair' to neck



This ampincase is unusual for the looks-to-be-stock Jensen speaker onboard. The speaker cage is stamped with 4864, which would indicate a late 1964 build date.

1448 Dano SSEG guitar and tube ampincase VG $213 Some surface wear, rip on outside of covering, very light staining to top of grille, oxidation to case hardware, seller says "...amp power on and works - but does not seem to have much power - may need new tubes."


1448 Dano SSEG guitar and tube ampincase VG $499 Clean, some edge/surface wear to guitar and ampcase, logo strong, guitar knobs show some adhesive seep, case reinforced in one corner


1457 Dano SSEG guitar only MOD $400 Clean, some surface scratches, NS tuners, NS neck pickup, some sidewall rubs, scuff on bottom bass back, seller says "When we got this it had been used for parts, so our master Luthier, Justin Trowbridge, completely rewired it. He also had to replace the tuners (with a nice set of Kluson-style tuners) and the neck pickup (with a reissue Danelectro lipstick pickup)."


1415 Dano SSEG MOD $356 Clean, arm wear to lower bass bout, pick wear to treble side above bridge, logo present but broken at 'S,' neck stripped, NS knobs, seller says "...tone knob and 3 way switch do not seem to do anything."


1490 Teisco MIJ SBEG bass VG $185 Clean, some edge/surface wear, metal logo intact, NS knobs, model/serial sticker nearly gone, tailpiece cover missing


1482 Dano tube amp G $238 Square speaker cutout, looks clean in single photo provided, light wear, seller says "...replaced the speaker with a 35 watt Celestion as the old speaker became very rattly. Tremolo does not work."


621 Harmony FTAC VG $47 Clean, light wear, serial #4698H621


1210 Harmony FTAC VG $87 Clean, light wear, logo strong, dime-sized ding on headstock back, light rust to tuner plate, serial #5198S1210, stamped F-68


653 Kay FHAC VG $350 Clean, light wear, good color, logo strong, NS tuners, playing wear to top of neck, slight split in wood at wear area, stamped P4


653 Kay FHAC VG $230 Clean, light wear, good color, logo strong, last fret marker missing, stamped N4 and L8917 5520


661 Kay FTAC 4-string tenor guitar w/ OC VG $175 Clean, light wear, logo strong, light rust to tuner plates, light buckle rash, stamped L7133


1230 Kay classical w/ OC VG $81 Clean, light wear, inner label clean, odd 'shadow' on lower treble bout edge, pack of vintage Audition strings from Woolworth incl.


1304 Dano SSEG $350 Can't tell much from the single photo provided


856 Harmony baritone ukulele VG $120 Clean, light wear, binding tight, logo strong with light stain at 'il,' seller says "Has a 1" hairline crack on back side at the edge (didn't see it until I felt it)."


1838 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC $149 You build it!


1316 Harmony Lap steel w/ OC G $193 Picking marks on treble side top, 'deco' logo hard to see in photo but looks OK, oxidation to pickup covers and surrounding hardware, tailpiece cover present



4/20

Nearly evened up; we've got power now, time to replenish the freezer we had to empty. No worries... folks have got it a lot worse than us, and we are very thankful. Here's something crazy; when the storm knocked out power in the town of Dunn in Central NC near my home, the Time Warner Cable channels all 'froze' on whatever was happening at 4:13 that afternoon. So, when the power and cable came back on, viewers got to watch that 1 frame on every channel for about two days. Kind of eerie, as  many of the channels were displaying tornado warnings and dangerous looking radar images at that moment. If you look near right hand center of the second image, you can see three county lines coming together in an inverted 'Y' shape, with a purplish cell just to the west of it. This is the area that was so devastated in Harnett and Johnston Counties in NC just minutes later, as show by the 'stormtrack' graphic. The 'X' made by the red lines are I-95 and I-40.


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $700 Clean, light wear, rust freckles to faceplate, wear spot on black banner trim, rust to jack washers/handle captures/xformers, stamping indicates 1967 build, rev/trem status unknown, seller says "This amplifier has been tested and works well."


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet MOD $499 Painted black, some edge/corner wear, 1/4" jack mod, 3-prong AC mod, seller says "...the treble suppressing inductor has been bypassed (this makes the highs come out like a guitar amp not a bass amp like it was intended.)"


1485 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $857 Clean, light wear, speaker and amp still connected, casters present, tremolo mentioned but operational status of it and reverb unconfirmed, no footswitch


1333 Dano tube amp MOD $299 Re-upholstered, logoplate shiny, some scratches and a solvent run on control panel, handle in poor condition, tremolo mentioned but operational status unconfirmed, this same amp sold at the beginning of the month


1413 Kay SBEG VG $395 Clean, light wear, logo strong, NS bridge & tailpiece, 'arrow' screen on pickguard strong,


1303 Dano SSEG VG $500 Clean, light  surface/edge wear, logo gone or badly worn, stamping indicates late 1958 build




4/19

There's a lot of catchin' up to do... so, I'm just gonna dive right in, no particular order, no particular plan. If something really cool demands to be put up front, I'll do it. Let's go!

1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $1050 Clean, light wear, logo strong, pickguard yellowed, NS selector switch


1485 Dano tube amp only VG $885 Could use a good cleaning, minimal wear, transformer bent out of plumb with a little damage to shielding above it, rev/trem functional, no footswitch, couple of NS tubes


1340 Valco tube amp G $200 Clean, some edge/surface wear, logo screenprint strong, some grille staining, handle looks good, back panel present, seller says "not much power but great sound. "


1457 Dano SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $575 Could use a good cleaning, light wear to guitar and ampcase, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch evident, seller is owner's brother, and says " My oldest brother bought it new but only learned a few chords. He passed away three years ago. It has spent most of it's life sitting in a closet. "


1457 Dano SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $537 Clean, light wear to ampcase and guitar, knob inserts on amp show yellowing, guitar logo strong, tremolo functional, hardware shiny, footswitch and orig. cord incl., pots date to 1964


1420 Harmony SSEG F $100 Could use a good cleaning, edge/surface wear, finish dull, logo strong, fret dot between 14th and 15th fret missing, rust to exposed metal, pickup covers show oxidation, seller says " It has been tested and is not working. "


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet MOD $646 Clean, light wear, some rust freckles to faceplate, logo missing from speaker cab, NS casters, power plug-in mod on back panel, speaker jack/input mod on back panel, stamping indicates 1965 build, seller says "The amplifier is all original except the added professionally installed input block with added 1/4" input and 1/8" input and A/B switch. This is a great feature and allows alternative options. There is also a extra heavy duty power input installed; push twist input. The reverb and tremolo aren't working. but can here them very lightly."


1465 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet VG $537 Clean, light wear, speaker still attached to amp, rev/trem functional, footswitch incl., stamping indicates 1966 build, seller says "Channel 1 works great. The amp has input 1 channel 2 not working, but channel 2 works great in input 2."


1465 Dano solid state amp only VG $209 Clean, light wear, some oxidation/scratching to faceplate, 1/4" speaker jack mod, rev/trem functional, 3-prong AC mod, seller says "All settings on all channels function perfectly."


