November 2010


11/1

OK, here's the very end of October. Give me a day to do some totaling up and we'll see what kind of money the Silvertonium brought out of buyers' pockets.

1392 Dano tube amp E $405 Clean, minimal wear, 'V' logo looks great, grille clean, tremolo functional, footswitch incl., handle looks good, handle captures show a little tarnish, a few NS tubes. Seller says: "This unit is believed to have been used sparingly as amplification for a monthly bingo game at a local VFW hall until the mid '60's until it was replaced by a Larger PA system. It was then put away in the back of a storage closet until now... lovingly maintained by older adults for a powered speaker."


1471 Dano tube amp VG $133 Round speaker cutout, "a few paint specks," light wear, some caps/resistors replaced, NS 12AX7


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $333 Edge/corner wear, face shows some tarnish/oxidation, speaker cab as some covering wear and is missing logo, grille shows some stains, 1/4" jack mod to amp, recently serviced "100% great working order"


1430 Dano tube amp G $115 Clean, light covering wear, handle captures show some tarnish, seller says "Turned it up to full, but sound was still clean not distorted and not a lot of volume."


1331 Dano tube amp VG $350 Clean, edge/corner wear, 1/4" ext jack on back panel, looks like a repro handle, tarnish to handle captures


1415 Dano SSEG $317 Refinished/restored, NS pickguard & back cover, seller says "The instrument has been molested over the years and I have attempted to restore it back to it's original form. It had several different coats of paint over the original Bronze color and had been fitted with a Gibson Humbucker pickup. Luckily, the original Lipstick pickup was still in the cardboard case and I repaired the body and re-installed it."


1385 Harmony HBEG w/ OC G $1225 Clean, some edge/surface wear, some finish checking//flaking, repro pickguard, knobs in great shape, hardware & pickups dull, possible NS bridge, logo intact, 3.5" thick body


1420 Harmony SSEG w/ C G $360 Clean, edge  wear to headstock, binding tight, logo apparently missing (no close-ups, and can't quite tell from the full-length), looks like some coiled-cord melt on the beck, playing wear to neck, noisy pots, seller says "This is the first time this guitar has ever been offered for sale since new until now."


1420 Harmony SSEG w/ C G $317 Clean, edge/surface wear, crack on treble side, logo strong, playing wear to neck


1476 Harmony SBEG G $234 Clean, edge wear, logo strong,  screw cracks to truss rod cover and treble point of pickguard, looks like some edge dings have been 'Sharpie-d'


1423 Harmony SSEG VG $413 Clean, light wear, logo intact, pickguard print worn, (1) knob missing


1478 Harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $305 Clean, whammy present, chrome looks shiny from single fuzzy full-length pic provided, small dings on bottom edge


1449 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $350 Clean, knobs missing, logo strong, wiring intermittent, needs some pickguard and tuner plate screws, plenty of glitter, seller said it was so shiny it was hard to photograph


1452 Dano SBEG w/ C VG $450 Clean, light wear, whammy present, logo strong, finish checking, interesting neck plate


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $530 Clean, edge wear, sidewall has a small ding, 'cord keeper' present, seller purchased from original owners, case has some edge wear and (1) broken hinge, " I did plug the amp in and turned it on, the tubes lit and then went dim" otherwise untested, footswitch incl.


1457 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $400 Clean, light edge wear, ding on headstock, logo strong, light oxidation to pickup covers, playing wear to neck, scratchy pots, intermittent switch


1442 Dano SSEG Bass G $325 Clean, logo intact, bridge cover present, some oxidation to pickup/bezel/bridge, some finish checking/flaking


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $350 Clean, light wear, whammy present, logo strong, hardware shiny, seller says "Guitar needs some work. The electronics are loose or need cleaning (sound goes in and out). Needs a new nut & strings. Some crazing on the finish."


619 Kay FHAC w/ C VG $275 Clean, hardware shiny, logo looks like a double-screen or a lift smudge, bird's eye grain to back, stamped P13 & 57-619


623 Harmony FHAC F $61 Edge/surface wear, (2) small cracks, looks like the fingerboard has been stripped, nut/bridge/pickguard missing


615 Harmony FTAC G $51 Clean, pickguard missing, edge wear, rust to tuner plates, logo strong, top (2) painted-on fret markers worn


1256 Harmony baritone ukulele w/ C VG $95 Clean, light wear, logo strong


856 Harmony Baritone Ukulele G $59 Clean, edge/surface wear, logo strong, tuners tight


2317 Valco lap steel w/ OC VG $153 Clean, light wear, light rust to chrome pickup/control panel, logo strong, replacement tuner buttons 



Some interesting info in the 1966 brochure that came with this autoharp: "The new "B" models have an extruded aluminum string anchor which gives a better fit for the ball end of the string. Redesign and relocation of the top and bottom bridges have "opened up" the string area and there is now more room to play. Either above or below the Chord bars. The Chord bars are now extruded aluminum to eliminate warping."

1838 Oscar Schmidt autoharp w/ OC VG $56 Clean, minimal wear, can't see any accessories in the pics and they aren't mentioned as included



UNK Kay FHAC w/ C G $123 Clean, pickguard missing, edge/surface wear, neck separating/high action, stamped L 2308



10/29

On this Friday before Hallowe'en, I thought I'd ruminate on the humble Frankentone. Often created by misguided mad guitar scienticians, Frankentones generally inspire snickers and derision, but sometimes they can be a thing of beauty. Generally, I'm not for the radical re-engineering of some beautiful Danelectro/Harmony/Kay work, as far as modifying a stock guitar goes. Even if it's in rough shape, it can be brought back. But the scary ones are usually what we see and what I've featured for the most part on our Frankentone pages.  The Frankentone below, however, is one that most closely relates to the 'Frankenstein Monster' that our term is derived from, as laid out in definition #2, more of 'a generic' Frankentone. And a pretty one, at that.

From the SilvertoneWorldapedia:

frankentone - frăng- kən - tōn - n. (1) A Silvertone-branded guitar, amplifier or other musical instrument that has been modified, refinished or otherwise significantly altered from its original form. (2) A guitar, amplifier or other musical instrument that has been made or re-made in whole or in part from parts of other instruments.(3) An instrument made in the form of a known Silvertone instrument from hand-made parts.

Here's the story, as Silvertonian Rich G. related to me in a recent email: "Here's a recent project. This was a vintage Danelectro Convertible with the top caved in.  No legible serial number, I got it on ebay as pretty much a complete kit to build it up as a Danelectro Convertible, but I decided to do it a little different. This is a hybrid of three models: the body and soundhole are convertible...the bridge and electronics are DC. Parts-wise, the neck, nut, and body sides are vintage, the electronics and bridge are 90s reissue parts, the pickguard is modified from a 90s reissue DC, tuners and miscellaneous bits are modern, top and back are 1/4" birch plywood from Home Depot finished in clear poly and black sharpie pen. Plays and sounds great ( it's hard to go wrong with lipsticks ). Unplugged, it projects like a 335, not much, but noticeable. The acoustic tone is actually a lot more pleasant than a reissue convertible, which sounds like a banjo."




Now on to today's auctions, featuring this exciting first up, a 2325 Valco-built lap steel and amplifier. I noticed the tag on the amp and went searching for the location of the Valco factory on South Peoria Street in Chicago, and found this early/mid-century vintage building there:

Click on either building image to be transported there via a Bing or Google map of the location.

With its truck-size doors, big multi-paned windows and sandy brick facade, it certainly fits the part of a classic Chicago factory, but it's now home to the University of Illinois at Chicago's Gallery 400, an exhibition/lecture space for the UIC College of Architecture and the Arts. I went searching around for a look inside the building when it was the Valco factory, and found only one image, from the guitarkitsusa website. Click the link to check it out.

2325 Valco lap steel and amp VG $450 Clean amp and guitar, tuner buttons deteriorated, minimal wear, logoplate looks great, amp has been re-capped and a 3-prong AC cord added


1482 Dano tube amp VG $362 Square speaker cutout, light corner wear, seller says "amp works well," tremolo unmentioned, footswitch incl.


