September 2010

9/30

Ahhhhh.... September. It finally felt like it this morning. There was a southerly wind whippin' at about 20 miles per hour , with harder gusts, just before the sun came up. The wind was muggy, but behind it, you could feel something cold. It wasn't cold so much as you could feel it could be. Anyhoo, end of the month; time to total up what was and set our sights on October 2010. I'll have some September money and item totals and the beginning of a new month of auctions on tomorrow's page. Looks like we finally got a 'groupless' day (the two 612 models notwithstanding) with individual representatives from the large spectrum of Silvertonium available these days.

1446 Harmony HBEG  VG $950 Clean, light wear, Bigsby complete, knobs nice and clean, repro pickguard, logo strong



I can hardly believe this nice Kentucky Blue that snuck in on the last day of September was our ONLY Kentucky Blue for September! It's a rare one, too, as it is a transitional model that exhibits a lot of differences from your 'standard' 653: Scalloped headstock, 'wind chime logo,' blue paint job. The scalloped head is the most unusual feature, as most Kentucky Blues sported the peaked headstock design. Also, this guitar was obviously painted with the Kentucky Blue formulation that actually stayed blue, unlike most of the 'wind chime' logo'd 653 models you see, which have faded to a minty green.

653 Kay FHAC "Kentucky Blue" w/ OC VG $356 Clean, logo strong, hardware shiny, tuner buttons deteriorated/ing, neck pulling away slightly, stamped L9133 5520


1485 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $810 Clean, minimal wear, casters present, NS back panel, NS power tubes, (2) of 6 speakers NS, rev oscillates, trem functional


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet F $375 Edge and covering wear, painted black, everything works


658 Kay FHAC w/ OC G $80 Clean, light wear, logo strong, striping looks good, neck pulling away a bit, pickguard present, block markers indicate pre-'66 model.


612 Harmony FTAC VG $72 Clean, light wear, logo strong, late-era 'Melody Ranch'-like guitar. Unlike the true MR models, this one had a Silvertone on its headstock and no 'Gene Autry' screen printed 'autograph.' The seller advertised it as a 40s era guitar, but I think the price reflects the buyers knowledge that this was a later guitar. Catalog ad is from 1958.


612 Harmony FHAC w/ OC G $103 Clean, some wear, light buckle rash, logo strong, pickguard missing, nice graining,  some 'cowboy chord' wear, interesting case art


1417 Dano SSEG VG $510 Wear to headstock and back, stock knobs, pickguard present


604 Harmony FTAC VG $42 Clean, light wear, logo strong, some 'cowboy chord' wear


1482 Dano tube amp VG $350 Speaker baffle replaced, clean, light wear, some NS tubes, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $600 Clean guitar and ampcase, minimal wear, NS speaker


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with amp in case MOD $255 Clean guitar, case is painted bluish-gray on outside, the amp is obviously non-stock; it's solid state and a TEISCO amp (!)


1850 Oscar Schmidt Electric Autoharp VG $400 Clean, functional, all parts and accessories present, light wear to outer cover of case


1483 Dano tube amp only G $255 Some stains/oxidation to front face, covering minimal wear, lights up; otherwise untested


1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ OC VG $380 Whammy present, clean, minimal wear, logo tag looks good, case very clean


1437 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $800 Whammy present, clean, minimal wear, logo tag looks good, serial #267750


615 Harmony FTAC G $40 Edge wear, bridge present (it's just hiding), logo strong



UNK Kay FHAC G $76 Clean, pickguard missing, some finish checking, probably a 627 or a 619. Stamped L 9373



9/29

Funny, I was just lamenting how we don't see many of these late 50s era amps when along come three! They spanned those difficult years from 1959 'til 1961; rock and roll had made a big splash, Elvis was in the Army, Sputnik had ushered in the Space Age, and the '60s hadn't really cranked up quite yet. These amps were available with a Jetsons kinda feel after the decidedly conservative tweed/alligator "'50s Phase 3" amps. This angles-and-open-space aesthetic that was shared by every amp in the line would give way to the "TV-shaped" series that came right after this, most perfectly represented (to me) in the 1472/82, with its vertical front face control panel.

1432 Dano tube amp VG $400 Clean, light wear, typical speaker 'shadow' to grille, grille weave looks great, 'v' logo very nice, tremolo untested, no footswitch


1432 Dano tube amp G $300 Needs cleaning, edge/grille wear, handle worn, logo good, grille pushed in a bit, (2) knobs missing, re-capped (orig. incl.), tremolo functional, 3-prong AC cord mod


1432 Dano tube amp VG $220 Very clean covering, light stain to grille, water stains to back panel, one of the nicest of this model I've seen


1295 Harmony FTAC w/ OC E $10 Clean, minimal wear, hardware shiny, pickguard / soundhole decoration very clean, 'Space Dot' screen looks good



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 $350 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"


1448 Dano  SSEG ampcase only G $153 Clean, speaker colorfully re-wired, water staining to grille




As usual, they're arch tops...  mostly...

UNK Harmony FHAC G $85 Wear to top, pickguard & bridge missing, deco logo strong, seller ID'd the guitar as an H710 with a serial # of 301, so take that as your guide.


UNK Harmony FHAC F $76 Wear (water damage?) to top, pickguard missing, fret markers worn, some finish flaking, crack at neck and tailpiece


Might be a 1495, missing its logo, tailpiece & cover, looks like a homemade finger rest, went for $350





Dano footswitch $16 NS switch, new cord spliced into old, modder not clever enough to use the top hole, had to cut new side one


Dano footswitch $25 Earliest dual switch footswitches, operational status untested



9/28

OK, let's wrap the past weekend up. It's been a while since it's taken a two-day report to recap the weekend , but that's what we've got! Just couldn't get everything that went down over the weekend commented and up in one day, so... I'm spilling over the weekend's amps to today. Amp it up!

Let's start the day with a very pretty example of the 'Jack White' amp, the venerable 1484, followed by four more of the ubiquitous amp in varying degrees of desirability.

