Harmony Roy Smeck H73 signature guitar from 1966

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I didn't know who Roy Smeck was until I bought a bunch of parts from 2 Harmony Roy Smeck lapsteels a while back. Born in 1900, Smeck, who was known as the Wizard of Strings died in 1994. He was known for his skills on guitar, lapsteel, banjo, and ukulele. He was even inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame.

It seems he had a long affiliation with Harmony and was even somewhat of an inventor. Many Harmony products bear his name.

This H73 is one of those products. I like the profile of this hollow, 2 pickup electric. It has an ample cutaway and an upper bout that is slightly reminiscent of a telecaster's curves.

It looks to be in great shape and comes with the original case. 

The seller is looking for trades, something interesting or unusual.

R.W. Haller

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1967-68 Messenger hollow body fretless electric bass with aluminum neck

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Previously on Guitarz we've taken an all-too brief look at a vintage 1960s Musicraft Inc. Messenger guitar (as famously played by Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad) and the more recent Eastwood reissue (which is itself a discontinued model... for the time being).

I've not previously seen a bass model of the Messenger, but this is what we have here now being offered for sale on eBay with a starting bid of US $1,500. The bass is a hollowbody and features an aluminium neck.

Intriguingly the neck is fretless (obviously with markers in this instance). The seller does not mention if its fretlessness is an original feature or whether this is a later conversion. In all other areas the bass does seem to be original - it even has the original hardcase.

It would be interesting if, like the Ampeg AUB-1, this was another pre-Jaco Pastorius fretless bass. Jaco famously claimed to have invented the fretless bass, but then again when you are a genius I think you are allowed to make such claims. He certainly invented that whole style of playing. Just look at the flatwound strings on this Messenger in the headstock photo. NOT good for lyrical playing with vibrato, swoops and slides. The best this is going to do is to emulate an upright bass thump.

The eBay seller also provides a few scans of Messenger brochures and sales literature from back in the day, and which I reproduce here for posterity.

If you wondered about that body design:

The perfectly contoured, arrow-straight neck remains thin and fast throughout its entire length. And the fingerboard begins where the soundbox ends, thereby eliminating the need for unsightly cutaways and making possible unobstructed access to all frets.

Regarding that metal neck:

Guaranteed not to bow or warp under normal usage, Messenger's rigid, patented alloy neck grows even stronger with age. Because of its strength, no truss rod is needed. Moreover, the neck requires neither a massive buildup at the heel nor a body support. Backbone of the Messenger is a single-piece alloy structure combining the head, neck and a "fork" extension passing through the sound chamber. The extension is tuned to a frequency of 440 cycles per second. Its constant response controls the tonal quality, reduces "?????" [sorry, can't decipher this word] to an absolute minimum and helps keep strings in motion to produce longer sustained notes.

The price list lists Messenger bass models as follows:

MESSENGER BASS GUITAR

Features: Dual pick-ups with separate tone and volume controls for maximum tone range and versatility. Semi-acoustic body with short scale neck. Available with the Messer tone distortion unit built in the body.

MB50    Morning Sunburst    325.00
MB52    Rojo Red    325.00
MBS60   Morning Sunburst with messer distortion unit    362.00
MBS62   Rojo Red with messer distortion unit    362.00

Note that no mention is made of a fretless model.

G L Wilson

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Fretless Ibanez AF84E Jazz Guitar

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To my knowledge Ibanez never made a fretless version of this guitar so I must assume that this AF84E was modified to be fretless.

I'd love to hear a solid jazz player take a crack at this. I'm not sure if I could do it any justice. I have a fret dependancy, just as anyone who has heard me attempt the violin can confirm.

Currently listed at a very agreeable $400 Canadian

R.W. Haller

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Migma hollow-body

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It's been too long since I last shown a Migma guitar here - the odd twin company of more famous East-German Musima. This hollow-body model has their trademark strangely shaped pickguard, extra long whammy bar and sound-holes for which I guess there is no descriptive name (feel free to propose one!)  

Bertram D

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1960s Alamo Fiesta

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Two things are sure about Alamo guitars: they are rare vintage US cheapos, and they do have strange shapes - strange outlines, strange pickguards, strange pickups, a look at this Alamo Fiesta says all… 

Alamo was an early amp company from Texas that released guitars in the 1960s, and anything I could write about it would be copied on this www.vintageguitar.com article, so it's better to read it if you're interested. One surprising thing is that this guitar is not mere a planck, but is actually hollow - that is almost sophisticated… 

Bertram D

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Bernd 's Klira Patricia 196X jazz box renovation project

guitarz.blogspot.com:  Bernd writes to tell us about his renovation project as follows:
I am Bernd from Straubing in Bavaria, Germany. I found a 196X Klira Patricia Archtop at an auction and decided to "restore" it to a blue Jazz-Machine with abalone-celluloid inlays.