603 Harmony FTAC G $51 Clean, surface wear and finish checking, logo present, hard to tell much more from single photo provided; ID'd as a 40s era guitar... um, no.


603 Harmony FTAC G $16 Can't tell anything from sub-par photo, seller says "...neck slightly warped. There is a slight separation of the body face wood."


1385 Harmony HBEG F $740 Finish checking all over, logo gone, paint residue on headstock, fingerboard wear, stress crack at jack, rust dots to pickups, 'Harmometal' binding intact, seller says "The neck has become unglued, but is still attached to the body, the fretboard is broken and the fret at the crack is missing. Also some of the binding on the fretboard is missing too. The inlays of the fretboard are curling up. Two of the knobs and the tip of the pickup selector switch are missing, and one tuner is also missing. It has Grover tuners, they appear to be not original to the guitar. Now, a little bit of good news: the pickups are Gibson P13 and both are working good, the tone and volume controls work and also the pickup selector, they may need a little control cleaner."


1410 Kay SBEG VG $203 Clean, light wear, logo strong


1472 Dano tube amp G $295 Square speaker cutout, could use a good cleaning, rough exterior, rusty xformer, tremolo functional, footswitch and manual / schematic incl.


1444 Dano SSEG bass w/ OC VG $699 Clean, light wear, some picking wear at corner of pickguard, logo intact with some red marker/paint to edges, pickguard signed by Mark Ibold of Pavement and Sonic Youth


600 series Harmony FTAC G $17  Seller says "a little clean up and some glue and this beauty will sound amazing, needs tuners and bridge pins, missing pickguard but doesn’t really need that since the screws on ones rattle and people always take them off anyway." Um... yeah.


1331 Dano tube amp VG $255 Clean, light wear, logoplate shiny, handle broken, re-capped, top panel looks slightly bowed downward, NS 'pointer' knobs


1464 Dano solid state amp only $30 Oxidation to faceplate, all knobs missing, Silvertone 'shamed' away on faceplate, seller says "blows fuses."


604 Harmony FTAC G $52 Clean, edge wear, fingerboard wear, playing wear to neck,  logo strong, stamped S-59 T NK


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $295 Clean, light wear, logo strong, plenty of glitter, NS knobs


1457 Dano tube amp in case only MOD $118 Contact-papered, partially re-lined inside, grille stained, tremolo status unknown


600 series Harmony FTAC G $66  Clean, light surface wear, logo strong, NS tuners, bridge cracked/repaired


856 Harmony baritone ukulele VG $105 Clean, light wear, binding tight, logo strong, poor photos


1413 Kay SBEG VG $265 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, some light rust stains to headstock, some extra 'decor' to headstock bottom corners, NS tuners, arrow design on pickguard and pickup cover strong, orig. matching gig bag incl.



1429 Harmony HBEG VG $775 Light wear, logo strong, serial #2740H1429, stamped F-60 JP, seller says "Has a 'funk' about the whole guitar so it needs a good cleaning."


1310 Valco lap steel w/ OC VG $321 Clean, light wear, tuner buttons shrinking

 
1440 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ OC VG $233 Clean, logo strong, light wear, whammy bar and bridge cover present,




1495 Teisco (?) MIJ Bass neck $125 Clean, tuners and nut incl.


Welp, we put a pretty good dent in the weekend's auctions; we're nearly caught up!


4/18

Shave = close. You may have read or seen reports of the tornadoes Saturday afternoon in North Carolina. We're all safe; a tornado that caused quite a bit of destruction skirted our place by a coupla thousand feet. Silvertone World is still up and running, but it may be another day or so before I get up to full daily updates. Thanks for your concerned emails and understanding.

Awesomely happy weekend, otherwise. Saw Neil Young Friday night, got to see Dexter Romweber and his sister Sara rock out at Schoolkids Records in Raleigh and buy some cool vinyl and CDs for Record Store Day on Saturday... then the weather got nasty, the lights went dark, the internet disappeared, and the kerosene lamps came out.




Here's a very cool old-school lap steel (more of a kit, really...) that just auctioned this afternoon.

1313 Kay lap steel w/ OC $66 Needs to be assembled, untested, nut seems to have some extra grooves cut



4/15

Thanks for all your comments on the 'Silvertone Shame' article this month, and I should have a new feature up to start the week out. [Tornado trumps update. Soon] What's been amazing to me is all the 'Shame' related items that have popped up this month, and our first up is one of them. It's one that I pictured and mentioned in the article as being proclaimed and branded a Silvertone, but it really wasn't. After that, an odd little two-way extension speaker that the seller put the 'Silvertone' moniker on in his auction title.

UNK UNK MOD $180 Headstock refinished, repro logo, the red fret markers matching the guitar's finish is a nice touch... the sign of a very attentive modder or maybe even a factory job. Anyone seen this blonde fretboarded acoustic before? I've seen some electric Kay 'Value Leaders' with blonde fretboards, so it leads me to believe this is a Kay guitar, but that's about all I've got to go one, as the seller didn't mention any internal markings.



Here's a cute little amp extension, the auction called it a Silvertone, but there wasn't a maker's mark this I could see, and I've never seen an item like this in a Sears catalog. I'd love to date the pot and see what we could come up with. Lunch box handle, volume control, two-way with a crossover, no jack; there's a lead coming off the tone network to an unknown wire end (seller didn't say if there was a jack/plug on it or not). Any ideas?

UNK UNK speaker VG $68 Clean inside and out



Alright... now on to some USDA Grade A Silvertonium! Can you believe this is our FIRST 1457 setup to sell this month?

1457 Dano SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $510 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, cord keeper present, (1) top knob missing, NS 12AX7, NS strap button at neck, looks like some sticker residue on headstock, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch, seller says "The amp has been gone through by my local amp tach and also has received a clean bill of health."


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $480 Clean, some light edge/corner wear, dent in control face, a few light marks on the grille, recently had a check up and a few new tubes installed



This 1471 shows a three-week gap between the stamped speaker manufacture date (38th wk. of 1961) and Dano stamped build date (41st wk. of '61). Quick turnaround on stock, there, Dano!

1471 Dano tube amp G $300 Grille stained, NS pegboard back panel, handle worn, control panel and knobs clean, (1) NS tube, 3-prong AC mod, stamping indicates late 1961 build


1418 Teisco MIJ VG $183 Clean, whammy present, light wear, pickguard design worn, truss rod cover missing, logo tag in good shape, serial #346516, seller says "some scratches on the back and the finish is peeling under the pick guard."


660 Kay Classical G $33 Clean, some surface wear, playing wear along fretboard edge, inner label in great shape, stamped 57-660


802 Banjo w/ OC VG $196 5-string w/ resonator, clean, light wear, logo strong, a few packs of Black Diamond strings in orig. packaging incl.

 

4/14

Relisting happens. Not a lot, but it happens... miscommunication between seller and buyer, deadbeat buyer, auction cancelled, eBay 'rule breaking'... I never ask, and sellers rarely tell, so I just make note of it, and move on. Today's first up is unusual in that it brought the exact same money as the first go around, while our second in line brought about a buck less than it did in its previous auction.