1484 Dano tube amp only MOD $248 Covering could use a good cleaning, rev/trem functional,  NS output xformer, 4/8 Ohm jacks added, 3-prong AC mod


1464 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet G $149 Clean, light edge/corner wear, staining to grille, (3) knob inserts missing, back panel in place, rev/trem functional, no footswitch. Relisted in December 2010.


658 Kay FHAC w /C  G $143 Clean, light wear, logo strong, some scrapes on treble side, dot markers indicate 1966-68 model


 600 series Harmony FTAC P $35 The seller says it best: "Beat up scratched painted with fingernail polish has a warped neck missing tuner parts has paint chips very dirty & dusty bent tuning key needs absolutely everything or just add a battery powered clock & hang on the wall."


619 Kay FHAC MOD $91 Clean, light wear, electrified, one pic provided, the rest is in the video


604 Harmony FTAC VG $40 Clean, light edge/surface wear, logo strong, has "In Memory of Mike" sticker on back



UNK Kay FHAC VG $158 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, binding tight, currently strung left-handed, probably a 619. Seller said it was stamped 57-660, but that's a  classical part number. I've included a shot of a 660 Classical label for reference.




10/28

GUITARS? Yeah, we got those...

1200 Harmony FTAC VG $21 Clean, light edge/surface wear, painted 'pickguard' in good shape, logo strong, light rust to tuner plates


643 Harmony FTAC F $23 Clean, pickguard present, edge wear, checking, logo strong, rust to tuner plates, separating on back at bottom, serial #215H643


621 Harmony FTAC F $28 Clean, pickguard present, light wear, logo strong, bridge cracked, serial #738H621


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case E guitar VG ampcase $630 Clean, minimal wear, cord keeper in place (and not yellowed!), light scuffing/wear to ampcase


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only w/ C G $225 Clean, some surface/edge/glitter wear, logo strong, discolored knob inserts, rust to jack nut


604 Harmony FTAC F $11 Body looks good w/ light wear, fretboard shows 'cowboy chord' wear, headstock looks like a bucket o' paint mishap


605 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $99 Clean, some edge wear, logo strong, tailpiece shiny


1217 MIJ FTAC G $58 Clean, pickguard design worn, poor pics provided with auction, headstock logo status unknown, block logo label inside


1333 Dano tube amp VG $382 Clean, light side wear, everything else looks good, seller says amp "has nice sound. All the functions seem to work fine," tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch


1471 Dano tube amp VG $185 Round speaker cutout, clean, light wear, handle worn, Tung Sol 12AX7


1481 Dano tube amp VG $155 Square speaker cutout, clean, minimal wear, AC cord cut/spliced


1481 Dano tube amp F $100 Round speaker cutout, looks rough in the one pic provided, no details in auction


853 Harmony ukulele F $25 Edge/surface wear, cracks on back, logo strong, (1) tuner missing, 'Genuine Mahogany' sticker present



UNK Kay FHAC w/ OC G $183 Clean, light wear, modded pickguard, logo strong, stamped L 3427 839



1423 Harmony SSEG body $215 No neck, missing (4) knobs, missing bridge, wiring harness and pickup present, neck p/u disconnected, wiring has issues



10/27

Wednesday is, as usual, kinda slow 'round here. Today, though, we can use the extra time to explore this amazingly rare Silvertone 'Artist' model that heard the final gavel bang earlier today. It's an early 1940s era Kay-made beauty. Unusual 'post and shark fin' fret markers, beautiful headstock logo work with 'eighth note' inlays in rosewood veneer, Adirondack spruce top and curly maple sides and back... an all-around fine example of one of the earliest Silvertones available before World War II. Go ahead, peruse... I've even increased the size and number of photos available, for a really close look at this suh-weet strummer...

293 Kay FHAC VG $327 Clean, some surface/edge wear, logo in great shape, binding tight, crack on back running cross ways near bottom middle

Here's another classic, one of the earliest Danelectro-made amps sold by Sears... the seller's friends "needed medical treatment after they saw and played through this amp." We can tell it looks good... must sound pretty sweet!

1344 Dano tube amp VG $675 Clean, light wear to covering, logo in great shape, speaker grille looks good, tremolo functional, completely re-capped, back panel shows light wear, handle worn, handle capture shows some tarnish

1482 Dano tube amp MOD $286 Clean, some corner wear, speaker baffle replaced, light rust to handle captures, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp only G $188 Seller says "for parts or not working," light covering wear, front panel shows light oxidation, powers up; otherwise untested

1423 Harmony SSEG VG $483 Clean, light wear, 'S' broken off logo, pickguard print strong, finish and tuner plates shiny, pickups show light oxidation, binding tight with some shrinkage protrusions at fret interface


1495 Teisco MIJ HBEG Bass VG $550 Clean, some edge wear, some finish checking (esp. on back), playing wear to back of neck, logo missing. Relisted from earlier in month.


1440 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $149 Clean, whammy present but spring missing, neck needs a little shimming, light wear, some oxidation to chrome/metal, logo intact,



Dano footswitch $53 Clean, functional, cord looks good

10/26

A musical pair that's been together for over 50 years, ladies and gentlemen... let's hear it for 1303 and 1392! It really doesn't get much better than our first up today, especially for the lucky buyer: a beautiful 1303 paired with a dynamite 1392 amp, both in great shape, and going for what I'd have expected the guitar alone to sell for!

1303 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG /  1392 Dano tube amp VG both for $660 Clean guitar with minimal wear, logo strong, light rust to tuner plates, amp has light wear, 'flying V' logo in great shape, handle "broke the other day." Single family provenance since 1965; seller is son of second owner. OK, here's the story from the seller: "This 'Masonite Marvel' was my fathers from 1965 until his death in 2001. I have stored it since then but just don't see the need to keep it any longer. The guitar, case and amp were purchased new by a good friend of my dad who was persuaded to sell it in 1965. My dad played it often and took good care of it."


623 Harmony FHAC F $61 Clean, heavy fretboard wear, light edge wear, crack at bottom of treble f-hole, logo strong, pickguard present, bridge glued in place, back and neck separating, serial #4684H623. I honestly don't know what to make of the "Steel Reinforced" screenprint (decal?).... never seen one on a 623 (or many Silvertones at all) store display guitar? Well-intentioned fraud (it is a bit off-center)? Quickly retracted marketing decision?


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $350 Clean, top finish looks dull, NS knobs. logo strong, NS Fujitsu speaker


604 Harmony FTAC F $70 Edge/surface wear, logo looks OK from single photo provided, stamped F-67. Seller says "several cracks on the top and the neck may need some work."


1205 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $56 Clean, minimal wear, block logo strong, stamped S-69-MI, serial #1307S1205



Boy, these 'Jack White' amps are all over the scale today...

1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $425 Clean amp, speaker cabinet shows some edge wear, white pilot light doesn't, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp only G $311 Front panel looks a bit smudgy, (1) knob missing, covering shows some wear, rev/trem unmentioned, seller says " The amp plays nice and it has a really great sound but there's a little buzzing."


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $400 Wear all over, big stain/paint smear to cabinet grille, recently cleaned, "everything working"


1484 Dano tube amp chassis only $292 Re-capped, working, rev/trem functional, new xformer


1488 Harmony SBEG G $364 Clean, edge wear, light buckle rash, logo strong but headstock broken/repaired along line passing through 'S,' whammy missing


1476 Harmony SBEG F $255 Could use a good cleaning, edge/surface wear, logo strong, all stock parts


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ C VG $550 Clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny, model/serial sticker missing


621 Harmony FTAC G $72 Clean, light wear, 'decoration' to headstock, gold trim tape on pickguard, serial #3781H621


1232 MIJ Classical w/ C VG $60 Clean, light wear, inside label in good shape w/ corner crinkle



UNK Kay mandolin G $93 Clean, light wear, playing wear to back of neck, 'wind chime' logo strong, nut/neck/fretboard have been reglued, looks like the bottom bass side tuner has a homemade button. I was gonna peg this one as a 752 model, but it just doesn't feel right. Can't explain it any better than that. My Sears catalog mandolin illustrations tend to be smaller since (a) they are smaller instruments and (b) they aren't as popular as guitars, so they command less catalog space and are less readable. Therefore, I can't count fret markers on any of the mandolins that I have listed, but this large amount of double-dot markers and the segmented f-holes are making me think this is an earlier model, possibly a 732 from the mid-late 40s.



