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TT -002 ca. 1931 Turturro
OM-18 EXC Nicola Turturro was a luthier based
in Brooklyn who made lots of different fretted instruments in the 20's
and 30's. This is the 2nd "Martin copy" of his that I have had. It is basically a replica of a Martin OM-18 with a very slightly smaller 14 3/4" lower bout. Same quality woods that Martin had access to for the
spruce top and
mahogany back and
sides. Unadorned
headstock front
and Grover banjo
tuning pegs with the
"Turturro" stamp on the back of the peghead. There are a couple
of stable hairline
cracks on the back and the typical repaired (hard to see)
center seam hairline. It is X-braced.
Scale length is 24 3/4" and nut width is 1 3/4". 14 3/4" lower bout.
Hard shell
case. This thing looks and sounds like a thirties Martin and
is built with the same quality of materials and construction at a fraction of the price.
Price: $3850.00
MFG -0001
1903 Martin 00-42. Exc- I got this guitar
from Stan at Mandolin Bros. in 1968! The back finish had fogged and
the bridge was cracked. Chris Berkov did a wonderful job of restoring
it.
In 1974, when I was the accompanist to Mimi Farina, she fell in love with it and bought if from me. We toured all over the place with it until she decided it was too valuable and
delicate to take on the road anymore. Many years later, she returned
it to me. Abalone trimed spruce top and gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood
back
and sides.
Replaced Grovers for tuners work fine. Slight hairline in
the
ivory end strip. The Serial Number is 9665.
It has a hard shell case in good condition. You can see more
pictures of it on the Museum Page.
Price: $23,500.00
OG - 00036 ca. 1936 Oahu Jumbo X-Braced (Nick
Lucas) Flat Top VG++ I've played a few of these and they are all tone monsters. This
one may have originally been a square neck but now has a comfortable C profile neck. Nicks and small scratches
here and there but no cracks. All original finish and parts. Sunburst spruce
top with the
gold leaf in fine shape. Flame maple
back and sides. Oahu decal on the
headstock and original
tuners. NIck Lucas style
deep body.
Hard shell case.
Lower Bout Width = 14 1/2" Nut Width = 1 13/16" Scale Length = 25 5/8"
Body Depth = 4 5/8" Action at 12th fret is 8/64ths" bass and 6/64ths" treble.
Price $3450.00
VV - 0007 1936 Vivitone Acousti Guitar
EXC+ Well, I never thought I'd part with this gem from the "Loar Collection" but here goes.
I've seen and owned a number of these but this is not only the nicest but also the only one I've
run across with triple WBW binding on both the top
and the back. These 'brainchildren' of Lloyd Loar did
not prove commercially sucessful but have unique innovations. The back is
recessed and has f-holes and contributes to the sound of the guitar. This is also the only specimen
that I have known that has the "fairy frets" touted in some
of the Vivitone ads. One need only a light touch rather than having to push hard to make a clear note.
Granted, it takes a bit of getting used to. The tasteful sunburst on top and back extends also to the
sides. Art deco abounds from the
head stock to the tailpiece. Original
tuning pegs.
There are no cracks anywhere (these typically have a
heel crack). This is a stunning example of a rare beast. The original
hard shell case is in pretty nice shape.
Price: $4500.00
SOLD
HO - 0004 ca. 1895 Howe-Orme Style 4 Guitar
EXC ++ Howe Orme family instruments are rare. Those of the mandolin family are the most commonly found.
The guitars turn up far less often. I've been a big fan of Howe Orme instruments for a long time.
They have so many innovations which contribute to a big full sound. This is one of the higher end models
of which there are very few. Spruce "cylinder" bound top
and brazilian rosewood bound back with 'zipper' center stripe.
It appear to have mahogany
sides but maybe it's rosewood. The cylinder feature which provides not only
structural support but enhanced fidelity can be best viewed from the
bottom. Another brilliant innovation is
the adjustable neck angle and neck attachment
method which provides an elevated fingerboard. Elegant un-adorned
headstock and yes, a zero fret in the late 1800's. Original
tuning pegs . The
label is nicely intact. Serial number 2448.
This guitar is in museum quality condition. Newer hard
shell case.
Price: $6850.00
KK - 00011 mid 30's Kay Kraft Venetian Gold Leaf
guitar EXC You can find a lot of beat up models like this
but I have not seen one in as fine
condition as this example. No cracks and hardly any scratches or blemishes. Sunburst
top with the gold leaf in fine shape and the
Indian Heads clean and crisp. Straight neck and
adjustable action via the large wingnut inside
and the sliding adjuster pad at the heel .
Sunburst mahogany back and sides. Original
tuning pegs. Clean
Kay Kraft logo on the headstock.