1429 Harmony HBEG E $1079 Clean, minimal wear, Harmony logo laminate clean and strong, stress crack at jack, stamped F-59, serial #XXXXH1429. An odd bird, the 1429 and H75 were sister guitars, and this is an H75 headstock, but the body is clearly stamped as a 1429. Here's the seller's story: " The original owner was a family member and bought it in 1960. Nothing has been modified or changed on this guitar--the headstock has had the Harmony tortoise overlay since it left the factory. Harmony guitars with odd characteristics like this have popped up over the years, but nothing so cool as this, in my experience! The Harmony H75 was a double cutaway guitar and also was a bit different in color, and the pickups were also different. The Silvertone 1429 had this type of pickups, and was a single cutaway. Also, the Harmony had an inlay on the first fret, and the Silvertone did not. THIS guitar is a Silvertone model, and the stamp is for a 1429 model--BUT the headstock overlay is what they used on the Harmony models at the time! Very strange, but no doubt it was made this way, and is likely the only one on the market like this." Relisted from the weekend.
Here's the link to all his photos.


660 Kay FTAC classical F $11 Wear all over, D tuner button missing / shaft bent, stamped L 6412. Relisted from last week.



Alright, on to today's fresh crop... seems like 'Chris Isaak' week!

1446 Harmony HBEG VG $850 Clean, light wear, logo hard to see in limited photos (just the two!), pickguard missing, seller says "just the usual wear."


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $375 Could use a good cleaning, some edge/surface wear, some checking, rust to tailpiece and some pickup pole pieces, whammy bar missing, selector lever missing, scratchy pots



Money couldn't buy the expertise and care the seller/modder brought to this 1483, but $450 took it.

1483 Dano tube amp only MOD $450 Clean, light wear, couple of 'shadows' on top panel covering, faceplate looks great, this is from the same modder/seller that we saw that beautifully restored 1848 from a week or so back, and here's the story on this amp: "It has 2x6L6'S, 2x12AX7A's, 1x6CG7, 1x5Y3GT rectifier with a twist---I'm also including a neat little plug-in type solid state rectifier with this amp that I made [last pic], along with my normal revamp of new filter caps, new bypass caps and coupling caps (all 5% or better quality and higher voltage ratings than stock). I added a little more capacitance across the power supply because of the increased voltage and power that the solid state rectifier creates. All pots have been cleaned, checked for correct rating; tube socket pins cleaned and retensioned; out of tolerance resistors replaced; tarnished jacks, hardware etc. cleaned and polished to look as close to new as I could do. You can patch channel 1 into channel 2 for an added gain stage for a little more grit also. I also replaced the 1.5K, 1 watt resistor (these they always seem to go bad) with a 4 watter I had. Overkill! But it won't wander! I usually use 2 watters but I had a spare 4 watt, so I used it. Voltages are all right on and better! The nice thing about her is that you can get a great bluesy 'brown' sound with the stock rectifier or if you want a bit more volume, clarity and crunch, use the solid state one. She sings really sweet with either and if you add a distortion pedal, she sings all day with awesome harmonics! It's loud enough for playing out with and won't kill the first rows! Also a wonderful recording, jammin' or bedroom amp. You'll love the versatility in such a nice smaller, simpler package and you can crank it all the way up to 10 all day if you like. There is NO hum, no pot crackle----just great bottom end rumble and sweet mid to high end singin'! It's 8 ohm ONLY!! I added a grounded plug for your safety. Rock on!I have lots of these '83's, '84's and '85's; if you are looking for something special- let me know. We are living in a 'green society' now and these amps are worth bringing back to life. Nothing today sounds like them, and it's heart breaking to think of them on the garbage heap!"


1482 Dano tube amp G $325 Round speaker cutout, needs a serious cleaning, fine scratches to faceplate, staining to grille, rust to jack nuts/washers, water staining to baffle, tremolo functione mentioned as a feature, but operational status unknown, seller says "good working condition."



Harmony must have used those 929 Stella bodies a good bit. We saw a 929-stamped 604 a coupla days ago, and here's a 929-stamped 605!

605 Harmony FTAC VG $56 Clean, light wear, logo strong, strap button missing, stamped 1161H929



One of the earliest 853 ukes; look at that soundhole detail!

853 harmony ukulele VG $79 Clean, logo strong, soundhole binding tight, light wear



This is the rare 805 'long-neck' banjo

805 Banjo VG $260 Clean, missing armrest, hardware shows light tarnish on back ring otherwise quite shiny, head worn, logo strong, 3 lugs missing



Dano aluminum nut $23



 

4/13

The money keeps rollin' in! More great items going for some great prices, starting with this remarkable 'Chirs Isaak.' You know I don't throw 'Near Mint' around very much. This one deserves it, and it deserves some bigger pictures than usual. Even better, we've got a $3000+ 'Chris Isaak' triple play! If you count the two Harmony model after the 1446s, then you've got a better than 5 grand start to the day, just in Harmony-made Silvertonium!

1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC NM $1495 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, chrome and finish shiny, protective sleeve, original cord, period books incl.



1446 Harmony HBEG VG $698 Clean, light wear, logo strong, pickguard missing, NS bone nut, paint wear at Bigsby, truss rod cover has screw cracks, major repair at jack area,


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $950 Clean, light wear, some buckle rash, logo strong, screw crack at tip of truss rod, ding on headstock


1317 Harmony HBEG VG $917 Clean, some surface wear, logo laminate strong, binding yellowed but tight, remnant of a music shop sticker on headstock


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ C VG $695 Clean, light wear, logo bent a bit, plenty of glitter, playing wear/ding to neck, pickguard legends strong, NS tuners, NS bridge. Relisted from last week.


I've been working on a new feature article, and I'll have it posted soon, but all these 'Silvertone Shame' related items keep popping up, so I'm sharing the serendipity with you! Here's an MIJ beastie that snuck in through the Silvertone filter today... it AIN"T a Silvertone of course, and it's got even further delusions of grandeur... check the headstock Hang Ten humor (well, Hang Eight.. this poor axe can't get anything right)... Fender? With a zero fret?  Really? Oh, yeah... it sold for $70.


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $744 Clean, minimal wear, oxidation freckles to front and back aluminum panels, untested (so, the 'VG' is for cosmetics only), stamping indicates 1966 build, seller says "This is the amp found at ORIGINAL OWNERS HOME that has been sitting for over 25 years, not the one at an auction or other sale plugged in over and over for test from idiots who state things like 'plugged in and all bulbs light up.' ...we will not plug into 120v outlet when the last time it was plugged in was probably 110v and the caps were not all dried out. We will guarantee Transformers, Speakers and working condition. Most likely one of the best out there, some cabinet wear near bottom, no TUBE test although most are SILVERTONE BRANDED. "


1481 Dano tube amp VG $275 Clean, light wear, some stains to top covering, knobs slightly discolored, square speaker cutout, back panel missing, (2) NS tubes, recently re-capped, stamping indicates 1965 build


1331 Dano tube amp G $148 Clean, edge/corner/surface wear, logoplate shows light tarnish, handle broken, 3-prong AC mod, untested


1465 Dano empty speaker cabinet only VG $99 Clean, light wear, one handle capture cap missing, casters present, 1/4" jack mod on back, logoplate looks good


1476 Harmony SBEG w/ OC E $375 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, chrome shiny


1415 Dano SSEG VG $418 Clean, some surface wear to bass lower bout, logo intact but worn, playing wear to bass waist and neck


1451 Dano SBEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $570 Clean, guitar and ampcase show light wear, seller says "there is a pretty loud buzz while the amp is on."


