March 2010

3/31

Goo goo g'joob, as they say... leading off this last day of March with a well-preserved 1301 amplifier, a very early amp in the Silvertone line brought to us by our friends at Valco, and distinctive for it's 'walrus tooth' speaker protectors. This one's in great cosmetic shape, if in need of a little electrical attention.

1301 Valco tube amp G $123 Clean, one small corner peel, silkscreen strong, handle and cord in great shape, volume pot scratchy, one foot missing, amp works, recently diagnosed with a bad xformer causing a hum



 Pre-dating Silvertone as a brand name, but I thought you'd like to see this gem just the same...

2258 "Crest" Harmony F $153 Plenty of wear, buckle rash, playing wear to neck, pickguard present, neck pulling from body, logo strong, late '30s era


623 Harmony FHAC VG $400 Clean, light edge/surface wear, fretboard and pickguard shows playing wear, logo strong, stamped F-59, serial #738H1214. The stamping on this one kinda threw me, but the '59 date is 623 appropriate. According to Demont, the Silvertone 702 was the 1214 Harmony variant, but the Harmony 1213 that the 623 was based on was the replacement for that model. Anyhoo, I'm sure stamped backs got shuffled around in the Harmony factory every now and again (like any place that does a large-volume business), and a few oddballs (number-wise) escaped into the wild.

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $306 Clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny, logo worn, transitional guitar; strip tuners, line insert knobs, 3-bolt neck w/ neck tilt


1457 Dano tube amp only VG $211 Clean, light edge wear, insides show minimal wear, no footswitch, tremolo status unmentioned


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet $455 Light wear, lights up, works for 30 seconds, blows fuse


1431 Dano tube amp G $161 Painted green, handle worn, (1) NS knob, functional. Re-listed from earlier this month.


1214 Harmony FTAC $5 Stripped, back cracked, looks like some braces hanging loose


802 Banjo G $98 5-string w/ resonator, clean, light wear, logo strong, light rust to hardware, new Grover bridge




UNK UNK w/ C $114 Clean, doesn't work. Dunno what to make of this one. It doesn't match any published or auctioned Silvertone configuration I've ever seen, but the seller indicates there is a painted over or removed Silvertone logo when the light's just right...



3/30

You sure gotta lot of AMPitude... Why, yes... yes I do...

1474 Dano tube amp E $805 Clean as they come, rev/trem functional, NS footswitch incl.


1485 Dano tube amp only VG $500 Clean, minimal wear, oxidation dots on faceplate, 1/4" jack mod, rev/trem functional, stock tubes


1484 Dano tube amp only G $300 Wear and (5) cig burns to covering, rev/trem functional, (1) NS knob


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $567 Edge/surface wear to amp and cabinet, front face of amp shows oxidation dots, speaker lead lengthened/tape spliced, all stock



1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $228 Clean, some corner wear, front face shiny, MacGyver hard-wired fuse mod.  Relisted in April.


1481 Dano tube amp VG $203 Square speaker cutout, clean, light covering wear, (1) tube collar cracked, knob inserts discolored


1471  Dano tube amp  $105 Round speaker cutout, disassembled, NS speaker, 12AX7 and 6V6GT missing, NS rectifier incl.


1471  Dano tube amp  G $199 Round speaker cutout, edge/corner wear, NS knobs, 3-prong AC mod, recently refurbished



And now, let the guitar rumpus start!

1478 Harmony SBEG G $256 Clean, whammy present, light wear, NS bridge (original incl.), NS tuners, logo faded, neck broken at head has been repaired and is stable


1477 Harmony SBEG F $129 Later whammy'd version w/ whammy present, edge/surface wear, tuner ferrules missing,  'D' and 'B' tuners missing, lead pickup missing and pickguard broken, (2) knobs missing, logo strong... I like the spooky first pic, especially since the pickup assembly is stamped October 31, 1966!


1444 Dano SSEG Bass G $400 Edge/surface wear, logo worn, NS knobs, NS pickguard, swoop neck cutaway and five-sided access panel (possibly NS)


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $396 Clean, light wear, NS knobs, bright sidewalls, chrome shiny, logo strong


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $450 Clean guitar and ampcase, minimal wear, sidewalls clean, chrome shiny, small area of discolor to grille


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $289 Some edge/surface wear to guitar and ampcase, (1) hinge moved on case, sidewall rub near jack, volume control intermittent, logo strong, and "there is something loose inside... I can hear it"


700 Harmony w/ OC VG $204 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, crack on back, ID'd as an 'H700'




UNK Kay HBEG w/ C G $320 Clean, edge/surface  wear, looks like a shim behind nut is trying to escape, typical screw cracks to top and bottom of pickguard, rust to tuner plates. This is that crazy Kay, based on the 'Value Leader.'


UNK Kay FHAC G $108 Clean, some edge wear/flaking, pickguard missing, logo strong, possibly a 619



3/29

March rolling out its last few days... and some really big deals marching on this weekend. THREE auctions went for a grand or better, and we had an awesome variety of guitars and amps. Let's start with the three 'G' auctions, with this superb 'Chris Isaak' 1446.

1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC  VG $1359 Clean, light wear, Bigsby intact, logo strong, some wear to back and what looks like a cord storage mark near the waist, original cord and Silvertone 'how to care for' manual, seller is second owner, inside stamp indicates 1965


1429 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $1000 Clean, some edge/surface wear, some side checking/flaking, raised logo intact but some wear around 'S,' chrome shiny, NS tailpiece, stamped F-62


1485 Dano tube amp w/ cabinet VG $1000 Clean, minimal wear, stock Jensens in place, recently service, AC receptacle mod and 1/4" jack mods



Here's an oddity; a classical guitar with a Silvertone logo on the headstock. Generally, classicals were unadorned, but this block logo gives us a clue to its identity. I'm going to peg this one as a very rare 1236, available only in the  Spring/Summer 1970 catalog, just before the era of the 'Space Dot' guitars.

1236 Classical w/ OC VG $21 Clean, light wear



Here's another fine example (second one this month) of the Buck Owens "American." Look at that marker inscribed "BO-6." Wonder where 1-5 are?

1219 Harmony FTAC w/ C VG $700 Clean, light wear, headstock laminate has a couple of small dings and shows some shrinkage, stamped F-70N, serial #9636H169, also mysteriously inscribed "BO-6"



Things always seem to happen in groups around Silvertone World... here's TWO 1448 models that users tried to lengthen the scale by simple moving the bridge southward... sorry, y'all... it don't work that way!

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $336 Clean, light wear, couple of case rubs to sidewalls, logo strong, NS knobs, NS saddle, three holes drilled (looks like a previous owner tried to lengthen the scale simply by relocating the bridge), logo strong


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only F $237 Surface/edge wear, chrome pitted, saddle missing, screws rusty, logo strong, grungy sidewalls, knob inserts discolored,  late-era triangular neck plate, interestingly enough, another 'scale fail' mod, this one accompanied by a cut pickguard


1452 Dano SBEG guitar only VG $385 Clean, whammy present, edge/surface wear, tremolo cover present


623 Harmony FTAC VG $97 Clean, light wear, logo strong, (1) pickguard screw missing, serial #2541H623. Rare all-mahogany version of the popular 600 series, sold in the 1966 Wish Book only.


1476 Harmony SBEG G $235 Clean, edge/surface wear, some pitting to tailpiece, logo strong, pickup assembly stamped Jun 10, 1964


604 Harmony FTAC F $31 Wear all over... looks like it fell off the bike or out of the car on the way to a pickin' party, light rust to tuner plates


1464 Dano solid state amp only G $90 Clean, light rust to jack nuts, some new components internally, some spliced/taped wires, amp functional, rev/trem untested


1421 Sears tube amp '10XL' F $82 Wear, no handle, tremolo doesn't work, amp does, no footswitch, (1) knob missing. Odd... peering inside, looks like a smaller replacement speaker and a tweeter!