Chipboard case may be original.
Price: $1850.00
SOLD
MFG -0001
1903 Martin 00-42. Exc- I got this guitar
from Stan at Mandolin Bros. in 1968! The back finish had fogged and
the bridge was cracked. Chris Berkov did a wonderful job of restoring
it.
In 1974, when I was the accompanist to Mimi Farina, she fell in love with it and bought if from me. We toured all over the place with it until she decided it was too valuable and
delicate to take on the road anymore. Many years later, she returned
it to me. Abalone trimed spruce top and gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood
back
and sides.
Replaced Grovers for tuners work fine. Slight hairline in
the
ivory end strip. The Serial Number is 9665.
It has a hard shell case in good condition. You can see more
pictures of it on the Museum Page.
Price: $23,500.00
GF-00031 1939 Gibson L
Century EXC - Here is a beauty. The "minus"
is because of the one pro repaired stable crack in the flame maple back. There's also a repaired hairline on the top
going from the bridge down to the bottom.
It's got the wide sunburst on the top typical of the later models. Pearl inlays in rosewood
insets in the M.O.T. fingerboard.
Very unusual non-M.O.T. ebony veneered, pearl inlayed headstock and original
tuning pegs. Flame maple sides
are crack free. A few scratches around the bottom. Nice comfortable "C"
neck profile. Beautiful hard shell case seem more like
late 40's early 50's to me but it's sure a nice one. This guitar is set
up great and is really fun to play. Plus it's about the best sounding one of these
that I've run across.
VF - 00012 ca. 1938 Vega
Flat Top Guitar EXC - Another great sounding
late thirties Vega Flat Top in nice original condition. Spruce top is crack free as is the
mahogany back. There is
one small repaired crack in the upper bout of the bass side. The
original finish on the
mahogany back and
sides has aged with light streaks in it which I've also seen on other old
Vega's from this period. Everything appears to be original from the tuning pegs to the end pin with the
exception of the one black bridge pin although maybe it's the original
one? Vega logo on the
headstock and label in fine condition.
Lower bout - 13 1/2" Scale Length = 25" Nut
Width = 1 3/4" It's had a neck set and plays comfortably
and in tune with action at the 12th fret, 6th string of 4/32" and first
string of 3/32". Ladder braced. Big sound from this medium size body.
Chipboard case.
Price: $2750.00
SOLD
VF - 00011 ca. 1937 Vega
Flat Top Guitar EXC + It is unusual to find a
Vega flat top in this large size ... a shade under 14 3/4" at the lower
bout and a maximum body depth of 4 1/2 inches.
Combined with the 25" scale length this yields a big strong sound.
It is ladder braced and was built for steel strings with a
long bridge plate and two tone bars below the plate.
The nut width is 1 21/32" (just shy of 1 11/16") typical of the Vegas of the thirties and forties.
The serial number is 38969. Someday someone will figure out how Vega serial numbers
relate to the date of manufacture and we will thank them profusely. The action measures
8/64" at the 12th fret on the bass string and 6/64ths on the treble string. This
instrument is in amazing original un-circulated condition with a recent
neck set, straight neck, good frets and low action. Adirondack spruce
top shows some long checking lines
in the original finish as does the mahogany
back and sides. Mahogany neck and ebony bridge and fingerboard.
This is a simple relatively unadorned model but the quality
of woods and craftsmanship in these old Vegas is right up there with the Martins
of the same era. Everything is original here from the end pin to the 'jazz era'
raised pickguard to the tuning
pegs to the stenciled star logo on the headstock. And the original Geib semi-
hard case is quite nice indeed.
Price: $3350.00
AG - 00107 ca. 1939 Le Domino "Big
Boy" by Regal VG + This Big Boy has a 15 1/4"
lower bout and a scale length of 25 1/2 " with a nut width of 1 7/8" and
it is a great fingerpicking guitar. Sorta like an archtop, sorta like a flat top. The top appears to be solid spruce
and the back looks like birch.
It is all original from the
tuning pegs to the
tailpiece, bridge and pickguard. The script on the headstock is in
unusually good shape as is the
Regal label. There is a bit of wear to the dominos on the
fingerboard but the
dominoes
just above the tailpiece are in pristine
condition. Fancy soundhole rosette.
It looks like a 2 piece
heel construction or a very perfectly horizontal hairline crack repair.
Hard to tell. It sounds really good and plays nicely with a comfortable action.
Ratty old oversize chipboard case.
Price: $1750.00
To contact Players Vintage Instruments, e-mail us at info@vintageinstruments.com
Or telephone: 415-669-1107 West Coast Time
Or write to: Box 445, Inverness, Ca. 94937
Lowell Levinger - Proprietor
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