Conference napalm::guitar

    
    
    I own a pair of Danelectro-built Silvertones, a guitar and a
    bass.
    
    Both have single cutaway bodies, vaguely like a Les Paul.  The tuners
    are inline, like a Fender and they have single lipstick-tube pickups,
    one volume and on tone.  The guitar also has a selector switch for
    the tone control.
    
    The bass is balck with white "pebble" material along the body sides.
    The neck has a 30" scale and 24 frets.  The tuners are 4 in a row,
    with all four in a single cover!  The pickguard is clear plastic,
    the nut is aluminum and the brige is a trapezoidal piece of steel
    resting on three screws with a block of wood as the single saddle.
    
    The guitar is gold, with some sort of flower motif atop it (contact
    paper?).  It also has white around the sides but is not pebbled.
    The neck has 20 frets.  Again, all six tuners under one cover.
    The original pickguard and nameplate are missing.  The bridge is identical
    to the bass!!!  The only difference being there are six notches
    cut out at one end to hook the ball ends under rather than four.
    The switch selects one of two capacitors for the tone control,
    giving you two sounds with only one pickup.
    
    Both of them have the volume and tone controls reversed, that is,
    the tone is closer to the neck and the volume closer to the bridge.
    In fact, not only are the pickup, bridge and controls the same,
    you can mount the necks on the other body!  All the body dimensions
    are *identical*...the extra length from nut to bridge for a bass
    explains the 24 fret neck!!!
    
    Both have Masonite *hollow* bodies.  Yeah, they look solid, but
    they aren't.  The necks have *two* non-adjustable truss rods, there
    is no way these babies will warp....one reason why these guitars
    have lasted so long, unlike other cheapies the necks remain playable.
    Both have what appear to be totally flat rosewood fingerboards.
    
    The price:  $65 for the bass in 1979.   $20 for the guitar in 1981,
    including a softshell case and a matching Silvertone amp which believe
    it or not, uses the exact same knobs as the guitars!!  (The amp
    is similar to a Champ, but does not break up much...imagine a small
    amp that sounds *clean* at high volume)
    
    The bass gets that Paul McCartney sound, you know "whoomp" with
    no sustain.  Great for recording, it cuts through but due to the
    lack of sustain doesn't muddy up the bottom end.  The guitar needs
    medium gauge strings to sound good, it has a low output but a nice
    tone, particularly for blues styles.  It has a crisp sound good
    for rhythm when the tone is turned up all the way.  The lack of
    sustain works well with fuzz boxes at very high gain settings, you
    don't get as much "runaway" of notes.  The bass neck is a little
    narrow for my taste, but the guitar is great...just right for me,
    and I love bending medium gauge strings, they fight back!!!!
    
    I doubt that I will ever part with either of them.
    
    
    
    

    Re: .1
    
    Forgot to say....the bass I got from a music store who knew I was
    looking for one.  The guitar/amp I found at a fire department tag
    sale one day while on a bicycle trip.

	I've got an old Regal resophonic guitar (Dobro) that I found at
	a garage sale several years ago.  Paid $20 for it.  I cleaned it
	up and put new strings on it and now I play it all the time.
	The guy I bought it from (an older gentleman) was moving to Fla.
	and was cleaning out the house.  He said he used to play it in
	a Hawaiian band in his younger days.  I believe it is from the
	forties or so.

	-gary

    Now we're talking. If I could find deals like the ones mentioned
    so far, I would have a house full of guitars in no time. Imagine buying
    3 funky instruments for less than $100.oo. I have seen a lot of
    deals in the want advertiser that looked great, but by the time
    I called on them (the same day they hit the newsstands) they were
    gone. 
    
    I heard a story about a Kid who found a guitar in the trash, retrieved
    it and sold it to someone for $5 to $10. It turned out to be a national
    dobro, and an old one at that, with a broken headstock. $20 later the 
    headstock was good as new and so was the Dobro.
              
    I heard another story about a fairly well to do family living in
    Harvard, Ma. The son (about 9 years old) had an old Fender Bandmaster
    amp with Tweed covering, Jensen Alnico speakers and all. His dad
    bought him a new amp so he brought the bandmaster out to the street
    with the trash. The neighborhood kids spotted it and grabbed it. It
    changed hands several times, and each time the price was higher.
    Finally one kid put a sign on it and sat out on his front lawn for
    an afternoon and sold it to a passerby for $100.oo
                           
    	Back about 8-10 years ago there was a band in the Fitchburg,
    Leominster area called the Lean Street Sliders. This band had a
    reputation for cooking with fire. At one point they had a change
    of personell, and introduced a new guitar player. The first night
    he played with them (at the Oyster Bar, Fitchburg), was considered
    his "initiation" into the band. The whole show centered around him,
    however he had to play with a cheap Sears silvertone guitar, and
    his amp, period. No effects, nothing !! I can't remember hearing
    anyone play better blues in my life than he did with that sears
    silvertone.
    
    
    
    
    	Where am I when these deals go down ?????????? One thing about
    guitar collecting is that when you are paying big bucks to buy
    something, its serious business. But when you are buying something
    interesting but cheap, it's fun. 
    
    

    I am a drummer and I used to comb garage sales for interesting
    instruments too.  Once i was at a garage sale and saw an old snare
    drum.  It had the old Ludwig keystone nameplate on it (the one with
    WFL initials) so I knew it was probably from the 40s or earlier.
    When I asked about it, I was told that they had 2 of them but sold
    one earlier in the day for one dollar.  I offered fifty cents and
    walked off with it (I have no shame).  It had the original calfskin
    head on it (although with a rip in it), and original snares.  It
    was brass with a chrome finish and was 15" in diameter (as opposed
    to the more common 14") which means it was probably used for symphonic
    pruposes (that extra inch makes it tough to straddle between your
    legs when sitting at a drum set).  It needed some work but was
    basically sound.  I took it to NYC and visited several drum shops
    with it.  I finally sold it to a guy who rebuilds classic drums
    and sells them to big name performers at high prices.  He gave me
    $75 for it.  Maybe I could have gotten more, but I felt satisfied.
    
    Another time I bought a Slingerland snare drum at a police auction
    for $7.  It is now my main snare drum.  It's not as pretty as my
    '67 Ludwig (which I bought new and still have) but it has a fuller,
    deeper sound.
    
    One more: A friend of mine bought a Gibson guitar from a music store
    near Syracuse that was going out of business.  It was never a thriving
    store and merchandise had a way of sitting around for a long time.
     Anyway, he bought a '62 Gibson, brand new, in 1979 for $75.  It
    was a bizarre aqua-marine color.  I forgot the model, but it had
    an SG body, but different pick-ups.  
    
    It's been a while since I've seen such bargains.

        Hindsight...Man if only knew then. I started playing guitar
    in the mid sixties. Back then my folks would buy me a different
    OTW guitar every Christmas, usually a sears silvertone.
    (because back then I thought that was about the only guitar that
    existed) Anyway, the neighborhood that grew up in was one where
    every kid played guitar.
       
       After a while we started trading these things and I had Quite
    a collection of them. At that time I was at an age that I thought
    it cool to cannibalize them and take them apart and customize
    them by swapping the parts from different ones. 
    
