1/31

Let's wrap up a REALLY great month! If you haven't visited all of January 2009, check out all the great stuff that sold this month; it's one of the most 'fun' months we've had lately, as far as some unusual and really great items selling is concerned.

605 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $73 Clean, stamped F-58-T

Just wanted you to see the nice figuring in the grain on this one:

852 Ukulele VG $90 'Hawaiian Girl' model, very clean, minimal wear, black fretboard

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $316 Plenty of wear, case has big rip on back, guitar missing (1) V/T 'stack,' NS speaker

615 Harmony FTAC G $47   Edge wear, neck warp, stamped S-67

605 Harmony FTAC F $50 Edge wear, crazing, buckle rash, NS bridge
Compare this one to the later model sold above:



2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC G $55  Back has 8" piece split off the edge and there's a three inch crack where the foot was re-attached, accessories, records, books tuning wrench incl. Never seen that particular kind of damage to an autoharp before, so I thought I'd give you a peek:

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $447 Clean, light edge wear, footswitch incl.

805 Banjo w/ C G  $100 5-string w/ resonator, neck/headstock has repaired crack, light rust/pitting on hardware

1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $600 Light edge wear, logo intact, pickguard present... Deal of the Day!

UNK Harmony FHAC G $128 Needs neck reset, scratches wear all over

 

1/30

The 1484 amp has been a popular model on the auction scene for many years. You can thank Jack White and the White Stripes/Raconteurs' popularity for some of that... but it's just a great amp, really. Clean, dirty, some vintage effects, great big Jensen 'Special Design' speakers all come together for a sound like no other. This just came to mind because the first thing up today in completed auctions was a fairly typical example of the amp. Nothing astounding, this isn't the cleanest or mintiest one I'd seen. Wear's not too bad, a couple of corner dings on the speaker cab, amp looks good, needs a little work (low volume and the reverb is out), a little modification (1/4" jack added for ease of use/transport), and really on the low side of the typical price.



1484 Dano tube amp w/ cabinet G $351 Clean, corner dings to spkr. cab, low volume, 1/4" jack mod, rev non-functional

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $378 Frankenstein bridge . plenty of edge wear, neck wear, buckle rash, playing wear on treble side , (1) knob missing , amp is pretty clean

1245 Kay FHAC w/ OC VG $243 One owner, family provenance, played on Sundays or practicing, well cared for

1482 Dano tube amp G $256 Square spkr. cutout, some corner wear, rusty handle captures, paint smudge on top, footswitch incl.

1430 Dano tube amp F $76 Scrapes and dings all over, back panel missing, untested EICOR mic incl.

1472 Dano tube amp G $243 Round spkr. cutout,  edge/corner wear, (2) NS Electro Harmonix tubes, 3-prong AC mod, tremolo works, no footswitch,  back panel in place, red border control panel w/ 'tremlo' misspell

852 Ukulele VG $139 'Hawaiian Girl' model , minimal wear

1384/85/1427 Harmony HBEG G $862 Neck binding & pickguard missing, NS knobs, the usual broken 'S' on the metal headstock logo (looks like it was painted back in) , normal wear

1481 Dano tube amp VG $150 Square spkr. cutout, some corner/edge wear, NOS rectifier, 3-prong AC mod

1465 Dano solid state amp only G $29 Pretty clean, a few small scrapes on the face, untested; power & speaker cord cut, (1) channel 2 1/4" jack missing

618 Kay FTAC G $155 Edge wear, scratches, finish checking esp. on back, hole at tip of headstock, hole on back below neck heel, flathead screw through middle of bridge stamped 8111, NS capo incl.

1/29

Parts is Parts, as the saying goes, and somebody parted out an entire 1484 amp yesterday. I'm not about to list every piece as an individual auction, so this first listing is a conglomerate of prices and, well, parts.

1484 Parts $539 Amp cabinet, knobs, reverb tank, switch tips, face plate, back panel, speaker cabinet, transformer, tubes, logoplate, amp chassis... no instructions on how to assemble it however. Doesn't much matter; the parts went all which a ways, selling to different buyers.

853 Ukulele G $51 Mostly clean, one big scratch on back , still has 'Genuine Mahogany' tag on back of headstock

1432 Dano tube amp G $405 Handle worn, some corner dings, trem works, flying 'V' logo intact

688 Kay FHAC G $69 Clean, pickguard missing, stamped L3709 6887

621 Harmony FTAC w/ C G/MOD $37  Face painted black, one fret marker partially missing, (1) NS bridge pin, bridge looks good, stamped S-65

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $500 BIN Clean guitar and amp, minimal wear, instruction manual incl.  Deal of the Day!


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG G $125 Whammy missing, light finish checking, buckle rash, two strange holes in top back of headstock that don't make it to the front


1/28

Here's a cool video short shot at the Electro-Harmonix plant in Long Island, long-time makers of crazy-great effects and the warehousers of an awful lot of the NOS vacuum tubes left in the world, as well as being the manufacturer of 2/3 of the world's new tubes.



Let's start this Wednesday's auctions off with some imported fun:

1461 MIJ Teisco HBEG VG $307 Clean, chrome shiny, minimal wear, whammy bar missing.  Very unusual to see a 1461 with a script 'swoop' headstock. Catalog illustrations (see below) have these decorated with a 'Space Dot.' Internally stamped S-70-W, which is a Harmony stamping pattern. Could it be these guitars were inspected at the Harmony plant before shipping to Sears stores? The catalog ad would seem to indicate that.