702 Harmony FHAC G $168 Clean, light wear, 'deco' logo strong, some warping and back separation, action high


1435 MIJ Teisco VG $112 Clean, whammy missing, playing wear bass side, edge/surface wear, logo tag in good shape


1484 Dano tube amp only MOD $500 Rebuilt into pine cabinet, Fender speaker in cab, trem works, rev doesn't, reverb knob missing, face has some wear, NS tubes


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet $405 Light wear, some oxidation dots to face, stock Jensens in place, some grille staining, amp lights  up, but doesn't not work


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp  VG $94 Clean, no case or acces., some DYMO labeling under the strings; reckon the player did some pickin' too



3/26

In on a Saturday, just wanted to post this dynamite piece from Silvertone rockin' Dexter Romweber... watch closely, you'll see at least 3 Silvertones featured in this video. Rock, on Dex! After a couple of dates in the South in April, He and his sister Sara are heading to Europe in April and May.



Also, check the new page on the 'Space Dot.' I talk about it all the time, I figured I should define my term.


3/25

As we roll into this last weekend of March, I'm happy to let you know you can now follow Silvertone World on Twitter! Just click on this link, it'll take you to the silvertoneworld Twitter page, and you can follow the activity here at Silvertone World. I promise not to bore you with what I'm having for lunch, or what I see out the window, or the humorous dust bunny I found last night... I'll only announce the publishing of the auction recap page (weekdaily) and the addition of new pages or info here at Silvertone World.

Quite a haul today, and quite a varied bunch. Let's start off with three lovely ukuleles!

851 Harmony ukulele E $84 Looks unplayed, the lightest edge wear to the headstock, tuners tight, stencil and logo strong, original box incl.


852 Harmony ukulele VG $104 Clean, light edge wear, stencil and logo strong, tuners tight


852 Harmony ukulele G $26 Clean, edge wear, top separating, stencil and logo strong, headstock has some scratches



Here's a coupla funky Japanese-made Silvertones... one an obvious copy of a famous maker, the other, well... at least it's got a bound fretboard!

1413 MIJ Teisco SBEG G $104 Whammy missing, 'Space Dot' logo looks good, light edge and surface wear, chrome shiny, high 'E' tuner missing, switches scratchy


1406 MIJ Teisco SBEG G $56 Bridge missing, chrome parts show pitting, 'Space Dot' looks good, fretboard binding (!) tight, edge and surface wear



Now for some Harmonizing...

1477 Harmony SBEG G $240 Early non-whammy version, edge/surface wear, light checking, ding below tailpiece, logo strong, pickguard shows some stress cracks, screws missing, rust to jack nut


623 Harmony FHAC VG $400 Clean, light edge wear, light buckle rash, pickguard present, logo strong, serial #669H623



A visit to Kayville...

619 Kay FHAC G $128 Clean, edge and surface wear, sticker residue on back, no bridge, no nut


758 Kay Mandolin G $154 'Venetian' style, light wear, light checking/flaking, late-era peaked headstock, cursive logo worn, 'S' on pickguard strong, stamped L1265, nice graining to back, previous owner scratched name and SSN into back of headstock


658 Kay FHAC w /OC  VG $710 Clean, some edge/surface wear, block markers indicate pre-1966 model, logo strong, neck re-set. This furiously-bid auction (41 bids in all) is a model of great marketing. The seller loves his guitars, had a great story about the improvements done to bring this guitar back to its former glory, had LOTS of great-sounding audio clips, and an amazing amount of hi-res photos to go with. If you want top dollar for your item, this auction (and the one directly below this one) is a model to guide you.


UNK Kay FHAC MOD $178 Plenty of wear, buckle rash, fretboard playing wear, hole in back to hang it on the wall, no nut, no tuners, no bridge or pickguard... but what an instrument! Custom artwork on this working musicians' guitar, and then a 'good ol' days' reminder for the picker when he retired it. How about that barbed wire border? Stamped L971 6889


UNK Kay FHAC G $318 Seller says: "Guitar does have some nicks, dings, scratches and checking. End pin is missing but the tortoise pick guard is intact and very nice. The back of the neck has marks from a capo. Treble side of the headstock has a stress crack, this is tight and does not effect it's use. The binding at the first fret bass side is pulling away a little. Guitar will need a neck set as the angle is low and there is a gap at the heel. Neck also has a slight bow in it that will need some attention. There is a ding at the 12th fret, it pushed the treble side 12th fret in a little." Would that all descrips were that complete. Tuner buttons deteriorating, 'wind chime' logo strong. Relisted from earlier this month.



A little bit of Dano...

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $225 Edge/surface wear, knob inserts discolored, sidewalls clean, logo strong


1430 Dano tube amp G $153 Painted black, logoplate worn, edge/corner wear, extension jack mod, works


1485 Dano tube amp w/ cabinet G $635 Clean, light wear to covering, looks like some water staining internal to the speaker cabinet and on grille, some rust dots on faceplate, stock Jensens in place, functional, rev/trem unmentioned, no footswitch


1483 Dano tube amp only VG $400 Clean, face looks great, minimal wear to covering, light stain to top



A little more amp-itude...

1421 Sears tube amp '10XL' F $79 Grungy (not in the musical way), worn, no speaker, water-damaged and rust to metal parts, powers up; otherwise untested


1420 Sears tube amp F $64  Clean, back missing, powers up but missing 12AU6 tube



A quick stopover in Italy...

698 EKO FTAC VG $42 Clean, bolt-on neck, back and top look great, bridge sound



And then down home for some pickin' and grinnin'!

802 Banjo w/ OC G $123 5-string w/ resonator, logo strong, light wear, NS armrest


804 Banjo G $66  4-string with resonator, logo strong, light wear



3/25

Hoooo-wee! What a week this has been! An astounding variety of Silvertone instruments and amps, some rare, some run of the mill, but just an amazing amount of moolah being thrown around for some great Silvertonium! Let's begin today's (relatively sedate, quantity-wise) recap with this lovely and rare Kay-made model 712. Just a quick word about the nickname that was applied to this guitar, "Aristocrat." Seems that ANY wide-body hollowbody Kay, be it electric, acoustic, traditional or cutaway gets this name put on them at one time or another. Dunno why... do a quick Google search for the term "Kay Aristocrat Guitar" and you come up with... zip. Widen the search to "Kay Aristocrat" and you get a few hits, but nothing definitive. In the reference book "50s Cool: Kay Guitars" by Jay Scott (unfortunately out of print), I see plenty of "Artists," "Jazz Specials," "Upbeats," "Swingmasters," and K-series guitars (of which the K-48 "Artist" most closely resembles our 712 below)... but not one "Aristocrat." Anyone have a catalog listing or other definitive info on this nickname?

712 Kay FHAC VG $350 Clean, minimal wear, pickguard present, 'boater hat' markers look good, nice graining to back, headstock logo laminate  in great shape, NS tuners, NS tailpiece, neck re-glued


1432 Dano tube amp G $290 Edge and grille wear, some oxidation to control panel, all stock knobs present, footswitch incl., tremolo unmentioned, logo in good shape


1410 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $100 Whammy missing, edge wear and some dings on the back, low-contrast logo. Relisted in April.


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG  G $259 Clean, edge/surface wear, needs re-wiring, whammy present but missing spring, nut missing,  logo tag missing, hard to tell, but this is the green-red 'burst finish, I'd never seen the backside of the 1437 pickguard; cool!


604 Harmony FTAC G $52 Clean, surface/edge wear, bottom strap button missing, logo strong, bridge lifting, looks like some neck separation, wear to fretboard


1481 Dano tube amp VG $150 Round speaker cutout, burn on top edge, some edge wear, back panel present, and reflective knob inserts! NS? Just very rare? Never seem the ribbed barrel knob (common to 1448 and 1451 guitars, 1448/9/57/51/52 amps) with a shiny lined insert, and both the volume and tone are like that. I love surprises!


1482 Dano tube amp $165 Square speaker cutout, edge and corner wear, speakerless, amp lights up, one bad tube; otherwise untested


1850 Oscar Schmidt Electro-Harp VG $200 Minimal wear to instrument, amp functional, case has a few scuffs, manual/schematic/ 'how to' book/ tuning wrench/pick incl.



3/24

Talkin' 'bout the Space Age yesterday got me thinkin' a little more about it... they'd put a fin or some chrome on something, and suddenly "Hey, Spacey!" I guess that was the reasoning behind the wild "Harmo-metal" trim we saw on everything from the Espanada-based 1384 models to the crazy 616 to this little treat that's first up today... I'm still trying to run down the actual Sears model number on this Harmony H-44 Stratotone 'Newport' derived guitar. Metal trim! Hey, Spacey! Came out about the same time as the Meteor we talked about yesterday.