1448 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $450 Clean, cord keeper present, light wear to guitar and ampcase, logo strong on both, light discoloration to knob inserts, stamping indicates 1965 build


1448 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $412 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, saddle chipped (or compensation modded), chrome and finish shiny, some sidewall rubs, tone knob inserts shows adhesive seep, volume knob insert missing, stamping indicates 1966 build


615 Harmony FTAC G $61 Clean, edge/surface wear, logo strong, pickguard has a screw crack, bridge shows some wear, stamped F-65 T


1207 Harmony FTAC F $25 Clean, pickguard missing, fingerboard wear, block logo strong, one brace has fallen out, some top separation


1838 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $76 Clean, light wear, tuning wrench, books and Mother Maybelle record incl.


UNK Kay FHAC $92 Clean, some edge wear, logo strong, looks like some solvent runs on headstock, lamination lines showing at headstock, fingerboard looks dried out, screw cracks to pickguard at side bracket, probably a 619



1448 Dano SSEG pickguard $12 Wear at holes, light edge wear


Sears tube radio logo $9 Attach posts present



4/12

Still plowin' that field called the weekend... it's chock full of Silvertone-y goodness. Let's serve up some more... right now! Take the same tack we did yesterday to finish things up (high $ to low), then I'll clean up last night in any ol' order I please. If you recall, we didn't dip... STOP THE PRESSES!!! Just in, this beautiful 1375, the very first Dano-built electric guitar available from Sears! Note the vacu-formed pickguard, the headstock overlay, the non-plated tailpiece with the thin saddle, the 'duraluminum' rod running through the middle of the body... an awesome look at the very first Danelectro-sourced Silvertone electric guitars from late 1954 / early 1955.

1375 Dano SSEG VG $1850 Clean, some edge/surface wear, stock knobs, logo laminate strong


We now return you to your regularly scheduled auction recap.

1476  Harmony SBEG VG $350 Clean, light wear, logo strong, light tarnish to tailpiece and pickup covers, all stock knobs


1333 Dano tube amp G $250 Could use a good cleaning, edge wear to faux-alligator, back panel missing, logoplate shiny with a little tarnish spot on bottom corner, grille looks good, cig burn on top, handle duct-taped, 3-prong AC mod, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch, seller says "...everything works, sounds great, no issues"


615 Harmony FTAC F $300 Clean, edge/surface wear, finish checking, logo strong but worn at 'S,' light rust to tuner plates, 'Mr. Mark's Music' sticker on back of headstock


1430 Dano tube amp VG $228 Clean, edge/surface wear, stamping indicates late 1964 build


1481 Dano tube amp E $270 Clean, minimal wear, square speaker cutout, recently re-capped, tubes date to late 1964


1481 Dano tube amp E $225 Clean, minimal wear, round speaker cutout, looks like a 3-prong AC mod


1495 Teisco (?) MIJ HBEG Bass VG $203 Clean, logo intact, NS selector knob, light wear, peghead intact



I really wish the seller had taken some closer pics of the re-labeled control panel, I did the best I could to bring out the 'Beast.'

1482 Dano tube amp MOD $200 Square speaker cutout, reupholstered, control panel re-labeled, 3-prong AC mod, tremolo currently non functional but has worked for seller in the past, stamping indicates 1965 build


1481 Dano tube amp VG $199 Clean, minimal wear, round speaker cutout, knob inserts worn, handle captures show some rust, scratchy pots, stamping indicates 1964 build


661 Kay FTAC 4-string tenor guitar VG $153 Clean, light wear, logo strong, stamped L 8974


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet $179 Could use a good cleaning, light oxidation to control/back panels, non-functional, terminal strip mod on side, hole where speaker wire used to be, seller says "This amp does power up but is not in working condition... I was able to get a little bit of sound out of it by hooking up a speaker cab but don't know much about it other than that."


658 Kay FHAC G $166 Could use a good cleaning, edge/surface wear, block markers indicate pre-1966 model


1423 Harmony SSEG MOD $139 Refinished in gold, logo gone, knobs/electronics/bridge missing, pickups stamped July 1961 shown for date verification / not part of sale



This amp was the partner to yesterday's $757 1423

1430 Dano tube amp VG $129 Clean, light wear, logoplate worn, sticker/tape 'shadow' on front and back panel, handle worn, captures show tarnish


615 Harmony FTAC E $118 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, orig. box/paperwork incl.


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $100 Clean, light wear, tuning wrench incl. Relisted


604 Harmony FTAC VG $62 Clean, light wear, logo strong, stamped F-66 AP, odd serial #809H929, a Stella number.


653 Kay FHAC MOD $56 Refinished, re-logo'd, neck separating. This one was featured in my 'Silvertone Shame' column as a proud example of someone striving to keep the Silvertone name on their guitar. It's the 'wind chime' logo, alright, but a bit larger than stock. Nice job!


1210 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $50 Clean, logo strong, limited photos


604 (606?)Harmony FTAC w/ C VG $47 Clean, limited photos, seller IDs it as a 606... of course he also dates it to 1971. Grain of salt.


605 Harmony FTAC G $44 Could use a good cleaning, edge/surface wear, looks like mildew residue on fingerboard, logo strong


604 (606?)Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $28 Clean, light wear, logo strong, NS tuners, 6" crack treble lower bout


1207 Harmony FTAC VG $21 Clean, light wear, block logo strong on slotted headstock


1249 UNK FTAC VG $5 Clean, light wear, no logo



OK, that wraps up the weekend... now, let's see how much of today I can get finished.

1392 Dano tube amp VG $255 Clean, light wear, small stain to grille, grille pushed in a bit at speaker, logo tag looks great, extra hole drilled beside tremolo switch jack, tremolo functional,  footswitch incl.


1473 Dano tube amp G $316 Clean, some covering wear, lights up; otherwise untested


1444 Dano SSEG bass w/ OC VG $650 Clean, some edge wear, NS Grover tuners, logo worn a bit / clipped at second 'e,' pots date to June 1965,



Another honorary Silvertone Anti-Shame League member, despite the red/white/pink in the middle burst paint job

1413 Kay SBEG MOD $127 Refinished red/white, logo saved (!), (1) knob missing, wear at jack, NS bridge


1204 Harmony FTAC VG $153 Clean, light wear, NS tuners, sold by one of my favorite players on ebay, rutablue's sound clips are always awesome.
Hop over to the finished auction to give him a listen. Here's what he has to say about this axe (and guitars in general): "If you're an acoustic blues player and you wonder why that $1000 axe you bought doesn't sound authentic when you try to play blues like those by Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell, or Blind Lemon Jefferson, I can tell you why it doesn't and never will. All of those of those guys and most of the other blues players from the 30s played birch body guitars. Some played spruce and birch. Some played all birch. No American guitar made today can give you that sound. The all birch Stella/Silvertone that I'm offering has The Sound: even, woody, bright, clear, ringing tone. This guitar, unlike 99% of the Stellas that you find on eBay, has perfect action. It has had a pro neck set and the brand new tuners work a lot better than the junker originals to keep the guitar in tune. This model dates from the very end of the great Harmony Company's contribution to American guitar making. It has a Silvertone logo on the peghead and is identical to the Stellas of that period."