Some people think, those old Kliras (and Lindbergs and Triumphators) should stay in the cellar - others think, they have some worth. As I didn't have such a Jazz-Box, I was ready to invest a few Euros and some elbow grease. The lacquer and the whole finish was very bad, and it seems to have been in a very humid environment for a few years. But the neck was straight and the frets were OK.

The headstock inlay was already dissolving - what looks like a kind of pearl inlay was in fact some kind of laquer, also in a very bad shape. The guitar looks much better on the images, as it was in reality.

Problem: I don't have a workshop, don't have any woodworking tools and I don't have any woodworking experience ...

So I stripped her and gave her some new abalone-celluloid inlays and also an abalone headstock and some "new clothes" - a RAL 5005 stain.

Added a little make-up - two sheets of teak oil (I will add some more in the future ...) and some Grover like tuners from a Guild F130, a Gretsch bridge and her old tailpiece.

Now she sounds very loud and clear ... Great tone ...

As she is a modern girl now, she gets some electronics - a Schaller Vintage 44 floating single coil and a volume and tone control. With a Yamaha THR 10c, she sounds absolutely stunning.

OK. This is in no way a perfect restoration. I did a lot of mistakes and everbody who takes a closer (and even a not so close) look will find some. But I like her, wife and daughter like her, people like her and she has great sound ...

Already looking for the next old guitar ...

Bernd

Many thanks to Bernd for sharing his guitar renovation project with us. I'd like to congratulate him on tastefully bringing an old guitar that has seen better days back to life. - GLW

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1960s Kay Speed Demon hollowbody electric guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This 1960s Kay Speed Demon is certainly quite a looker and is in fantastic condition for a guitar of its vintage. I get the feeling this was produced as a "poor man's Gretsch"; I don't mean that to its detriment, it is what it is, a low budget electric hollowbody.

From the eBay description it sounds as if this guitar has one or two minor issues that could be sorted out by anyone competent in guitar maintenance. It is currently listed on eBay with a realistic Buy It Now price of US $450.

G L Wilson

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Fender Coronado doubleneck XII + VI semi-hollowbody one-off electric guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I've had an email about the above-pictured guitar from Guitarz reader Andrew K, who says:

...appears to be two Fender Coronados stuck together. I mean that literally. The bit that seems most hodgepodge is the point in the middle where the two 'horns' meet. I've seen a fair few fender one-offs (fanboy that I am) and they all demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship and that point the middle just looks... Cheap. It also begs the question, just how are the bodies joined together? There isn't any logical structural integrity to the hollow body Coronado that would allow for the join, so how was it done? And, how well was it done? will it separate come a few years from now?

I'm almost of the suspicion that it was built by a luthier using two guitars. But claiming it was factory makes it a little more valuable, so.... Guess I'll leave it up to the buyers to decide.

Actually, I wouldn't be at all surprised at all if this was a Fender-made proto-prototype. Their R&D department was known to mock-up weird and wonderful guitars from parts, and some of these were quite crudely executed. We've looked at some of them already - if you want crude then check out this example!

As to construction, my guess would be that it has a solid block in the middle where the two bodies meet.

More importantly, what did Fender think they were doing? The Coronado is know for having a big body as it is. Making a doubleneck Coronado is going to result in a super-wide guitar. Not the most convenient instrument to take out on stage with you. I think the Fender R&D department probably just enjoyed making these Frankenstein jobs just for the sheer fun of it.

Currently listed on eBay Australia with a Buy It Now price of AU $22,000 (i.e. Australian dollars).

G L Wilson

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Handmade hollowbody acoustic-electric tenor guitar for sale on eBay

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When I first saw the thumbnail-sized photos for this guitar on eBay I thought it was yet another of those ghastly and often highly inaccurate model guitars. However, clicking through to the actual item's page, I find out that it is a handmade acoustic-electric tenor guitar. It does look rather "rustic" in appearance, but I think that's part of its charm. The seller claims that it is a very playable instrument, and the auction has already attracted a few bidders even though we're not talking big money at this stage. My one worry about it is that I doubt it has a truss rod (there certainly isn't a truss-rod cover to be seen, and bear in mind that this is a set neck instrument), so if there is any movement or curvature in the neck it's going to be difficult to correct. But as an example of a one-off hand-built instrument, probably not made by someone who's a luthier as such, it is a very interesting guitar.

Currently being auctioned on eBay UK.

G L Wilson

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Zero Sette / JG Italian-made paisley hollow body electric

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's another bizarre vintage guitar that Bertram spotted on eBay, this time located in Canada. I'll let the eBay seller tell you about it:

Made in Italy in the mid 1960s by Zero Sette Accordian. Julio Giulietti (JG) was the owner of the company at the time.