UNK Harmony SBEG w/ C G $700 Some playing wear to bottom bass-ish top, buckle rash, playing wear to neck,  logo worn, bridge in great shape, electronics sound


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C  F $788 Surface/edge wear, finish dull,, whammy present, pickguard missing, lead pickup bezel broken, jack missing, knobs missing, finish flaking to sides, high 'E' tuner missing, truss rod and logo in good shape

633 Harmony FTAC VG $385  Clean, light wear, pickguard present and lightly warped/shrunk, bridge tight, neck has been re-set, logo strong


1304 Dano SSEG G $414 Clean, wear to headstock, NS pickguard, NS knobs, 'square' neck/body joint, circular access panel, logo worn, chrome and finish shiny


1304 Dano SSEG MOD $258  Splatter/drip finish, logo worn, NS chickenhead knobs, wear to back surface, sticker is load-bearing (it holds the access panel on), guitar is sound overall. Re-listed from February '10


1444 Dano SSEG Bass VG $599 Clean, pickguard present, light wear, NS 'chickenhead' knobs, logo burnt at 'S' and silver color worn away, 'swoop' neck cutaway and five-sided access panel


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only F $429 Edge/surface wear, NS knobs, pickup cover split, logo strong, this is an early 1448 guitar,  strip tuners, 2-bolt neck, no neck tilt mechanism.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case F $245 Wear to guitar, headstock broken, bridge saddle missing, ampcase shows wear and rust to metal parts, tubes light; otherwise untested


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $709 Clean, minimal wear to guitar, some scrapes and edge wear to ampcase, logo strong, case rub to sidewall,


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $280 Whammy present, light wear, some buckle rash, light pitting to chrome, logo strong


1445 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $180  Whammy present, clean, minimal wear, non-bound version, swoop headstock, late-era block logo strong, re-fretted, light corrosion to p/u covers


1491 Teisco MIJ SBEG Bass VG $153 Clean, light wear, chrome and Space Dot shiny, closely related to the 1490


653 Kay FHAC 'Kentucky Blue' VG $398 Clean, pickguard present, 'wind chime' logo strong, light checking, re-fretted. These early Kentucky Blues seem to have all faded to a light greenish color. I reckon Kay hadn't quite figured out the long-lasting blue formulation just yet, and I've not seen this severe a fade on anything but the 'wind chime' logo'd models, which were the earliest of the Kentucky Blues. Relisted in April.


623 Harmony FHAC w/ OC F $123 Clean, pickguard missing, logo removed, fingerboard worn, rust to tuner plates, cracked on top and back (repaired), stamped F-60 NK, serial #271H623


694 Harmony FHAC VG $199 Clean, some light checking, NS pickguard, NS bridge, 'deco' logo faded, MOP markers lookin' good, 4-ply vinding tight


694 Harmony FHAC G $93 Clean, finish checking, bridge and pickguard missing, light rust to tuner plates, some binding separation, crack on back, 'deco' logo shows some wear/fading, serial #1647H694


1352 Harmony HBEG G $350 Surface and playing wear, pickguard missing, finish checking, bridge looks damaged, stock knobs, 'deco' logo strong


1465 Dano solid state amp only P $50 Abundant rust, NS cabinet w/ Sony speakers, faceplate fairly clean with some oxidation and rust to jack nuts, seller gave no ind


1471  Dano tube amp G $142 Round speaker cutout, some edge wear, NS speaker


1471  Dano tube amp G $141 Round speaker cutout, some edge wear, logoplate missing, handle worn, back panel painted or NS


1333 Dano tube amp VG $385 Clean, some edge wear to covering, logoplate shiny, covered back panel present, tremolo functional, NS handle, 3-prong AC mod


1421 Sears tube amp '10XL' VG $169 Clean, chrome shiny, tremolo functional, NS speaker, NS power tubes, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp only F $330 Wear and staining to covering, (3) knobs missing, oxidation to faceplate, unfortunate side mod, recently re-capped and re-resistor'd, rev/trem functional, no footswitch, 1/4" jack mod, 3-prong AC mod


1484 Dano tube amp only F $500 Clean, some rust 'dots' to face, rust to xformers, rev/trem functional, no footswitch, NS 6L6 tubes


619 Kay FHAC MOD $315 Clean, minimal wear, NS electronics, NS pickguard, stamped N-3, logo strong


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ OC VG $995 Clean, minimal wear, light checking to finish esp. on sides, 1" buckle ding on back, all stock knobs present,  logo broken at 'S,' fretboard very pretty


1423 Harmony SSEG F $361 Surface/edge wear, nut missing, bridge missing, logo worn, NS selector switch, dings on bass upper bout, sides cracked/finish flaking, jack repaired, fretboard worn


1464 Dano solid state amp only $29 Clean, powers up, quickly blows fuse


1202 Harmony FTAC VG $25  Clean, edge/surface wear, logo strong, light rust to tuners plates



This same guitar sold back in September, so I'll just run the same descrip from then...

1411 Kay SBEG  $305 Blue finish, with a funky pearl pickguard. Now, I've never seen a blue 1411, and the catalog never listed one. The knobs are not similar to the 1411 knobs in the 1967 catalog, the pickguard and pickup also don't match catalog illustrations or description. The blotted out logo is oriented differently that any "paddle-head" guitar I've seen. The places where the blue finish is worn away shows no red undercoat, and both the neck and body have mellowed in color slightly differently. So, super-rare guitar, not a Silvertone at all, or refinished rocker. You call it.


I can hear Billy Idol singin' now: "With a Rebel Grille..."

1470 Sears tube amp MOD $98 Wear, dings, painted, functional. I've got a feeling this amp was made by whatever manufacturer built the organ tube amps; I don't think it was Danelectro



Dano bridge $35 Light pitting


Dano footswitch $49 Light staining


1484/5 Footswitch $46



UNK UNK FHAC F $130 Edge/surface wear, checking/flaking, missing tuners/nut/bridge/tailpiece, logo strong


UNK Harmony FHAC F $104 Clean, light wear, buckle rash, pickguard missing, back separating, logo strong, stable crack in back



3/23

The Space Age began in the mid-50s, but America's fascination was riveted by the launch of Sputnik in 1957, and the sleek, rocket-finned school of design really captured the popular imagination, influencing companies and designers with wild products labeled with spacey sounding names, and probably more products that were just as they were before the space craze started, just re-labeled to take advantage of the zeitgeist. Our friend the 'Meteor,' was the proof of the latter in the Sears amplifier line... just a regular ol' amp, but with a dash of ink and a new silkscreen, it was now the streaking METEOR!! Interestingly, no Silvertone emblem or name anywhere in sight. Maybe that's why I don't see too many of them. They were offered in the catalog for 3 years of this amps' twelve year un... maybe I should go Meteor hunting.

1390 Dano tube amp G $225 Handle broken, light wear, tubes light up but amp only produces a hum, back panel present, only one of three prongs left holding plastic 'Meteor' emblen to front


Lost most of today's update to a power outage, but I'll rebuild... see ya tomorrow!


3/22

There's an Otis Redding song called "Hard to Handle," and that's what popped in my head this morning when I saw the avalanche of Silvertonium that fell over the cliff this weekend. Whew! As always, I'll get to what I can today, and get to the rest tomorrow or so. Some big money flyin' around for an amazingly varied array of instruments from the first weekend of spring. I'll start with the biggest money and work my way down.

1385 Harmony HBEG VG $2015 Very clean, light checking to heel and sides mostly, logo intact. A furious 39 bid war for this one!



The prize for biggest pickguard on a vintage guitar goes to..... this custom-protected 1359!

1359 Dano SSEG w/ OC  MOD $1125 Clean, light wear, custom pickguard, playing wear to neck, back clean, knobs may have been painted, logo strong. One-owner guitar.


1385 Harmony HBEG F $772 Finish dull, checking all over, knobs yellowed, bridge missing, corrosion to pickup covers, rhythm bezel split, logo intact, frets missing, (4) tuners missing, truss rod cover chipped


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $760 Clean amp with a little tape residue on the top, corner wear to cabinet, logoplate missing from speaker cab, wiring spliced, tremolo works, reverb doesn't, seller is son of original owner, and here's the story with this one: "He (the seller's father) went to Wheaton High in IL and was good friends with James and John Belushi. They went to school together and lived in the same neighborhood. I have his year book and will make photo copies of the pics and signatures for the winning bidder. Since my dad played bass they used this amp to sing through." So, there you go, wonder if John did his famous Joe Cocker impersonation back then? Maybe some Sam & Dave?