Teisco neck $36 Probably from  a 1445



10/25

The Magic of Silvertone... is there anything it can't do?



Big weekend, some rare birds, some run of the mill, and some interesting parts collections... let's start the day of with the seldom-seen, non-catalog, gold-foil pickup'd 1479!

1479 Harmony SBEG G $178 Edge wear, some flaking, some light checking, logo strong, whammy present


1413 Kay SBEG VG $430 Clean, minimal wear, tailpiece cover and pickup still showing 'arrow' screenprint, logo strong, matching gig bag in good shape


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case E guitar VG ampcase $450 Clean guitar, minimal wear, clean sidewalls, ampcase shows light wear to amp chassis board and inner lining, pickup and bridge chrome shiny, early setup; strip tuners, triangle knob inserts, two-bolt neck and narrow attach pier, possibly the nicest of this early model I've ever seen



Serendipitous Silvertonium... just had a "Tone Gem" review come over the wire for this next model. Click here to head on over to this promising website!

1420 Sears tube amp G $63 Clean, light wear, light rust to handle captures and jack nuts, lights up, "severe hum"



Some folks pay a lot of money to distress their guitars like this next one.... no worries, it's a solid player and has the 'mojo' look down pat!

1303 Dano SSEG G $1000 Edge/surface wear, some playing wear to bass lower bout, playing wear to neck, logo worn, pickups and bridge shiny, light rust to tuner plates


670 Kay FHAC G $212 Clean, pickguard missing, light wear, logo and shield strong on unusual scalloped headstock, tuner buttons deteriorated, finish flaking near strap button area, strap button relocated, (1) thumbwheel missing. Relisted from earlier this month.


1420 Harmony SSEG MOD $173 Clean, light wear, logo strong, "...the pickups are Harmony from the late 1960's, the tuners are not original but are period, and the pots are, too. The fretboard, pickguard, knobs, and tailpiece are reproductions."


1420 Harmony SSEG G $255 Blurry photos, but looks like some edge/surface wear, binding has yellowed, pickguard loose, logo strong, TeleStar solid state amp incl.



This 'amp in case' model made it across the pond somehow...

1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $644 Clean guitar, ampcase has some staining to grille and edge wear, NS speaker, NS guitar knobs, logo strong, 'glitter void' on bass side of pickup, seller located in the UK


710 Harmony FHAC F $83 Edge/surface wear, major fretboard wear, buckle rash, playing wear to back of neck, logo strong, pickguard present, damaged/repaired bass side f-hole, stamped F-56-T, seller says "over-all is a solid player," sold back in the summer for $61


1495 Teisco MIJ HBEG Bass VG $228 Clean, some edge wear, some finish checking (esp. on back), playing wear to back of neck, logo missing. Relisted.


605 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $99 Clean, light wear, 'deco' logo strong, shiny tailpiece, 'cowboy' case shows some wear


452 Harmony ukulele G $103 Clean, checking/flaking to headstock, edge wear, stencil and logo strong, tuners tight



Here's a rarity... a Canadian-made Silvertone-branded amp. Unfortunately , the glare in the photos keeps you from seeing the cursive Silvertone logo, so the third pic is an example from a year or so back. What I've been thinking is the model number (LR22177) is actually the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) number (kinda like our Underwriter's Laboratory, I suppose), and appears on all models of these amps.

UNK Mirtone (?) Made In Canada solid state amp MOD $46 Grille and covering worn, tube amp added to bottom (see 2nd pic)


1431 Dano tube amp F $113 Covering shows some wear, grille has rip (speaker may also be damaged), handle worn, logoplate shows some oxidation, tubes light up, otherwise untested


1448 Dano tube amp in case only F $159 Edge/surface wear, lining has cuts/dings/wear, NS speaker, knob insert missing, rust to functioning hinges and clasps


1838 Oscar Schmidt autoharp P $25 Finish flaking, cracks, case in poor shape as well, "not playable without repair"


2317 Valco lap steel w/ OC VG $225 Clean, light wear, cord intact, logo strong, tuner buttons deteriorated, slide included, Peavey 'Audition' amp included



Buy a complete 'Jupiter'...

1423 Harmony SSEG VG $467 Clean, light wear, light checking, shiny hardware and finish (look at that reflection!), stress cracks at jack, logo strong, "treble setting does not work"




Or build one with your very own Frankentone kit!

1423 Harmony SSEG Parts all sold in separate auctions

Body & Neck $170, Bridge assembly $39, Pickups w/ mounting screws (dated 1962) $89/$96, (3) Knobs $27, Wiring Harness $39


Pickguard, Tuners & Tailpiece w/ screws & strap button did not sell, oddly enough



Like, totally tubular, dude...

I've never seen so many Silvertone tubes in one place! NOS Black plate, RCA 12AZ7A Audio Tubes. All Tubes are Vintage Silvertone, RCA, codes are 63-09 274 Made in the USA.  The lot of 90 tubes sold for $222.


1418 MIJ Whammy tailpiece, no spring or whammy arm $49


1448 Dano case only $29 Rough outside, inside OK


1457 Dano amp only $95 Knobs missing, "in good working order," tremolo unmentioned




10/22

OK, it's Silvertone time! We've got a pretty good gathering today, and I'm sure we'll have a humongous weekend to report come Monday. Have a good 'un!

1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $138 Clean, light wear, whammy and spring missing, logo missing, model/serial sticker missing


1413 Kay SBEG G $180 Clean, light wear, tailpiece cover missing, bridge missing, logo strong, matching gig bag in good shape


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $243 Clean guitar and ampcase, guitar knobs 'redecorated,  looks to me like the logo was taped over at some point, unusual bolt placement at neck attach, amp 'needs some adjustment'


1481 Dano tube amp VG $257 Round speaker cutout, clean, light wear, (1) knob insert missing, light oxidation to amp chassis, grille and logoplate in fine shape, handle good


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $731 Clean, thin-script logo strong, Bigsby present, light edge/surface wear, lead pickup bezel has screw crack, pickup covers show some wear/oxidation, taped over scratch on side,


1420 Harmony SSEG VG $375 Clean, some surface/edge wear, logo strong, playing wear to neck, nut is shimmed, pickguard cracked near selector


1425 Kay HBEG VG $535 Clean, pickguard present, light checking, logo strong, light wear, pickups shiny, neck and binding tight, nice graining to back, recent pro setup and polish


1424 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $90 Clean, light wear, whammy missing, light checking, logo tag strong, logo tag slightly worn, scratchy pots


1484 Dano tube amp only VG $270 Clean, minimal wear, some rust to xformers, rev/trem functional, no footswitch, 1/4" speaker jack


604 Harmony FTAC F $49 Edge/surface wear, pickguard broken, fingerboard finish stripped, logo strong, stamped S-63





10/21

The guitar that cried 'tiger!' My favorite feature of our first up today is the faux grain 'bookmatching' on the back. Harmony and Kay both would 'stripe' their guitars in an effort to simulate a highly-grained look to the back, the sides, the front and even the neck of their guitars, especially the ones that used less expensive, plainer-grained wood. Sometimes they'd even try and fake a 'bookmatch' look to the back on their archtops. Sometimes they'd put a lot of effort into it, slightly mismatching the stripes on each side of the back, sometimes they'd go the lazy way (like today's example) and just paint a thin stripe right down the middle. Works from a distance, but you guys ain't fooling nobody. By the way, I've done a fair amount of Googling and couldn't find an answer as to how that striping is accomplished. Any Silvertonians out there know? Is it stenciling? Masking? Airbrushing? Seems like it'd need to be a reasonably fast process to be cost-effective. Any ideas or firsthand experience? Inquiring minds yadda yadda yadda... Email me!