1484 Dano tube amp only VG $375 Clean, minimal wear, rev/trem functional, recently serviced, (2) NS Sovtek tubes


1484 Dano tube amp only G $250 Light wear, oxidation to metal face, tremolo works, reverb doesn't,  speaker line has 1/4" jack spliced on


1484 Dano tube amp only VG $550 Light wear, oxidation to metal face, corner chewed up, clean inside


1484 Dano tube amp only P $142 Plenty of face rust, cabinet has a break, rust to most exposed metal, non-functional, untested, missing (1) tube


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet VG $380 Light wear, Jensens replaced with generics, some oxidation to front panel, (1) knob broken, recently serviced


1463 dano solid state amp with speaker cabinet G $82 Some edge wear, handles and non-functioning Jensen still present, but auction was for head only; cab/speaker could be included at request


1464 Dano solid state amp only G $99 Looks good enough in single photo provided, no footswitch, "reverb is smooth, but tremolo does nothing"


1421 Sears tube amp G $173  Light wear, dent by power switch, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp VG $339 Square speaker cutout, minimal wear, all original tubes except the rectifier, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1482 Dano tube amp VG $228 Round speaker cutout, minimal wear, tremolo functional, static-y jacks


1481 Dano tube amp VG $203 Clean, minimal wear,  discolor/adhesive seep to knobs, logo plate & grille look good, NS back panel


1448 Dano  SSEG ampcase only G $139 Clean, functional, (1) big corner ding, NS knob


1457 Dano tube amp in case only VG $230 Functional, footswitch incl., light rust to clasps, handle captures, hinges


1391 Dano tube amp G $150 Light wear, some fade to grille, brass logo tag looks great, plays with slight hum, back panel missing


1335 Dano tube amp VG $500 Clean, light wear, recently serviced, all functional, no footswitch, light water stain to back panel


1333 Dano tube amp VG $175 Clean, "in good working order," handle rough, back panel missing


Here's something you rarely see: a Canadian-made Silvertone amp.

22177 UNK Solid State amp VG $22 Light wear to covering, tremolo functional



Now for your picking and strumming pleasure, a few Silvertone 'plectrum' style instruments.

1365 Kay HBEG VG $1100 Clean, minimal wear, logo laminate looks good, recently re-fretted


1352 Harmony HBEG G $770 Plenty of wear, playing wear to neck and treble side of top, repro logo, NS (but period correct) tuners


1418 Teisco MIJ VG $471 Clean, whammy present, minimal wear, hardware shiny, logo tag looks good, truss rod cover missing, screen print still on pickguard, serial #296802


1487 Teisco MIJ SBEG with amp on board G $200 Surface wear, battery cover missing, (1) NS knob, amp non-functional, Silvertone logo and oval sticker missing


1445 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ OC VG $191 Whammy present, logo looks good, light wear


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $365 Clean guitar and ampcase, light wear, cord retainer on guitar still present, finish shiny, electronics need some attention; "sporadic"


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $169 Clean, light wear, logo worn, NS knobs and bridge, earlier version; two-bolt neck, narrow attach pier, strip tuners


623 Harmony FHAC F $132 Edge wear, some buckle rash, logo flaked at second 'e,' some finish flaking (esp. at headstock), significant fingerboard wear, serial #4932H623. Relisted from earlier in month.


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC G $75 Light wear, Mother Maybelle record incl.


660 Kay Classical w/ OC VG $21 Clean, light wear, case missing handle




Today's first funky unknown is possibly the first use of the block logo on a Silvertone instrument, pot codes date to 42nd week of 1966, so I'd imagine a spring 1967 sale/availability. Never seen this pointy copper model in any catalog. Have you?

UNK Harmony Lap Steel w/ OC VG $308 Clean, minimal wear, hardware shiny, accessories included in original case, pots date to late 1966 (!)

Never seen one of these Made in Japan, Sold In Canada Simpson-Sears Silvertone banjos... what a resonator! I love surprises!

UNK UNK Banjo G $90 Light wear, truss rod cover missing, there was a model # tag on back of the head, but the photo was too blurry to make out




Dano footswitch $50 Untested, some covering peel at corner


Dano 14XX knob $10 One knob only


9/27

Things happen in groups here at Silvertone World. I've said it before, and I'm certain I'll remind you of it again sometime in the future, but it's the truth. From very common items (like FOUR model 604 acoustic models selling within an hour of each other), to the uncommon, such as today's first ups: two very different Buck Owens 'American' models. They look pretty good from a distance, but once you get 'hands on' with 'em both, you'll see the (in this case) $800 difference.

1219 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $900 Clean, finish still white (!), headstock laminate looks great, light rust to truss rod cover screws, playing wear to neck


1219 Harmony FTAC $73 Clean, finish still white (!), headstock laminate gone. Seller says: "The biggest problem is that the truss rod is broken. It's all there but when you turn the nut the rod just spins inside the neck. The peg head overlay where the Buck Owens logo should be is missing. The tuners are original and working so you may be able to use them. The rosewood fingerboard is in nice condition. The frets are good. The bridge is original but the 2 screws that raise and lower the saddle are missing. The body is in pretty nice condition. The top is nice and flat with no cracks or problems. The pickguard is original. The sides are in good shape with no cracks. The back has one big crack near the bottom as shown. Inside the body near the neck joint is the serial number is 9893 and the model H169 ink stamped on the wood. The other stamp is F70 M which would indicate the guitar was made in 1970." Also, the truss rod cover is missing and the bridge looks quite dried out.


1446 Harmony HBEG  VG $780 Clean, light wear, Bigsby complete, finish checking, NS tuners, logo strong


1446 Harmony HBEG  G $503 Some surface/edge wear, finish checking, logo strong, side/jack repair, Bigsby arm missing (replacement spring incl.)



I feel led to call "shenanigans" on this next Harmony model. Never, ever have I seen a Silvertone 'Bobkat' type guitar with the 'S' type slanted pickups. I wish the seller had unscrewed and dated the electronics assembly. It's gotta be a Frankentoned neck onto a formerly Harmony-branded guitar. Either that, or the factory was out of straight-cut assemblies and had to make quota.

14XX Harmony SBEG G $194 Clean, looks like a re-finish, some oxidation to chrome


1477 Harmony SBEG G $211 Clean, early non-whammy version, light wear, logo strong, pickguard cracked at jack, (1) tuner post missing


1488 Harmony SBEG G $300 Clean, light wear, NS tuners, logo looks OK in poor photo


1420 Harmony HBEG G $400  Clean, light wear, "how to play guide" red nail polish dots on fretboard, cracks at jack, pots dirty


1423 Harmony SSEG G $307 Clean, light wear all over, logo broken at 'S,' (2) knobs missing, short cracks at jack, wiring needs some attention


1352 Harmony HBEG G $735 Clean, light wear, looks like a repro logo decal, also a repro pickguard


634 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $31 Clean, blond version of this mid-late 50s model (more common sunburst is the 632), internally stamped H625


621 Harmony FTAC G $30 Edge/surface wear, logo strong, pickguard present, stamped serial #4222H621


623 Harmony FTAC VG $104 Clean, pickguard present, light wear, missing (2) bridge pins, serial #233H623


1210 Harmony FTAC VG $50 Clean, light wear, logo strong


1211 Harmony FTAC $11 Body only, nut included, logo strong small piece of lower back missing


615 Harmony FTAC MOD $46 Pickguard cut (why?), strange metallic filigree added, as well as a LOT of extra taped-on striping




This first guitar would fit right in as a 600 series model, but it's stamped with a serial number of # 4133 H 167. H167 is a valid Harmony model, quite similar body shape to this guitar, but usually seen with a much fancier bridge and a six-on-a-side style peghead.