1454 Harmony HBEG w/ OC  VG $650 Clean, Bigsby present, minimal wear, playing wear to frets, NS bridge, some flaking on sides, logo 'replaced'


1417 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $600 Clean, light wear, logo intact, playing wear to neck, serial stamp dates to 1960, seller is grandson of original owner


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $559 Edge and corner wear to speaker cabinet, bottom panel replaced with plywood, rev/trem functional, recently serviced, amp covering fairly clean, 1/4" jack mod, stock Jensens in place, 3-prong AC mod, NS 6L6 tubes


1419 Dano SSEG G $525 Edge/surface wear, some scratches to top, pickup cover split on one side, logo damaged at 'S,' playing wear to neck, swoop neck cutaway, 5-sided aluminum access panel; the last of the 'U' body six strings


1488 Harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $510 Clean, minimal wear,  chrome shiny, whammy missing, logo strong, (1) pot has a little static, seller is second owner


OK, that's everything that went for more than five 'Benjamins' this weekend. Tomorrow, the rest of the weekend's haul, including a rare and sweet Meteor!


3/20

Welcome Spring! Here's my '1st day of Spring' essay, brought about by the disassembly of an old cassette machine Saturday morning. It made me a little sad and wistful.

It was a portable Magnavox 1V9041 AM/FM radio combined with a cassette player/recorder I'd found while cleaning out the vehicles last night. Probably 40 years old, no power cord... I don't know why I brought it home from a garage sale a year ago... I just liked it. I was gonna just toss it after I found it to be power-cordless, but I have that gene that doesn't let you throw things away, so I held on to it. Never put batteries in it, but I wouldn't have been surprised if it had fired up if I had.

I went to toss it into the garbage can, when I saw something on it move. A delicately balanced VU meter that doubled as a 'battery check' meter had wiggled as I picked it up, and I decided that I would harvest that part from it and make it part of my 'art guitar' that has collected many things on its body, wires and strings over the years. So, I set to work. First, I took out two screws on the back, then opened the battery compartment to access more screws holding the shell of the machine together. As I lifted the back off the machine, the scent of Bakelite and solvents so familiar to us folks who mess with electronics (if you want to sample the smell yourself, go take a whiff of the back of your tube-based TV) came from the components inside, and I went about dismantling the discrete components of the machine to get at that VU meter.

So far, my only tool had been a Philips-head screwdriver and my fingers, but I could now see I would need some wirecutters and maybe a multi-tool to get to my 'prize.' As I delved deeper into the innards of the machine, I began to feel the sadness that prompted this essay.

I felt a twinge of nostalgia and regret with every primary-hued wire cut, every purposeful part pried off. The circuit boards filled with individual transistors, resistors, capacitors and coils that made this machine do its job, archaic now in this age of mp3 players that hold a walls' worth of LPs in a space the size of a matchbook, all lined up with color codes and tiny print proclaiming their specific function to the trained eye. A cord wrapped around a spindle wrapped around a pulley, with a knob at one end and a drum with AM/FM frequencies inscribed on it at the other end to display your favorite station. The large magnet of the speaker, pulling every screw that I dropped inside the machine to it, trying to keep the family together after all these years. The circuit boards and motors that all worked together to make a little music, or take some dictation, or record a favorite show or song tightly packed into the plastic and aluminum chassis.

I pried and I pulled, bent and broke until the machine yielded the VU meter to me. Oddly, it wasn't held in by anything but friction, relying on a precise fit and a small tab protruding from another component to hold it in place. I gently forced it out, using only my fingers (after destroying the real estate around it with pliers and a screwdriver) and held it up, gleaming and bobbing in the morning sun.

It's on the guitar now, a beautiful little device made of clear Lucite, a little spiderweb-thin wire and some delicately balanced gimbals, a device from an age when measuring the level of a sound or a battery was handled by the analog world.

So, thanks, Magnavox 1V9041, for a brief trip back to a world measured in a continuous wave, and a trinket to commemorate it.


3/19

Pity the unknown guitars... they're just waiting for the day we uncover the catalog they were listed in and finally give them a name... this is especially true of Kay-made f-hole acoustic guitars, whose seemingly random-numbered internal stampings mystify more than enlighten, making ID'ing them a matter of looking for visual cues in the trim, fit and fittings on the guitar. Kentucky Blues and 658s are easy to spot... that's about it! Fortunately, some are labeled on the back of the headstock, but these are the exception. I believe these first two up today are examples of the 'Crest' family from the early 40s, but my catalog collection from that era is sparse.

UNK Kay FHAC G $57 Seller says: "Guitar does have some nicks, dings, scratches and checking. End pin is missing but the tortoise pick guard is intact and very nice. The back of the neck has marks from a capo. Treble side of the headstock has a stress crack, this is tight and does not effect it's use. The binding at the first fret bass side is pulling away a little. Guitar will need a neck set as the angle is low and there is a gap at the heel. Neck also has a slight bow in it that will need some attention. There is a ding at the 12th fret, it pushed the treble side 12th fret in a little." Would that all descrips were that complete. Tuner buttons deteriorating, 'wind chime' logo strong. Relisted this month.


UNK Kay FHAC G $93 Pickguard missing, edge/surface wear (esp. to back), NS tuners, 'wind chime' logo strong



It's been QUITE a week for the 604/1204 family...

604 Harmony FTAC w /OC G $120 Clean, light wear, logo strong


604 Harmony FTAC G $75 Edge/surface wear, 'D' tuner bent, playing wear to fretboard, logo strong


604 Harmony FTAC F $59 Edge/surface wear, pickguard broken, rust to tuner plates, logo worn, 'G' and 'B' tuner button look ground off somehow


1457 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $500 Clean, edge wear to guitar, pickguard has tape residue, headstock worn with logo wear at 'er,' case has light wear, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $575 Clean, chrome shiny, light wear, 1" ding on back of neck, strip tuners, 3-bolt neck, amp has some edge/corner wear


1454 Harmony HBEG  $305 It's easier to tell you what' LEFT... selector switches, nut, 2  (NS) knobs and the pots (2 NS), NS tuners, serial #3878H1354


1477 Harmony SBEG $149 Sold as a project: edge wear, knobs missing, neck pickup position produces no sound, wiring intermittent, fretboard sanded, dot marker missing, NS tuners, logo strong, non-whammy model


1430 Dano tube amp G $199 Customized with stickers, decals and postage stamps, but pretty clean under all that with some edge and corner wear, tested functional


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $395 Clean, light wear, re-capped, NS power tubes, light oxidation to chassis and handle captures, NS knobs


1464 Dano solid state amp only F $104 Face has some wear, rust to jack nuts, xformer, heats sinks show oxidation, speaker lead hole shows some bare wires, rev/trem unmentioned, amp functional


1482 Dano tube amp VG $255 Square speaker cutout, light wear, footswitch incl., tremolo functional


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C  VG $788 Clean, whammy present, pickguard missing, some weird dings on bass upper bout top, thin-script logo intact


856 Harmony Baritone Ukulele  VG $75 Light wear, tuning pegs tight, early logo indicates late 40s/early 50s vintage


1319 Harmony Lap Steel G $129 Playing wear to top, some tarnish to pickup assembly, scratches on back and headstock, 'deco' logo in relatively good shape, untested



UNK Kay FTAC MOD $113 Light edge/surface wear, NS tailpiece, NS bridge, NS tuners, pickguard missing, logo strong, neck pulls at string tension, first (3) frets loose, stamped N-3



3/18

We've got a fine assortment today, from an sweet 1451 to a nice 1331 to a mighty fine 1455 to an interesting gallery of unknowns... Dive in!

