Official Luthiers Forum!

Okay, I admit always looking on Ebay for a cool old Martin or Gibson to rebuild for myself. A junker, you know the kind I'm talking about, barely worth fixing, but cool. They always seem to bring two or three times what they are really worth.

Here is one I found and succumbed to it's charm. And, I probably paid two or three times what it's really worth. The former owner gave up on his "round tuit" and sold it on Ebay. It's in South Carolina.

It may be a real pile of crap... you never know... you pays your money, you takes your chances....
Take a look.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

and it's a 12 fretter, just counted....

oh, and it has ladder bracing....

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagen ame=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280090966560&rd=1&rd=1

This is supposed to be an Ebay link. I don't know if it will work?

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Looks like a fun project!
So, what do you figure you have to do to it before you can play it?

Cheers

John

Looks like fun, Bruce. I'll bet you can restore it to good as new.


Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

I'm still a few miles away, what you see is what I know. I did have him run his hand inside and see if it had an x or ladder, and ladder it is. I suspect that looking at the bridge, it's actually the bottom half of a trapeze type setup? The guy thought it was a replacement that wasn't finished..... huh.... No bridge pins. So, I pet it had a tailpiece screwed to the butt of it.

I hope it makes it without extra damage. Why is it when you ship a hundred dollar guitar nothing happens. Why is it when you ship a four thousand dollar guitar it ends up in splinters with tire tracks on the package.....

Nah, I got charmed by this little parlor. No name, maybe it's a Stradivari, he made a few you know.....

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Oh John, I know it needs a set of strings.....

Probably a set of Waverleys.... ahem.....

Anyone got a set of gut strings for this baby they'd sell cheap?

I wonder what kind it orginally had on it?

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Hey, Bruce-
I didn't realize that the pics were from the eBay ad. No doubt you will appraise it more accurately once it actually arrives!
Considering the prices on eBay (crazy) you did well on this one. If it has a tailpiece, you can probably get away with light steel strings?
Cheers
John

Congrats Bruce, Looks like a fun project for you.I hope there are no surprises under that humongous pickguard! I check out these kind of guitars on ebay too.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Looks pretty cool, Bruce- these can be a blast. I've done a bunch of them. But, the worst thing about this guitar is that it looks like it doesn't have a spruce top. These were lower-grade guitars at the time and they were made of all one wood,....it looks like the top is the same wood as the back. You'll have to let us know when you get it!
If that is the case, it's not that big of a deal- just replace the top, and brace it with a nice light x-brace. It'll really sing then! Good luck.

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Mark Swanson
Swanson Guitars
http://www.MarkSwansonMusic.com

Mark, you are probably right. I had that impression too. Adirondack is all I have to say..... or Lutz is all I have to say.....

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Looks loke a fun project. I'm always looking for something like that at the local "Junk Shops"

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Ah yes, another victim succumbs to OPGAS. I really like the sound of ladder braced guitars and the v-neck has its advantages, too.

You may remember the faux-painted one one I posted pix of recently? I got it singing again by replacing the nut, bridge and saddle, gluing the loose top and stringing it up with Martin silk & steel strings.

Be sure to give us an update when it gets here!

While trying to learn about old parlors, I stumbled across a very useful article from Vintage Guitar magazine. The early Harmonys are the focus, but there are a few tidbits of good info about some other early makers:

Harmony, the Parlor Years

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D..

Dennis,
Great article. I was reading the part about these old parlors following suit with the mandolin orchestras of the time and marking the tenth fret, rather than the ninth as guitars of today. My Ebay find parlor, has the tenth fret marked, amazing, what there is to learn every day about a guitar. Thanks for sharing the article. Bruce

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com