        So  to make a long story short, I discovered real guitars
    like fenders and gibsons. Then came the night I saw the WHO
    do their demolition of equipment act on TV one night (this
    was still in the sixties remember) and me and my garage buddies
    thought it would be fun to emulate this act. So... no more
    sears,kay,tiesco,harmony,howard,acme,and what have you guitars.
    
        I,ve still got one silvertone acoustic in good shape that
    I won't part with because it was my very first quitar. I still
    have some parts including a lipstick tube pickup.
    
        Thanks for making me think about that pickup, I just might
    try to find a use for it. Thanks  for an interesting topic.
    
           Dennis
    

    	I picked up a Gibson ES-120 from the Goodwill in Colorado Springs,
    Colorado for $5.95 in 1973. The guitar had a broken headstock so
    I sent it back to Gibson and had a three piece maple neck installed
    replacing the mahogany original. They also included an inlay Gibson
    logo replacing the original gold decal. They neck retained the original
    serial number. This was student model when introduced in the late
    50's and has a large plastic art deco pickguard which includes the
    electronics and controls. I have seen many an ES-125 but not very
    many 120's. 
    	
    
    Long live flea market music supply!
    Don

    
    Well, here's another one, courtesy of Tom Testagrossa up in BXB.
    I just picked up an old Gibson amp from him to give to my brother
    for use as a blues harp amp.
    
    The thing is a Gibson GA-5T Skylark.  I told Tom I had heard of
    the amp and in fact had a 1967 catalog that listed it.  Well, I
    do, but apparently like many Fender models, Gibson kept the name
    but upgraded the model because the 1967 version is *nothing* like
    this amp. I would *guess* this amp is from maybe 1958 to 1962.
    
    First off, it has two inputs, one volume, a tremelo speed knob and
    a power switch for controls.  No tone!!!  
    
    The speaker is a 10" with the smallest magnet I've ever seen on a
    guitar amp.  My little Silvertone and Harmony amps with Jensen 8"s have
    *much* larger magnets on them.  The thing reaches a reasonable volume
    but with my Silvertone guitar as input, it was not possible to get any
    overdrive; then again, the Silvertone has notoriously weak output. 
    
    Using the notorious LPB-1 as a preamp I was *still* unable to overload
    the preamp (good for clean sounds, eh?) but at about 3 to 4 on the
    volume knob some pretty serious power amp distortion began (plus some
    pretty serious volume for such a small box).  Running the guitar
    through a Fuzz Face gave a nice though not earth-shattering tone, with
    the amp helping to "round off" the Fuzz Face's natural harshness. 
    
    It gets a nice clean tone across the volume range when used with input
    1.  Input 2 seems to pad it a bit and roll off some highs.  Without
    opening it up, I would guess it has a different input impedance than
    input 1, thus affecting the tone and gain.   
    
    The tremelo works well, but Fender lovers will probably wish it
    had more intensity to it.  At high volumes, hiss pumping is quite
    audible.
    
    The thing has a five tube complement, two 6AQ5 power tubes (I've
    seeen 6*B*Q5 before, but 6AQ5 ?????) two things that *look* like
    12AX7s but are labeled 6EQ5 or some such.  There is also what appears
    to be a tube rectifier, 6X4.
    
    By 1967, there were but four tubes (according to the catalog) probably
    due to inclusion of a solid-state rectifier, and it had added bass and
    treble controls plus one extra knob (tremelo intensity?). The cabinet
    covering had changed to Tolex and the whole amp looked much like a
    silver-face Fender. The Skylark was also sold without tremelo as the
    GA-5. 
    
    Replacing the stock speaker with a speaker with a heftier magnet (like
    an EVM!!!! 8^)  8^)  8^) !!!!) would probably make it sound a little
    ballsier than it does. An interesting alternative to a Fender Champ if
    you are into clean sounds.  Plus a hell of a lot less expensive as
    Gibson amps have about zero collector's value, except for the stereo
    ones. 
    
    
    
    
    

    	Sounds like you've been having some fun with that amp! I'm glad
    you like it. (I'm glad it's getting some good use.)
    	As far as date, I'd believe it to be about a '62 because I got
    it from a guy who had bought the amp and a Gibson Melody-maker at
    the same time. (I checked out the serial number on his Melody-maker,
    and it dates to around '62.)
    

    If this is a "TV-front" amp, it is '59 or earlier. If not, '60-64.
    
    Danny W

    
    Just as an aside...I saw another Skylark in a music store at lunch
    time, same as the one Tom sold me, except not as clean and with
    replacement knobs.
    
    Price??  $60.00  !!!!????!!!!  (Too much IMO)
    
    Goes to show what happens to the price once a store comes into the
    picture  8^)  8^)  8^)  8^).
    

	I thought I'd enter a note to let everyone know what I've been
    up to. Just for the hell of it, I decided to enter it here, in
    hopes of resurrecting this ancient note.

        I've visited several flea markets this spring and while I haven't 
    stumbled across any 59 LP's yet, I have bought several interesting 
    pieces for next to nothing. Here's a rundown on what I've found:

	1. (2) Silvertone acoustic guitars.
	2. "Stage" Strat copy 
	3. Lektrosonic "Mouse" portable amp
	4. Regal Classical guitar 
	5. Yamaha G-50A Classical guitar
	6. Harmony tenor guitar
	7. Banjo-Yuke 
	8. Electro-voice ND-257 Microphone.
	9. Radio Shack tape deck controller.

	The Silvertone flat-tops are right out of the 1960's Sear's catalog.
    One is fairly low-rent with painted "binding" and fret markers, floating
    bridge with a (non-hinged) metal tailpiece. The other is much nicer with
    a brown sunburst finish, cellulous binding, MOP dot markers, and a 
    traditional flat-top bridge. They both play well and have surprisingly
    good tone. Bought them both for about $20/each with chipboard cases.

	The "Stage" Strat copy is in pristene condition. The body looks 
    exactly like a real Strat....Black with white pickgaurd. The trem
    is set up a lot like an American Standard, and it actually works
    well without knocking it out of tune. The neck is one-piece maple/
    maple fingerboard. The headstock is shaped a little differant than 
    a Fender, more like a hockey stick. The Headstock says "Stage Guitars" 
    Arlington, Texas. My nephew wants an electric guitar for his birthday 
    and I bought this one for him. Includes a soft gig-bag, strap, and 3 
    cords. Definately a great guitar for a beginner to learn on. 

	I recognized the Mouse amp right away as being a great buy. These 
    are real popular with Street musicians due to the built-in rechargable 
    batteries. Brand new they sell for around $200.00. By the way, I got 
    the Strat copy and Mouse amp as a package deal for $75 !

	Regal Classic guitar. My Father bought it for me for $10. The label 
    inside says "Regal Classical, distributed by Fender Sales". Included 
    chipboard case. It needs a new bridge, the top is cracked and weather 
    checked. I'm not sure I want to spend any money on fixing it. Maybe 
    I'll make my wife a plant holder out of it !!