1451 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $1045 Clean, light wear, finish checking, chrome shiny, some bottom edge flaking, triangular neck plate, volume knob insert worn/torn slightly, ampcase very clean


1331 Dano Tube amp VG $445 Clean, faux tweed/alligator look good with minimal wear, handle worn, some wear to panel, some caps replaced, handle captures show show tarnish


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG w/ C VG $445 Whammy present, clean, minimal wear, logo strong, chrome and finish shiny


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $175 Whammy missing, clean, minimal wear, shadow of the logo barely there


1478 Harmony SBEG w/ OC $170 Neck broken at body attach, NS truss rod cover, whammy present, logo gone. pickup assembly dated 1964


1477 Harmony SBEG  w/ OC F $229 Edge/surface wear, logo strong, bridge missing, pitting to tailpiece, (1) knob missing (looks like that pot is also broken), 'some' knobs stuck, pickup assembly dated 1966


643 Harmony FTAC F $57 Scratches near soundhole and on back, bridge lifting, crack on back, NS nut


643 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $165 Clean, minimal wear, bridge sound, logo strong, (1) NS bridge pin




These next five instruments are among the hardest to ID of the Silvertone family; the dot-neck'd f-hole acoustics. I'm not making excuses... I TRY to figure these out, but sometimes there's just no telling.

UNK Kay FHAC G $88 Pickguard missing, logo strong, edge wear, finish checking, stamped L 2884


UNK UNK FHAC F $108 Pickguard and bridge missing, edge/surface wear, tuner buttons deteriorated/missing, screw 'repair' to neck heel


UNK Kay FHAC F $99 Surface wear, pickgaurd missing, NS tuners, playing wear to neck


UNK Kay FHAC G $125 Light wear, logo status unknown, pickguard present


UNK UNK FHAC w/ C F $108 Pickguard and bridge missing



3/17

A lucky day, as it should be, for some Silvertone surprises, the first two both involving ukuleles! First up, a very unusual example of the 852 'Hula Girl' ukulele, with a never-before-seen (by me, anyway) laminate to the fretboard and headstock. Now, I'd normally write  this off to a zealous modder, if not for the vintage Silvertone stencil on the headstock laminate. Very unusual, and a real treat. The next miniscule strummer comes directly from its box to the light of the camera flash to a lucky bidder, in excellent condition. Thirdly, an unusual Kay electric, part of the 14XX family of Kay-built Silvertones, but I can't find it in any catalog.
I love surprises!

852 Ukulele G $70 'Hawaiian Girl' model, stencil shows some wear, NS saddle, crack in top repaired with cleat, mother-of-diner-counter laminate to headstock and fingerboard


853 Harmony Ukulele E $90 The lightest of fretboard wear, 'Mahogany' sticker worn (or peeled, more likely) off, original box incl.



This next oddity is obviously related to the short-lived 1410 from 1962-3, but I can't find a catalog listing for it.

UNK Kay SBEG VG $204 More dirty than anything else, light wear, stock knobs, tailpiece cover present, logo strong


612 Harmony FHAC VG $330 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, stamped S-62 HB, serial #2495H612


1405 Teisco MIJ G $99 Edge/surface wear, a few edge dings, NS knobs, logo strong


620 Kay FTAC w/ C MOD $248 Clean, light wear, logo strong, NS pickguard, NS tuners, NS bridge, stamped L1 8105


661 Kay FTAC Tenor guitar w/ C G $161 Light wear, cracks in top glued, logo strong, stamped L 1191 and N-6


1457 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase E $616 Clean, minimal wear to amp and guitar, cord retainer still present, footswitch incl.


1457 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $600 Clean, minimal wear to amp and guitar, NS Jensen, (1) latch broken, footswitch incl.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $395 Clean, couple of small dings on back of guitar, case rib on sidewall, scratchy jack, auction had limited photos but it's an early triangle insert / 2-bolt neck / strip tuner model


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $500 Clean, ding on pickguard, light edge wear, case rub on lower bass sidewall, wear to case, grille discolored at speaker, (1) latch missing


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $344 Clean, light edge/surface wear, sidewall peel at bottom strap button, sticker residue on back, amp has odd repair at input jack, case has edge/corner wear


1204 Harmony FTAC G $53 Edge/surface wear, big ding on upper bass bout, logo strong


604 Harmony FTAC G $43 Light wear, logo strong, tape residue on fretboard


604 Harmony FTAC P $17 Bridge broken, edge/surface wear, back cracked/piece missing, playing wear to fretboard, logo strong, rust to tuner plates, stamped S-63 RB





3/16

Rescued from the barn? I've seen maybe three 1393 model amps in my collecting life... this one is the worst of the bunch. Really, the cabinet seems sound with very little wear. It's the grille staining and dirt and the mud bunnies that are givin' it the blues... still brought a pretty penny, and the 'Flying V' logo has survived nicely.

1393 Dano tube amp F $330 Grille has some water stain issues, not sure what to make of the handle, AC cord clumsily splied and also fraying at cabinet entry, lights up; otherwise untested



Here's another rare bird.... with a new set of dull, grey feathers...

1304 Dano Tube Amp G $250 First version of the 1344 series, painted, no logo, scratched up control panel, all stock knobs present (!),  tremolo functional


1481 Dano tube amp VG $208 Round speaker cutout, minimal wear, all stock. Seller tore it down, cleaned and re-assembled, and found an oddity: TWO control panel faces! The seller surmised "...only guess I have is that it was made still at the factory back in 1966 because of some small imperfection on the front. They wanted to cover without re-doing the whole chassis." Yeah, Nat Daniel would do that, I think; cheaper in the long run to cut a panel and install it rather they take the whole assembly down and apart for a cosmetic imperfection. I wonder how many more 'double panels' are lurking out there? I love surprises!


1481 Dano tube amp VG $250 Round speaker cutout, minimal wear, NS Jensen speaker, recently serviced; re-capped, 3-prong AC mod, covered back panel present, light discoloration to knobs


618 Kay FTAC G $204 Edge/surface wear, finish checking, 'wind chime' logo strong,


1415 Dano SSEG VG $870 Clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny, playing wear on bass lower bout and back of neck,  pick wear near bridge, logo rubbed at 'S,' swoop cutaway and five-sided access panel; last of the 'dolphin nose' U-shape 6-strings


1452 Dano tube amp in case  only F $99 Dirty, scuffs, corner wear, NS xformer, amp chassis mounted in case backwards to accomodate the xformer, tubes light, no sound


1420 Sears tube amp VG $134  Handle looks good, light wear, dusty, quiet in operation


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $822 Clean, logo missing from cabinet, stock Jensens in place, a few NS tubes, rev/trem functional, no footswitch, innards clean (and quite colorful!)


1484 Dano tube amp only G $400 Clean, NS tubes, speaker jack mods on back


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $545 Clean amp, oxidation to aluminum, rev/trem functional, no footswitch, edge/corner wear to speaker cabinet, NS  Marshall speakers, seller is wife of late owner


1485 Dano tube amp w/ cabinet G $820 Edge/corner wear, control panel clean, (6) stock Jensens in place, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


1465 Dano solid state amp only F $45 Wear all over, rust to jack nuts, fuse holder gone, paint on xformer bubbling, rev distorted, trem unknown


1465 Dano speaker cabinet only F $138 Edge/corner wear, all (6) stock Jensens in place; (1) damaged, handle capture missing chrome cap, casters present (but moved; extra holes), companion to above; separate auction

1464 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet VG $304 Face clean, minimal wear to covering, casters present, reverb  'rings,' tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch




OUCH! Never seen a 1482 with the 'vented grille' option...

1482 Dano tube amp F $194 Square speaker cutout, back panel missing, grille ripped, covering rough, handle captures show rust, amp is functional and tremolo works!


1482 Dano tube amp G $390 Square speaker cutout, light wear, odd hole drilled by handle capture, back panel in place, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp G $262 Square speaker cutout, needs a good cleaning, one input not working, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch


1430 Dano tube amp G $158 Clean, minimal wear,lights up; otherwise untested



3/15

Rare=$$$? Sometimes... sometimes not. Case in point, our first up today, this black Harmony-built 'Space Dot' from 1972. Very similar to the popular 600 series, and technically, the end of that family line. I'd never seen one until last month, when two showed up. One sold for $178, this one didn't sell at all. Here we are a month later, and it goes for a pittance. Another quick example, the Rarest Silvertone Ever, the 'on spec' Murph-built electric 12-string that traded a coupla years ago for about what a run-of-the-mill 1446 goes for, $748. Go figure.