1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case G/MOD $250 NS gold swirl pickguard, 'V' decoration on headstock, amp has some grille staining



1206 Harmony FTAC w/ OC  G $75 BO   Some edge wear, a few scratches, this is the last of its kind; it's just like the long-running readily available 604, it was offered as a 1204 in the F/W '68 catalog, this one is neck stamped 1206 , internal build stamp S-68

621 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $220 BIN  Edge wear, scratches bridge is solid

660/1230 Classical w/ OC VG $61 Clean
1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $645 BIN  Clean guitar,  amp has some surface scrapes

1449 Dano  SSEG with tube amp in case G $521 Guitar has some scrapes in finish on front , case has scrapes/corner dings, D'Addario sticker on back of guitar Relisted in Feb

UNK Kay FHAC G $200 Scratches, edge wear, neck separating, pickguard missing, stamped N-5


1/27

You'd think I'd be used to these big Mondays by now, but I'm always amazed and surprised by the treasures that the gavel comes down on over the weekend. I look at Silvertone ebay auctions on the 'newly listed' frontend to see if I can help sellers ID anything they may be wondering about, but I don't 'watch' auctions anymore (takes way too much time and clogs my email), and just pick the auctions up on the 'completed' backend. That said, it's always a surprise when I see something I'd seen a week ago (or less if the 'Buy It Now' is reasonable) going for huge money, a little scratch, or sometimes... no bids at all. Today's crop is a smorgasbord of great guitars, with just a coupla amps thrown in. Enjoy!

Well, we started off yesterday with a lovely 1448, so why not take it up a notch with a very clean 1457 ampincase setup?

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $500 BIN Guitar and amp are very clean, neck shows little wear, headstock is clean of the usual dings, cord keeper still attached, looks like the original guitar cord is incl., footswith present, amp and case look great, certainly deserving of an 'excellent' rating, BUT the amp hums loudly when warmed up




1202 Harmony FTAC VG $68 Clean, minimal wear

UNK Harmony FHAC G $275 BIN Edge wear, surface scratches, looks like it could be a Harmony-made early 60s 627 or 619


1384/85/1427 Harmony HBEG MOD/G $1275 Pickguard missing, NS Bigsby, edge wear/scratches, 'S' on metal logo broken slightly, NS wood support under NS tuneamatic-type bridge


1437 Teisco SBEG w/ C VG $300 BIN Edge wear, a few dings, neck stripped/refinished, whammy present, no logo, tailpiece cover missing, serial #150507



1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $520 BO  Edge wear, a few dings, interesting figuring to the fretboard, amp grille looks a bit worse for wear, corner dings on covering, innards look OK




UNK EKO FTAC G $1 Looks good from the picture, I would think the tailpiece is NS, as the bridge sure looks like a 'pinned' bridge, bolt on neck, "Made in Italy" screenprint on back of headstock


1200 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $71 Block logo
1484 Cabinet only F $99 BIN No speakers, handles present, edge/corner wear, some baffle mounting holes cracked, 1" hole at top right of back panel, badge present, keepers present

1449 Dano  tube amp in case only VG $255  NS speaker, minor wear to covering, insides look clean, tremolo works, NS tubes. There was some question as to this being a 1448 case with a 1449 amp installed, as there is no chrome bezel surrounding the grille as the 1457s have. The 1449 DID NOT have the decorative chrome bezel surrounding the speaker grille. That, and the actual model number screened on the amp chassis are the only difference between the 1449 amp and the 1457 that replaced it after one year. See the 1449 page link for pics and details.

1/26

Time to pick up the pace, and roll out the weekend auctions. Let's start the list with a great early example of a popular favorite, the 1448:

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $465 BIN Very clean, this is the earlier version of the 1448 with triangle knob inserts, strip tuners, a two-bolt neck, offset strap button and a narrower attach 'pier.' The very earliest models also had slightly different, sharper 'horns.' This one is in wonderful shape:


26896 MIJ Teisco SBEG VG $380 Clean, whammy present, chrome shiny, NS volume knob , scratchy pots, serifed bold block logo , Canadian model #, sold at Simpson-Sears, same as 1441/1445

1451 Dano SBEG G $199 BIN Some wear at treble cutaway and on back edge, knob inserts missing, very unusual for this model to have 'skate key' tuners



1438 MIJ Teisco Bass G $153Scratches all over, buckle rash, seller called it a project, but all parts are there

612 Harmony FHAC F $117 Back separating, long crack at neck heel,  stamped F-62

1311 Valco Lap Steel w/ OC VG $188  Clean, gold sparkle buttons in good shape , serial # I43979

1227 Harmony 12-string acoustic F $56 Space dot logo, loose nut, no bridge, one brace crackes, one tuner slightly bent

1472 Dano tube amp VG $310 Round spkr. cutout,  couple of grille 'picks,' back panel in place, red border control panel w/ 'tremlo' misspell, NS footswitch

1240 Kay FHAC w/ OC VG $356 Clean, script logo, three bolt neck, original 'How To Take Care Of' booklet included, hand dated 1968

758 Kay Mandolin w/ OC G $105   'Venetian' model, neck separating, crazing/cracks in pickguard , light rust on tailpiece

1300 Dano SSEG F $300 BIN Lots of intentional scratching to front and back, neck finish worn off, headstock logo worn, NS tuners, NS access plate, NS pickguard... rock on Steve & Jen!