700 Harmony FHAC $130 A 'fixer upper' from The Lawman... plenty of wear, no hardware, no pickguard, finish flaking to sides, logo worn, some binding replaced, neck has been reset, tuner holes enlarged Relisted.


1446 Harmony HBEG MOD $561 Clean, light wear, buckle rash, NS whammy, NS bridge, NS truss rod cover, repro logo, pickguard missing, nut worn. Relisted in November.


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $375 Edge wear, masking tape labels on V/T knobs, strip tuners, light grille staining


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $380 Edge wear to guitar and ampcase, knob inserts discolored, grille clean, wear to edge of amp chassis board


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case MOD $208 Refinished in red, pickguard chopped, NS knobs, lipstick cover split, NS tuners, ampcase has some edge/corner wear, amp 'comes on but makes a humming noise,' guitar 'does not work.' This was an earlier setup as you can see by the two-bolt neck, the amp also sported the triangle insert knob.


1311/1442 Valco lap steel G $136 Clean, some surface wear, gold sparkle buttons look good, untested, (1) tuner bent, wear/oxidation to tuner posts and pickup area, serial #T23883


1319 Harmony lap steel F $139 Edge wear, guide stickers on neck, 'deco' logo shows light wear, tested; no sound

10/20

Welp, it's a slooooow Wednesday. As usual. Got some cool stuff, though:

Had to hit the books on our first up today... at first glance, I thought it was a mid-60s long-necked Harmony-made 805. Once I looked at the detail pics, a fancy headstock with a Space Dot emerged, so I knew it was a much later model. Turns out to be a 30-bracket 12522, Made in Japan, available from 1972 until at least 1975. It's the first one I've ever seen, and it went for a song; in fact, it didn't even bring its late-in-the-game selling price of $99.95!

12522 MIJ Banjo w/ OC VG $96 5-string w/ resonator, clean, minimal wear, inlays and 'Space Dot' in good shape, binding tight, hardware shows light tarnish


1482 Dano tube amp E $406 Round speaker cutout, clean, minimal wear, covering and insides look great, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp MOD $230 Light corner wear, looks like a strip of covering torn off along bottom back edge, replaced baffle, NS Jensen D-Alnico-5 'mid-range,' tweeter spot empty, handle broken, grille cloth 'pushed,' back panel missing, tremolo status unknown, no footswitch


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case E $1200 Clean guitar and ampcase, sidewalls white, minimal wear to case and guitar, logo strong, tremolo functional, footswitch incl. Just so you know, here's what kept it from 'Near Mint:' that little bit of rust on the neck strap button and some very light oxidation to the tuners, no 'cord keeper' near the jack, that little ding on the edge by the second  'e' in the logo, no paperwork.



I was about to drop this one into the 'unknown' slot, when I noticed the diamond shaped fret marker on the top edge of the front half-view pic (no full-length shot of the front was provided). The musical note pickguard (see other 290 below in listing for 10/13) wasn't pictured, so I didn't have that immediate visual clue to ID with. Auctioneers: always do full-length shots!

290 Kay FHAC w/ C G $240 Clean, some surface wear, pickguard broken but incl. w/ bracket, binding tight, 'wind chime' logo strong, ca. early 1940s



10/19

OK, let's wrap up our weekend amps (we got all the guitars cleared out yesterday), and get on wit da business!

1430 Dano tube amp G $105 Clean, light covering wear, back panel missing, light rust to handle captures and jack nut, wear to logoplate, light oxidation to chassis panel


1470 Sears tube amp G $120 Wear to covering, logo strong, 'lunch box' handle looks good, inner label intact, speaker code 33-638-4, tubes light up, slight hum, otherwise untested


1448 Dano case only G $60 Clean, light wear, no amp


1448 Dano tube amp in case only G $115 Clean, corner dings, some weirdness to the grille, functional


1448 Dano tube amp in case only G $90 Some scuffs inside and out, hinge and corner 'repaired,' hole in grille, amp works


1448 Dano tube amp in case only G $95 Clean, light wear, amp doesn't work


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG amp G cab $425 Top  of speaker cabinet missing covering, amp is clean, back panel missing, stock Jensens in place, rev/trem functional, family owned (seller's uncle, seller's dad, seller)


1464 Dano speaker cabinet only $103 Water staining to inner panel, corners in poor shape, "Sears Special Edition" speakers, untested 


1391 Dano tune amp G $58 Clean, light wear, handle worn, tone knob missing, all parts present but currently non-functional (seller says he's repaired it twice)


1451 Dano tube amp G $75 Scuffs and edge wear, rust to jack nuts and screws, light oxidation to chassis, handle in good shape, oxidation to handle captures


1482 Dano tube amp VG $330 Round speaker cutout, corners worn, tremolo 'strong,' no footswitch, new AC cord, pots date to late '66


1482 Dano tube amp F $100 Round speaker cutout, painted black, lights up but no sound, AC cord in in need of replacement, back panel missing, pots date to early '66


1482 Dano tube amp F $100 Square speaker cutout, edge/corner wear, rust to xformer, NS EH power tubes, light rust to handle captures, (1) knob missing insert, amp could use a good cleaning, tremolo status unknown, some weird coppery filaments in grille


1483 Dano tube amp only G $356 Edge/corner wear, 1/4" jacked speaker cable still attached, some oxidation spotting to front panel, rust to jack nuts, recently serviced, pots date to 1965


1483 Dano tube amp only F $221 Edge wear, (2) knobs missing, rust to xformer, functional






Let's start today's auctions off with a mystery... I've seen this guitar once or twice in 25+ years of Silvertonium prospecting, but I've never seen a catalog listing for this rare six-string. The guitar is Kay-made, obviously closely related to the early 60s era 1445, but with a brownburst finish, a pointy pickguard, and an extra knob, more like a Silvertone branded version of the Kay 'Speed Demon,' which matches these specs. Store-only guitar? End of the line last minute substitution? Custom order? Sold for just a little more than three bills, which is proof positive that rare does not always equal big money.

UNK Kay HBEG VG $304 Clean, minimal wear, edge ding near tailpiece, logo strong. Oh, and a full length pic of the front woulda been nice...


1444 Dano SSEG Bass w/ C VG $525 Clean, some edge wear and playing wear to bass side, logo worn/bent, NS knobs, pots date to 1965


670 Kay FHAC G $200 Clean, pickguard missing, light wear, logo and shield strong on unusual scalloped headstock, tuner buttons deteriorated, finish flaking near strap button area, strap button relocated, (1) thumbwheel missing. Relisted


1320 Harmony HBEG VG $599 Clean, light wear, logo worn, serial #974H54, (4) professionally cleated/repaired cracks in waist,  stamped F-52-E


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $275 Clean, light wear, cord keeper still present, knob inserts discolored, logo strong, manual/schematic incl.


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only G $206 Clean, edge/surface wear, logo strong, NS knobs



This next item appears in our all-new Frankentone amp gallery as an example of a mod gone right.

1421 Sears tube combo amp '10XL' MOD $109 Clean, nicely covered in tweed, NS preamp tube, tremolo functional, "not extremely loud," handle worn


1471 Dano tube amp VG $208 Round speaker cutout, clean, minimal wear, grille and logoplate looks great, grille shows light speaker 'shadow,' back panel missing, seller says "closet stored for nearly 50 years"


1481 Dano tube amp G $118 Square speaker cutout, edge/corner wear, logoplate hangin' on, knob inserts discolored, AC in need of repair/replacement, back panel missing, untested


 600 series Harmony FTAC w/ C G $110 Clean, minimal wear, high action


617 Harmony FTAC F $70 Sold as project, playing wear, logo worn, tuners missing, bridge tight but (3) endpins missing, repaired crack at heel, stamped S-63-A. Curiously, also stamped S-61, but the serial is #834H617, so it's a 617 model, ca. 1962-64. A 1961 produced model would have been a 625.


1316 Harmony lap steel G $139 Clean, surface wear, logo strong, chrome dull, pots stiff/static-y



10/18

BIG weekend, and a busy workday. I got the stringed stuff today, I'll get the wired/tubed stuff tomorrow.