UNK Harmony FTAC G $73 Clean, pickguard missing, logo strong


UNK Kay FTAC F $88 Light edge/surface wear, internal brace cracked, no bridge, no nut, heel broken, logo strong, bound neck, probably a 627


UNK Kay FTAC F $133 Light wear, pickguard present, logo strong, neck pulling away from body, stamped 656 6970



9/24

Well, Neil Young has a new album out next week, and the late César Díaz had been known to do some work for ol' Neil, so let's make this Díaz -modified lipstick pickup our first up today. Here's the seller's story, and do hit this link for the wiki article on Mr. Díaz : "Reads 4.0 k ohm on my meter, original windings, this is a killer sounding pickup that only the originals can produce, this pickup was custom modded by César Díaz in the late 80's for me to work and mount on a Strat pickguard just like Stevie Ray had in his Charley's custom-made Strat on the cover of "Couldn't Stand The Weather," Cesar worked for SRV at the time and I told him I had a lipstick pickup and couldn't figure how to mount it so he said to send it along and he would make a mount to work. I hate to sell it 'cause Díaz died many years ago (RIP) and I've had it for years but I only use Gibsons now and it's been sitting for awhile and it needs to get used so she's up for sale to the highest bidder..." $26 is pretty cheap for some rock 'n' roll history, I'd say.

Dano pickup MOD $26 Chrome clean, Strat-compatible modded mount, re-wrapped lead about 6" long


1429 Harmony HBEG VG $806 Clean, logo gone (shame!), hardware bright, binding tight, pots a little scratchy


1465 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet MOD $339 Control panel is clean, painted gold round the front edges of amp and speaker cab, some aluminum protectors added to speaker cab top as well, NS Utah speakers, NS handles to amp and cab, trem works, rev doesn't, no footswitch, casters present


1435 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $129 Clean, whammy missing, light wear, logo barely visible, model number worn from sticker, check out he permanently compensated bridge


1449 Dano tube amp only MOD $160 Now it's a briefcase amp! Mod was done nicely, light covering wear, some rust to clasps and handle captures, pots are scratchy, tremolo works but fully on one channel and fast only on another


1437 Teisco MIJ VG $349 Clean, whammy present, light wear, logo tag looks good, NS switches added (nicer switches, also added a mute position to the selector)


802 Banjo F $70 5-string w/ resonator, wear all over, oxidation to metal parts, logo strong, homemade bridge



UNK Kay FHAC G $138 Clean, light wear/checking, pickguard present, neck bowed, logo strong, tuner buttons have shrunk, possibly a 696

9/23

Thanks to Silvertonian Jackson for giving me the extra push to investigate and solve a mystery that was continuing as recently as yesterday. In the "unknown" section for the 22nd, I reported on a blonde-finished Kay that had a maroon logo on a blonde-finished headstock. Unusual, certainly, as most Silvertones feature a white logo silkscreened onto a darker finished headstock. Jackson had one of these, too... bought nearly 20 years ago from someone who was just using it as a wall hanger. It still had its pickguard, looked good, and he wanted to know more about it. OK, well... let's go solve this thing!

So... off to the catalogs I went, looking first for a light headstock with a dark script logo. Found one in the Fall/Winter 1958 catalog down in the corner of the archtops, page 1035... the dot markers match up, binding front and back... so, we have our guitar! Or do we? Wait a minute... no mention of a bound fingerboard.... straight-sided pickguard... the example Jackson sent me pics of has a curvy one... the mystery guitar has a 'thin script' logo, the the 688 illustration looks decidedly 'thick.' Hmmm... back to the books. Lemme see... OK... could it be? Yes, it's gotta be! Bound fingerboard, thin script logo... I'm gonna call it as either the the 630 or 618, both  bashful blonde sisters to the extremely popular "shaded finish" 627 and 619 Kay-made archtops. The 627/630 models were first available in Fall/Winter 1959 (right after the 688/696 model's time was up), and the 618/619 took over in Fall/Winter 1962, with the pair hanging around 'til 1966, and the 619 soldiering on solo until the prefix-changing year of 1968 (acoustics all went to 12XX model numbers).
Whew! Mystery solved! Huzzah!

Here's  Jackson's guitar, note the purely decorative Harmony-style truss rod cover. The guitar is stamped L 2888.


Some investigative notes: neither the 618 or 630 was ever illustrated in any catalog that I have from 1959-1966, and the 619 has appeared both with and without a truss rod, as well as with that crazy aluminum triangle topper we see every now and again. 619 models also sported nonsensical L series Kay stampings, helpful 57-619 stampings and silkscreened on the back of the headstock model number/made in USA labels. I've also seen 4 and 5 dot necks and one 57-619 stamped oddball with an 'arc' style headstock and 6 rounded triangle markers! Yowza.



Alrighty, then... let's get down to auction business! As I've told you before, things seem to happen in groups here at Silvertone World, and today really demonstrates that... from our double-maroon-logo'd Kays from yesterday and today, to an amazing amount of 'double plays' today, starting with a twin set of late-era black-headstock'd "Thin Twins."

1381 Kay  HBEG w/ C VG $1290 Clean, minimal wear, cig burn at low E on headstock, logo strong, capo wear to neck


1381 Kay  HBEG w/ C VG $1155 Light wear, playing wear to neck, logo strong, stamped L7817-5905, electronics exhibit 'light static,' needs new nut


1420 Harmony HBEG VG $500  Clean, light wear, logo strong with some wear to headstock


1420 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $333  Clean, surface wear, pickguard has screw crack below bridge


1487 Teisco MIJ SBEG with amp on board G $168 Edge and surface wear, some oxidation to metal, guitar works, amp untested, logo strong, personalized in script on pickguard to "David Dom" 


1487 Teisco MIJ SBEG with amp on board VG $430 Well, this is actually the Teisco TRG-1, but I couldn't resist the 'two-fer' thing.... this one is in great shape, chrome is beautiful, all its covers are in place, whammy bar present AND it has a functioning amp!



OK, back to the 'Singles Club.'

1410 MIJ Teisco SBEG VG $175 Clean, whammy present, light wear, low-contrast logo strong


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $350 Clean guitar and ampcase, NS speaker, NS knobs on guitar, some glitter wear to bass top edge


1485 Dano tube amp only VG $540 Clean, minimal wear, rev/trem functional, 1/4" jack spliced to original lead, amp is "frighteningly loud"


1482 Dano tube amp $100 Square speaker cutout, minimal wear, currently not working, and I'll let the seller give you the 411: "Cosmetically it has only a little bit of wear and is in great shape for it's age. It's missing the back panel and somewhere along the way I lost the fuse cap. I've had this Silvertone for about 25 years and it is my first tube amp. I ran it on 10 most of the time and just loved the way it sounded until about 8 years ago it quit working. I just recently had it looked over by my tech and it looks like it needs a new rectifier tube and output transformer as there is no reading from it . With a little work this will be a great little amp again."

1250 Harmony Banjo w/ C G $100 5-string w/ resonator, clean,  some wear to resonator and head, playing wear to neck, block logo strong,mold(?) on headstock, picks and books incl.