604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC  G $62   Some scratches and edge wear

Dano Footswitch $28

805 Banjo G  $102 BO   5-string w/ resonator, some scratches on back, light wear

658 Kay FHAC G $98 Pre-66, neck separating, scratches, edge wear

1435 MIJ Teisco SBEG w/ OC VG $175 Whammy bar missing, light scratching all over, serial #267666

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $454 Guitar and amp look very clean, slight scuff on case covering

616 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $ 131 4" crack on top, neck separating, otherwise clean example of this super-rare guitar, serial #1459H616
 


1301 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $661 Edge wear, wear at output jack , neck finish worn off

602 Harmony FTAC MOD $90 Edge wear, DeArmond pickup wired directly to output jack


1481 Dano tube amp VG $154 Round spkr. cutout, clean, NS baffle, NS Weber speaker, light rust on handle captures

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case VG $375 Clean amp & guitar, a couple of small fins in guitar finish, one NS knob, one knob missing, pot codes indicate 3rd week of 1966; last of the line

1481 Dano tube amp G $130 Square spkr. cutout, big grille rip , one knob insert missing

1300 Valco tube amp F $99 Re-covered, re-grilled, NS power cord, back panel missing


1484 Dano tube amp only G $250 Clean, light rust on xformer, tremolo works, reverb doesn't, NS 1/4" speaker jack intermittent

1483 Dano tube amp only G $252  Re-covered, NS handle, AC cord fraying at chassis entry



Dano knobs $27 From ampincase models
1235 Classical G $22 Wear all over, 6" crack below bridge on treble side

1/23

Kind of a slow Friday, auctionwise, so let's spend a little time with this oddity that sold today: Sears model 1217 flattop, stylized 'SR' logo (I call it the 'Space Dot') on the headstock, but a block Silvertone legend inside the body, and... Made In Japan! These came on the scene in 1970, and here's the first appearance of the 1217, no mention of the Land of the Rising Sun, a squared off bridge, block markers, and a slightly different pickguard than the model that sold today.



1971, and here's a catalog listing for today's auctioned example; we've gone curvy on the bridge, now it's dot markers, and read the fine print... MIJ! Available at least until 1972.



1217 MIJ FTAC G $36 Clean, bottom tip of pickguard broken



1476 Harmony SBEG w/ C VG $178 Clean, one small ding to headstock, pickups dated June 10, 1956
Gotta be the Deal of the Day!



Sears Case Badge Emblem $4 Seller says it came "off an old archtop guitar case"

1421 Sears tube amp VG $200 BIN Dusty inside and out, back panel shows water damage, a few grille snags, panel looks good , inside schematic still claims "Silvertone" in block letters

615 Harmony FTAC G $64  Edge wear and a few scratches

UNK Kay FHAC G $51 Surface scratches, neck separating, curly headstock logo, stamped 696 8877


1/22

It's mighty cold here in central North Carolina; we're just melting out from under about 8 inches of snow, which is a HUGE amount for this area. Anyway, let's take a little trip to our new president's birth state via the Silvertone model 852 'Hawaiian Scene' ukulele made by Harmony, available from the Fall of 1950 through 1956.
Here's the Sears catalog listing from the first year it was added to the catalog, 1950:



852 Ukulele VG $77 'Hawaiian Girl' model, very clean, original box incl.


658 Kay FHAC VG $175 BIN Pre-66, very clean, minimal wear, painted binding looks great
Gonna have to make this the Deal of the Day!



1396 Dano tube amp G $575  Clean, recently serviced; re-capped, new tubes, 3-prong AC, 'Flying V' logo present

1465 Dano solid state amp only G $229 Clean, a 2" square of

 residue on front panel , some cabinet 'chew' on back of spkr. cab , grille pulling away at top of speaker cab, some grille staining

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case VG $370 Clean amp and guitar, minimal wear, one quarter-sized ding to vinyl siding near output jack

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case VG $336 Clean guitar, ampcase has a few scratches to covering, knob insert discolored, cord keeper still place

1/21

OK, what's the deal with these EKOs?!? They are just coming out of the woodwork here lately! If I had any info on 'em, I'd do a page.



698 EKO FTAC G $128 Clean, some finish checking on back, serial #43774

1421 Sears tube amp VG $200 BIN Clean, a few grille snags

1304 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $800 Very clean, a few minor dings and light edge wear, vinyl sides look great, light finish checking at top of neck, pot codes 137943 indicate 43rd week of  1959

1431 Dano tube amp G $178 Some edge and corner wear, coupla cig burns, some NS tubes, NS AC cord

1410 Kay SBEG G $215 Clean, light wear/scratches, tailpiece present, some heavy side wear


1472 Dano tube amp G $203 Nothing but static at power on, clean, round spkr. cutout,  grille loose in one corner, back panel in place, red border control panel w/ 'tremlo' misspell, no footswitch

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $325 Clean, discolored knob inserts on guitar, knob insert missing from amp, earlier model; strip tuners but two-bolt neck

604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC  $66  Clean, minimal wear
1484 Dano tube amp only G $250 BIN Rev/trem work, painted black

1319 Harmony Lap Steel G $83 Scratches, dings, edge wear, no output

1451 Dano tube amp VG $167 Clean, NS back panel

Also... this is just wrong:


1/20

Hard to top yesterday's offerings, and we even added to some of it. Make sure you check the listing for the beautiful 1472 amp for some great extra shots and information.