	The Yamaha Classical is in great shape. I cleaned it up with
    McGuires mirror-glaze and it looks like new. Has mahagony back, sides,
    and neck, and what looks like a solid spruce top. The guy had two of 
    them and I almost made him an offer on both. I ended up paying $15.00 
    for it. It was missing a gear and screw from one of the tuners. I got 
    the parts I needed at a local Yamaha dealer for $.50.  I've always wanted
    to own a classical/nylon string guitar, but it was never enough of a
    priority to drop a lot of money into one. For $15.50 I really couldn't
    go wrong. 

	The Harmony tenor guitar is the cutest thing I've seen. It has
    a mahagony back, sides, and neck, spruce top, real binding, and a 
    real plastic pickgaurd. Most Harmony's I've seen have painted-on
    features, but this one is really well made. It included the original
    soft case. It's probably around 40 years old, and is in pristene 
    condition. The original labels, and serial numbers are intact. Best 
    $5.00 I've ever spent. I strung it with .010 .014 .022 & .030 and
    tuned it up a whole step higher than standard tuning. ..E A C# F# 
    (from low to high). This gives me an A chord in the open position.
    I play it like the top 4 strings of a guitar. It's well intonated 
    and has a great chiming sound. I believe tenor guitars are usually
    tuned like plectrum banjos, but I believe this would require ligher
    gauge strings. I don't think this has a truss rod and I don't want
    to put too much tension on the neck. 

	The Banjo-uke I bought is strictly a wall hanger. It has a
    round body with a skin stretched across and a small uke neck with
    banjo tuners. I cleaned it up, strung it with recycled strings and
    hung it on the wall. Looks great...$3.00

	The EV ND257 mic was another steal. It included a 25' cord,
    case, and "Hot Wires" transformer for $25.00. The Realistic tape 
    deck controller was new in the box for $2.00 and works fine. I use 
    it to switch all of the decks and my CD player, and it frees up several
    channels on my mixer.

	You've probably noticed from other notes that I have also bought
    a National Lap Steel and Fender Champ amp. Let's just say I'm having 
    a good season. The Champ is a silver-faced amp and the chassis is marked 
    42/69. I'm assuming it was made in 1969. I had to replace the fuse 
    holder and the on-off switch. The original speaker was replaced with 
    a "Gorilla" speaker. Although it sounds good with this speaker, I'd 
    like to get an original-style speaker for it. Anyone know who sells a 
    vintage-style 8" speaker for a Champ ?  The lap steel has a butt-fugly 
    black paintjob, and needs to be completly re-wired. Other than that, it
    has all the original parts and should be pretty simple to renovate.

	I also picked up a Washburn acoustic circa 1898. It needs a lot of 
    work but it has a lot of vintage appeal. It is similar to a Martin
    000-18 and has Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, slotted peghead, 
    v-shaped neck, and herringbone binding. Could potentially be a real 
    honey. The top needs the most attention. It's cracked and the bridge 
    is lifted off completely. There is a worn area on the treble side of 
    the top where a pickgaurd would normally be. Someone scratched little 
    artsy pictures into the lacquer. The fingerboard has a couple of badly 
    worn spots around the first 3 frets, and the frets are very worn. I'm 
    planning to do a fret-job and refinish the whole thing this summer. 

	My studio is beginning to look more like a music store every day. 
    My wife keeps asking what I plan to do with all these instruments !!
    I keep telling her "You can never have too many guitars!!".

	I'm planning to go to my favorite flea market every week this 
    summer looking for more bargains. I'm still waiting for the holy grail 
    to show up. I talked to an older guy at a flea market last Sunday that
    has been doing this for years. He has bought several Gibsons at Flea's
    all under $50.00 including 2 J45's. He also bought a 1971 Fender Strat 
    for $40 at a yard sale. He bought a National New Yorker Lap Steel
    (with Empire State motif) at a Flea and the deal included an ancient
    Marshall Plexi amp for $60.00
     
    	The deals are out there people !! You just have to be in the right
    place at the right time. I've been up before 6:00 every Sunday morning
    for the past 2 months, but as you can see, it has payed off. I'm having
    fun with it and getting fresh air and (much-needed) excercise at the
    same time.
    
    	I don't get time to note very often, so forgive me for writing
    a book. Take care and keep your heads low. 
    
    	Mark 
	Mark

    I returned to the Fleas this past weekend and grabbed yet more stuff.
    
    	Tokai SG copy (cherry)
    	Stage Strat copy (red with rosewood board)
	Silvertone archtop with F-holes.
    	Dean Markley Amp
    
    I traded the two electric guitars into a music store for a Martin
    Backpack travel guitar. Made out pretty good on the deal. I bought 
    the 2 electrics for $30/each and the Backpack sells for $200 w/case.
    
    The Silvertone arch-top is very low-rent but it is identical to the
    guitar I learned on when I was a kid. Brings back memories. My
    original guitar had a DiArmond floating pickup that attached to the
    strings between the bridge and tailpiece and was movable on a steel
    rod. I'd like to find another pickup like this.
    
    I also bought a National Lap Steel from a music store last Saturday.
    It's early '50's and in mint condition.
    
    I ran into an old guy at the Flea market last weekend that had a 
    whole van full of guitars. Most were junk, but he had a couple of
    very interesting pieces in the heap. One was a "Vega" Archtop with
    built-in pickup and vol/tone knobs. The pickup was similar to a
    Charlie Christian. It was probably from the late '30s or early '40s
    and had the original greenish brown tweed case. The guy wanted $350
    for it, but would have taken less. He also had a "Kay" lap steel
    that looked extremely similar to my National, but had threaded bushings
    on the bottom for legs. He said he would take $125 for it. I was
    droolin' over both of them, but didn't have that much disposable 
    cash, otherwise I would have made him an offer on both.
    
    	My wife is checking into counseling for me ;^)
    
    	Mark
    
    	

    On a more sane note, I sold one of my Silvertones to a friend today.
    The two electrics are gone, and I'm giving the other "Stage" strat
    copy I bought to my Nephew with the Dean Markley amp for his birthday.
    
    By the weekend, I may actually be able to walk into my studio !
    
    Mark

    Mark,
    
    what model/size Dean Markey isi it?
    
    sd

    Mark,
    
        >what model/size Dean Markey isi it?
    
        I mean what model/size Dean Markley is it?
        

    I can't remember exactly. Does K30 sound right ?
    
    Mark

    It's a Dean Markley K-20. Little practice amp with 8" speaker.
    Not bad for $10.00. Of course you never know what you're getting
    at flea markets, cause you can't plug it in until you get home.
    I was lucky, this one works fine.
    
    Mark

    By the way, the little Dean Markley amp roolz, so to speak. It
    hold it's own next to my Fender Champ.
    
    It has gain, vol, treble, mid, bass, plus a headphone jack and 
    a line out.
    
    My nephew is getting one of the best beginner's rigs a 14 year
    old could ever ask for !
    
    Mark
    

	I had another good day at the fleas Sunday. First I bought a
    "Kay" solid body electric from a lady for $15.00. I was carrying the
    Kay on my shoulder and after about 15 minutes a guy approached me and 
    said he was interested in buying it, so I sold it to him for $25 and 
    made a quick $10 profit.