9/22

Our midweek assortment includes a little seen acoustic, some famous electrics, some rough amps, a continuing mystery and a funky neck... dig in!

602 Dano FTAC w/ C VG $76 Clean, minimal wear, painted-on 'pickguard' looks great, logo strong, tuner plates have some light rust, tailpiece shiny


658 Kay FHAC G $186 Clean, damage to bass side top near bridge, bridge painted, logo strong, striping looks good, pickguard present, block markers indicate pre-'66 model.


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C  G $612 Some finish flaking, Bigsby present w/ some paint wear, pickguard missing, logo strong w/ blemish at the 'i,' some edge wear,


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $441 Clean guitar and ampcase, light wear to both, lamination line showing on headstock, seller says guitar and amp "have some static," logo strong, footswitch incl., red smudge (paint?) on lead control stack


1413 Teisco MIJ SBEG F $130 Surface wear, buckle rash, whammy missing, bridge missing, nut missing, (1) neck bolt missing, lead switch intermittent, rust to tuners/tuner posts and other exposed/unplated metal, buckle rash, "HARMMONEY" written near top control



Both of these amps were kind of unratable... they were both pretty rough, untested, unkempt... they both brought pretty good money, and I hope their new owners can restore them to their former glory.

1434 Dano tube amp $450 Rough all over, handle missing, cover peeling, rust, scratches, untested


1331 Dano tube amp $213 Rough, plenty of wear all over, back panel loose, untested




UNK Kay FHAC G $228 I have this one in my Silvertone World folders as 'Blond Kay.' Unusual maroon logo, blond finish shows some wear, pickguard missing



1457 Dano Neck $42 Headstock modified, finish stripped, NS Grover tuners



9/21

It happens a lot, and when you watch the auctions with the obsessive eye that I do, you can understand it to a point. A seller gets a guitar with no brand or identifying markings, and they kind of automatically just brand it as maybe a 'Silvertone,' given the (false, IMHO) opinion that Silvertone guitars are just wacky and cheap. We all know that ain't the case, but the attitude prevails. This works to our advantage in that we get to see some crazy guitars that normally would not be within my search parameters... I mean, I only have so much time a day to flush out and flesh out the real Silvertone auctions! Anyway, the idea of an amp in the case didn't spring from the mind of Nathan Daniel and Joe Fisher... there were predecessors, mainly in the late '30s / early '40s lap steel line that Sears/Valco/National sold. Then there was this also-ran. Solid-state, AC or battery powered(!) and the nicely lined case holds a very short-scale (27") bass. Sold for $125. Teisco? Kawai? Who knows? If you do, tell me! Here's a link to a close cousin, branded "Tombo."


Ok, enough of the weirdos, let's get to today's handful of Silvertonium.

1413 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $104 Clean, light wear, whammy missing,  'Space Dot' sticker looks good, untested


619 Kay FHAC MOD $420 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, NS electronics, stamped P-3 and 57-619


641 Harmony FTAC VG $51 Clean, light wear, logo strong


605 Harmony FTAC G $43 Clean, edge/playing wear, 'deco' logo strong



9/20

There must be some kind of union rule regarding showing the headstocks of guitars on TV shows. Being the Silvertone geek that I am, I'm in a state of constant vigilance when watching music shows (or anything really) on TV. If I see parallel strings, I go into "Is It A Silvertone?" mode. Sometimes, I get a positive ID, many times I'm left frustrated by shots that just miss showing the headstock or other identifying feature that will confirm the presence of a Silvertone instrument. You'd think I'd not see them very often, but I do... from places where you'd think maybe you would see one (say, a music show or documentary), to places where you'd not expect it at all (a recent iCarly episode!). Also, I know in the past I've seen headstock logos/brands actually taped over when appearing on camera. Is it a snub of the company? Is it an advertising thing? Is it a 'rights clearance' thing? Any TV types out there know the reasons/ramifications? I mean, let's say you're about to go on the tube with your new "Whizbang" brand guitar. You call Whizbang, Inc. and say "Hey, I'm appearing on "The Rock and Roll Super Fantastic Show" this Thursday night, and I'm playing your Whizbang... can you send me a check? No? Fine. I'll tape over the Whizbang logo. So there." Or is it... "Hey, guitar player! We can't have no free advertisin' on this show! Tape over that logo, or else!" That said, here are a few recent sightings; one from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's appearance on "Later... with Jools Holland," and also from a documentary titled "Talking Guitars." I'm still working on getting a good screen shot from the "iCarly" episode.

Here's T-Bone Burnett, playing an oddly logo-less Kay K-161, the "Thin Twin."	Couldn't figure out the name of the player, and nearly didn't confirm the Silvertone.	But for about twenty frames, the Silvertone logo finally shone through! It's a 1352!	Later in the show, same player (little help, y'all?), playing a baritone Dano.	Performance of "Rich Woman."
David Lindley with a modified 1437.	Dave Tronzo with his 1457		Small part of Lindley's collection	Trailer for "Talking Guitars."

Alrighty, then... on to the massive weekend! Big sales, big money... here 'tis, from the mostest to the leastest...

1474 Dano tube amp VG $1275 Clean, some edge wear to covering, 1484-type footswitch incl., tremolo works,, reverb doesn't, a few new caps; recently serviced


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ C  VG $1050 Clean, Bigsby present w/ some paint wear, pickguard missing, logo strong, some edge wear, some oxidation to pickup covers, truss rod cover has some screw damage,


1384/1427 Harmony HBEG G $861 Pickguard missing, NS chickenhead knobs, looks like the bridge stayed in the wrong spot too long, logo looks re-glued, surface wear


1429 Harmony HBEG VG $600 Clean, logo strong, all stock except for nut and strap buttons


1476 Harmony SBEG G $500 Edge/surface wear, some chipping/flaking,  logo worn, hardware looks good


1482 Dano tube amp VG $445 Square speaker cutout, clean, footswitch incl., tremolo functional


1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG w/ OC VG $400 Whammy present, clean, minimal wear, logo tag looks good, serial #154587


1484 Dano tube amp only G $399 Light oxidation to front panel and jack nuts, back chassis shows dent, xformer at a tilt, 1/4" jack mod, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case G $381 Logo on guitar missing, edge/surface wear, amp has some scuffs, maybe a repaired crack at headstock


26886 Teisco HBEG Bass VG $381 Clean, minimal wear, block logo strong, this is the Canadian-sold version of the 1495


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $300 Guitar shows some playing wear, ampcase shows internal scuffing, one big corner scrape, tone knob missing to guitar. This is an early setup; strip tuners, 2-bolt neck, narrow attach 'pier,' triangle knob inserts.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only F $255 Guitar has some deep wear on top surface that was refinished, edge wear to neck and headstock, some finish flaking, 'JIMI' pin affixed to headstock, corrosion to skate keys, bridge shimmed, pickup is original Dano, but not original to guitar, new pots


1481 Dano tube amp MOD $203 Re-grilled, (2) NS speakers, circuitry modifications, back panel missing, front logo tag missing


1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $183 Whammy present, logo missing, edge/surface wear, some oxidation to chrome, serial #173131


658 Kay FHAC G $175 Clean, light wear, 'Silvertone Shame' treatment to headstock, striping looks good, pickguard present, block markers indicate pre-'66 model.