1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ C VG $288   Whammy missing, a few slight dings, all stickers in place, serial # 314052

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $400 BIN Guitar and amp look good, a few dings here and there, some edge wear to guitar and ampcase, light oxidation of amp chassis

1431 Dano tube amp G $158 Some edge and corner wear, 1/4" speaker jack mod on back with a switch , handle worn

Dano volume knob $5
1482 Dano tube amp G $200 Square spkr. cutout, NS speaker, original grille poorly restretched

1200 Harmony FTAC G $75 BO Block logo

1381 Kay  neck only $46 Thin Twin neck, no tuners

1317 Harmony HBEG VG $750 BO Crack on back of body, a few scratches here and there

1/19

Always nice to start the week off with something unusual, and here ya go: It's a Harmony-built 1326, offered only in the Spring/Summer Sears 1959 catalog, and I don't see many of these. It's based on the Harmony-branded 'Stratotone' line, and this one most closely resembles the so-called 'Mars' model, the H45. It's the one-pickup sunburst version of the extremely popular 1420 guitar that came along right on this ones heels in the Fall/Winter catalog of '59. The 1326 is nice because when you see it, you know it's a 1326. The 1327 offered at the same time was a two pickup sunburst, but without looking at the pot codes (which still wouldn't totally confirm the model #, since they were offered so close together), you can't tell if a two-pickup 'burst model is a 1327 or a 1421. Given the small window of availability and the higher price, I'd say that most 2-pickup 'burst models you find will be a 1421.

So, in all its sunburst, 'Hershey bar' pickup'd glory (with a little extra filigreed flair along the bottom), is the 1326:



1326 Harmony SSEG w/ OC VG $334 Clean, minimal wear, some 'decoration' along the bottom

831 Ukulele VG $20  Skier design , old-school logo , clean

1472 Dano tube amp VG $250 BIN Round spkr. cutout,  back panel in place, red border control panel w/ 'tremlo' misspell, no footswitch, very light scrapes along bottom front edge. Here's why it looks so good: "Amp was used once a year as a PA system for a small company picnic."

Here's what our Deal of the Day looks like:

1472 amp and 1964 Band Photos ©Don Thompson, inventor of the TremorBender™

Here's Don with his compadres a few decades back: L-R, it's Don on the Epiphone 6-string, his buddy Steve Whitford on drums, and his brother Bob holding a Silvertone 1444 bass. Don's little brother in the front is sporting a Roy Rogers model guitar. Thanks to Don for the great shots and the memories.

Compare to the ad from the '64 Wish Book above.

How many times is this little guy gonna change hands? I've seen it up for auction at least twice in the past five years or so, and it's not like there's another one around... it's a total custom job:

1448 Dano amp in case only MOD $66 BIN Custom ported case, NS speaker, seller says case was built 30 years ago

1303 Dano SSEG G $450 Pickguard broken at top, (1) top knob missing, headstock finish flaking , one screw missing from output jack, some rust on tuners, playing wear to neck

1333 Dano Tube amp G $310 Edge wear, corner dings

661 Kay FTAC 4-string tenor VG $200 BIN  Very clean


1340 Valco tube amp VG $295 BIN Some grille staining, light edge wear, back panel in place, logo is clear

1429 Harmony HBEG VG $432  Light headstock wear, but otherwise very clean, all knobs and switches present and in good shape, serial #2183 H 1429

Here's one you don't see every day, the Kay-made 640 F-hole acoustic, offered from Spring/Summer 1958 through 1959, then only a black and a blonde (649 & 651 respectively) was offered through 1960. I guess the 'burst finish was the most popular, and the black and blonde models were all they had left by the end. Needless to say, a rare model given it small window of availability and relatively high price ($57.95 at its introduction, dropping to $54.95 by the end of the model series run).



640 Kay FHAC w/ C VG $325 BO Clean, pickguard still has 'S' logo, stamped L9913 8915

1420 Sears tube amp G $85 Clean with one big corner ding, coupla grill snags, light rust on handle captures

1431 Dano tube amp VG $330 BO Very clean, light discoloring at speaker cutout (fairly common)


Another unusual guitar, the Teisco made 1412. This example is rare because of the tilted block SIlvertone logo and the 'swoop' headstock. The first 1412 models in the catalog still had the 'Fender-ish' headstock, and the catalog illustrations for the 'swoop' design headstock show the famous 'Space Dot' stylized Sears, Roebuck logo. This guitar represents the very last of the Silvertone-branded guitars, ca. 1970.



1412 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $300 BIN Clean, whammy present

1457 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $208 Headstock wear, rhythm pickup lifting at split , NS knobs , relocated strap button

1481 Dano tube amp VG $138 Square spkr. cutout, clean, one small paint stain and one small nick, light rust on handle captures, (1) Sovtek 12AX7

1476 Harmony SBEG w/ OC G $450 BO  Headstock wear, a ding or two, light rust on tuners, pickups dated Feb 23, 1965

1420 Harmony SBEG w/ OC  VG $442  Clean, light headstock wear

1430 Dano tube amp F $49 Scrapes and dings all over, prominent 60 Hz hum

1302 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $444 Coupla dings in the vinyl sidewalls, light wear all over, New pots/caps, new switch, NS foil-backed pickguard

They just keep coming! Here's the seldom seen Harmony-made 632 from the late 50s. Check out that swirled grain on the top and the cool painted diamond snowflake fret markers!



632 Harmony FTAC VG $225 BIN Clean, minimal wear

D'oh! Yet another unusuality! It looks like a mild-mannered 1455 until you check the neck plate. The model number indicates a Simpson-Sears guitar sold by our friends in Canada.