604 Harmony FTAC VG $44 Clean, light wear, some finish checking, logo strong, frets show tarnish


604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $39 Could use a good cleaning, edge/surface wear, logo strong, crack on treble side lower bout, stamped S-66 GM


606 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $40 Clean, edge/surface wear, logo strong, sticker on pickguard, "Life Stream #1" scratched on back, tuner plates rusty



One of the earliest 853 ukes.

853 harmony ukulele VG $54 Clean, logo strong, soundhole binding tight, light wear



In my article on 'Silvertone Shame' this month, I mention how some instruments end up with a Silvertone name on them through no merit of lineage. Well, this is sorta like that. It's certainly possible this bass was sold at Sears, but as far as it ever being sold as a Silvertone... I'll give you a definite 'no.' The closest  instrument I can find to this one is a 6-string electric from the early-mid 80s, the 1405, pictured below the bass. Note similarity in pickguard design & controls, bridge construction

UNK MIJ SBEG bass w/ C VG $269 Clean, light wear, repro logo, short scale


1985 Wish Book 1405 (also seen in the 1983 Wish Book, but no whammy)


 

4/11

GARGANTUAN weekend!!! That's the only way to describe it. An amply amazing array of amps and axes for your auction-perusing. Some big money, and some rare birds along the way. Let's 'git down to da business' as Jerry Reed would say.

OK, big money first. No real reason, it just gives me something to goon when I'm putting the day together.

1429 Harmony HBEG E $1079 Clean, minimal wear, Harmony logo laminate clean and strong, stress crack at jack, stamped F-59, serial #XXXXH1429. An odd bird, the 1429 and H75 were sister guitars, and this is an H75 headstock, but the body is clearly stamped as a 1429. Here's the seller's story: " The original owner was a family member and bought it in 1960. Nothing has been modified or changed on this guitar--the headstock has had the Harmony tortoise overlay since it left the factory. Harmony guitars with odd characteristics like this have popped up over the years, but nothing so cool as this, in my experience! The Harmony H75 was a double cutaway guitar and also was a bit different in color, and the pickups were also different. The Silvertone 1429 had this type of pickups, and was a single cutaway. Also, the Harmony had an inlay on the first fret, and the Silvertone did not. THIS guitar is a Silvertone model, and the stamp is for a 1429 model--BUT the headstock overlay is what they used on the Harmony models at the time! Very strange, but no doubt it was made this way, and is likely the only one on the market like this." Relisted.
Here's the link to all his photos.


1454 Harmony HBEG G $910 Clean, light wear, logo strong, pickguard missing, some binding yellowing, light finish checking, (2) selector switch tips missing, paint worn from Bigsby, light corrosion to pickup flanges, scratchy pots, stiff tuning keys


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ OC E $770 Clean, minimal wear, plenty of glitter, logo intact, finish and chrome shiny, pickguard legends strong, NS selector knob, one-owner guitar


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ OC VG $757 Clean, light wear, logo strong, stress cracks at jack, fingerboard 'dusty' (mildew?), orig. paperwork and protective plastic 'jacket' incl.


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ C VG $750 Clean, light wear, logo bent a bit, plenty of glitter, playing wear/ding to neck, pickguard legends strong, NS tuners, NS bridge. Relisted


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $720  Clean, light wear, rev/trem unmentioned, footswitch incl., seller says "The amp has been tested and is working well."


1446 Harmony HBEG MOD $599 Clean, light wear, Bigsby missing, pickguard missing, (1) NS tuner, NS nut, NS tailpiece, fret blocks yellowed, some edge flaking, logo distorted by gluing/removal of extra decor on the headstock, patent # pickups


1444 Dano SSEG bass w/ C VG $575 Clean, some surface wear, logo painted or tinted, some wear to pickguard stripe, buckle rash


1302 Dano SSEG w/ OC G $600 Clean, edge wear all 'round, some buckle rash, some flaking, case rub on bass side upper bout, logo a bit worn, tape/sticker residue below logo. Relisted from march.


1474 Dano tube amp G $405 Clean, edge/corner wear, grille staining, reverb controls on back, rev/trem functional, back panel missing, no footswitch, cabinet stamping indicates 1961 build


1465 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet VG $400 Clean, light wear, speaker still attached to amp, rev/trem functional, pots scratchy


1448 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $390 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, logo strong on both, light discoloration to knob inserts


1482 Dano tube amp VG $381 Round speaker cutout, light wear, back panel missing, light rust to handle captures, seller says "The tremolo works very well and is quite entertaining."


1433 Dano tube amp MOD $370 Re-upholstered, NS handle/captures, tremolo functional, original owner, seller says "The Silvertone logo on front broke so it said Silver and no tone so a put a patch over it. THE SILVERTONE LOGO YOU SEE IS A (IRON ON) PATCH OVER THE ORIGINAL LOGO. THE V YOU SEE IS PART OF THE OLD LOGO. I HOPE THIS CLEARS THINGS UP."


1483 Dano tube amp only MOD $350 Clean, light wear, "Sears Silvertone" removed from front face, full/half power switch mod beside Channel One inputs, 1/4" speaker jack mod



Wow, didn't even dip below the $300 mark! No worries, We'll tidy everything up tomorrow.

OK, here's one quickie... In interest of equal time, here's the great David Grohl on the cover of the August 2006 copy of Acoustic Guitar magazine. He's holding a sweet "Kentucky Blue," one of his first guitars (I don't believe the one he's holding was actually his, though). This cover went unbid on over the weekend (asking price: $4). Foo Fighters ROCKED SNL over the weekend... and, as luck would have it, they're on The Daily Show tonight. Nice timing, IMHO.



4/8

Friday already? OK, well... I'm gonna go ahead and tie this loose end up, courtesy of a bass that went under the gavel today. We passed a (sad... pathetic... pitiful... who cares?... depends on your musical tastes, I reckon) landmark this week... it's been 17 years since guitarist/singer/Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain (killed himself, was murdered... depends on how you feel about Courtney Love, I guess). Anyway, this bass has been on deck since February, but I just can't find a catalog listing for it. It's the same model of Sears bass that Cobain played way back when on his first recorded songs and demos. The actual bass sold at a Christie's auction for over $43,000 back in 2009. The example below went for a mere $118. This model was unusual for its blond fretboard and contrasting fret markers, and was about 1,100 copies away (serial #21278) from the Cobain bass (serial #20180). Neither bass exhibited a 'Space Dot' or a model stamping or sticker. I'd love to crack either of 'em open and check the pot dates.


There were some 'J' bass copies available from Sears in the early 70s, but the closet ones I could find were always missing the crucial blond fretboard. This 1492 was seen as late as 1974, then became the 1483 in 1975 (this is also the year my comprehensive catalog collection stops). The 'Cobain Bass' may very well be a bass that came out after 1975. As I say, I've never seen a catalog listing for the blond-boarded bass.