1316 Harmony Lap Steel w/ OC VG $158 Clean, light wear, cord intact, logo strong, hardware shiny


604 Harmony FTAC MOD $150 The guitar is in reasonable shape, and has had its broken bridge modded, a dobro tailpiece added, some wiring, 'Tele' style and chickenhead knobs added and a Fralin-rewound 'P' series pickup (complete with original mounting bezel). The seller had named this guitar "Gutbucket Hank."


1227 Harmony FTAC 12-string G $129 Edge wear/grunge all over, tuners show corrosion, truss rod cover missing, 'Space Dot'  present, stamped F-73, serial #1497S1227


1214 Harmony FTAC G $124 Clean, light wear, logo strong, pickguard present, high action, serial #4144H167


1465 Dano solid state amp only VG $99 Clean, rev/trem functional, no footswitch


26953 MIJ FTAC VG $71 Clean, light wear, unusual Canadian-sold archtop, no close-up of headstock provided


752 Kay mandolin P $48 Wear to neck, tuner buttons deteriorated, some scratches, finish flaking


Here's a couple of pieces of Silvertonium outside of our usual bailiwick.... but cool nonetheless. Yes, I used the word 'bailiwick.'

9612 UNK Color organ/speaker combo VG $16 How did I miss this auction? I 'd love to have my computer hooked up to this old school light show, with the colors jumpin' to my mp3s... ah, well...


10-4, Good Buddy! Yep, it's a Silvertone CB radio! Tube-powered, and old-school enough to have a seven-character FCC Citizens Band license DYMO-labeled to the face. All the tubes light up, and it went for a mere $51.



UNK Kay FHAC VG $245 Clean, pickguard present, light wear, logo strong, stamped L-1607, N-2. Probably a 627 or 619.


9/17

Leading into the weekend with a few grains of Silvertonium dust in our bags... we'll see what the weekend brings on Monday.

Let's get our hootenanny on with this first up, the Kay-built 661 tenor guitar. Offered for only a year in 1964-5, this guitar kinda missed the bandwagon of the early '60s folk 'boom,' but still managed to sell a precious few.

661 Kay FTAC Tenor w/ C VG $150 Light wear, binding tight, neck tight, some paints dots on back, (1) bent tuner, stamped L7133, looks like the logo was double screened or the screen was shifted as/after they pulled it


698 EKO FTAC G $44 Clean, light wear, shows the typical heavy finish checking that nearly all these models exhibit, bridge looks good, logo and 'Made in Italy' screen strong


1330 Dano tube amp $100 Sold as project; lights up, no sound, bad output xformer on speaker. Clean, some edge wear, handle looks good, brass plate logo looks good, light wear, back chassis panel inscribed with "A.R.R" Relisted from earlier in the month.



These 1484 amps are well on their way to becoming known as the "Jack White" model.

1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $407 Clean, light wear, rev/trem functional, NS tubes, grille has yellowed, logo tag missing, speaker cab looks coated, 1/4" and RCA output mods


1484 Dano tube amp only G $280 Clean, light oxidation to front panel, functional but rev/trem unmentioned, (1) NS 6L6, 1/4" jack mod, K-Swiss (?) sticker on top panel



UNK Kay FTAC MOD $399 Clean, light wear, NS electronics and pickup, NS tuners, NS bridge, looks like a replacement pickguard, stamped N1 L7483 P-2



9/16

No Disassemble! Well, despite Johhny 5's plea, the bulk of today's auctions are made up of the remains of a 1457 guitar. I reckon the neck/tuner assembly was a basket case, because that's the only piece of the puzzle missing from this seller. Nevertheless, folks on the hunt for the elusive last bit (or more) of their red sparkly guitar were in luck yesterday, paying pretty good money for bits and pieces... well, you just can't go down to Silvertones-R-Us and pick up a double stack cream colored knob set, now, can ya?

1457 Dano SSEG Guitar Parts:

Body: $66 Surface/edge wear, finish checking, dingy sidewalls, most of the pickguard screws and strap buttons present


Bridge Assembly: $40 Chrome shiny, saddle shows string wear, some oxidation to screws... and hey! We don't get to see the unfinished back of these babies very much!


Knobs: $50 (1) knob shows a little 'chew' to the top, oxidation to marker inserts


Pickups: both went for $78 apiece in separate auctions; clean, leads good, all hardware incl.


Pickguard/electronics: DNS Worst of the bunch, broken, edge wear, pots date to late 1964


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $325 Guitar and ampcase show wear/scratches, guitar's logo has a ding at the 'er,' input jack on amp pushed  in, line inserts missing from guitar knobs


1495 MIJ HBEG Bass VG $350 Clean, light wear, metal logo intact, all knobs present, bridge cover missing. Relisted from earlier this month.



9/15

Not a  lot of 'mainstream' stuff today... even the 'normal' ones are oddballs! However, this first piece brings some great history, and some fun links to follow. RIP, Obe.

The first oddball is this beautiful 1488... here's what I told the seller: "Unusual/rare for the following reasons: White 'Silvertone' logo (most were gold), red pickup inserts (most were silver), roller bridge w/ mute (most were simple wood), and the black knobs (most were transparent/gold). First available in Fall/Winter 1965, they lasted in the catalog until mid-'68." The seller had a great story to go with: "This piece comes from the collection of my brother, Richard "Obe" Oblinger, who passed away in 2008. My brother was a custom guitar builder and repairman and was well known in the L.A. area. He started his career at the famous Travis Bean Guitars where he worked from 1975 until the company closed in 1979. While there he worked on guitars for Jerry Garcia, Bill Wyman, Keith Richard, Rory Gallagher, Joe Perry and others. After Bean closed he went to work at Schecter Guitar Research in Van Nuys, Ca. and was the Guitar Shop Manager from 1980 until the shop was moved to Texas. While there he worked alongside Tom Anderson building guitars for the likes of Pete Townsend and Mark Knopfler. When Schecter was bought out and moved to Texas in 1984 he went over to Tobias Guitars. After that he went out on his own building, repairing and restoring guitars from his home shop. His client list included Jackson Browne, John Fogarty, David Lindley, Steve Vai, Steve Lukather, Stephen Stills and many others. We will be selling off much of his 30+ year collection of guitars and parts including many rare and vintage pieces from Travis Bean, Fender, Gibson, Mossman and others."

1488 Harmony SBEG VG $615 Clean, unusual features (see above), light wear, logo strong


Next oddball, this classic 1474 with the reverb controls on the back panel.