	Then I ran into someone with an "Oahu" Hawiian lap guitar. I
    picked it up for $8.00. The guy also had a Gibson L6S guitar that
    I could have bought for $125 but it had no case, and one pickup had
    been swapped for a Bill Lawrence. I was very tempted to grab it but
    I let it slide. The lap guitar appears to be very old (ie: late '40's
    or early 50's, and has a few cracks in the top, but for $8, it's still
    plays pretty good. It has a decal on the headstock that says, Oahu
    publishing company, Cleveland O. Inside the soundhole the name is
    also stamped along with the company address. 
    
	I ran into the guy with the van full of guitars that I talked
    about a few notes back. I've been thinking about the Vega archtop
    he has for the last several weeks and was considering making him an
    offer on it. I took another look at it and decided it wasn't quite
    as mint as I remember it being, so I let it slide. I ended up buying
    a Kay lap steel from him which I also mentioned in a previous note.
    It is black and white, in absolute mint condition, and has 3 threaded
    bushings on the bottom for legs. I didn't get the legs with it but
    I have a couple of sources that may be able to find me a set. The
    tuning machines on this lap steel are tres' cool !! They are vintage
    style Grovers just like Gibson and Martin used on pre-war instruments.
    These are the tuners that Waverly copied and is selling for $135/set.
    I cleaned up the Kay last night with McGuires #7 polish and put on
    a new set of strings (.013 - .056). It sounds great ! The "Van-man" 
    has a 50's Gibson lap steel which is nice but he wants too much for 
    it. He also has a Guild thin hollow-body with a single cutaway and
    floating pickup which is pretty cool. It looks pretty old (60's ?).
    I think I can get the Guild for about $150. The guy said he'll be
    back in 3 weeks. This will give me time to think about the Guild.

	Last Sunday, my wife and I rented a table at the Flea market and
    sold off tons of stuff from our attic, basement and garage. We got
    rid of stuff we should have thrown out ages ago and made $230.00
    I'm planning another sale possibly next Sunday. I've got 3 el cheapo
    Guits collecting dust that I think I'm gonna sell, along with a ton
    of other junk I cleaned out of my studio. 

	Stay tuned
    
	Mark (Hooked for life on Fleas)

    Mark,
    
    You are indeed the Teisco Del Ray of GUITAR notes.  ;-)

    Mark,
    
    why don't you just take the leap and open a pawn shop?  Sounds like you
    could make a living just reselling your flea market buys!
    
    8^)

    Mark, I hope you're going to offer *us* your prizes before you try to
    sell them to strangers!
    
    Dave

    Ah, but see...WE already know how much he paid for 'em...
    ;^)

	I didn't think anyone in here would want this stuff, but
    	here goes:
    
	Silvertone Archtop - Blonde. I cleaned it up but haven't
	strung it up yet. Could use a new set of tuners, other than
	that it's not a bad guit. I'm asking $40 for it.

	Regal Classical - Needs new bridge. Also has a few cracks
	in the top. Asking $15.00

	Yamaha Classical - Clean, Very nice condition. New Di'Addario
	strings. $50

	National Lap Steel - I bought this at the Boston Guitar show 
	and planned to restore it, but I've bought two other lap steels
	that are both mint, so I've lost interest in this one. It has 
	all of the parts except for the bridge cover/handrest. I would
	guess it's mid-50's. Has (beat up) case. $50 firm.

	Lektrosonic "Mouse" amp. Cosmetically mint. Needs one battery. 
	I haven't tried to locate one but they musts be available from
    	places like "You-blew-it" Electronics.  $50
    
    	I'm not gonna list this stuff in note 2, but if anyone is 
    	interested, give a yell. My number at home is 508-852-7323.
        Or send EMAIl.
    	
    	Mark
    
    	

    I for one would like to know where you find these great fleas!
    
    Any in Eastern Mass?

    Okay, everything you've always wanted to know about fleas, but were
    afraid to ask....
    
    I just bought a book entitled "US Flea Market Directory". 
    ISBN 0-380-77079-2. I highly recommend it for finding Fleas markets
    in your area. 
    
    I'm only familiar with 3 or 4 flea markets in my general area (Central
    Mass).  They are:
    
    	Grafton Fleas market - about 50 tables max. I've only been there 
        once and wasn't too impressed, but I've heard lot's of good deals
    	have come out of this market.
    
    	Worcester Flea Market - Really not a flea market at all, at least
    	in it's present state. Suppossedly they are going to add a couple
    	hundred more tables. Then it might be worthwhile.
    
    	Rietta Ranch (Route 68, Hubbardston, Ma). - Now we're talking !!!
    	About 600 tables max. They usually fill about 3/4 of them. This is
    	the only flea market I go to regularly. They are only open on
        Sundays. The sellers start arriving the night before as early as 
        10pm and sleep in their cars until the place opens at 6:00am.
        That's when I strike !!! By 8:00am most of the best deals are gone.
    	All the deals I've raved about have come from Rietta Ranch, but
    	remember, I'm just gettin' started at this Flea market stuff. This
        is the first year that I have gone regularly.
    
    
        Brimfield Flea Market, Brimfield Mass - I've never been to this
    	Flea Market, which is famous for it's antiques and collectables. 
        This is reported to be one of the largest Flea Markets in the 
        North-east. It only opens 3 times a year. Usually the first Friday 
        and Saturday in May and July, and the second Friday and Saturday
        in September. I hope to see some of you there on September 10 or 11. 
    	And remember,
    	
    	$$$$$$$$$$$$ BRING CASH $$$$$$$$$$$$$ cause they don't take Visa !!
    
    	Mark
      

    Funny,
    
    
    I've gone to flea markets in the south for years and I see everything
    from tools to fools for sale, but I never, repeat NEVER see guitar
    stuff at a table!  Must be a Mass. thing.....
    
    steev

        This morning (Sunday) while most of you were snoozing, I was
    getting lucky ! That's right folks, I had another good day at the 
    Flea market. I Bought a Sears Silvertone electric guitar with amp-
    in-the-case. It is a model 1448 (made by Danelectro). It's got a 
    blue glitter paintjob with white "pebbled" tape on the side, 6 on
    a side tuners, and a single lipstick pickup. It is identical to 
    the one pictured on page 18 of Tom Wheeler's book "American Guitars" 
    vol 1.
    
        The amp has three tubes, which appear to be original (The tubes 
    are stamped "Silvertone" on the bottles). The amp has an input jack, 
    on/off switch, volume control and ~6" speaker and it works great.
    
        This guitar and amp combo is in near-mint condition and everything
    works fine. The unbelieveable part is it plays great ! I considered 
    selling it but now I think I may keep it.

        The neck on this guitar has a crude tilt mechanism, and I was 
    thinkin of giving it a tweak, but then I started playing bottleneck 
    on it and found the action to be perfect for sliding. 

        I spoke to a guy at FM Music in Leominster. He owns a couple of
    Danelectro-Silvertones and is familiar with this model. He claims 
    the right buyer (collector) will pay as much as $300 for one of
    these guitars, especially a mint one like mine with all original
    parts in tact.
    
    As far as price, let's just say I can't fill my gas tank completely 
    for this much 
    
        Mark     many  ;^)
   

    I still have the Silvertone (Danelecto) guitar and have been
    playing lot's of bottleneck slide on it. The best thing about
    this guitar is the tone. These old lipstick tube pickups have
    got a really sweet tone. 
    