Now on to our first up today (the catalyst for all that above), the next iteration (that we can ID, anyway) of the Sears-sold MIJ 'J' bass sorta clone, the 1484. There's another pickup hiding under the tailpiece cover.

1484 MIJ SBEG bass G $114 Clean, note stickers on neck (hey, it worked for Paul Simonon), at least (1) NS knob, sticker on headstock reads 559-1484



Some Gentleman-ly MIJ clone-iness...

1475 MIJ Univos HBEG VG $700 Clean, light wear, logo missing (Silvertone 'shadow' present), goldtone finish coming off metal parts, 'Bigsby-san' tailpiece missing wood overlay, scratchy pots, one selector shaft stripped, NS bridge



Never seen a 're-glittering' before...

1448 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase MOD $500 Clean, light wear, headstock 're-glittered,' logo gone,  legend knob inserts discolored, NS Radio Shack speaker in ampcase,


1448 Dano SSEG only VG $475 Clean, light wear, logo strong, light rust to tuners, knob inserts discolored


26877 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $330 USD Canadian-sold version of the 1445, clean, light wear, whammy present, logo strong


752 Kay mandolin G $37 Clean, light wear, 'wind chime' logo strong, pickguard present, picking wear below pickguard, playing wear to neck, high action, neck lifting



 

4/7

Back in the saddle! Yesterday was a bit of a slooooow one, as Wednesdays tend to be, auction-wise. Today we're back at it and here's what inspired my cowboy headline: it's the rare and playful Model No. 4. The seller took a great drama shot that really shows off the 3-D plastic parts. Giddyup, pardner! Even with a repro replacement pistol and a lacquer finish sometime in its past, it went for a bronco-bustin' $910!



Alright, little dogies... let's git along to the Silvertonium mines...

1416 Dano SSEG VG $600 Clean, light wear, logo intact, playing wear to neck, NS knobs, 'Formica' type material pickguard (rare, but stock)


1444 Dano SSEG bass w/ OC VG $432 Clean, light wear, logo intact, NS finger rest, re-located top strap button, NS knobs, NS washer at jack, pots date to April 1964. Relisted.


1421 Harmony SSEG VG $321 Clean, logo strong, light wear, playing wear to neck, stamped F-61 IV, pickups stamped July 1957 (!!!)


1431 Dano tube amp VG $260 Clean, light wear, grille shadow at speaker cutout



This next 'Space Age' era amp didn't sell, but I thought you'd like to see the hot rod, anyway.

1432 Dano tube amp MOD DNS Reupholstered in red, NS red knobs, NS grille, NS speaker, new handle, logo on chassis slightly worn, 3-prong AC mod, footswitch incl., tremolo unmentioned but assumed to be working, seller says "New caps, tubes etc.... Has been recovered in red leather with wheat grill cloth. Have the original parts still if you want them, to include grill cloth, caps, tubes and Silvertone emblem for front of amp. The amp is 10 watts with era correct alnico 12in Jensen replacement P12R and comes with the original wedge footswitch to control tremolo. The power chord[sic] has been updated to ground."


1471 Dano tube amp G $275 Could use a good cleaning, light wear, logoplate looks good, light rust to handle captures, light staining to grille,  tape residue or paint on top corners


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $245  Could use a good cleaning, edge/corner wear, stains to top panel, 1/4" speaker jack mod, NS knob, no footswitch, rev/trem unmentioned, seller says "I powered the amplifier on and plugged a microphone into the inputs and headphones into the output and all the channels worked... almost every surface of the outside shows signs of wear and tear. The electrical cord will need to be replaced. "



This next instrument gets an honorary membership to the 'Silvertone Anti-Shame League' for its charmingly hand-reproduced 'deco' logo. For more on 'Silvertone Shame,'  (and its opposite, clearly shown here) see this month's feature article. And yes, you've seen it before... it sold (or didn't ) last month.

1319 Harmony lap steel MOD $153 Refinished, NS Gibson pickup, 1/4" jack where tone knob used to be (this model had its cord hard-wired in through the side), hand-drawn 'deco' logo. Relisted from March.


660 Kay FTAC classical F $12 Wear all over, D tuner button missing / shaft bent, stamped L 6412. Relisted.


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $52 Clean, light wear, all original paperwork and Mother Maybelle record incl.



UNK Kay FHAC $68 Whoops! Probably a late 619, seller says "The strings are missing."




4/6

OK... I'll take a slow Wednesday! Gives me a chance to go "full disclosure" with the fact that I'm now serving up some Google Ads along with your daily helping of guitars, amps and assorted devices of audio art and amplification. They're light, non-fattening, and the screen real estate they take up is low-impact. I hope you'll click through to a seller or two, it'll help keep Silvertone World going strong. Thanks!

First up today, a lovely pair of ukes! And a catalog number I've never seen before... there was a late-era 1255, and I'm thinking this might very well be a typo... of course, it's entirely possible there was a brief window of a 1225 model available in a Wish Book listing or mid-season supplement, but I'm really thinking typo.

1225/1255  Harmony ukulele VG/G $46 One's clean, one's got a small crack on back, both exhibit light wear, only one of them has the 1225 silkscreen on back


1455 Teisco HBEG G $278 Clean, light wear, whammy arm present,  'Space Dot' present, chrome and finish shiny, bridge missing


1484  Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $325  Could use a good cleaning, edge/corner wear, a few small dents in control face, rev/trem mentioned as feature but operational status unconfirmed, seller says "The amp smells like cigarettes, not bad though, only within 2-3 feet of it."


1471 Dano tube amp G $165 Edge/surface wear, grille yellowed, handle broken, NS Weber speaker, seller says "Tubes were replaced within the year, but I will ship you the original tubes as well in case you want them. Original speaker was blown when I got it and has been replaced with a Ted Weber Alnico... it's a great little amp with awesome tone."



Dano whammy bridge $28 Could be from a 1452 or 1450



UNK Kay FHAC G $143 Looks OK in blurry photos, pickguard & bridge missing, logo strong, probably a 627

 

4/5

Share the love... it's what Silvertone World, and our first item up today, is all about.