1212 Harmony FTAC VG $160 Clean, light wear, 'Space Dot'  looks good, mis-ID'd as a ca. 1950s model


1220 Harmony FTAC VG $350 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, logo strong


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $425 Clean, light wear, NS red Schaller tuners, knobs missing inserts


700 Harmony FHAC VG $200 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, 'deco' logo strong, serial #1077H700


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $415 Clean, light wear, whammy present, logo strong, NS whammy spring (orig. incl.)


1420 Harmony SSEG G $240 Clean, some scratches/surface wear, logo strong, playing wear to neck, some side flaking


1420 Harmony SSEG w/ OC G $259 Clean, light wear, light oxidation to chrome, 'very little response' from V/T knobs, logo has ding at 'ne'


623 Harmony FHAC G $150 Clean, light wear, some neck dings, logo strong, pickguard missing, plenty of playing wear to fingerboard, stamped S-59-T, serial #4942H623


604 Harmony FTAC w/ C G $200 Clean, light wear, logo strong, serial #?577H604


604 Harmony FTAC w/ C G $200 Clean, fingerboard wear, NS tuners, pickgaurd cracked at top, stamped F-64-AP


615 Harmony FTAC G $51 Clean, light wear, logo strong


1202 Harmony FTAC F $31 Dusty, some edge/surface wear, rust to tuner plates and tailpiece, strap button missing, mistakenly ID'd as a ca. 1950s model


852 Harmony ukulele E $143 Clean, minimal wear, stencil and logo strong


1256 Harmony baritone ukulele w/ OC VG $99 Clean, light wear, logo strong, nice graining



UNK Kay FHAC VG $204 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, 'wind chime' logo strong, tuner buttons replaced, recently setup, probably a 696



10/15

October's midpoint... we've had an amazing month so far; if you haven't checked in lately, scroll down and have a look at the awesome, beautiful and just plain fun Silvertonium we've come across this month. We've got some treats for you today as well, starting with this 1471 amplifier. And, no, it's not some crazy upside-down trapezoid shape... it's just the camera angle.

1471 Dano tube amp VG $250 Round speaker cutout, clean, light edge wear, logoplate clean, handle in good shape, back panel present, light grille stain. Relisted in November.


1481 Dano tube amp G $177 Square speaker cutout, minimal wear, paint smear  to grille, knobs slightly discolored


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $895 Edge/corner surface wear, looks like some drink or paint stains to top of speaker cab, works well



This Japanese-made 'Country Gentleman' clone, the last of the Silvertone branded guitars, has seen better days, suffered some 'Silvertone Shame,' but is still in good shape. It just needs a little love... and a few parts.

1475 Teisco MIJ HBEG G $199 Surface wear, whammy arm missing, pickguard missing, logo missing, truss rod cover missing, lead pickup bezel broken, cracks around jack, goldtone plating shows some wear



Caught a couple of 'Bobkats' yesterday; today, we've got a 1477 in what the seller called a 'restore project.'

1477 Harmony SBEG  F $236 Edge wear, bridge missing, oxidation to whammy and tailpiece, (1) knob missing (and possibly a broken pot), logo strong, untested


1420 Harmony SSEG MOD $166 Edge/surface/playing wear, knobs missing, NS pickups, NS tuners, NS tailpiece, rewired, glued crack to upper bass side of neck, logo strong


1410 Kay SBEG F $178 Finish cracked/flaked/faded, NS knobs, smooth pickup cover (vs. the usual 'cheese grater'), logo holding strong, side jack installed, NS pickguard, tailpiece cover shiny, structurally sound, seller says "So ugly, it's cute!"


1319 Harmony lap steel F $125 Some edge/surface wear, notes written on fingerboard, some oxidation to pickup cover and control plate, tuner buttons deteriorated, cord intact, logo strong, no output


803 Banjo w/ OC G $26 4-string w/ resonator, playing wear, some wear to fretboard towards nut, nut broken, NS bridge


803 Banjo G $11 4-string w/ resonator, playing wear


1838 Oscar Schmidt autoharp F $27 Clean on top, back has some weird staining, fret bars look re-arranged, no case or accessories

 

10/14

Been waitin' for this wacky axe to complete its auction so I could let you have a gander at it. It's a Monkey Wards Airline guitar, made by Kay, in a mutated Explorer sorta shape with a 'Verdant Green' finish... wish they'd made a Silvertone version of it! It's got some light wear and a non-stock compensated bridge/tailpiece, but otherwise it's mighty fine. Ultra-rare, it went for a sweet $722. While you're thinking about it and the auction is still up, go check out a great example of how to write up a guitar auction, and give a listen to the cool audio samples of this guitar that "Jukebox Bonfire" has made available.



Silvertones Ahoy! A pair of beautiful 'Bobkats.' This red 1488 and black 1476 are two of the nicest I've seen!

1488 Harmony SBEG w/ OC E $650 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, whammy present, chrome shiny, the only real flaws I can see are two little "whoops it fell over" dings on the back of the headstock


1476 Harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $340 Clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny , logo strong (a little blur on the second 'e'),


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $382 Clean guitar and ampcase, light edge wear, knob inserts worn/discolored, playing wear to neck


1457 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $332 Clean, big scrape on back; otherwise light wear,  logo strong, clean sidewalls, interesting fingerboard graining



The 1240 led several different lives; a cursive logo'd, bolt-necked model made by Kay (the model link below takes you to a 1969 catalog listing for that one), a block-logo'd Harmony, and this late-era Space Dot model from Harmony.

1240 Harmony FHAC VG $56 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, 'Space Dot' looks good, NS nut (looks like some slight damage there, too), serial #5838 12401; unusual (but typical for this model) in that there is no 'S' or 'H' separating the serial from the model number


1432 Dano tube amp VG $351 Clean, light corner wear, handle worn, speaker cutout  'shadow' to grille, logo tag missing, hole cut in back panel, footswitch incl., tremolo unmentioned but seller says "amp is in good working condition"


1255 Harmony Ukulele VG $33 Clean, light wear, original box incl.



1490 Teisco MIJ SBEG Bass $38 What's left of it, anyway...


1381 Kay pickguard $60




10/13

Well, it's got the word "silvertone" in it, dunnit? It's Wednesday, and that generally means a slow day auction-wise. Slow in sheer numbers, but not in quality. We've got some very nice items today, and I thought I'd also take a little time and present a handful of fun stuff that sneaks through the ol' Silvertone World Ebay Filter™. First off, some funk/disco/steeldrum wildness from a Holland-based band called The Silvertone. Searched around a bit and found this little blurb from Dutch guitarist Victor von Kampen's website: "...from 1975 to 1980 I played professionally in several local bands in the neighbourhood of Haarlem... (one of them was) The Silvertone Band (Latin, Calypso). With this band, one LP was released by record company Dureco named "A Brand New Start." With this band I frequently toured through Holland, Belgium and Germany." Visit Victor's website; he's got lessons, video, and a great YouTube channel with an amazing variety of tunes (I'd embed a tune or two, but it's disabled... make sure to check out "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Girl From Ipanema"). Oh, yeah... the album sold for $10. Click on the player for a small sample of the lively, funky "Massa" from the 1978 long-player. The actual label was Dureco's 'sublabel' GIP, and the LP was recorded at the Dureco (DUtch REcord COmpany) studios in Weesp, Holland.

Next, a couple of wacky axes from Teisco($405) and Kay ($388), presented with no commentary... that is to say, I'm speechless!



And now, let the Silvertonium appreciation commence!