    It almost seems ludicrous to be playing this thing with all
    the Fender, Gibson, and Guild guitars I've got.  But Hey, 
    "You can't question *TONE* !"
    
    
    Mark
    
    
    
    

	Here's a summary of what I've *acquired* this summer and what became
	of the equipment. 

	The following stuff has either been sold, traded, or is for sale
	(with the exception of the guitar and amp I gave my nephew).

	Mouse battery-powered amp   		sold
	Yamaha CL50 Classical guitar		sold
	Silvertone Flat-top #1.     		sold 
	Silvertone Flat-top #2	    		sold 
	Silvertone Archtop 	    		for sale

	Tokia SG copy		\_______________traded for 
	Stage Strat copy (red)  /	        Martin Backpack guitar

	Stage Strat copy (black)    		gave to my nephew
	Dean Markley K20 Amp			gave to my nephew

	***Keepers***

	Yamaha FG335 Flat-top guitar (new addition. See below)
	Harmony tenor guitar	    		
	Martin BackPack guitar
	1897 Washburn Style 2 Flat-top 
	Oahu Hawiian Guitar
	Silvertone electric (by Danelectro) w/amp-in-case
	1940's National Lap-steel		
	1950 National "Dynamic" Lap Steel		
	1950 Kay Lap steel 	    		
	1969 Fender Champ Amp			
	Cry Baby wah-wah pedal (A new additional. Thanks Larry!)
	Electro-voice ND257 Microphone		
	Radio Shack Tape deck controller	

	The Yamaha FG335 Flat-top was a gift from a friend. He bought the
	guitar about 15 years ago hoping to learn to play. It's been
	collecting dust at his house for years. I cleaned it up and replaced
	the original (el-cheapo) tuners with a set of nickel-plated Grovers. 
	The Grovers fit into the original screw holes perfectly. There is no 
	trace of the old tuner marks on the headstock. Looks and plays mint. 
	A very good copy of a Martin D18, with very rich tone. I was amazed. 
	I have to say with tongue in cheek that it plays *almost* as good as
	My Guild D30 (Who knew?).

	The crybaby wah-wah pedal was Larry V's. I've been wanting a Cry
	baby pedal for a while but it never made it to the top of my priority
	list. I installed a new battery clip and found some rubber feet/screws
	for it. It works fine. Can't beat the price.

	So many toyz, so little time !!

	Mark

    Well, the Silvertone archtop guitar is gone. The only Silvertone
    I have left is the Danelectro, and I've decided to keep it for
    now. It's just too cool to part with.
    
    I'll be at the Brimfield flea market tomorrow, then back to Rietta
    Ranch on Sunday morning. Somewhere in there, I think I better get
    around to cutting the lawn :<>
    
    Should be a good weekend !!
      
    Mark
    
    

    I guess I picked the wrong day to go to Brimfield. The rain was
    relentless all moring. By noon, we packed up and headed home. I
    saw very little in the way of musical equipment. Bought nothing.
    
    Oh well. Better luck on Sunday.
    
    Mark 

	Last weekened I visited my Parents. My Dad told me he had a guitar
    for me. It turned out to be a Yamaha Classical guitar (model CL50-A). 
    I had one exactly like it which I sold to Tom D. a few weeks ago. I 
    cleaned it up and restrung it. It's in very good shape and plays pretty 
    good. The ironic thing is that when I bought the first one, the guy had 
    two of them. I bought one, and apparently my Dad came along later the 
    same day and bought the second one. It sat in his garage for a month 
    before he remembered to give it to me.

	Last Sunday I took my nephew to the Flea market. Him and his 
    friends wanted some acoustics to bang around with, so I bought him 2
    guitars for a total of $5.00. They're both pretty junky but somewhat   
    playable. I restrung both of them for him while he cut my lawn ;^)

	This is becoming an everyday occurence! Hope I'm not boring you
    guys too much, but Wednesday night I bought another guitar. This one 
    is A Gibson L-Jr made between 1919 and 1926. This was a budget model 
    which has an arched top with a round soundhole, floating bridge with
    metal/wood tailpiece. The tailpiece has bridge pins (like a flat-top
    bridge) which holds the strings in place. The tailpiece is stamped
    with a patent date of 1910. There is a round label inside the sound
    hole which reads "The Gibson Junior Guitar, Gibson Mandolin and Guitar
    Companay, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 

	This guitar is in pretty rough shape. The glue holding the body
    together has let go and it needs to be completely taken apart and
    reglued. This guitar may never be playable, but I didn't pay much
    for it, and found it to be a very cool, interesting piece just the
    same. The fingerboard and frets are in very good shape, and the neck
    has the classic Vee-shaped spine. If the body repairs come out okay,
    it just might make a pretty good player. I dropped it off at MacDuff's 
    Music yesterday. If Rich MacDuff can't fix it, nobody can.

	If the repairs come out okay, I'm planning to completely refinish
    it as authentically as possible using brown transparent lacquer. The
    tailpiece could stand to be replated. I believe it should be nickel-
    plated. I may look for a local plating shop that can do it. As far as
    tuners, it has very simple plate mounted tuners with white planet
    knobs. There is no name or design stamped onto them. I'm pretty sure 
    these are the originals. I'm not sure if I'll reuse them or replace 
    them with a set of plate-mounted Klusons. Klusons would work better 
    and would look nice, but they wouldn't be authentic. 

	I seem to have become a human magnet for guitars. Everywhere I
    go, guitars seem to be attracted to me. Don't bring your' electric
    guitars near me, I might de-magnetize your pickups :-()

	Mark

>	Last Sunday I took my nephew to the Flea market. Him and his 
>    friends wanted some acoustics to bang around with, so I bought him 2
>    guitars for a total of $5.00. They're both pretty junky but somewhat   
>    playable. I restrung both of them for him while he cut my lawn ;^)

    Hey Mark, does it burn ya to spend more on the strings to put on a
    guitar then you paid for the instrument?
    
    Greg

    Good point. I paid $2.00 for one guitar (a Kay). $3.00 for the other
    guitar (no-name). Luckily, I stocked up on cheap strings at Daddy's
    a couple of weeks ago. Bought 10 sets of strings for $20.00. The way
    I've been going through them lately, I should buy them by the gross.
    
    I hope the wheather is nice tomorow morning for Rietta ranch.
    
    Mark
    

	I had a slow day at the fleas Sunday. Went late and didn't see 
    a single instrument for sale. 

	I did however, buy an old "Voice of Music" Microphone amp
    which has 3 vacuum tubes, and appears to be from the '50s. The
    front panel has a 1/4" mic input, an RCA phono input (for a 
    monaural turntable), volume, treble, and bass

	The tubes are 12AX7, 6X4, and 6BQ5. It has screw terminals for
    the output section. One screw is labeled 0, the next is labeled 4, 
    and the third is labeled 8. Intuition says the 0 terminal is ground,
    and the other 2 are 4ohm and 8ohm outputs.