26875 Teisco MIJ SSEG w/ C VG $300 Whammy present, minimal wear

1481 Dano tube amp VG $175 BIN Round spkr. cutout, clean, one knob insert missing

1448 Dano amp in case only G $112 Some dings and dirt, latches rusty but functional

853 Ukulele G $21 Several splits in wood, back wear

1441 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $161  Clean, whammy present, block logo on swoop head, last of the Silvertone branded guitars

1419 Sears tube amp F $49 Scratches to face, grille stains/snags. Dunno much about this little puppy, except late 60s vintage. I've got one listing in the Christmas '69 catalog


Well, a Monday to remember to be sure! I don't think I've ever had a day with so many seldom seen items. I love surprises!

1/16

Couple of cool cats today, both in dark red: a 1438 Teisco bass, and a seldom-seen triple pickup Harmony-made1488. Have a great weekend!

1421 Sears tube amp VG $155 Clean, a few grille snags

1438 MIJ Teisco Bass w/ OC VG $399 Light headstock wear, pickguard wear, serial #140546



UNK Kay FHAC G $74 Neck separating, pickguard missing, big paint scrape on headstock back , stamped N-5

1430 Dano tube amp $51 Painted black, gash in front cover , looks like this one was first sold in a Sears in Canada; here's the 'Simpson-Sears' plate

1488 Harmony SBEG VG $399 BIN Clean, light wear, whammy present, chipped pickguard corner , logo worn, tailpiece cover has some chrome missing pickups dated July 20, 1965

Don't see a lot of these, so here's a composite view (seller didn't take a full length shot)



1444 Dano SSEG Bass G $181  Refinished in metallic blue, logo missing, NS pickguard, NS chickenhead knobs

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case G $124 Refinished in "Some Kinda Yeller," headstock is broken, amp looks good, earlier model; triangle knob inserts, seller didn't provide picture of back so no idea on two vs. three bolt neck



603 Harmony FTAC NM $115 Looks unplayed, original box included


1255 Ukulele w/ C VG  $81 Clean, very nice Stagg brand case, unusual logo tag

750 Kay Mandolin G $81  Tuner buttons deteriorating, pickguard mod

1483 Dano tube amp only G $334 Re-upholstered in black, clean, scratchy pots


1255 Harmony Ukulele w/ C VG  $45 Clean, original box incl.

Ukes came from all over, apparently... compare this one the the one above. Both are labeled as a 1255, but the differences are obvious. Biggest difference is the domestic origin of this one vs. the MIJ heritage of the 1255 above. Script vs. block logo. Decorated soundhole vs. plain. Harmony-made ukes were retired after 1970.





1/15

What is it with all these EKO-made 698s? I'd seen one in twenty-five years, and since, oh... September, I bet I've seen a half dozen or more! Can't find a catalog listing anywhere, been looking for 'Made In Italy' in the fine print everywhere. Were/are there Sears stores in Italy? Here's about the only link I've found, and it has zip as far as info is concerned. Anyway, here's a nice 698 bolt-necked EKO with a unique Silvertone logo; a bit thicker than any other script logo, with a very pronounced italic contour. If you'd like a guitar like this, there's one up on ebay right now (listing ends 2/10/09) with a slightly different finish around the soundhole, and a 'Buy It Now' of $125.



698 EKO FTAC w/ OC G $120 BIN Some finish checking, NS bridge saddle

619 Kay FHAC VG $146   Clean, neck re-set, ding on headstock

1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $299 BIN Clean, light finish checking, whammy present, selctor switch tip broken, NS neck p/u surround

1317 Harmony HBEG VG $500 BIN    Clean, some pick scratches to top on bass and treble sides

1392 Dano tube amp VG $494 Minimal wear, new power cord, some electrical mods, some 'chew' on the bottom panel , light wear to covering, light handle wear

1319 Harmony Lap Steel w/ OC VG $129 Chrome still shiny, finish checking, output cord frayed at body, metal bar slide included

1482 Dano tube amp G $255 Square spkr. cutout, a few cover dings, NS tubes


1/14

Here's something I've never seen: a factory finish gloss red 1413! How about that? As you may know, the 'movie star' 1413 (remember the Cap'n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters scene from the movie 'That Thing You Do!'?) was finished in a very snazzy 'sea foam green' (the catalog called it turquoise). But here we have a 1413 model done up in a bright glossy red. I really don't believe it's a refinish, because of the stock thin script logo on the head. Of course, a look inside the body cavity would confirm the factory nature of the paint job. This was either a custom job, or a 'tail end' guitar as Kay transitioned the 1413 out in favor of the 1411 (which were gloss red stock). Of course, I'd expect a 'paddle' type headstock on a 'transitional' guitar, so let's go with the custom job. As we've seen, Sears would go to great lengths to make a customer happy.
I love surprises!



1413 Kay SBEG VG $206  Ultra rare red finish, light edge wear, tailpiece in place, screen print on pickup in good shape

Those mid-60s Teiscos were some wild strummin' machines. They never made it into the seasonal catalogs, and I've never seen any kind of official Sears listing for them, but Sears sold a bunch of 'em, paving the way for the MIJ onslaught of late 1968. The two different-bodied quad-pickup 1437s were the only models Sears ever sold with a blistering FOUR pickups. Here's a nice 1437 that went for a steal:



1437 Teisco SBEG VG $253 Whammy present, no logo, tailpiece cover missing, light oxidation to chrome

1423 Harmony SSEG  w/ C MOD $481 Refinished, (1) knob missing, logo  gone
Looks pretty good au naturel:
 


1483 Dano tube amp only VG $399 BIN Very clean

1472 Dano tube amp G $218 Round spkr. cutout, covering has some tears, back panel in place, red border control panel w/ 'tremlo' misspell, no footswitch

1454 Harmony HBEG  VG $606 Clean, Bigsby intact, neck wear , logo worn, NS tuners, (1) knob missing

1331 Dano tube amp F $99  Rust on handle captures, tested; low volume/distorted sound, edge wear, back panel missing

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only w/ C G $184 Knob inserts discolored, light rust on tuners, vinyl sides dirty, light edge wear, neck plate , nice road case incl.