1474 Dano tube amp G $600 Clean, light wear, rev/trem non-functional, footswitch incl.,  NOS tubes, channel 2 is "weak with little volume," this is the version of the amp with the reverb controls on the back


1457 Dano tube amp in case only G $175 Untested, light wear, NS corner protectors, 'swirly' treatment to grille


1319 Harmony Lap Steel VG $154 Light wear, light oxidation to hardware, tailpiece cover present, cord/plug intact, logo strong


803 Banjo VG $52 4-string, no bridge, finish shiny,  logo strong, light oxidation to tailpiece


1838 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC G $46 Clean, no accessories, missing (1) felt



9/14

It's like when a kid empties his pockets today... there's a little bit of everything!

1352 Harmony HBEG G $300 'deco' logo strong, NS pickguard, NS chicken head knobs, crack in cutaway


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $629 Guitar and amp nice and clean showing minimal wear, guitar has case rub on bass lower bout sidewall, knob insert discoloration on guitar, plenty of glitter, logo strong


604 Harmony FTAC G $63  Clean, light wear, 1/2" nick on neck, logo strong, stamped S-64, some gig bag melt to sides


1413 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $115 Clean, light wear, whammy present,  'Space Dot' sticker looks good, cool original box incl.


1495 MIJ HBEG Bass VG $353 Clean, light wear, metal logo intact, all knobs present, bridge cover missing. Relisted.


1420 Sears tube amp VG $125 Clean, minimal wear, slight hum, pots date to 1970


802 Banjo $38 Sold as a parts banjo; no bridge or tailpiece, plenty of wear, some brackets missing



UNK Harmony FHAC G $81 Surface wear, finish checking/flaking, 'deco' logo worn, no mention of any identifying marks



9/13

What a weekend! An amazing array of amplified and acoustical appliances and apparatuses of audio assault all auctioned absolutely. Let's go!

It's the classic; the one lots of folks think of when they think "Silvertone." A fine 1448 flying solo.

1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only VG $350 Clean, minimal wear, some knob insert discoloration, logo strong


Gonna shoot the curl today with this beautiful 1413 while we've still got a little beach time left. This model appeared in Tom Hanks' great rock n' roll fairy tale "That Thing You Do" onstage with Cap'n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters. Cowabunga!

1413 Kay SBEG VG $475 Clean, screen print on tailpiece cover and pickup strong, pickguard/truss rod cover/knobs have all mellowed nicely, small chip at nut repaired, logo strong, original matching gig bag incl.


And the money keeps getting bigger... I told you things would crank up once September got here!

1420 Harmony HBEG w/ OC VG $500  Clean, light wear, another winner from the Lawman!


Little bit higher now...

1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case G $510 Clean, some edge wear and sidewall curls and tears, guitar toggle switch loose, speaker missing from ampcase, ampcase missing handle and one hinge, amp functional, small Sony speaker incl.


Little bit higher now...

1303 Dano SSEG w/ C VG $735 Clean, light wear, logo strong, control cover missing, foil sidewalls and pickguard


Whole lot higher now...

1485 Harmony HBEG VG $866 Clean, minimal wear, Bigsby present, NS tuners, logo strong, binding tight, all knobs present, hardware shiny, fretboard looks great


Now let's get it together with an assortment of amps, acoustics and also-rans.

Let's get things going with this weirdo: it's a Japanese-made, Canadian-sold acoustic flattop, with the typical serif'd thick font block logo that the last of the Canadian Silvertones sported, and with a bid of just $1, I don't know if it actually sold or not, but here goes...

26952 MIJ FTAC G $1 Clean, light wear, some extra markers painted on the fretboard, pickguard design and logo strong, some impact damage to sides


618 Kay FTAC MOD $300 Clean, looks refinished, NS pickguard, logo gone


1202 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $100  Clean, light wear, logo strong, neck tight, stamped S-68


1210 Harmony FTAC VG $72 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong


1211 Harmony FTAC G $52 Clean, light wear, logo strong, weird bridge


1211 Harmony FTAC G $35 Clean, light wear, high action due to neck bow, block logo strong, last of the Silvertone branded guitars, stamped S-69, serial #3135S1211

45+113
604 Harmony FTAC F $44  Worn all over, 'Ralph R.' inscribed on back of headstock


605 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $113 Clean, light wear, 'deco' logo strong, (2) holes on either side of sound hole (probably from pickup mounting), small crack on face near bridge, cowboy case lookin' good with bright hardware and intact handle, stamped S-57 and serial #2749H605


605 Harmony FTAC w/ C G $45 Clean, light wear, 'deco' logo strong but marred at 'S', stamped S-56 and serial #4992H605


1463 Dano solid state amp and speaker cabinet VG $295 Clean, light corner wear, AC cord taped, (1) input scratchy


1465 Dano solid state amp only VG $50 Clean, light wear, rev/trem functional, slight hum, 1/4" jack mod


1482 Dano tube amp VG $257 Square speaker cutout, clean, light wear with some staining to (1) side, tremolo functional, no footswitch, AC cord spliced for extra length, pilot light burnt out, inside of cab shows some rust, back panel present


1451 Dano tube amp G $63 Overall wear, some corner dings, NOS handle, logoplate shows some wear


1484 Dano speaker cabinet only $101 Wear to covering, NS casters, no speakers, no flip tabs, cord keepers present



Here's that 'also-ran' I referred to...

1448 Dano  amp only MOD DNS Amp in 'custom' case, kinda surpised it didn't bring its asking price of $69



UNK Kay G $100 Pickguard missing, some finish checking, logo strong, stamped L 9373


UNK Harmony MOD $100 Pickguard missing, refinished



9/10

The season's really kicking into gear! Check out this smorgasbord of Silvertone that came across the wire today! Starting out the report with everyone's favorite ampincase models, both in great shape and turning a fair dollar. Hard to believe it's out first 1457 this month!

1457 Dano SSEG and tube amp in case VG $500 Clean, light wear to amp & guitar, footswitch incl.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $450 Guitar and amp show minimal wear, guitar has NS knobs, ampcase has some wear to amp mounting board


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case VG $375 Guitar and amp clean, light wear. This is an early setup; strip tuners, 2-bolt neck, triangle knob inserts.


1484 Dano tube amp only MOD $286 Clean,  recovered in (p)leather, 1/4" jack mod, reverb


1471 Dano tube amp G $150  Round speaker cutout, replacement Jensen, some cover wear


1482 Dano tube amp VG $305 Round speaker cutout, clean, tremolo functional, no footswitch


1330 Dano tube amp $50 Sold as project; lights up, no sound, bad output xformer on speaker. Clean, some edge wear, handle looks good, brass plate logo looks good, light wear, back chassis panel inscribed with "A.R.R" Relisted.