1217 Harmony FTAC VG $59 Pickguard present, light edge wear, 'Space Dot' logo strong, 'Factory Second' stamped inside along with S-72 and serial #93612176. Interesting that this black-finished Harmony-built 1217 differs from the example below by the addition of a '6300' to its headstock-screened model number, vs. the example from last month's (see listing below for the 11th) '5100' suffix. I've never seen a 'Factory Second' stamping before on any Sears -sold guitar, either! I love surprises! Relisted from last month, where it didn't sell.


1217 MIJ FTAC F $75 Edge/surface wear, pickguard design worn, back finish 'cloudy,' 'Space Dot' strong


612 Harmony FHAC G $136 Minimal wear, pickguard present, logo strong, scratch on bass side of top, treble side top bout top separation, stamped S-63, serial #4390H612. Relisted from Feb '10.


1490 Teisco MIJ SBEG Bass w/ C VG $255 Clean, light wear, Space Dot missing. Quick note: the two-control 1490 models are 'Space Dots,' the three control versions have a Silvertone logo.


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C  G $500 Clean, some edge/surface wear, pickguard missing, Bigsby present, NS bridge, NS knobs, NS tuners, truss rod covers has screw cracks, thin script logo strong, f-hole edges painted white


1427 Harmony HBEG w/ C G $710 Clean, logo intact, checking to finish, NS bridge, NS strap button at neck heel, stamped 1719H1427


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $405 Clean, light wear, knobs show discoloration, amp barely show or mentioned but outside looks OK, some light grille staining


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $355 Clean, small ding on bass side at waist edge, logo worn, headstock lamination line showing, playing has worn away some glitter, light pitting to bridge, amp has a grille 'push' in one corner, NS speaker. This is an early transitional guitar, triangle insert knobs, strip tuners, 3-bolt neck, neck tilt mechanism.


750 Kay Mandolin w/ OC G $61 Clean, minimal wear, tuner buttons shrinking, neck lifting, manual, bridge placement instruction insert, pitch pipe, incomplete set of vintage Black Diamond Strings incl.


802 Harmony Banjo w/ OC G $64 5-string w/ resonator, surface wear, hardware dull, logo strong, 5th string tuner missing




1449 body and electronics $250 Looks spray painted, electronics work, toggle needs some work, 3 neck bolts incl.


Dano knob $6



UNK Kay HBEG w/ C G $220 Clean, light wear, screw crack to bottom of pickguard, logo strong, (1) tuner shaft and (1) knob missing. This is that crazy Kay, based on the 'Value Leader.'



3/12

Heading into the weekend, we've got a nicely varied shipment of Silvertonium to peruse today... check out this misunderstood 1410 from our friends at Kay. Mis-ID'd as a 1411, then mis-ID'd as a red 1413... why don't sellers just come and check Silvertone World? I can't keep an eye on everything... I mean, we're TOP 5 on most search engines, thanks to all of you!

1410 Kay SBEG G $218 Clean, edge/surface wear, metal dull, some finish checking, knobs worn, logo strong, tailpiece cover present.


1410 Kay SBEG G $325 Clean, light wear, NS 'chicken-head' knobs, logo strong, pickguard repaired near jack, tailpiece cover missing, nice graining to fretboard. The seller got the ID on this one right.



Now, here's a guitar the leaves little doubt about its identity... the Buck Owens 'American,' the Harmony-built 1219. However, an ebayer did chime in and say they thought it was a 2005 Asian re-issue, then mis-ID'ing the 1219 as a 3219. The seller countered with "I've had this guitar for 20 years." *sigh*

1219 Harmony FTAC VG $710 Clean, minimal wear, headstock laminate looks good, (1) NS bridge pin


1452 Dano SBEG guitar only VG $700 Clean, whammy present, edge wear, logo strong,  tremolo cover present


1443 Dano SBEG Bass G $446  Clean, edge wear, some finish checking, NS knobs, logo worn


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $395 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong... not sure what's up with the photos...


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $550 Clean, some edge wear, logo strong, some sidewall peeling off at waist, ampcase condition unmentioned... the one photo provided looked OK


612 Harmony FHAC w/ OC $58 Neck cracked/repaired at body, pickguard missing, logo strong, stamped S-63 HB, serial #4388H612


1464 Dano solid state amp only G $100 Clean, rev/trem functional


804 Banjo F $76  4-string w/ resonator, logo looks 'uncovered' from a paint job, resonator looks refinished



3/11

It's a blessing and a curse that it takes me a week to catch up on the previous weekend! It's great that there's so much going on in Silvertone World, but I wish there were more hours in the day to get to everything I want to bring you. Regardless, let's wrap it up before we get to another weekend! Kickin' it off today with a beautiful example of the 670 from our random-number stamping friends at Kay.

670 Kay FHAC w/ C VG $769 Clean, minimal wear, logo laminate and pickguard shield strong, NS tuner buttons


653 Kay FHAC 'Kentucky Blue' G $294 Edge wear, pickguard missing, logo strong, stamped L1765 5856


604 Kay FTAC VG $120 Clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny, logo strong


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and tube amp in case G $260 Edge/surface wear, logo strong, NS knobs, (1) latch on case broken, one corner of grille shows some discoloration, early 1448; diamond sidewalls, strip tuners, two-bolt neck, narrow attach pier, offset strap button, no neck tilt.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and tube amp in case G $374 Clean, minimal wear, cord retainer still present, inside of case red and smooth, corner ding and light wear to case, amp non-functional, original manual/schematic incl.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only MOD $239 Where to start? I'll just paraphrase the seller: "...stripped, refinished, new telecaster pickup and tailpiece added (string-thru setup), jack moved from the body to the side. All new chrome volume and tone knobs, original tuners and short-scale fingerboard, neck, and body, all wearing a new swimsuit. Custom cut pickguard and peghead swirl!" COWABUNGA! Relisted from February.


1319 Harmony Lap Steel G $170 Edge wear, some flaking, big ding near bridge, logo strong with some wear, rust to tuner plates


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC  VG $72 Clean, strap tuning wrench incl.


1255 MIJ Ukulele G $82 Logo worn, some surface wear



And now, the boxes that put the 'electric' in electric guitar... Silvertone AMPS!!! In numerical order, even!

1484 Dano tube amp only MOD $405 Reupholstered in sparkly rockin' RED! Faceplate looks clean,  covering has some ciggy burns/other wear, 1/4" speaker jack mod, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp w/ speaker cabinet VG $750 Light wear, looks like some water exposure to bottom corner of cabinet, stock Jensens present,  light rust 'dots' to face, rev/trem functional, footswitch incl., seller is original owner


1484 Dano tube amp w/ speaker cabinet G $699 Face plate and transformers rusty, NS speakers, wear and tear to amp and cab, rev/trem functional, no footswitch



1484 Dano tube amp w/ speaker cabinet G $500 Face has some oxidation, light edge wear to covering on amp and cab, rev works, trem doesn't, no footswitch


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $405 Clean, some cat damage to cabinet corner, repainted with some textured paint, the cat shredded the grille too, so it's been replaced, 1/4" jack mod, 3-prong AC mod, NS Groove Tubes



1482 Dano tube amp VG $310 Round speaker cutout, light wear, NS metal corner protectors, 3-prong AC mod, tremolo functional, NS speaker, back panel present. no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp G $267 Square speaker cutout, some corner wear, 3-prong AC mod, hole in back panel, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp G $267 Square speaker cutout, light wear, some rust to jack nuts, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp chassis only $255 No tubes, amp and tremolo tested functional


1481 Dano tube amp G $208 Round speaker cutout, some wear/scuffing, NS knobs


1464 Dano solid state amp only G $107 Clean, some corner wear, 1/4" jack mod and extra hole on back panel, rev/trem unmentioned, but sellers says "Works great," no footswitch


1451 Dano tube amp G $225 Clean, light edge/corner wear, handle worn, quiet at idle, logoplate shiny


1432 Dano tube amp G $396 Clean, some edge/corner wear, logo in good shape, some staining to corner of grille, control panel clean, handle worn


1431 Dano tube amp G $161 Painted green, handle worn, (1) NS knob, functional. Re-listed and ended on 3/31.


1431 Sears Solid State Bass amp only G $99 Clean, minimal wear, functional


1430 Dano tube amp $200 Surface/edge wear, logoplate has a scratch or two, fuse holder missing, tested; lights up , no sound


1392 Dano tube amp VG $482 Clean, light wear, flying V looks great, new handle, tremolo functional, no footswitch, 3-prong AC mod



3/8-10

Giant weekend! I'll get to as much as I can as soon as I can. Still chipping away at it! Tomorrow, AMPS!