	This unit is in perfect condition. It has a gold-plated chassis 
    with a tan colored steel cover. It is about 10" by 7" by 3" in size. 
    I hooked it up to an old Jensen 15" speaker I had kicking around the
    house. I was amazed to find that the unit works and with a guitar
    plugged into the mic input, it really cranks. Turn the volume all
    the way up and you get great power-tube grind happening.

	The lady I bought this little killer from was selling everything
    on her table for 25 cents...That's right folks, a quarter.  The 15" 
    Jensen speaker was given to me free. A friend of mine pulled it out
    of an old console stereo. This little rig sounds pretty darn good 
    for 25 cents! I think I'll keep my Fender and Boogie gear for now,
    though.

	Mark

    The weather over the last 2-3 weekends has been bad for business.
    I hope Sunday is nice. I've got a bad case of Flea Market withdrawal.
    
    Last Sunday I was all set to rent a table and sell off some stuff,
    but the weather just didn't cooperate. 
    
    I'm still waiting to hear from Rich McDuff on my ancient Gibson
    L-Jr. It's understandable, though as it needs a major rebuild.
    
    Mark

    A few days ago I visited an old friend for lunch... he'd picked
    up one of those old Silvertone guitars with the amp in the case,
    for $25 at a flea market or yard sale.
    
    It looked like a solid body, but sounded like a semi-hollow (my
    friend claimed it was actually hollow but had no sound holes).
    It was cherry red with little metallic "sparklies" scattered
    around here and there, had a white "fiberboard" (?) pickguard
    with an oval-shaped cutout in the middle, and lipstick-style
    pickups.  The sides were covered all the way around with some
    kind of rough-surfaced, white fabric.
    
    The guitar actually had decent action and feel (not that I'm
    an expert, it was just "better than mine").  The amp had an
    eight-inch speaker (I didn't see how many watts), and controls
    for an external trem pedal (which he either never got or was
    misplaced).  It wasn't going to blow the walls down, but what
    the heck...
    
    It was fun to play an old guitar that I'd spent years looking at
    every time the Sears catalog came to the house when I was a kid
    (not to mention gawking at every time we'd visit the old Sears
    store in Quincy Square...).  These things are out there, apparently,
    you just have to make an effort to get to the right place at the
    right time.
    
    Chris

>    These things are out there, apparently,
>    you just have to make an effort to get to the right place at the
>    right time.
    
    Yeah, just stop by Mark's house when he's there.
    
    Dave

       Well, I finally got my Gibson L-Jr back from Rich McDuff.  Rich
    must have performed some kind of  religious ceremony on this thing
    to bring it back to life.  It seems very solid now.  Rich repaired
    all of the unglued seems, reassembled it, installed strings and
    set up the action and intonation.  
    
       It plays pretty darn good for a 70 year old instrument that was 
    a basket case. The neck has almost no fret wear and has the classic
    Vee shape.
    
       A friend of mine wants to buy it off of me pretty bad. He made me
    a very attractive offer for it. I'll probably end up selling it to 
    him, but I told him I want to keep it for a little while and play it. 
    I also want to take a few pictures of it for my scrapbook. 
    
       I knew this guitar was worth investing in. Me and a friend of mine
    have kept Rich McDuff pretty busy lately. We've brought him at least
    a dozen instruments to work on in the last two months, including a 
    String bass, mandolin, tenor banjo, and several guitars. I've got 3 
    or 4 more instruments that need Rich's attention. 
    
       Mark
    	

    
    Seems like alot of work.  Can you post what he charged you?
    

    Rich only charged me $50 for the repairs and another $30 to string
    it up and set the intonation/action. He did a great job and should
    have charged a lot more.
    
    In comparison, a friend of mine brought his 1947 Gibson L00 to the
    Music Emporium for some repairwork and it's gonna cost him $350. 
    The only reason he's spending so much on this is because it has been
    in his family since it was purchased new (sentimental value)
    
    I went to the Flea market this weekend. Bought a nice black hardshell
    case for a dreadnought guitar for $12.50. There was an Ernie Ball black 
    leather guitar strap in the case as well. I cleaned up the case and
    it is really in very good shape. I just happened to have a Dreadnought
    that needed a case. 
    
    The flea market season is rapidly coming to an end. There are maybe 3
    or 4 weeks left if the weather cooperates.
    
    Mark
    

    Last Sunday was a beautiful fall day and I started it off early
    at my favorite flea market. Bought a pair of AKG mics. One is a
    D190E and the other is a D160E. These are both low impedance 
    dynamic mics. For some reason, the D160E is not working but the 
    D190E works great. I'm wondering if the D160E needs phantom power,
    but I'm pretty sure it's a dynamic mic and shouldn't need it.
    I may send the D160E back to AKG and see about getting it fixed. 
    
    The recent series of Rock n Roll postage stamps has got me
    interested in collecting classic microphones. I've mentioned
    this in other notes. I'm especially interested in buying a
    Shure 55SH-II mic. This is the microphone depicted on the
    Elvis Presley postage stamp with updated electronics (I've
    heard it has the same element as the SM58) and a Cannon
    connector.  There are many old mics out there with Art-deco 
    styling that are outrageously cool. A friend of mine is also
    interested in old mics and he found an old "Turner" crystal
    mic from about 1945 that looks like a tailight off an Edsil ! 
    The mic works and makes vocals sound like old 78 records.


    I've been told by a lot of the Ham radio hacks that the place
    to find old mics is ham-radio swap meets/flea markets. It's
    getting a little late in the season to start looking for these
    now, but next spring I know where I'll be!!!!
    
    Hope the weather is good next Sunday!!
    
    Mark
    
    

    Mark,
    
    Let me know if you see any $25 Neumman U-series, okay??
    :-)

    Believe me, if I see any, I'll buy em right up. I don't see too much
    pro-audio gear for sale but I'm just getting started at this flea
    market business. Next year, I plan to get a much earlier start.
    
    Mark

        I picked up an old "Turner" crystal microphone a couple days ago
    that is exactly like the one a friend of mine has. These are the coolest 
    thing! It's got Art-deco styling and looks like a tail light off an
    old car. I bet it would make a good harp mic. Haven't tried it yet.
    I need to make up a cord with an Amphenol connector. I'm gonna make
    a bunch of them, as I'm planning to look for more old mics. I may be
    making a deal on a Shure 55SH-II mic this weekend. These are great
    mics, retro looks and an SM58 element. 
    
	A friend of mine found an old Ampeg Reverb-a-rocket amp along
    the roadside on his way to work yesterday. Someone put it out with
    the trash. It's not working but it's definately worth fixing. Lucky
    find! These are cool amps. One channel is marked "Guitar" and the 
    other is marked "accordian". It's got a single 12" speaker in it. 

    Let's hope the weather is nice this weekend. As it is, there's 
    only about 2 weeks left in the flea market season. It's been
    slim pickin' lately.
    
    	Mark
    

>	A friend of mine found an old Ampeg Reverb-a-rocket amp along
>    the roadside on his way to work yesterday. Someone put it out with
>    the trash. It's not working but it's definately worth fixing. Lucky
>    find! 
    
    No kidding, what a deal!  Those are cool amps!
    
    Greg

     Hey Mark, tell Ron I'll fix it for him.