Hollowbody with awesome paisley fabric (not paper) finish under clear lacquer finish. Bolt-on neck with bound rosewood fretboard, two single-coil pickups. We sourced and installed a 1960s Goya replacement neck pickup to replace the modern one that was on it when we acquired it.

A super rare guitar! We believe they called it the 1092P model and have only seen one other one sold over the years and it was in Europe.

History

Many Euro accordion manufacturers were branching out into the exploding electric guitar market in the early 1960s and it was a period of creative, complicated and distinct (some might say ugly) hollow-body designs coming from companies such as Eko, Polverini, Galanti and Zero Sette. Some were rebadged and sold as part of the Goya catalogue, while others such as the JG models, were marketed under their own trade names.

When Kustom bought Goya in 1970 most production moved to Japan.

This guitar is the sister model to the Goya Rangemaster Paisley hollow-body that is played by Jimi Hendrix backstage in a black and white photo that has been circulating for years.

The body is amazingly resonant (especially since Grandma's couch is wrapped around it!) and it is in great condition. It plays very well... the staff love playing it. It is not just a collectible, show piece guitar – it is a player.

Please excuse me for borrowing so extensively from the eBay listing, but it tells a lot more about the guitar than I could.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US$2,195 (and with free shipping offered to USA, Canada and Europe).

G L Wilson

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1960s Orpheum violin-bodied guitar from Italy

guitarz.blogspot.com:

At first I mistook this guitar for a Russian-made Orpheus or Orfeus (they seemed to used the different spellings inter-changably), but of course it is a 1960s Italian-made Orpheum violin-bodied guitar with three pickups and a vibrato. Look at the position of the bridge practically in the centre of the body and the sheer distance between it and the point where the strings are anchored on the vibrato. Those who like modding guitars with pickups behind the bridge to capture those Sonic Youth-style overtones would love a guitar with that extra length of string, but it would be such a shame to modify a 1960s vintage Italian guitar such as this.

The seller insists that it is a player too:

Pickups sound amazing. Super warm and punchy. There are a ton of different tones that you can dial in, from warm and mellow "jazz tones" to super bright and jangly treble tones that would make any garage rockers dreams come true.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $895.

G L Wilson

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Klira hollow body

guitarz.blogspot.com

Unfortunately Klira guitars are poorly documented on the internet, though this West-German company has been making music instruments for one century - stopping in the 1980s. Though at the time they started to build electric guitars they were located in Bavaria, the company was originated in Saxony,  next to the Czech border, like many German music instruments manufacturers based in Markneukirche and around.

All I can tell about this guitar is what I see: originally it had 3 pickups, 2 ones are left and have been slanted. It has the typically Klira strangely shaped control plate and cool tremolo. Its eBay seller says that it sounds good and loud - we'll have to believe him there...

Bertram D

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Hopf Saturn 63 in crème brûlée finish

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I've already stated that the Hopf Saturn 63 is one of my favorite guitars ever. I found one with a very rare finish, that fits well to its extremely elegant design. Just enjoy!

Bertram D

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Roger Standard Cutaway

guitarz.blogspot.com:

It's summer, the time of crappy pictures...

Anyway, this Roger Standard Cutaway may look dusty and beaten,  but it's a fine schlaggitarre by German luthier Wenzel Rossmeisl, father of the famous Roger Rossmeisl who brought German guitar making craftsmanship to US companies Rickenbacker and Fender - including the German carve named after him - and was very influential in the creation of Mosrite guitars.

This Standard Cutaway is a 1960s model, as one can tell from its large headstock - and after reading the necessary Jazzgitarren blog.

Bertram D

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12-string soviet plastic body Maria Rhythm

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We've previously seen the 6-string and the bass versions of the made in USSR Lunacharki Maria, here is the 12-string, the Maria Rhythm. Thanks to its lighter sunburst finish, you can see on this picture how strangely shaped its plastic body is - and how beautiful in its oddness...

Bertram D

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Pagelli Redwood Special Custom Hollowbody

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You can't miss a Pagelli guitar with its characteristic ergonomic shaped designed for Eastman and the curved headstock - and everybody says that the sound is as good as the looks...

Bertram D

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1940 vintage Gibson ES-300 hollowbody guitar with the longest slanted pickup you ever saw!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Slanted pickups on guitar were around a long time before Leo Fender designed the Telecaster and Stratocaster. Here we see a Gibson ES-300 from 1940 with a long slanted pickup which is very nearly 7 inches in length. Later examples had a shorter pickup, which was still mounted at a slant.

This guitar comes in the original Geib 5 latch hard shell case (the seller claims that the case alone is worth $1,000), and is currently listed on eBay with a starting price of $6,500.

Thanks to Andrew K for bringing this guitar to my attention.

G L Wilson

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