1385 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $2120 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, finish and hardware shiny, logo intact, NS tailpiece


290 Kay FHAC w/ C G $357 Clean, some surface wear, 'music note' pickguard present, binding tight, neck separated, 'wind chime' logo strong, NS tailpiece, ca. early 1940s


710 Harmony FHAC VG $159 Clean, light wear, 'deco' logo strong, pickguard present


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $650 Clean guitar and ampcase, minimal wear, logo strong, scratch on headstock, ampcase grille painted black, tremolo unmentioned


1478 Harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $355 Clean, light wear, whammy present, hardware shiny, logo strong, case still has safety strap


666 Harmony FTAC 12-string VG $150 Clean, light wear, logo strong, personalized over the model number screen with a DYMO label 'MIRANDA,' and it looks like "LMI" on the truss rod cover


606 Harmony FTAC VG $96 Clean, light wear, logo strong, original box incl.



International Super Spy guitar... spent some time in Germany, apparently. May have military secrets/codes engraved on neck plate.

1445 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ OC VG $250 Whammy present, logo looks good, surface wear, NS Grover tuners, some screw holes at the bridge where a Tele-style bridge lived for a while, nice repair done to jack area "white pearl is the only color that the small violin shop in Germany had and the guitar had to be fixed." NS knobs, lots of info/names scratched onto neck plate; "something to do with a military base in Berlin." Re-listed from September.


1484 Dano tube amp only F $191 Covering painted blue, missing fuse holder, rust to input jacks, untested


1482 Dano tube amp VG $256 Round speaker cutout, light wear, some oxidation to amp chassis, back panel missing, tremolo functional

1482 Dano tube amp VG $325 Square speaker cutout, light wear,  fully functional, scratchy pots


1425 Sears solid state amp $25 Powers on; whether that means it works or not is a matter of debate.The seller said this 200 XL 'needs work.' No kiddin'...



10/12

Danelectro Über-expert Doug Tulloch chimed in on our first up today: "Though creative, it's not a stock guitar. Pretty cool though!" That's a pretty good summation of this well-crafted Frankentone. Check it out, and remember to check out Doug's great book, "Neptune Bound," the absolute best Danelectro book around. It won't quite fit in a standard-sized stocking, but it'd be a welcome gift for any guitarhead on your list. The link above is to Amazon's 'hardbound' page; you can use the 'Look Inside' feature to sample pages of the book. This paperback link will take you to the page for the softcover version (no 'look inside'), and go here for the 'Neptune Bound' website.

UNK UNK $238 One-of-a-kind guitar, with a 1448 neck (w/ NS tuners) married to a 'tulip' solid body, a sitar bridge, and a lipstick tube pickup. Nice fit and finish, plenty of glitter, and I'm sure with that sitar bridge, it's got a very distinct sound.



From the "sat in the pawn shop window too long" department comes this non-catalog 1453. Sibling to the Harmony Rebel, and impersonator of a Rick 365. Oddly enough, the orange fade makes it look more like a Rick!

1453 Harmony HBEG VG $421 Clean, whammy present, light wear, logo laminate looks good, front and sides sun-faded to orange, some yellowing of pickguard


1460 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $233 Clean, minimal wear, neck pickup doesn't work, whammy arm missing, logo missing, binding tight


604 Harmony FTAC G $20 Clean, looks OK from single photo provided


123X UNK MIJ Classical G $138 Looks OK in odd angled blurry photos, can't read the full part #


1481 Dano tube amp G $160 Square speaker cutout, front looks better than the back, seller says "sounds great"


1482 Dano tube amp MOD $220 Round speaker cutout, re-grilled, NS Ruby tubes, NS back panel, recently serviced, 3-prong AC mod, tremolo unmentioned, no footswitch


1464 Dano solid state amp only MOD $100 Re-upholstered in gray carpeting, (1) knob missing, seller says  "fully functional"


Here's a little something from the Silvertone World Ebay Filter™: it's a still-sealed pack of 'half tone' needles for your Victrola. I think the 'half tone' designation referred to a needle that would produce a mid-range in volume.  I usually see these needles packed in a small Altoids-like tin; this is the first example of this particular envelope that I've seen. The design features the "Pied Piper of Silvertone" that was featured on many of Sears & Roebuck's 78s from the early part of the century. "Use Each Needle Only ONCE!?!?"



1452 Dano pickguard $40



10/11

How'd your 10/10/10 go? Lovely weekend here in NC, and PLENTY of Silvertonium coming up out of the ebay mine. Let's start with the brightest gem of the weekend, a 1427 late-era 'Espanada.'

1427 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $1600 Clean, minimal wear, pickguard missing, finish and hardware shiny, logo intact, lowest serial # I've seen on one of these; 426H1427


1372 Kay HBEG VG w/ C VG $750 Clean, minimal wear, all stock, late-era (ca. late 1958) script logo strong, ID's as a 1425 for some reason


1454 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $694 Clean, light wear, Bigsby present, logo strong, looks like one of those rare triangular Sears cases


1322 Harmony HBEG G $356 Edge/surface wear, some finish checking, back pulling up, front has split at tailpiece, 'deco' logo strong, pickguard present, pickup/tailpiece/tuners show rust, stock knobs looks good, amusingly ID'd as a Dano


1476 harmony SBEG MOD $184 Edge/surface wear, repainted w/ brush, (1) NS tuner post, scratchy pots, screw crack to pickguard at top treble tip, logo worn, light pitting to chrome parts, NS bridge w/ 'penny mod'


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG VG $255 Clean, light wear, whammy present, logo strong, hardware shiny, master volume noisy



Now, a few groupings...

1457 Dano SSEG and case G $306 Clean, some edge wear, logo strong, pickup selector switch broken, pickup covers show some unevenness, ampcase is missing the amp and speaker


1457 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $319 Clean, minimal wear, chrome shiny, logo strong, glitter worn from armrest area on bass side, playing wear to neck, looks like a sticker on the pickguard near bottom V/T control
v

1448 Dano SSEG guitar only VG $249 Clean, light wear, logo strong, NS knobs


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only MOD $164 Edge wear, finish scuffs, logo strong, NS tailpiece, knob insert missing, (1) knob missing, sidewalls dingy, lower strap button missing


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $295 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, transitional setup; strip tuners


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $426 Clean, light wear to guitar and ampcase, logo strong, NS knobs on guitar


1448 Dano SSEG guitar only w/ C G $133 Clean, light wear, buckle rash, logo strong, scratchy pots, NS knobs on guitar, NS tuners, early model; two-bolt neck w/ narrow attach 'pier'


1448 Dano ampscase only F $104 Wear to case, staining to grill, knob missing, amp works "but not very loud," hinges/clasps "touched up"


1449 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $620 Clean guitar and ampcase, slightly scratchy pots, tremolo functional... check the video!


1449 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG guitar G amp $469 Clean, light edge/surface wear, sidewall ding near controls, NS pickup selector switch, rhythm pickup case cracked, outside of ampcase not pictured, inside looks good, strip tuners, amp powers up; speaker disconnected/untested, tremolo status unknown


1214 Harmony FTAC w/ C VG $130 Clean, light wear, removable pickup, looks like a block logo; can't tell from pics provided


 600 series Harmony FTAC MOD $38 Edge/surface wear, rats gnawed on soundhole, NS bridge/tailpiece mod, logo strong


1487 Teisco MIJ SBEG with built -in amp G $266 Clean, 9V battery cover missing, missing 'Silver Tone' emblem, logo strong (but what's up with the 't'?), amp untested


1487 Teisco MIJ SBEG with built -in amp G $315 Clean, light wear, low 'E' tuner button missing, 9V battery cover missing, truss rod adjustment 'roughed up,' missing 'Silver Tone' emblem, logo strong, amp untested


604 Harmony FTAC w/ C VG $31 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, sticker residue on headstock


604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $37 Clean, light wear, some storage finish 'melt' on the side, original braided cord 'strap' incl., stamped S-64-H


604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $56 Clean, edge wear, playing wear to 'cowboy chord' area, logo strong, original box incl., serial #2553H604


653 Kay FHAC F $138 Checking, edge/surface wear, pickguard present, logo strong (except for the second 'e'), headstock damaged, heel damaged, 1/8" hole in back and through headstock, bottom strap button missing, stamped L3388 5520


452 Harmony ukulele VG $104 Clean, stencil and logo strong, back has been re-glued, seller ID'd as '50s vintage, but wood fingerboard indicates 30s vintage



And on to the amps...