1484  Dano tube amp only MOD $711  Clean, minimal wear, completely rebuilt. The seller had a pretty detailed story to go with this auction, and here it is: "Since the 7 years that I've been refurbishing these great amps, I've always wanted to tear one down completely and improve upon it and rebuild it with nothing but superior components; 1%, 2%, and 5% resistors, caps etc. This is THE one!!! I tore the pots apart: not just sprayed them, but rebuilt them. I cleaned them thoroughly and regreased them. Then measured them for accuracy. If they weren't 1 meg, I replaced them with ones that were; if not 100K, then they were replaced. I put orange drops where there were ceramic discs. I rebuilt the reverb unit. Removed the transformers, faceplate, tag boards, etc. I literally rebuilt this 'killer' amp from the bare chassis, faceplate and other assemblies. Hours of detailed, painstaking work went into this. I could be paid for my parts in this amp, but not my time and labor. But I loved every moment and I was rewarded with an amp that will kill most every thing I've ever owned and played through. This turned out so much better than I could ever have hoped for.! NO Hum! Absolutely "dead" quiet pots! Awesome tremolo and nice, rich reverb!! It loves pedals. You can add a gain stage by patching into channel 1 and plugging into channel 2. It's hand wired, point to point and worth a couple thousand dollars for the labor, quality and sound alone. It's a true boutique quality amp. It's one of the loudest 50 watt amps I've ever heard. The sustain is without decay! And it increases in attenuation. It has clarity on the bottom end and yet a bottom that will rattle your teeth! The mids and high end are sparkling and full of resonance and tone that is simply incredible. I've played guitar for 46 years and before I could play more than a handful of licks, I was looking for TONE. I traded in and sold more amps that most people ever owned because their tone just plain stunk! When I played in bands, other musicians and people always complimented me on my tone. I remember hearing that the late, great, Les Paul once said "Sure you play good, but can your mother tell it is you on the radio?' Too many potentially great young guitarists plug into the same amp as everyone else and then expect to be noticed. Look for your own technique, licks and TONE. That's what will set you apart!! This amp is so touch sensitive, I swear, one moment it's nice, sweet and singing; and the next, snarling, raw and loud!!! Just from your attack! You will freak if you've owned one of these before and be floored if this is your 1st. It's a snarling, gritty, powerhouse monster or a sweet chimey, articulate gem. It is a brand new 50 year old amp, with a growl and snot it never had before! You will certainly not be disappointed. There is 'love' in this amp, as anyone who does this can attest to. Sure, I would like for it to pay off in money someday, but I can assure you that the pure satisfaction of building something that helps you find your sound is worth a whole lot more than my words can say. It's about more than the money. WE are all musicians and whatever, and people first. It's all about the people! Thanks to all of you. ROCK ON !!!!"

You've got to see how clean this amp is, and how far the seller took it from its original state. Click for some higher res pics in a new window.


1484  Dano tube amp only G $575  Could use a good cleaning, some edge/corner wear, 1/4" speaker jack mod, rev/trem functional, no back panel, no footswitch, 3-prong AC mod, NS JJ tubes


1484  Dano tube amp only G $500  Cover painted black, front face has oxidation freckles, xformers rusty, 1/4" jack end on speaker lead, remainder of "Atlas Sound" sticker on oxidized back panel, rev/trem unmentioned, seller says "good working condition"


1464 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet VG $325 Clean, light wear, rev/trem unmentioned, no footswitch


1333 Dano tube amp MOD $250 Re-upholstered, logoplate shiny, some scratches and a solvent run on control panel, handle in poor condition, seller is second owner


1430 Dano tube amp VG $228 Clean, minimal wear, logoplate and back panel look great


1444 Dano SSEG bass w/ C VG $512 Clean, light wear, logo intact, sidewalls and knobs nice and white,  finish and chrome shiny


1460 Teisco MIJ HBEG E $450 Clean, minimal wear, whammy bar present, logo strong


1455 Teisco HBEG VG $233 Clean, light wear, whammy arm present, logo strong, chrome and finish shiny, bridge cover missing (as usual), seller says there's a date stamp on the bottom of the pickguard of 2-28-70... wish they'd taken a picture!



An interesting run of '600 series' guitars today, starting off with this puzzling piece....looks like it was a 'private label' Harmony sold by Ziegler Music of Aurora Illinois, purchased by the seller 15 years ago in Macon, Missouri. Inside, however, is a number identifying it as a mid-60s 621. I can't see a shadow of a Silvertone logo on the headstock, and I have an email in to Mr. Ziegler (still in business since 1953!), so maybe we'll hear something definitive.

621 Harmony FTAC G $53 Clean, light wear, some finish checking, serial # 4838H621, Ziegler banner where a Silvertone logo usually is



This 1217 was the last of the line... the last iteration of the 600 series, stretching back to the 1940s. Compare with the examples below it and see the subtle differences; the finish, the shapely headstock, the slightly different pickguard... there was a 'Man In Black' 1217  that followed this one, but this version was the end of the popular line of honeyburst, white pickguarded, bound all around guitars that started with the 600 back in 1948.

1217 Harmony FTAC VG $150 Clean, light wear, 'Space Dot' present, neck lifting slightly, stamped F-70, original box, paperwork, and 'how to play' record incl.


621 Harmony FTAC G $176 Clean, light wear, finish checking all over, logo strong, stamped F-64 FK, serial #2726H621


621 Harmony FTAC F $30 Edge and surface wear, logo strong, high E tuner missing, bridge reglued, neck 'repaired,' stamped F-65


1415 Dano SSEG w/ C VG $406 Clean, light wear, playing wear to neck, picking wear at treble side bridge, holding wear at bass side waist and top lower bout, logo intact


661 Kay FTAC 4-string tenor guitar G $75 Clean, some surface wear (esp. back and sides), logo strong


615 Harmony FTAC VG $148 Clean, light wear, logo strong. You can hear it and see it at the auction link which includes a video.


1471 Dano tube amp G $159 Clean, light wear, some grill staining, handle in poor shape, speaker has small hole, yellow extension cord splice into AC,  cabinet stamping indicates late 1961 build, lights up; otherwise untested


1481 Dano tube amp E $240 Clean, minimal wear, square speaker cutout, control panel & knobs very clean, seller says "Has been checked out by a tech. All caps are in good order and a new output transformer has been added. It sounds great. Also replaced the power cord with a 3-prong for safety reasons. The tubes are all original Silvertone and test very good."


1481 Dano tube amp G $255 Clean, corner wear, square speaker cutout, knob inserts discolored, covering ripped at handle capture, handles caps rusty, cabinet stamping/pots indicates 1965 build


1482 Dano tube amp VG $275 Square speaker cutout, light wear, light grille staining near bottom, (1) knob missing, a few paint drips on top, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp $250 Square speaker cutout, light wear visible in single photo provided, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp G $299 Square speaker cutout, edge/corner wear, grille staining, extension holes/jack in back panel,  (1) handle capture cap missing, some faded writing on top panel, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $408 Clean, oxidation freckles and some bubbling on control panel, footswitch incl. (from some other amp 1483s didn't have any effects to initiate), dunno what's up with the logoplate on the speaker


1448 Dano SSEG ampincase only $170 Clean, light wear, handle missing, functional


1435 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $115 Clean, whammy bar missing, wear all over, scratches to chrome parts, logo tag missing, untested, serial #149641


802 Banjo G $103 5-string w/ resonator, clean, light wear, logo strong, scratches to resonator back, some oxidation to hardware




1400 Microphone $41 Clean, both tested functional, light oxidation, (1) original box incl., I recorded the growly guitar, the vocal and harmonica for the piece below with one of these mics



I didn't even know Sweden made steel!

Sears 'Hawaiian' strings $25 Look at that packaging! Boxed, master plastic enveloped, individual paper envelopes. Yes, the strings are still there. Original price 5 cents, "made from the best Swedish steel."