1/13

Talking about Elvis the other day got me thinking about his first guitar. Surely, Elvis passed that thing on to someone that kept it, knowing its future historical worth. Well, I was watching a Kris Kristofferson-narrated piece on A&E called "Return to Tupelo," and I got some of my answer. They showed the Tupelo Hardware store where the guitar was purchased and a framed picture of the alleged tape-repaired guitar itself. A little Googling, and I find a great page at Scotty Moore's  website detailing some aspects of the guitar with a front and back photo, and also some good info over at the Tupelo Hardware website.

It's a well-worn Kay flattop, with a square-shouldered bridge and a scallop-topped headstock. There's no visible logo, but the body shape conforms to the look of the mid-50s K-XX series of acoustics. There is no provenance other than word of mouth, and apparently no pictures of Elvis with any guitar during this time (which I find very odd), so Elvis' first guitar still remains somewhat of a mystery. I love surprises!

Nothing astounding or super rare today, just a nice crop of some of the most popular Silvertone products; a modded example of the currently popular 1484 amp, a nice super retro look 1340; the last of the Valco-built Sivertone amps, a pretty consistently bringing in a coupla Benjamins in good shape Kay-made 619, a red-tuner'd 1448, a much sought-after 'Espanada,' an sweet 1457 setup, a popular 1454 with a broken arm, and a run of the mill 604. Enjoy!

1484 Dano tube amp only MOD $455 Recently serviced, rev / trem work, 3-prong AC mod, 1/4" jack mod, ground switch mod, 4/8 Ohm switch mod , NS Kustom footswitch

1340 Valco tube amp G $200 Edge wear, back panel in place, logo screen clear

619 Kay FHAC VG $228  Clean, neck re-set, NS bridge
1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $223 Knob inserts missing, NS red tuners, edge wear, a little buckle rash

1448 Dano amp in case only G $125 BIN Discolored grille , tested; hums, buckles show some rust, manual/schematic incl.

1384/85/1427 Harmony HBEG G $610 BO Pickguard missing, NS knobs, seller has owned for 45 years+

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $400 Very clean guitar, light headstock wear, amp outside is OK; some corner wear, grille staining, inside is good, footswitch incl. Deal of the Day!


1454 Harmony HBEG w/ OC  G $323 Clean, all six knobs missing, Bigsby arm broken off, long repaired crack at now-reinforced output jack

604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC  $28  Plenty of edge wear, some cracks on back bottom, (2) tuners missing, case is rough, serial #1168H604

1/12

As always, a big Monday.

1472 Dano tube amp VG $223 BIN Round spkr. cutout, clean, minimal wear, back panel in place, red border control panel w/ 'tremlo' misspell, no footswitch

1474 Dano tube amp VG $661 Very clean, light wear, 'naked' footswitch , 2x 1/4" jack mod

1449 Dano SSEG body only $66  Extra bridge holes added. I really just wanted you to see this picture so you can get a little glimpse of the innards. Note neck-tilt screw at bottom of neck pocket



1430 Dano tube amp $25 Cabinet and speaker only

1423 Harmony SSEG  w/ OC G $599 BO Finish crazing, edge wear/dings, all knobs accounted for, repro logo , NS pickup addition removed/repaired

Check out the crazy 'crazing'


1472 Dano tube amp G $214 Round spkr. cutout, clean, edge/corner wear, back panel in place, NS speaker, red border control panel, footswitch incl.

1481 Dano tube amp VG $117 Round spkr. cutout, clean, one knob insert missing

1484 Dano tube amp only G $255 Re-capped, rev / trem work

615 Harmony FTAC G $61  Edge wear and a few scratches
1437 Teisco SBEG G $355   Whammy present, edge wear and a ding or two, scratchy pots, logo tag missing

1463 Dano solid state amp and cabinet $73 Looks great, but here's the key quote from the seller:  "I turned it on, it smoked and stopped working."

1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $1100 BIN Very clean, light headstock wear, thin script silkscreen logo

1454 Harmony HBEG w/ OC  G $500 Clean, Bigsby gone bye-bye
1449 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $455  Minimal wear, a little buckle rash, playing wear to neck

1423 Harmony SSEG  w/ OC G $412 Very clean, metal logo , repaired crack at pickup jack, pots stamped 1376014, indicating Chicago Telephone Supply potentiometers, made in the 14th week of 1960

2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $148 Clean, minimal wear, picks, tuner incl. AND Bob Dylan autoharp book!

1304 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $335  Clean, coupla scratches near access plate, NS bridge saddle , NS tunerse, (1) NS tuner shaft ferrule, Chicago Telephone Supply pots stamped137804, indicating  in the 4th week of 1958

1423 Harmony SSEG  w/ OC F $250 Metal logo intact, major damage at output jack , jack repositioned to top below pickguard , (3) knobs missing w/ broken shafts, bridge missing, nut missing, two tuners bent, fret wear, neck wear, PLENTY of edge wear

604 Harmony FTAC  $21  Quickdraw McGraw special:

El-Kabong!