     Neal-tube-fiend

    
    
    
    Mark, when you modulate into collecting classic computers, I've got a
    Pro 350 you can have fairly inexpensively...   *8')
    
    

	This weekend, I picked up a new Shure microphone model 
	55SH-series II. This is a reissue of the mic depicted 
	on the "Elvis Presley" postage stamp. This series II mic 
	has the same dynamic element as SM58's and a 3-pin XLR
	connector. If you look up the word "cool" in a dictionary
 	you will find a picture of this mic. It not only looks
	great, but it also sounds great as well.

	All of my Boss efx are gone except for my CS3 compressor
	which I have decided to keep. Currently the only item I
	have for sale is my Fender "The Twin" amp. 

	Next Sunday is the last day that the "Rietta Ranch" flea 
	market will be open until next spring. I'm looking forward
	to an even better year next year, as I plan to get an early
	start. 

	Mark 
    
    

>	This weekend, I picked up a new Shure microphone model 
>	55SH-series II.
    
    If it's not too rude, I'm curious how much one of these sells for these
    days.  You bought new, not used, right?
    
    Greg

    
    EU Wurlitzer is selling these for $160.  You might be able to do a 
    little bit better if you shop around. It did not include a carry
    case or a cable. I believe most Shure mics do not include a cable,
    but most models do include a case. I'm not planning to drag mine
    around too much anyways.
    
    Mark 
    

    Thanks Mark.  Interestingly enough, I got a new catalog from Manny's
    (mail order, in NYC) last night and noticed that the 55SH was in there
    for $145.  You might actually be able to do better then that 'cause
    their prices on other mikes that I was familiar with were substantially
    higher then other mail order sources.
    
    Greg

    I just got the "Manny's Mailbox Music" catalog in the mail today. 
    I've never seen this catalog before, so they must have gotten my
    name from some mailing list. I noticed the price on the SH55 as 
    well.  The first music store I called for a price quoted me $280. 
    Wurlitzer's price didn't seem too bad compared to this. I traded 
    in a couple of Boss pedals and a carry box, so the selling price 
    didn't matter much.
     
    According to the catalog, this mic is dual-impedance, and the 
    switch is "lockable". The spec sheet that came with the mic 
    didn't say anything about these features !? I opened it up and
    I don't see any way of changing the configuration. It's a great
    mic just the same. It's the centerpiece of my studio !
    
    Mark

    How's it sound, Mark?  Like a 58?
    
    Greg (who also thinks they look cool)

	 My friend Ron reports that the Reverborocket II he found in the
    trash last week is fixed and sounds great. All that was wrong with 
    it was the wire that goes from the fuse to the on/off switch.

	 He's got a black-face Vibrolux, Princteton, Dual Showman, (4x10) 
    Concert, plus a silver-faced twin. He claims this amp sounds better 
    than all of his Fender amps. Who Knew?

	I offered to buy the Reverborocket but he's keeping it. Him 
    and I have done lot's of wheeling and dealing lately. He's got my
    old 1919 Gibson L-Jr and I've got his old 1897 Washburn. We went
    into a Music store together one day and argued over who was going
    to buy the black-face Dual Showman head that was for sale. He saw 
    it first, so I let him buy it. It's mint and only cost him $175.

	It's hard to believe that a dyed-in-the-wool Fender fanatic
    could be transformed into an Ampeg bigot this easily. Anyone have
    any thoughts on old Ampeg amps, specifically older amps with
    chrome plated chassis, chicken-head knobs, swirled vinyl covering,
    etc. At one time, I used to own an Ampeg B22-X which was the largest
    2x12 combo amp I've ever seen. The tone of this amp did not compare
    with a good Fender and moving it was a pain. This was the newer
    style Ampeg with the large "A" logo. This is the same series of
    amps that included the SVT, B15 "Portaflex", and V4/V4B. There 
    must be an Ampeg note around here somewhere. 
	
    	Bt the way, the Shure 55SH mic does sound just like an SM58. 
    I A/B'd it with an SM58 and I could'nt tell the differance. I'd
    go for a new one if your looking for this model. 
    
    	Mark
    

    I got to play through the salvaged Reverborocket II the other day.
    This amp really cranks. I played a 62 reissue Strat through it.
    With the volume on 10, bass on 10, treble on 5, and a hint of
    reverb, this amp sounds great. Chords compress nicely without
    sounding mushy, and leads dance off the speaker with just the
    right amount of sparkle. It's just the right size for a small
    practice space. I'd put it about even with a deluxe reverb in
    terms of power and tone. 
    
    These amps have been grossly overlooked in the vintage market,
    and for that reason, prices are very modest. I wouldn't be 
    surprised to find a mint one for under $200. They are very
    retro-looking, at least this series of amps, with checkered
    vinyl, chrome-plated control panel, and chicken-head knobs.
    
    I may have a chance to pick up one just like this. Someone
    we know has one that might be for sale. 
    
    Mark

    I was just down at my brother's for Thanksgiving and got to see the
    stash of old gear in his hopuse.  His housemate scrounges tag sales for
    stuff and refurbishes old gear for resale.  They have a blues band that
    plays the Hartford area and has such cool stage gear as a *brown* Super
    (2-10) with a matching brown reverb unit, a Bassman reissue driven from
    a Premier reverb, etc.  
    
    Some of the new arrivals in the "museum": a mint Ampeg Jet (two 6V6,
    like a Deluxe) for $75 that totally screamed, and a whole table top of
    dispatcher mikes, including a collection of art deco Turners and a
    Shure "Elvis" mike he got for $10.
    
    Then, to top it off, Mark, Jay came walking in from his woodshop with a
    Firebird V he's restoring.  
    
    							Brian

>a *brown* Super (2-10) with a matching brown reverb unit
    
    OW OW OW OW! That's smells like nirvana. After NRBQ's sound man
    convinced big Al that he didn't need two Twin Reverbs turned up to 9+,
    he used a super like that until it wore out. Lark Street Music is
    listing one now for $1250, exc+ cond, all original.

    --Ron

    
    Brian, you mean to tell us that you have a brother? You mean there's
    two of you? I suppose he knows even more trivia than you! :^)
    
    Where are these so-called Tag sales? That's quite the list of goodies.
    I knew I wasn't the only nut out there. You've got to keep one thing 
    in mind, I've only been at this for 1/2 a season. I've got years of 
    flea-market scroungin' ahead of me.
    
    I'm definately planning to be on the look-out for a nice old (cheap)
    Ampeg in the vein of the Jet or Rocket models. It probably wouldn't
    become my main amp, but you never know.
    
    Mark (suffering from flea-market withdrawals these dayz)
    

    Hey Brian,

    What's the name of you bro's band? I only live about 30
    minutes outside Hartford.

    --Ron

    I've been bugging my wife to try and get a week off from work this
    winter and take a trip to Daytona Beach, Fla.  Besides the obvious 
    sun, sand and other attractions, Daytona has the largest Flea market 
    on the east coast, and it's open 3 days/week. I've got 2 uncles 
    living in Daytona that can give us the grand tour.
    
    For now, I'll be living from Tuesday to Tuesday waitin' for the 
    want advertiser to show up  ;^)
    
    Mark
    
    
    
    

    
    Mark,
    
    There was a short piece on Entertainment tonight over the weekend
    about the big flea market at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.  It looked
    awesome, I bet you could pick up a few goodies there as well.
    