1419 Dano SSEG w/ OC VG $300 Clean, light wear, logo instact


1206 Harmony FTAC VG $111  Clean, light wear, logo strong. This is one of the very last of this popular guitar.


604 Harmony FTAC VG $99  Clean, light wear, logo strong


708 Harmony FHAC w/ OC G $167 Pickguard present, plenty of wear, logo light but good, serial #2184H708, stamped F-47


856 Harmony Baritone Ukulele VG $65 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong


853 Harmony Ukulele E $36 Clean, logo strong, one of the best examples I've seen of this early version


758 Kay 'Venetian' Mandolin w/ OC G $111 Clean, logo strong, light wear, slight bow to neck. Appearance alone would rate a VG, but the neck bow affects playing, so I dropped it to a G



Don't know what to make of our unknown today... I've never seem that shape headstock before, and it's stamped with a valid Harmony number for the model 1407, the "Patrician." I love surprises!

UNK Harmony G $152 Pickguard missing, binding tight, wear all over, serial #2830H1407, monogrammed with "CVH" on headstock, and "1941" on treble upper bout



9/9

A few classics, an odd mod, a rough lap steel, an unusual autoharp, and a hard to find part. That's your Silvertone World Thursday.

1484 Dano tube amp only G $250 Clean, minimal wear, some oxidation, scratchy pots, rev/trem non-functional, speaker lead has 1/4" jack spliced in, NS Sovtek tubes


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $305 Guitar and amp show light wear, ampcase has water staining to grille, rusty hinges/latches, guitar logo rubbed off a bit at the 'S'


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case G $380 Guitar missing knobs, logo nearly worn away, ampcase has water staining to grille, missing speaker, rusty hinges/latches, operational status unmentioned. This is an early setup; strip tuners, 2-bolt neck, triangle knob inserts.


1420 Harmony HBEG w/ C MOD $323  Painted red, (1) knob badly abused, Silvertone logo just is discernible beneath the paint job, circuitry seems out of whack; "The pickups give feedback when touched but something in the wiring seems to not work because no tone comes out."  Re-listed later, sold for $250.


1319 Harmony Lap Steel F $175 Edge/surface wear, 'deco' logo strong, (1) knob missing, tailpiece cover missing


1838 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC  VG $100 Clean, light wear, small crack near G# string, books, tuning wrench incl.





1448/49/57/51 Guitar or amp line insert knob $10 Some adhesive seep/discoloration


9/8

Summer may be all but over but Wednesdays are just as s l o w as ever. We did have one exceptional strummin' machine finish up its auction run at over a grand, and that's our first up today. It's the end of the made-in-America-Silvertone-electrics model 1485. If you look at the Fall/Winter 1968 Sears catalog page for electric guitars, you'll see it's the only domestically-produced git-fiddle left. I've always referred to F/W '68 as the "Japanese Invasion," and the imports certainly took over from here, even displacing some acoustics after a while. This guitar had a "comeback" of sorts, but not as a Silvertone. Seems some custom 1485s were made in 1970, some time after the guitar had disappeared from the Sears catalog pages.

1485 Harmony HBEG w/ C VG $1129 Clean, light wear, Bigsby present, logo has slight rub at 'S,' back looks great, binding and fret markers tight, hardware shiny, NS chrome adjustable bridge


1423 Harmony SSEG G $380 Clean, light wear all over, logo broken at 'S,' (2) knobs missing, tailpiece showing some oxidation, NS tuners (orig. incl.)


623 Harmony FHAC F $143 Edge wear, some buckle rash, logo flaked at second 'e,' some finish flaking (esp. at headstock), significant fingerboard wear, serial #4932H623. Relisted.


Now let's crank up some Wednesday AMPitude! The best of today's bunch is this nice red-border panel 1472. The worst of the bunch are... well, all I can say is "Poor babies."

1472 Dano tube amp VG $335 Square speaker cutout, minimal wear, red border panel with 'tremolo' spelled correctly, recently re-tubed and 3-prong AC added, tremolo unmentioned


1465 Dano solid state amp only G $141 Clean, minimal wear, trem untested, reverb unmentioned, no footswitch


1484 Dano tube amp only P $101 Rough; cords cut, untested


1300 Valco tube amp P $17 Rusty, tubes missing, cord cut... I hope they can resurrect it.



9/7

Looks like TODAY is my 'Labor Day.' Wow, quite a haul over the holiday weekend, and especially since we're back to 'every Silvertone, every day,' things are gonna be full up 'round these here parts. Let's lead off the day with a rocket red 1460 whose price took a pretty good trip into orbit.

1460 Teisco MIJ HBEG w/ OC VG $500 Very clean, light wear, newer Bigsby added (original trem base incl.), seldom-seen neck plate w/ brown imprint, logo strong, bridge cover present and look at that shine!



Here's a little something I've never seen before; it's the Silvertone Reverberation Chamber, Model #9614. Dunno who made it, when they made it or when they sold this odd little puppy, but here it is. Two leads stringing out the back, there is a speaker in the unit, and what looks like one lonely control. I'm guessing the brown lead is the AC, and the white lead is either a line or speaker-level input. It consumes 50 watts according to the back label, so I'm reckoning there's a low-power mono audio tube amp behind that Masonite panel, hooked up to a reverb tank and then into a 6-inch or so speaker. I guess you used this unit to give your mono records a little 'ambience.' The unit is untested, and I'd absolutely love to hear what it sounds like.

9614 Silvertone Reverb Chamber G $123 Grille has some snags, some edge wear, logo plate and control knob look good, unit untested


1354 Kay HBEG MOD $332 Clean, light wear, replacement DiMarzio humbucker with NS single/double coil selector switch, trim on logo laminate and pickguard look great,  NS strap button mounted in heel, some surface damage where the top was cut to receive the pickup


1455 Teisco MIJ HBEG w/ OC VG $560 Clean, minimal wear, logo strong, includes original 'how to care for' manual, truss adjustment tool, and the end of the box it was shipped in (originally sold in Hollywood, Florida)


1446 Harmony HBEG w/ OC  VG $1000 Clean, Bigsby present, logo strong, repro pickguard


1320 Harmony HBEG F $295 Wear all over, 'P' series pickup and bezel intact, pickguard present, some binding missing, knobs missing, crack on back treble upper bout, stamped H54, F-52

1415 Dano SSEG VG $393 Clean, minimal wear, logo broken at 'S,' playing wear to upper neck and on bass lower bout, 29-bid skirmish for this one!


1482 Dano tube amp VG $379 Square speaker cutout, tremolo functional, some corner covering rubs


1483 Dano tube amp only VG $150 Found in the 'junk pile,' re-capped, 3-prong AC mod, light wear, channel one is the 'red channel,' needs a good cleaning


605 Harmony FTAC VG $95 Clean estate sale find, hardware bright, looks like a 'deco' logo from the sole photo provided, "Guitar for Dummies" book incl.