604 Harmony FTAC w/OC  $76 Here's a fairly nice one, one tuner bent, crack in bridge at mounting screws, stamped F-63


852 Ukulele VG $31 'Hawaiian Girl' model, a few scratches, screen looks good, old-school logo Deal of the Day!

750 Kay mandolin $61  Neck/body separated, no tuners

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case VG $484 Clean guitar/amp, finish wear on bass horn

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only w/ C VG $228 Clean, minimal wear

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only F $103 Flower decals on grille (???), does not work

1418 Teisco MIJ VG $150 Dark headstock, whammy intact, clean, model sticker missing, tape residue on back of headstock

1410 Kay SBEG VG $140 BIN Clean, light wear, (1) knob missing, tailpiece cover missing (as usual)

1/9

The Harmony built 1446 or 'Chris Isaak' model, as it's often called, is one of the most sought-after Silvertone guitars. It has no equivalent counterpart in the Harmony-branded line, as the Gibson-made mini humbuckers were unique to the 1446. The 1446 that posted today has such a great pedigree, is in such incredible shape, comes with so much cool original stuff, that $1400 almost seems cheap.

Here are a few views:





The seller's dad rockin' the 1446 (right) back in the day (check out the groovy pole lamp and curtains!):

 
1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $1400 BIN Very clean, 'tiltiest' logo I've ever seen , incl. original cord, strap and pick, bought secondhand in NJ in 1963, in family ever since; in storage for 35 years, stamped S-62

Dano Footswitch $35

1481 Dano tube amp G $125 Round spkr. cutout, light corner wear, back panel missing, NS speaker, rust on handle captures and xformer

1254 Banjo G $83 Back has some scratches, otherwise clean,  'Space Dot' logo, resonator, 5-string

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case VG $410 Clean guitar and amp, discoloring of knob inserts

1418 Teisco MIJ VG $200 BIN Dark headstock, whammy intact, clean

805 Banjo G  $68   5-string w/ resonator, some scratches on back, light wear

1/8
Happy Elvis Birthday! Long rumored to have started his musical career on a guitar bought in a hardware store in Tupelo, there's certainly a chance that it was a Silvertone. Never seen Big E holding a guitar branded with the Big S, and believe me, I've looked. Someone DID snap him  playing a Danelectro sometime during his Army hitch, here he is rockin' an E chord:



Pull out your '68 Special DVD and check out what a truly great guitarist Elvis was. I mean, to have the cojones to take Scotty Moore's electric guitar away from him... Yowza! After the Sun sides, Elvis really never got to play guitar in any significant way on his recordings. In the '68 special 'in the round' segment, you can hear him playing a brutal, snarly rhythm, flavor songs with intricate passing notes and just generally add the "atomic power" (the phrase the ol' Colonel used to advertise Elvis in the early days) to truly electrify every song that he played on.

How appropriate that a guitar associated with one of Elvis' favorite artists, Jimmy Reed, would be posted today! Of course, Reed played the uglier Kay-branded cousin, but here's a nice 'Thin Twin' goin' for a hunka hunka cash.


 
1381 Kay HBEG w/ OC VG $1000 Later model script only headstock, tuner buttons have shrunk , otherwise minimal wear to this classic guitar

1430 Dano tube amp G $94 Edge wear, 1.5" grille rip, back panel missing, loud hum

1431 Dano tube amp G $375 BO Some corner wear, handle worn, back panel missing

615 Harmony FTAC G $99 BIN   Pickguard missing, edge wear, headstock dings
615 Harmony FTAC G $61 Pickguard missing, playing wear under bass strings, tailpiece bent and relocated somewhat

1/7

Friends don't let friends do this to their Silvertones. The seller said it had been upgraded 'for the better,' but his definition of 'better' must be different from mine.



14XX Dano SSEG MOD $225 BIN NS bridge & tailpiece, NS DiMarzio pickup, NS knob, NS string retainer, NS tuners, refinished in a "very cool modern pattern," no logo, dunno if the sidewalls and back are also painted in "Barbie Barf."

1202 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $89 BIN Edge wear, light rust on tuners and tailpiece, scribblings inside case. This is a rare, weird one. There's a 602 model as part of the long-running 603/605/1200 series, and this one looks just like it, but it's the first one labeled 1202 that I've seen in red.

1471 Dano tube amp G $173  Round spkr. cutout, light grille staining, back panel missing, light rust on handle captures, some corner wear

1457 Pickguard $1 Modified with some kind of cut near the jack
1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC G $500 BIN Some edge wear to headstock, , Bigsby intact, finish checking, scratches/buckle rash on back, thin script logo indicating later model

1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ C G $288   Probable re-finish, logo tag missing, whammy missing, no serial/model label

1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG w/ OC VG $216 Clean, minimal wear, whammy present

1392 Dano tube amp G $275 Grille stain, weave 'pull,' worn handle, D'addario string sticker on side, tested; speaker sound poor, back panel missing, tape residue on amp chassis bottom, light rust on xformer, 'flying V' logo intact, edge/corner wear, no footswitch. Still, it's one of my favorite Silvertone amps:



1/6

Gotta start today off with a couple of terrific Silvertone items. First, a seldom-seen 1453 Rickenbacker clone from Harmony (that had somehow made its way to Australia!), and second, a beautiful 1482 with the less-common round speaker cutout, and a very nice footswitch.