Here's a 'Thin Twin' that went for nearly 9 bills!

1381 Kay HBEG G $877 Clean, light wear all over, tuner buttons worn away, pickguard cracked at V/T controls, logo laminate has some discoloration at very top, pickguard shield strong, nice graining on back, logo strong


Now, I've seen more than a few 'natural' finished Thin Twins with the brown headstock, inlaid logo (no laminate or gold script or shield) and similarly bland shield (none of the rich blue) to think maybe there was a natural option that was never listed in the catalogs.

1369 Kay HBEG w/ VG $1150 Clean, natural finish, selector tip missing



Don't know why we don't see more of this model...

1439 Harmony HBEG VG $528 Clean, chrome shiny, minimal wear, both logos strong, stamped F-66 HM, serial #4403H1439, pictured case not incl.


1454 Harmony HBEG  VG $800 Clean, light wear, light pitting to pickup chrome, Bigsby present, paint flaking from Bigsby, (1) knob missing,


1372 Kay HBEG w/ C G $500 Clean, light wear, some light crazing and flaking on back/side/around jack, logo strong, stamped L601 3999


678 Kay FHAC VG $610 Clean, logo strong on pickguard and headstock, NS tuner buttons, NS (custom made) bridge


1445 Kay HBEG VG $350 Pickguard present, light pickup cover oxidation, side and neck show some flaking, logo strong, NS bridge, binding tight


1445 Kay HBEG G $375 Pickguard present, edge/surface wear, finish checking, (1) knob missing, bridge missing



Beautiful example of this super-rare bass!

1438 Teisco MIJ SBEG bass E $510  Very clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny, 'damper' present, finger rest present, logo tag intact


1429 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $455 Clean, some headstock wear, some light edge flaking, 'S' on logo looks bent, chrome shiny


1210 Harmony FTAC VG $56 Clean, light edge wear,  some scratches on sides, logo strong, light rust to tuner plates, fingerboard shows playing wear, pained on fret markers worn, serila #6507S1210



1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $143 Edge/surface wear, logo strong, red paint smudge on headstock, NS knob


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and tube amp in case F $255 Edge/surface wear, knobs have some paint on them, logo all but gone, large area of wear on back, oddly reconfigured bridge, amp missing latched, functional; can't tell much of condition from single. This is an early 1448, dome knobs, strip tuners, two-bolt neck, narrow attach pier, offset strap button, no neck tilt.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and tube amp in case VG $416 Clean, minimal wear to guitar and amp, logo strong, this is an early transitional guitar, triangle insert knobs, strip tuners, 3-bolt neck, neck tilt mechanism.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and tube amp in case VG $355 Clean, minimal wear to guitar and amp, case rubs to sidewallslogo strong, amp works, but volume low


612 Harmony FHAC VG $310 Clean, light edge wear, logo strong, stable crack near heel, stamped F-61


1304 Dano SSEG G $480 Surface/edge wear, some pitting to bridge, big scratch on lower bass bout, fingerboard looks polyurethaned


602 Harmony FTAC w/ OC F $130 Edge/surface wear, some writing of the 'pickguard'


1457 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $515 Clean, cord retainer still present, case rub to sidewall, logo strong, case clean, tremolo unmentioned, footswitch incl.



Every 1479 I've seen has a different pickup insert from the usual silver: Here's one with black inserts!

1479 Harmony SBEG VG $228 Clean, some edge/surface wear, whammy missing, logo gone, no truss rod cover, (3) knobs missing, pickguard date November 1967, unusual black pickup inserts


604 Kay FTAC VG $49 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, comes with "EZ Chord" mechanism


1208 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $36 Edge/surface wear, rust to tuner plates, separating at bottom, soundhole decal strong, block logo strong, one of the last Silvertone-branded guitars to be sold at Sears


660 Kay Classical w/ OC VG $35 Clean, minimal wear


1836 Oscar Schmidt autoharp P $23 Dirty, seller say "For parts, as-is", some documentation incl., rare 12 chord ivory colored version


802 Harmony Banjo w/ OC P $100 5-string w/ resonator, masking tape on head, clear tape holding laminated side to head


856 Harmony Baritone Ukulele w/ OC VG $31 Clean, acces. incl. logo status unknown


663 Kay FHAC VG $305 Clean, minimal wear, 'wind chime' logo strong, checkerboard binding tight, stamped 663 6873 (WHAT?!?! A Kay stamping that makes sense? Go figure...)



UNK Unk FHAC $93 Never seen a paint pattern quite like this on a Silvertone f-hole... wondering if they really belong to each other



1457 Dano SSEG $203 Kit; you add the bridge and pickguard and knobs


Sears part #2L-148C $7 "How to Care For your New Silvertone Spanish Guitar" booklet


1392 Dano fooswitch $47



3/5

Mr. Spacely called... he's got your guitar ready...

1452 Dano SBEG guitar only MOD $445 Refinished in metallic slate blue catalyzed lacquer, custom pickguard, new tuners, new bridge, stock pickups and wiring harness. Joking aside, a fine 're-imagining' of the 1452, the last Dano-built (along with the one-pickup 1451) six-string that Sears sold, available from 1966-1968. These were the successors to the popular 1448/49/57 ampincase models. From a great shop called Pearlwood Guitars. Check 'em out!


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and tube amp in case VG $342 Clean guitar and amp, light wear, logo strong, knob inserts show some discoloration


1457 Dano SSEG only VG $375 Clean, light wear, logo strong


1420 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $352 Clean, minimal wear, stress cracks at jack, logo strong, light playing wear to top of neck



Now, here's an interesting collection.... sold for 'one money,' as they say in the auction business.
 
1419 Dano SSEG w/ OC 1431 Dano tube amp both VG $711 Edge wear to guitar, chrome shiny, light playing wear to lower bass bout edge, logo intact, sidewalls a bit dingy, pots date to early 1960, amp is nice and clean, minimal wear, back panel present, one small white paint rub on the grille, vintage Unidyne model 55AS microphone w/ stand incl. in auction




1304 Dano neck $75 Dates to 1959, (1) tuner post missing, (1) tuner button gone, crack at nut goes just past 3rd fret


1211 Harmony neck $26 No nut, nail at bottom of fretboard, part of guitar still attached, early thin script logo



3/4

After yesterday's surprise instrument in the form of a 1492 MIJ Bass, I was wondering this morning if anyone else had seen one, so I Googled it (of course), and yesterday's version of THIS page showed up as the #2 hit! That's fast service! Maybe Google should be in charge of US Congress and Senate... no, scratch that... then every Google search would be accompanied by riders and extra provisions, cost way too much money,  and you wouldn't get your search results for a year or more. Up first, a couple of great hollwbodies, one from Kay, and one from Harmony.

1365 Kay HBEG w/ C VG $649 Clean, light wear, logo laminate strong, 'S' on pickguard strong, tuner buttons deteriorating, recently cleaned and polished, stamped B(?) 8992


1385 Harmony HBEG VG $1360 Clean, minimal wear, logo intact, 'S' on pickguard shows light wear,  rewired (original V/T network was missing), NS bone nut. Lawman Mike comes through with another sweet axe!


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG  VG $640 Clean, whammy present, minimal wear, NS selector


1227Harmony FTAC 12-string w/ OC VG $129 Light wear, nut broken on treble side, 'Space Dot' logo strong, stamped S-69 W, serial #2427H913


604 Kay FTAC w/ OC G $74 Clean, edge wear, playing wear to neck, light rust to tuners; rare Kay-built version of the 604, note narrower, high-peaked headstock, lighter fretboard wood (not 'ebonized'), stamped L 168 (?), most Kay 604s are bolt necks, but this one is a glued neck.