1319 Harmony lap steel body/neck only $81 Clean, light wear, No hardware or electronics, 'deco' logo strong


712 Kay FHAC neck only $75 Wear all over, tuner ferrules present, nut present but chipped on high E side, laminate dull, includes neck block, seller says "The heel had a screw through it when I got it. I had my luthier remove it and fill in the hole. Then she did some overspray so it look very good and is SOLID as a rock."



UNK Kay FHAC F $100 Clean, checking/flaking to finish, pickguard missing, logo strong, neck lifting, some binding shrinkage, rust to tuner plates and tailpiece



4/4

After a brief hesitation, April is coming at us full force! Friday was weird, nothing auctioned until late that evening, and then the floodgates opened, with a wealth of Silvertonium to start off this fourth month of the year. We've got some great items from all over the place; a terrific vintage advertising reveal, a Wish Book only Harmony-made mandolin, and what is possibly the latest Sears guitar I've ever reported on up today. We'll start off with this fine 'Thin Twin,' complete with its original (and very painful looking) tassled neck cord. Go ahead, dig in!

1381 Kay SSEG w/ OC VG $1200 Clean, light wear, some edge chipping on the back, headstock laminate and pickguard shield design strong, NS tuners, one-owner guitar, original cord 'strap' incl.


Since we're here with this great 'Jimmy Reed,' I reckon it's time to reveal this wonderful piece of ephemera I recently obtained. It's a 'galley' that Sears would send out to their stores so they could place could place good-looking, corporate-designed ads in the local newspapers. This one is from November, 1956, and you can see the price is left blank for the individual stores to determine pricing (why or how they'd vary from catalog prices prices puzzles me, but I didn't work at Sears 50 years ago). This page is from an entire book of such monthly-sent materials from Sears & Roebuck to its many stores, and you can still see the rusty holes from where it was stapled in. Interesting to note that Sears was already hep to the jive in late 1956, advertising this instrument as the choice "for rock-n-roll... hoe-down... or bop." Click for a larger version in a new window.




From a smooth original to a funky clone, here's the Japanese-made (probably Teisco, maybe Univox...can any Silvertonians confirm?) 1413, a Telecaster clone that was available for a few years in the early '70s.

1413 MIJ SBEG $145 Clean, light wear, whammy bar present,  'Space Dot' looks good, chrome shiny



Plenty of whang with your twang on this Bigsby-modified 'Jupiter' based 1423!

1423 Harmony SSEG w/ OC MOD $900 Clean, NS Bigsby, NS bridge, logo intact, light wear, plenty of glitter, seller is original owner



'Gold foils' on a 1420? I'm so used to seeing those pure chrome 'Hershey bars,' this just looks weird to me!

1420 Harmony SSEG MOD $599 Clean, light wear, logo strong (little bit of wear on the second 'e'), NS pickups


615 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $132 Clean, light wear, logo strong, stamped S-66 AP, serial #7222H615



This 604 has a very interesting stamp inside FL-59!

604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $78 Clean, logo strong, light wear, fingerboard wear in 'cowboy chord' area, stamped FL-59 (!)


1204 Harmony FTAC VG $49 Clean, light wear, logo looks 'double-screened,' light rust to tuner plates


604 Harmony FTAC P $15 Top and back cracked and separating, pickguard cracked, tuners/nut missing, ,



Here's that Harmony-made mandolin from 1971, available only in that year's Wish Book!

1297 Harmony mandolin VG $104 Clean, 'Space Dot' missing, light wear


1212 Harmony FTAC G $21 Clean, edge/surface wear, some checking, 'Space Dot' disc looks good on faded/checked headstock, crack at top of soundhole, some separation at back near neck, (1) brace has fallen out, light rust to tuner plates,  stamped ?-70


1233 MIJ classical VG $85 Clean, light wear, soundhole decal look good, 'Made in japan' stick on back of headstock, internal label clean



And, from the year of "We Are the World," Live Aid, "The Breakfast Club" and the PMRC... it's the utterly forgettable 57E-14501C!

14051C MIJ (MIT?) SBEG G $103 Clean, whammy bar missing, serial #29045 (maybe)



Even with the plastic string end cover broken off (a common occurrence), the buyer got an awesome deal on this 2574 autoharp! Mother Maybelle record, perfect condition paperwork, and a cool pitch pipe still in the box.

2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $51 Clean, light wear, plastic string cover broken off, all original accessories incl.




4/1

March Madness continues! In March 2011, we reported on over 306 auctions totaling $93,873! That's almost three grand less than the bank-busting March 2010 totals, but still... WOW! Nearly 100 grand worth of Silvertonium! If I included radios and record players in the mix, I'm sure it WOULD have broken the century grand mark. Good to see any bright spot in this economy, eh? Let the Silvertone recovery keep a rollin'!

Here's some highlights of what changed hands:  (28) 1448 guitars/amps or one or the other, (18) 1457 guitars/amps or one or the other, (28) 1484 amps, (20) 1482 amps, only (10) 1481 amps, (4) 'Chris Isaak'  1446 model guitars, and ZERO (!) 1385/1427 'Espanadas.' A beautiful 1454 brought in the top green for March at $2250, and there were four more items in the 1,000+ category this month ( $1780 and $1195 for a couple of fine 1446 models,  $1600 for the sister to that top-money 1454, and $1314 for a near-mint 1448 ampincase setup). The least amount brought in February was $6 for an envelope full of Silvertone 45RPM record adapters.

If you haven't visited March 2011, give it a look... it was QUITE a month! Even if you've been recently, click over and check out the last couple of days, some great stuff ended up the month.


4/1

Looks like we're getting a little April Fool pulled on us here at Silvertone World. Oddly enough, as of 4PM EST there've been no Silvertone instruments or amps auctioned off, and none scheduled to go under the gavel until around 5:30... so, I'll treat you with a little something that sold last week that I just loved. Check it out!

It's a beautiful Space Age Silvertone TV antenna that sold for just $30. A little wear on the knob, but it looks pretty amazing for being at least 50 years old.... and it's still got its hang tag! Read the great "Mad Men"-era feature description for this product - at the time an essential part of your home entertainment system.

Improvements found in your new Silvertone Deluxe Indoor TV Antenna

1. New patented Dual Control Switch with 12 positions now eliminates turning the antenna and rejects ghosts simply by turning the knob.

This antenna is a precision instrument - please use it as such and you will receive the best reception possible wherever you place it.




 

MODEL # / MANUF / TYPE / COND / PRICE / NOTES

Abbreviations: M-Mint, NM - Near Mint, E- Excellent, VG- Very Good, G- Good , F-Fair, P-Poor, NS- Non-Stock, HBEG- Hollow Body Electric, FHAC- F-Hole Acoustic, FTAC- Flat-Top Acoustic, SBEG- Solid Body Electric, SSEG- Semi-Sold Electric, MIJ- Made In Japan, MOD - Modified significantly from stock, w/ O/C Original / Case, DNS - Did Not Sell; used mainly to show an item of interest whether it sold or not
Unless otherwise noted, I'm rating them by what I see in the pictures and read in the description.

The items depicted on this page are not for sale by Silvertone World. These are reviews of items from completed ebay auctions on or around the date specified.

Links in blue open in a new window, and take you to a Silvertone World info page, a period catalog listing, or a link of interest.