1482 Dano tube amp MOD $272 Re-grilled, NS speaker, probably re-baffled, tremolo functional, back panel missing


1472 Dano tube amp F $203 Re-covered in duct tape, red border panel with correct 'tremolo' spelling, cabinet and handle solid, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1474 Dano tube amp G $799 Light wear, NS corner protectors, NS tubes, tremolo functional, reverb tank missing, no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp only VG $301 Clean, rev/trem functional, NS 6L6 tubes, 1/4" jack mod, pots date to 1965


1484 Dano tube amp only VG $266 Clean, rev/trem functional


1484 Dano tube amp only G $203 Clean, minimal wear, lights up; otherwise untested, 1/4" jack mod, 3-prong AC mod


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $435 Some edge/corner wear, grille staining, channel 2 works, channel 1 doesn't, scratchy pots, footswitch incl., rev/trem unmentioned


1431 Dano tube amp VG $158 Clean, light wear, logoplate looks good, wear to handle


1340 Valco tube amp VG $190 Clean, edge wear, handle worn/cracked, grille logo in good shape with some wear at the 'S', back panel in place


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet MOD $209 Edge/surface wear all over, cabinet has been shrunk a bit, 'L' brackets holding everything together, grile painted blue, cab painted black


1483 Dano tube amp chassis only MOD $179 Amp is functional, chassis modded, then the project was abandoned



UNK Kay FHAC G $210 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, 'wind chime' logo strong, NS tuners and bridge thumbwheels/shafts, small crack at heel


UNK Kay FHAC G $115 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, logo strong, nut looks chipped, probably a 619 or 627




1465 Knob $10


14XX Dano  knobs $25 Lot of 5


1484 Reverb Tank $27 Untested




10/8

Pickin' and strummin' is what we've got today... it's all about the guitars, ya'll. Sorry about the "no update effect" yesterday, but a migraine knocked me for a loop. Back on track today with some super six strings and a few sweet and rare amps. Dig in!

First up today is an unusual 'tulip head' 1424 guitar from our friends at Teisco.

1424 Teisco MIJ HBEG w/ OC VG $237 Clean, minimal wear, logo tag strong, serial #347266


1420 Harmony SSEG MOD $153 Some playing wear, NS pickups, from the seller: " The fretboard, pickguard, knobs, and tailpiece are reproductions."


1423 Harmony SSEG w/ OC VG $646 Clean, light wear, logo intact, NS chicken head selector


1475 MIJ HBEG VG $405 Clean, logo missing, goldtone plating shows wear


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case VG $330 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, ampcase looks great


633 Harmony FTAC G $172 Clean, some surface wear, pickguard missing, logo strong, serial #3822H633


602 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $49 Clean, logo strong, painted on 'pickguard' looks good


663 Kay FHAC F $57 Clean, some surface/edge wear, pickguard and bridge missing, 'wind chime' logo strong, tailpiece shows rust, tuner buttons deteriorating, stamped L6271


621 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $51 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, stamped S-65


641 harmony FTAC G $150 Clean, some edge/surface wear, finish looks a bit sun-faded

And now for an interesting handful of amplifiers...

1463 Dano Solid State Bass amp MOD $255 Clean, light wear, NS speaker w/ great big hole cut in the back panel to accommodate it


1472 Dano tube amp MOD $340 Re-cabineted, looks pretty solid, red border panel with correct 'tremolo' spelling, pots date to June 1962, NS Marsland speaker, tremolo functional, 3-prong AC mod


1419 Sear tube amp F $46 Clean, light wear, back panel missing, some stickers/residue on front, powers up/hums/no output


1331 Dano tube amp VG $315 Clean, minimal wear, missing 6SJ7 tube, powers up, tubes light, stored in closet wrapped in sheet


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $306 Edge/corner wear, can't tell a lot from the single photo


1483 Dano speaker cabinet VG $178 Clean, light wear, stock Jensen speaker present, covering/grille/handle/logo tag looks good




UNK Harmony FTAC Neck and pickguard $48 Tuners present, probably from a 600 series model, sold with a Gretsch banjo neck



10/6

I was gonna banish today's first up to the bottom of the stack until a blonde version of pretty much the same guitar came over the wire this morning, and it's a slow Wednesday, so what the hey. The synchronous World of Silvertone rolls on!

UNK Kay FTAC F $43 This one showed up in the 'silvertone' ebay search group yesterday, and I thought it was one for a few seconds... but it's just a little off. Certainly looks like it could be one of those Kay-built 604 guitars... but it's got the classic Kay teardrop pickguard (much like the one we see on the 618/620), and the striping is a little off. Lots of edge/surface wear, (1) bridge pin missing, rusty tuners, flower decals


UNK Kay FTAC G $46 Similar guitar as above in a blonde finish, accessible truss rod and different fret marker pattern. Stamped L5412. Looks like a well-worn (nearly gone) Kay emblem on the pickguard. Edge/surface wear, high action.



On to the Silvertones!

1482 Dano tube amp G $250 Round speaker cutout, some edge wear, handle worn, speaker cone taped, tremolo functional, 3-prong AC mod


1245 Kay FHAC w/ OC VG $202 Clean, light wear, logo strong


1435 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $237 Whammy missing, clean, logo tag present, hardware shiny, serial #165343


1420 Harmony SSEG G $317 Playing wear, logo strong, bridge missing, electronics non-functional


1484 Dano empty speaker cabinet $144 Speakers missing, plenty of wear, looks like some water staining inside, casters present, seller says still structurally sound



10/5

Another big autumn auction day, some great acoustic and electric guitars in the mix, and a bunch more great Silvertonium.

Thought I'd give you a peek inside this model 660 classical guitar that sold yesterday. Look at the shot of the inside label; it's covering a Kay-style 'L series' stamping, and a much smaller '660' hovers above it. Also, the label calls this a "Classic Guitar."

660 Kay Classical G $22 Clean, edge/surface wear, sticker fret markers, playing wear (?) on treble side of soundhole decal


1421 Sears tube combo amp '10XL' VG $125 Clean, light wear, a few paint dots on top (does everybody paint around their amps?), tremolo functional. Uncleaned, unrestored; the seller says "I'm a finder, not a collector."

672 Kay FHAC w/ OC VG $475 Clean, pickguard present, shield/logo strong, 'cheese wedge' fret markers look good, back graining very nice, no full-length photo available (*sigh*), single family provenance since mid-late 50s


1211 Harmony FTAC E $169 Very clean, minimal wear, logo strong, soundhole decal looks good, pickguard present, stamped S-69


621 harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $80 Clean, light wear, logo strong, bridge re-glued, new saddle


1202 Harmony FTAC VG $65 Clean, light wear, logo strong


605 Harmony FTAC VG $99 Clean, light wear, 'deco' logo strong, shiny tailpiece, light rust to tuner plates


1838 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp P $8 Broken/missing keys, plenty of dirt, back nailed on, "been sitting in a shed for years"



Alright! Unleash the Danos!

1419 Dano SSEG $300 Clean, light wear, logo broken on beginning of 'S,' serial #1049 indicates Oct.,1959 build


OK, here's a quickie lesson on how to tell your (late '59 through early '61) 1417/1419 from a (late '61 through Fall/Winter '62) 1415/1416. They are both 'U'-shaped 'dolphin nose' models, but the older models have a circular circuit access panel on back, and a 'square' neck joint, the newer models have a five-sided aluminum access panel, and a 'swoopy' neck joint. Also, the newer models will have their jack located on top, about 2 inches below the high 'E' string, rather than on the side. The end of the six-string 'U'-shaped line of Dano-made guitars ended with the introduction of the ampincase 1448

1415 Dano SSEG $420 Clean, some playing wear along bass edge top, logo intact, some playing wear to neck



...and speaking of ampincase models...

1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $500 Playing wear to neck, buckle rash, ampcase has some pretty rough edges and some grille staining, (1) knob insert missing, (1) knob insert NS,


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case G $548 Clean, logo faded/worn, fingerboard has some wear (apparently at a former player's favorite string-bending area), case has some structural damage, amp is good, footswitch incl.(untested), the seller indicated that the 'reverb' is functional... of course, he was referring to the 1457's built-in tremolo.