603 Harmony FTAC $45 Clean, logo not pictured, seller says has two cracks on front, original box incl.; box panel stamped 57-603


660 Kay Classical G $80 Wear all over, 'Steel string' warning scratched out on label.


805 UNK Banjo $80 Some wear to the headstock, hardware looks good, logo strong. Hey, anyone know who made these?


604 Harmony FTAC VG $74  Clean, light wear, hardware bright, logo not pictured, stamped S-63

604 Harmony FTAC VG $88  Clean, some wear, hardware bright, stamped F-66 GM


853 Harmony Ukulele $14 Sold as 'project,' side cracked, wear all over, heel pulling away


600 series Harmony FTAC G $50 Split/damage on backside, otherwise clean, replacement bone nut and original incl. (loose)



Two 1436 guitars in pretty much the same shape. What's the diff?  Description? Probably.  Attitude? Definitely.

1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $81 Whammy present, looks good enough from the single photo provided. Seller sez: "I will not play this guitar and I am not particularly a Silvertone fan."


1436 Teisco MIJ SBEG G $216 Whammy present, logo missing, edge wear. Seller sez: "In terms of funkadelic 60s Japanese psycho guitars, if the K-2L is a sleek surf/punk guitar that landed in a space ship with George Jetson, then by comparison this is a burning blues rock mojocaster that was spewed up from the depths of the Marianas trench by Godzilla." Seller also gives a full rundown of what is and ain't about the guitar. Yeah, he wins.


1310 Valco Lap Steel w/ OC VG $270 Clean, minimal wear, light rust to tuner plates, serial #X76075


615 Harmony FTAC G $48 Edge wear all over, back near neck beginning to separate, logo strong


1240 Kay FHAC $16 Busted, disgusted, can't be trusted... 1240s were odd birds, there were at least three different styles of this 'borderline' guitar. I call it that because some had cursive Silvertone logos, some had the block style, and some were 'Space Dots.'


UNK Harmony FHAC G $115 Clean, wear to fretboard and painted-on fret markers, logo strong, probably a 612 or 623



9/3

Just a handful of Silvertonium today, but after you check them out, head over to the Buck Owens American model page and view some new pictures and new info about the original Mosrite-designed red, white and blue guitar.

1413 Teisco MIJ SBEG VG $114 Clean, light wear, whammy present,  'Space Dot' sticker looks good, cool original box incl. Relisted; non-paying bidder.


1209 Harmony FTAC G $31 Light wear, some buckle rash/paint on back, 'Space Dot' logo strong, unusual pickguard and fret markers


856 Harmony Baritone Ukulele w/ OC VG $139 Clean, minimal wear, binding and tuners tight, logo strong


615 Harmony FTAC w/ OC G $71 Clean, light wear, case missing handle, new strings


1484 Dano tube amp and speaker cabinet G $360 Amp head looks OK, 'crackling' noise comes from both channels, footswitch incl., but seller indicates rev/trem non-functional


9/2

We're gonna start today with an official ISTTDS™ (Interesting Silvertone Thing That Didn't Sell). We see these odd mods from time to time, and the first 'electric' guitar that Sears sold wasn't really any fancier than this cobbled-together Frankentone.

604 Harmony FTAC MOD DNS The guitar is in reasonable shape, and has had its broken bridge modded, a dobro tailpiece added, some wiring, 'Tele' style and chickenhead knobs added and a Fralin-rewound 'P' series pickup (complete with original mounting bezel). The seller had named this guitar "Gutbucket Hank." Relisted.


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar only G $225 Light wear, oxidation to tuner post tips, rust to screws and jack nut,  logo strong. This is a transitional setup; strip tuners, triangle knob inserts, 3-bolt neck. Is that glitter/sparkles on the pickguard, or overspray?


1432 Dano tube amp G $205 Clean, light wear on top back corners, logo beautiful, speaker 'shadow' to grille, loud hum at all volume levels


2574 Oscar Schmidt Autoharp w/ OC VG $86 Clean, light water staining on bottom, spider cracks at tailpiece cover, tuning wrench incl.


615 Harmony FTAC P $15 No tuners, no tailpiece, no nut, no bridge, worn, dirty, pickguard broken at tip, screws rusty, back and front edge splits, logo strong, neck looks tight
 

1304 Dano SSEB $104 Body, neck, bridge and nut. Oh, and a can of red spray paint. *sigh*



9/1

Rockin' start to September! Some of the most distinctive Silvertones in the lineup begin our ninth month and our re-entry into every Silvertone, every day review and pricing of eBay auctioned items. Let's get going!

1381 Kay  HBEG E $1300 This 'Thin Twin' is one of the best examples of this terrific guitar I've ever come across. A couple of very small dings, and super clean. This guitar has aged well, the finish looks great, the hardware is bright, and the pickguard and headstock colors are strong.


658 Kay FHAC w/ C  VG $199 Clean, light wear, striping looks good, pickguard present, some fretboard grunge, small logo, block markers indicate pre-'66 model.
One of the most distinctive Silvertone archtops... we need to come up with a nickname for it!



Oh, Chris, where art thou? Looks like he just finished up his world tour (though he didn't quite make it to my neck of the woods), and he's got a well-reviewed new live album out. Don't know about his talk show; you can still visit the page for his Biography Channel Show, but there is the unhappy message that there are no upcoming airings scheduled for the show. When you go to try and log on to any of the discussion boards, you get a 'not found' error. ChrisIsaak.com still works! I said all that to intro this auction for the guitar that has inherited Chris' name as its own:

1446 Harmony HBEG  G $547 Clean, NS bridge, Bigsby paint has worn off, pickguard missing, logo missing, NS selector switch surround


853 Harmony Ukulele w/ C E $85 Clean all over, includes Arthur Godfrey 'Uke Player' device with documentation


1495 Teisco HBEG Bass F $208 Knobs and logo missing, NS stop type bridge/tailpiece, chrome flaking off pickups, some loose binding. There's no number stamped into the neck plate, so this might not even have been a Silvertone-branded instruemt. This guitar matches the later decal-logo's (cursive and block) configuration 1495, but it's possible this was never branded with 'Silvertone' or a 'Space Dot.'


1448 Dano  SSEG guitar with tube amp in case F $280 Guitar has plenty of wear/scratches, amp lights but otherwise non-functional, NS knob on amp, ampcase structurally sound / looks OK. Early setup; strip tuners, triangle knob inserts, 2-bolt neck, narrow attach 'pier'



Tony the Tiger special on this 604. Check those grain faux stripes; they're Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

604 Harmony FTAC w/ OC VG $103 Clean, minimal wear, pickguard shiny, logo strong, stamped F 63 H


752 Kay mandolin P $16 Rough; frets oxidized, tuner buttons shrunken, back cracked and separating, 'wind chime' logo nearly blown away



Here's our first UNKnown of the season!

UNK Kay FHAC VG $163 Clean, logo strong w/ a little blemish on the 't,' some edge wear (esp. on back of headstock), pickguard missing, NS tuners, stamped L2889, N-1



If you haven't looked at this past Summer's amazing auctions, why not visit? It was a blast; there were lots of great instruments, and I had a great time writing about the proceedings. There's a lots of fun info in pretty much all of the pricing archives. I find myself re-reading and referencing them frequently. Just click any of the links below.