1453 Harmony HBEG VG $556 Very clean, minimal wear, some headstock edge flaking, whammy missing,
so pretty I gotta show it to ya:


1482 Dano tube amp E $800 BIN Round spkr. cutout, very clean, footswitch incl., stock tubes, back panel in place, aluminum panels clean
Just so you know, here's what 'excellent' looks like:


1481 Dano tube amp G $153 Square spkr. cutout, scrapes to covering on front edge, stains on sides, some adhesive discolor to knob inserts, grille looks good

619 Kay FHAC VG $299  Clean

1457 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $560 Very clean guitar and amp, signed by Kevn Kinney of Drivin' & Cryin'

1352 Harmony HBEG VG $500 Very clean, neck has been re-set, two small cracks, logo/headstock super clean

1484 Dano tube amp only G $325 Re-covered, rev / trem work

623 Harmony FHAC G $100 Pickguard missing, edge wear, stamped F-61

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $225 BIN Clean, light edge wear, buckle rash , logo worn , earlier model; strip tuners and two-bolt neck w/ offset strap button on narrower mounting pier, NS gold sparkle pickguard, NS knobs
1294 Harmony FTAC G $27 Some edge wear

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $456 Edge wear to guitar, scrapes to amp covering, grille staining, knob inserts missing from guitar, speaker needs re-coning/replacing

1476 Harmony SBEG G $248  Logo worn, edge wear/dings, scaratches, playing wear on neck

1/5

No matter what, Monday's always a big day! Let's get going with the weekend's completed auctions.

610 Harmony FTAC VG $95 Clean, minimal wear, stencil clear.

The above instrument is the Harmony-made model #610 "Gene Autry Melody Ranch" guitar, and from its beginnings (as a "Supertone" model #12K243) in the 1930s until 1953, the catalog indicated that these models were 'autographed' by the screen cowboy. This one dates to after '53, when the catalog still claimed that Autry 'endorsed' the model, but no mention is made in the description of the autograph (which of course, was just part of the stenciled design). Late 1954 saw the arrival of the Roy Rogers endorsed guitar, the 3/4-size 600 model, co-existing with the Autry model until 1955 (when the Autry model disappeared from catalogs), when the Roy Rogers model changed to a full-sized instrument and a model number of 608 (the 3/4 size was still available through mid-'57) available in the catalog until the S/S 1958 catalog. In the F/W '58 catalog, it was demoted back to a 3/4-size, labeled a "Children's Special Western Scene" guitar with no endorsement, model # changed to 612, and was gone from the catalog by 1959. There would be no celebrity endorsements of any Sears-sold guitar until the popular Buck Owens American Model in 1971.

Here's a nice example of a 610:

Here's an older Supertone with one-color stencil and autograph:


600 series Harmony FTAC P $15 The rarest of this series, this one's in poor shape: headstock broken , at least one strut loose/broken, back and binding separating, interesting pickguard mod ,  serial #2644H643

615 Harmony FTAC w/ C VG $154  Clean, serial #XX28H615
Dano Footswitch $100

1484 Dano tube amp w/ cabinet VG $699 BIN Clean, light wear, reverb non-functional, footswitch incl. 1/4" jack mod and other unspecified electrical 'enhancements'

1484 Dano tube amp w/ cabinet VG $548 BIN Clean, some edge/corner wear to covering trem/rev functional

1420 Harmony SBEG  VG $312  Playing wear to neck, a couple of lights scratches front and back

1384/5/1427 Harmony HBEG VG $1250 Clean 'Espanada,' celluloid bound, NS bridge, metal logo intact, 'S' still on pickguard

1477 Harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $340 BIN   Clean, light headstock/ edge wear

1302 Dano SSEG w/ C G $560 Playing wear, buckle rash, vinyl binding is peeled in some places & yellowed, stored for 30 years, original owner's family was the seller, a Dano-built Montgomery Ward Airline 8512 amp was also included in this sale

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $255 Clean, minimal wear, NS knobs

1457 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $318  Plenty of edge/headstock wear, dings and playing wear on neck

UNK Harmony FHAC F $123 Top separating in two places , edge/headstock wear

2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp G $125 BIN (?!?) No accessories, a ding or two on back, lots of edge wear, 'tailpiece' cover missing, some weird finish staining (water?) on tuner end

1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case G $315 Usual wear on both guitar and ampcase, logo on guitar nearly worn off, seller is family of original owner


1448 Dano  SSEG and tube amp in case VG $325 BIN Clean, light edge wear to ampcase & guitar, earlier model; strip tuners and two-bolt neck, triangle knob inserts, sharper bass side 'horn' , 'RMS' stickers on headstock , looks like some fall damage to fretboard

1485 Dano Tube Amp only VG $404 Very clean, minimal wear

1410 Kay SBEG VG $153 Clean, light wear, tailpiece cover missing (as usual)

1372 Kay HBEG MOD $1275  Clean, relisted from October and November, here's the pics and commentary from the October listing: Interesting take on the Silvertone logo, neat stair-stepped pickguard, custom "S" tailpiece cover, custom inlay work... all in all, a pretty nice mod on this Kay-built 1372.


1365 Kay HBEG w/ C VG $610  Finish checking, 'S' still visible on pickguard, all stock, clean, stamped L8088-8998

1/2

WELCOME to January!

The December totals were a little better this time around! I tracked 264 items in December, and they sold for a total of $72, 277! That's about three grand better than the October or November numbers! Here's some highlights of what changed hands: (20) 1448 guitars/amps or one or the other (down from a high last month of 43!), (10) 1457s, (17) 1484 amps, (12) 1482 amps, (4) 1481 amps, (7) 615 guitars, and (5) 1446 'Chris Isaak' model guitars in the bunch. The highest dollar item was a nice Espanada  that went for $1300, and the least amount brought was $5 for a 1484 / 1485 set of knobs.


1/1-2

Amazingly, nothing on the boards for the 1st or 2nd as of lunchtime on the East Coast, 1/2.

Enjoy the December numbers, and we'll check out the weekend on Monday! Have a great first weekend of 2009!