10/4

WEEKEND! Wow, what a start to October! We've got beautiful guitars, a couple of mysteries, lots of this and that in varying degrees of goodness... you know, your classic Silvertone World weekend... Let's jump right in!

1485 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $910 Dusty, light wear, all (6) stock Jensens in place, grille looks good, casters in place, some kind of smudge on top of speaker cabinet


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $475 Some edge wear, NS corner protectors to head and cab, (1) reverb knob missing, re-tubed/capped, rev/trem functional, (1) NS Fender speaker, 3-prong AC mod


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet $199 Recovered/painted blue, tremolo speed knob missing, untested


1483 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $500 Clean, jack mod to speaker, grille looks replaced/painted


1478 Harmony SBEG w/ C VG $455 Clean, logo had been taped over, chrome shiny, pickguard and pickups look great, most screws missing from the p/g, whammy bar present, wiring iffy; controls hard to turn, switches intermittent


653 Kay FHAC G $500 Faded, edge/surface wear, pickguard present, logo strong, NS bridge, tailpiece shows oxidation


605 Harmony FTAC G $61 Edge/surface wear, homemade bridge, logo strong


605 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $83 Clean, light edge wear, 'deco' logo strong, stamped S-57-T


1214 Harmony FTAC VG $43 Clean, light wear, block logo strong, one of the last Silvertone-branded guitars from Sears


698 EKO FTAC VG $19 Cleanest one of these rarities I've ever seen, without the deep finish checking that usually goes along with this model. This one appears the most similar to the 600 series from Harmony, but is Italian-made


851 Harmony Ukulele VG $99 Stencil clean, light wear, strap incl.


660 Kay Classical G $23 Clean, light wear


1430 Dano tube amp G $139 Wear to covering and handle, front Meteor tag missing, back panel and controls look good, possible NS tubes


1481 Dano tube amp VG $213 Light wear, knobs look good


1448 Dano SSEG with tube amp in case G $330 Clean guitar and amp, chunk taken out of neck, light wear, some electrical mods to non-functioning amp, V/T knob inserts discolored


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $685 Clean guitar and ampcase, light wear, sidewalls clean, logo strong, light oxidation to speaker cage and amp chassis panel, footswitch incl.


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $342 Clean guitar and ampcase, sidewall tear near V/T controls, logo strong, footswitch incl., tremolo unmentioned, couple of hinges broken


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $525 Clean guitar and ampcase with light wear, (1) NS knob to guitar, footswitch incl.


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case F $228 Needs work, no amp or speaker, surface wear, edge wear to finger board, case clasps broken


1419 Dano SSEG w/ C G $425 Edge wear, logo intact, playing wear to neck, a couple of NS screws


1300 Dano SSEG VG $899 Clean, light wear, logo worn at 'S,' some playing wear to top of neck


1416 Dano SSEG G $449 Clean, NS knobs, logo looks OK from the available photo, arm wear to lower top bass bout, tone and toggle controls seem to have no effect


1444 Dano SSEG Bass VG $375 Clean, light wear, logo intact, sidewalls clean, 5-sided aluminum access panel, 'swoop' neck cutaway


2323 Valco Lap Steel w/ OC G $165 Clean, some wear, oxidation to metal, logo looks good, cord intact, tuner buttons deteriorated/ing


1448 Dano tube amp only MOD $85 Custom-made perf-board and wood case, NS 10" speaker, operational; low level hum


1410 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $100 Finish checking front and back, logo strong, whammy arm missing, lead pickup mounting hole modded for NS humbucker


1429 Harmony HBEG VG $650 Clean, looks good from one photo available, logo in enhanced pic appears OK


1472 Dano tube amp VG $475 Square speaker cutout, light wear, tremolo functional, some oxidation to control panel, red border panel w/ correct 'tremolo' spelling, pots date to late '62


1482 Dano tube amp G $325 Round speaker cutout, edge/corner wear, tested functional, tremolo not working, no footswitch


1451 Dano tube amp G $123 Wear to covering, scratches to logo plate, corner broken, handle worn,


1342 Valco tube amp G $265 Could use a good cleaning, logo worn, grille shows some wear, all stock knobs present, handle worn but functional



UNK UNK $399 1452 neck on unknown body, Dano-type lipstick pickups installed in guitar as well. The story from the seller ( I could identify none of the people or places e is speaking of here) "Today I found a large group of Danelectros and Silvertone guitars in one of the rooms of the "White House". That's building #4 in the "annex parade" behind the small storefront Karo calls "the place". There were four new guitars that I had never seen before. Karo claims to have known Nat Daniel and to have visited the "Dano" factory several times and made friends with several of the luthiers and other folks up there. In the mid, or late, 1970's (Karo can't remember), one of those friends dropped by to visit him at "the place". He ended up staying for about two weeks sleeping in the shop. During that week he kept pulling guitar parts out of his 1962 Oldsmobile. He had lost his job at the Dano factory a while back and they had paid him his last check in guitar bodies and parts. This is one of those guitars he assembled during this "sabbatical" at "Karo's place". He sold four or five of them while at the shop and then left several more with Karo as "friend's pay" for the accommodations." Hmmmmm... if this is the first, I'll be interested to see the rest of the lot!


UNK Kay FHAC G $153 Pickguard missing, edge wear, logo strong, stamped L1333 6889 possibly a 696




1484 Dano Parts $161 From the seller: "These Silvertone Twin Twelve Salvage Parts have been in my inventory for months. I don't know if any of this stuff works but if you need these for cosmetic purposes, here they are! I have not tested any of this stuff. This is what you get: 1.) Reverb tank - I don't know if it works. 2.) Lamp assembly with lamp - not tested either but complete. 3.) 4 1/4" nuts that appear to be original. 4.) Tremolo or Vibrato element - I think - not sure if this works either. 5.) 9 used knobs in not-so-great condition. 6.) 3 switches - all used - two are SPST and the other is an SPDT. What you see is what you get!"


1446 Repro pickguard $25 Just wanted to let y'all know parts like this are out there



10/1

Not a bad start to 'the season.'  School kicks in, new shows are on the tube, your team's playin' again, and 'every auction, every day' gets back in swing here at Silvertone World! September 2010 reported on over 240 auctions totaling $64,622!

Here's some highlights of what changed hands:  (20) 1448 guitars/amps or one or the other, (10) 1457 guitars/amps or one or the other, (16) 1484 amps, (8) 1482 amps, only (2) 1481 amps, (5) 'Chris Isaak'  1446 model guitars, only (2) 1423 'Jupiter' guitars. The highest dollar item was a very pretty 'Thin Twin' that went for $1300.  The least amount brought in September was $1 for an odd MIJ Canadian-sold acoustic.

If you haven't visited September 2010, give it a look... it was QUITE a month!

The very first Silvertone-branded item that sold this month in the wee hours of the morning of October 1st  was something I was in the bidding for, but missed the end of the auction. Since ebay separates you from auction winners now, it's much harder to contact someone who wins an item. So, if the winner ever comes across this post, I would love to have the recordings available for the users of Silvertone World. They were a handful of Silvertone 'record it yourself' records that had various radio programs dealing with some key occurrences of World War II; various victory day reports, FDR speeches and Walter Winchell reports. Great stuff, and if whoever did the recording left the commercials and air tags in, it would be a very unique collection of audio documents.



We get our instrumental start to October off in a fine way with a variety of autumn axes. Let's check 'em out:

1476 harmony SBEG w/ OC VG $372 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, finish and hardware shiny


661 Kay FHAC w/ OC VG $205 Clean, light wear, pickguard present, binding looks good, 'wind chime' logo strong


708 Harmony FHAC VG $202 Clean, light wear all over, pickguard present, 'deco' logo strong, serial #2187H708


1444 Dano SSEG Bass G $599 Light wear all over, logo bent at 'S,' dingy sidewalls, NS knobs, homemade access panel cover on back, 'swop' neck cutaway