623 Harmony FHAC G $120 Clean, pickguard missing, logo status unknown (no photo provided), serial #681H623


600 series Harmony FTAC $50 No bridge, pickguard missing, tuners missing, nut broken on bass side, scratches to back, logo strong, binding tight, strap button present


1484 Dano tube amp w/ speaker cabinet VG $795 Clean, some corner/edge wear, faceplate clean, 1/4" jack mod, stock Jensens in place (date to 1964, same as the amps pot codes), rev/trem functional, recently serviced and re-capped (originals incl.), no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp w/ speaker cabinet VG $710 Clean, light wear, recently serviced, some new resistors and caps installed, 3-prong AC mod, 1/4" jack mod, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


1333 Dano tube amp F $178 Wear to alligator, works, no speaker, (1) knob missing, extra NOS caps incls., schematic repro incl.



3/3

After a great start to the month, we're March-ing on and starting today's auctions off with a terrific treat... this very Fender-y 1492 bass. I've never seen one before!  Check out that SIX bolt neck, and that beveled waist! I love surprises!

1492 MIJ Teisco SBEG Bass VG $104 Clean, light wear, tailpiece cover and finger rest present, 'Space Dot' logo strong, string tree present


1304 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $400  Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, some headstock scratches, square neck joint, circular access panel


1451 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $411 Guitar and inside of amp show light wear, thick script logo strong, outside ampcase covering has big rip, corner wear


1303 Dano SSEG G $405 Edge/surface wear/sidewall wear, treble side tuner posts missing, access panel missing, strap button missing,  cavity stamps date to 1958, knobs dirty, logo worn at second 'e'


These next two sold together:


1478 Harmony SBEG w/ OC and 1482 Dano tube amp both VG $345 Whammy present, finish and chrome shiny, logo strong


1464 Dano solid state amp only G $150 Clean, some corner wear, some wear to face, 'Drive' knob missing, paint drip at tremolo section, rev/trem status unknown


1471  Dano tube amp F $151 Round speaker cutout, some edge/corner wear, looks like some water damage to the cabinet, V/T knobs missing, tubes light up, speaker blown


643 Harmony FTAC F $40 Pickguard present, cracks all over, back separating, edge/surface wear, logo and headstock show some wear


604 Harmony FTAC G $57 Edge/surface wear, some stable cracks on top, logo strong, stamped S-66 AP, serial #7666H604


804 Banjo VG $81  4-string w/ resonator, logo strong, minimal wear





Sears part #2L-148C $4 "How to Care For your New Silvertone Spanish Guitar" booklet


Dano neck $78 Logo present, tuners look good, playing wear to neck, crack near nut, fret wear, stamped 3101


1446 pickguard  $93 'Hold-off' felt is loose



3/2

The February totals didn't seem to need any stimulus funds! I tracked 247 Silvertone items in February, and they sold for a total of $69,970. That's five grand more than the February '09 numbers!

Here's some highlights of what changed hands:  a ginormous (25) 1448 guitars/amps or one or the other, only (9) 1457 guitars/amps or one or the other, (13) 1484 amps, (5) 1465 amps, (13) 1482 amps, (10) 1481 amps, (4) 'Wish Book' 1304 guitars, only (3) 'Chris Isaak'  1446 model guitars, (4) 1427 'Black Beauty' guitars, only (2) 1423 'Jupiter' guitars, and (12) of the 604 family guitars. The highest dollar item was a collection of Silvertones and Danos that went for $2200. The most for a single instrument went to the Wiley Nash 'One of a Kind' 1485 that went for $1776, and hot on its heels were a couple of 'Espanada'-based 'Black Beauties:' one a 1385, one a 1427 that went for $1750 and $1550, respectively. The least amount brought in February was $20 for a poor condition 852 Hawaiian Girl ukulele.

If you've  not stopped by in a while, check out last month and all the other fun you've missed; just click on any of the archive links below.

 

Alright, on to MARCH MODNESS!!! Sorry, couldn't resist... Our first two (well, three) up today (from the same modder/seller) are what I term in the 'condition' slot of each auction a 'MOD,' meaning they've been modified significantly from a stock item into something... different. Purists will 'tut-tut' and modders will say 'Cool!' Sometimes the mods are for good, sometimes for ill... usually, a good indication is how much GREEN they bring!

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only MOD $228 Some edge/surface wear, NS pickup, NS tuners, NS knobs, logo nearly gone, this is an early 1448; two-bolt neck and narrow attach pier, offset strap button. Here's the mod/stock list: "Modern high-grade die-cast tuners, Original aluminum nut, NEW GFS Nashville Retrotron bridge-position humbucker, Modern replacement rosewood bridge and plate, Chrome knobs, Original wiring harness, insert, pots, cap, and copper tape shielding box."


1421 Harmony HBEG MOD $450 Some edge/surface wear, logo gone, here's the mod/stock list: "Kluson-style tuners, Original nut, VINTAGE DeArmond gold-foil pickup (Dated to 1961), a high-end pickup from Harmony's top-of-the-line H-7x series, Custom-cut Les Paul Jr style control plate/pickguard (on which I've left the protective plastic... just for kicks!), All-new wiring harness, insert, and full-size high-end pots, following the late 50's Les Paul Junior wiring schematic, Early-1960's Bigsby (take from an H-7x-series Harmony) and Bigsby Bridge, Gibson-style gold knobs. This was a very special project for me... I went into this as an effort to create a piece that I feel Harmony should have actually offered in the 60's. I was very lucky to come across all period-correct parts for this guitar!"


I'm also including the modded 1420 from this past weekend's auctions, just to give you a complete look at this craftsman's work:

1420 Harmony HBEG MOD $450 Edge wear, NS: pickups, electronics, pickguard, tailpiece, tuners, knobs, bridge. Logo strong, playing wear to neck. The list, please: "Kluson-style tuners, Hand-carved bone nut, GFS NY-II surface-mount DeArmond style pickups, Custom-cut control plate, All-new wiring harness, insert, selector, and full-size high-end pots, following the late 50's Les Paul wiring schematic, Re-built Teisco Del Rey copy of a Gretsch Space-Control Bridge, 1930's Kay tailpiece."

Bing! As Ned Ryerson would say... this next guitar's been on the auction block a time or two, and a buyer finally emerged. Just goes to show, if at first you don't sell, try, try... etc. Bing! Nearly 1300 smackers!

1361 Kay SBEG w/ OC E $1299 Clean, minimal wear, 'wind chime' logo strong, stock 'cupcake' knobs, light rust to tailpiece. The seller questioningly ID'd this guitar as a Harmony, in the vein of an H-44 Stratotone. I still believe these to be Kay-built guitars. Looks at the page I've made for the 1361 and the 1363, and make up your own mind. Regardless, a super-rare Silvertone in beautiful shape.


1484 Dano tube amp w/ speaker cabinet G $710 Clean, edge/corner wear, bad rip on backside on speaker cabinet, stock Jensens in place, grille clean, light pitting to amp face, rev/trem functional, recently serviced


1396 Dano tube cabinet and speakers only $123  Clean, minimal wear, chrome 'two-twelve' strip and 'flying V' logo look great, no amp, speakers in place, handle missing, looks like one side slightly warped, speakers date to 1957


615 Harmony FTAC G $56 Clean, pickguard missing, edge/surface wear, logo strong (poor photo), 'D' tuner slightly bent


1441 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $281  Whammy present, minimal wear, script logo strong, bridge cover missing, non-bound version. A rare bird, as most 1441 models sported a block logo, before becoming 'Space Dot' guitars in the early '70s.


1457 Dano SSEG and tube ampincase VG $600 Clean, minimal wear, (1) knob missing, grille bezel on ampcase has shifted, no footswitch, tremolo unmentioned


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and empty ampcase VG $590 Light wear, logo strong, ampcase missing amp, speaker and grille


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar and empty ampcase VG $386 Light wear, logo strong, NS knobs, case missing (1) latch, transitional guitar; strip tuners, two-bolt neck, narrow attach pier


1454 Harmony HBEG w/ C G $365 Surface wear, flaking on sides, pickguard missing, NS tuners, Bigsby present, (2) knobs missing, logo status unknown


1319 Harmony Lap Steel w/ OC VG $250 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, light wear on bottom, 'cord melt' mark from long-term storage on back


852 Harmony Ukulele G $80 'Hawaiian Girl' model, edge wear, light overspray to stencil, some stains/scuffs to neck, logo strong



UNK Kay FHAC VG $275 Clean, minimal wear, pickguard present, logo strong, nice graining to top, stamped L 5701




1474 Dano footswitch $60


Dano pickup $49 One side missing, untested