Friday, 21 December 2012

Silvertone 1457



This Silvertone 1457 is a classic amongst the classic vintage guitars, but for some reasons we never had the chance to show one on Guitarz. As you can't fail noticing, this Silvertone model was actually built by Danelectro and shares the typical Dan'o features - masonite body, lipstick pickups and above all a boldly pop design - one of their bests, all in curves and claws! And I love the headstock, even though it's technically absurd!

Another characteristic of the 1457 - shortly released in the mid-1960s - was to be sold together with an amplifier case - something than never took but was a nice gadget for beginning guitarists at the time. Silvertone was the instrument line of mail-order catalogs Sears and Roebuck, and had their guitars made by Harmony, Kay and Danelectro; the 1457 package with the 'Amp-in-a-Case' has been very popular, and was even sold with a a guitar playing method on a 45rpm record!

Bertram D

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5 comments:

  1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSvyU7flL2E

    Flat Duo Jets. I'll just leave this here.

    It is the one pickup model tho, but then agaain if you can do that on one pickup... Two!? Good God Man!

    hell have this too!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9uf6iW_Zg8

    Has commontary tho....

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  2. Funny I was only looking at this one on ebay uk with a case yesterday. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silvertone-1448-Guitar-with-Amp-in-Case-/140891185938?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item20cdc4e312

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  3. I used to look through the Sears and Roebuck catalog , as a child, and lust after the Silvertone amp-n-case 1448 guitars. It just seemed like such a cool setup. 50 years later I built my homage to that Danelectro built guitar. It is the single pickup cousin to the 1457. Nothing touches the retro cool of these guitars.

    http://www.leroybeal.net/guitars/electric/1448/index.html

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  4. "And I love the headstock, even though it's technically absurd!"

    And now..., the SECOND attempt to string the High E! The sheer amount of lateral force on that nut, well it must have been made of Unobtainium.

    Just curious, was there a shortage of screws back then? Five for the entire assy. Can't help but love them though, this one looks like it was played sparingly. Those chicks didn't stand a chance when you'd break into House Of The Rising Sun!

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  5. I've seen Eric Johnson pictured with one of these bad boys. I wonder if he's ever recorded with it.

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