    

    
    The Flea Market season has gotten off to a slow start so far. My favorite
    stomping grounds was supposed to open for the season today, but it
    got rained out. 
    
    I've come across a few off-the-wall guitars that I have been tempted 
    to grab, but I've resisted, because all were in music stores at
    music store prices. 
    
    One is a metallic blue Teisco Del ray, with 4 pickups, 4 kitchen switches 
    (one for each pickup), a mysterious 3-way tone switch?, vol/tone knobs, 
    and a brushed aluminum pickgaurd. It has a bolt-on maple neck with 
    rosewood fingerboard. Very cool guitar! Another interesting piece I spied 
    in the same shop as the Teisco was an "Airline" guitar. I believe this was 
    made by Kay for Montgomery Ward. It had nickel-plated Kluson tuners, and 
    two pickups that looked a lot like Gibson humbuckers. This store also has 
    a "Kent" electric mandolin which is extremely cool. 
    
    Another interesting piece I ran across is an "Eko" 12-sting electric
    guitar. It looks like a Jazzmaster with a Mosrite neck. It has a large 
    white selector switch which has 4 positions (1, 2, both, none). It also
    has an aluminum tailpiece with fully adjustable bridge. It seems to be 
    pretty well intonated. 
    
    If I had run across these at flea markets I definately would have
    grabbed all of them, but most were selling for $200-$250.
    
    My local guitar emporium has emassed a fine selection of lap steels.
    They have 3 that I'd love to add to the arsenal. One is a bakelite
    Rickenbacker Electro. Another is a Gibson EH150 (with Charlie Christian
    pickup). The third is a 1941 National. 
    
    Maybe if I hit the lottery, I'll run around and grab most of these
    before they get away %^)
    
    Mark

    My last note has prompted a small flurry of off-line mail. Nice
    to see I can still rile you guys once in a while. There's plenty
    more opportunities to come. The season is just starting. Stay
    tuned for the continuing saga "How I spent my summer vacation, 
    and my life savings" 
    
    Mark
    

    Anybody know anything about "Vega" guitars. A friend of a friend
    gave me an old acoustic. Not sure how old it is, but I'd guess at
    least 30 years. 
    
    It's in pretty good shape considering. Neck is bowed. Haven't checked
    to see if there's truss rod. The guitar seems to be nicely made though.
    
    Any info is appreciated. Thanks,
    Bob

    .67
    
    I have a Vega acoustic circ. 1968 (that's when I bought it new).
    I think the model designation is G30, but I'll have to look again to
    make sure (it's marked inside the body).  I think I paid $150 for this
    guitar in 1968, and it has more than earned its keep over the 
    years.  A few years ago I had the bridge reset and the neck adjusted which
    improved the action considerably (the bridge had begun to lift a bit).
    I still play it often and think it has a great sound for finger
    picking, but after so many years I'm sure I'm biased (it has a lot of
    emotional connection for me as well since it's been through most of 
    my adult life with me).
    
    If you're interested in the History of Vega guitars, there's a nice
    write-up in Tom Wheeler's "American Guitars".  However, Vega was really
    known for their banjos, not their guitars.  They sold out to Martin in
    the early 70's I think, and then at some point the name was sold to a Korean
    company.  I'm not sure if either Vega guitars or banjos are still made
    anywhere.
    
    Vega_bond_Al
    
    
    

    Vega was a well-known builder of guitars and banjos.  Pre-war models
    are prized collectibles.  I'm not sure when they folded or what the
    desirability of more recent specimens is.
    
    							Brian

    Thanks for the info. I'll have to check and see how old this one is.
    
    Bob

    
    I almost bought a Vega archtop electric last summer. It appeared to
    be from the late 30's or early 40's. Vega's answer to the Gibson ES150
    "Charlie Christian" model. 
    
    The info in the last few notes is right on tha mark. The only thing
    I can add is that the Vega company resided in the metro Boston area.
    A friend of mine worked there just before they sold out to Martin. 
    Their banjo's were of very high quality. The top of their banjo line 
    was known as the Vega White Lady. White Lady's are highly prized by 
    Bluegrass players and typically trade in the $1K+ range. 
    
    Mark

	The flea market season is beginning to heat up. Last weekend
    I bought a Guild S-25 solid body electric guitar, as well as an
    Alvarez Regent flat-top acoustic. 

	The Guild S-25 is aparently Guild's answer to a Gibson SG. The
    neck is short-scale. It has a non-symetrical double cutaway mahogany 
    body with 2 humbuckering pickups, TOM-style bridge, and slanted stop 
    tailpiece. It has a sunburst finish with no pickgaurd, and is in very
    good shape. It included a hardshell case. I cleaned it up and changed 
    strings. It plays very well. The fingerboard appears to be Brazilian 
    rose-wood and I was able to set the action very low with no buzzing 
    at all. 
    
	The Alvarez flat-top is a mahogany dreadnought. It included
    an Alvarez soft-shell case. It's fairly low-rent but playes fine.
    I bought this one to give my nephew as a birthday present. 

	This past weekend, I bought a nice old Harmony Rocket II. It
    is a hollow-body guitar with single cutaway, F-holes, and two DeArmond 
    pickups. This guitar is completely original and in immaculate condition.
    It has a very slight hint of checking in the red sunburst finish, which 
    gives it just the right amount of character. It has 2 vols, 2 tones, and 
    a pickup selector switch. The DeArmond pickups are mounted on rosewood 
    blocks, and it has a white plastic pickgaurd with the Harmony logo. The 
    bridge is a wooden archtop style and it has a hinged trapeze tailpiece. 
    I cleaned this guitar up last night with Mirrorglaze #7 and some guitar 
    polish. It looks great and plays fantastic. This one is definately a 
    keeper. I cranked it through my Deluxe Reverb last night and it sounds
    incredible. Those DeArmond pickups really are sweet sounding. 

	That's all for now. I'll keep you posted.
	
 	Mark

>	The flea market season is beginning to heat up. Last weekend
>    I bought a Guild S-25 solid body electric guitar, as well as an
>    Alvarez Regent flat-top acoustic. 

I know I'm being nosey, but could you share the prices you paid, for
reference?

Thanks.

JPB

    I just got back from vacation. At least it wasn't permanent. 
    
    As far as what I paid for the 3 guitars, it depends on who's
    asking.  "Honest honey, I only paid $10 for this guitar" 
    
    Seriousness aside, I paid $125 for the Guild S25, $45 for
    the Alvarez, and $75 for the Harmony Rocket II.  I think I
    paid a little too much for the Guild. I probably wouldn't
    buy another one unless I could get it for under $100. The
    Harmony Rocket was definately a good buy at $75. These 
    guitars are seriously cool. This one is a permanent addition
    to my collection. The Alvares acoustic plays very well. It 
    actually has good intonation and tone. For $45, I couldn't
    go wrong.
    
    I didn't buy much over the past two weeks. I did find an old
    Harmonica Mic. It has the name "Strnad" on it. It consists of
    a black plastic housing that the harmonica slides right into
    with a small crystal mic built inside. I paid $10 for it. It
    works fine and has a fairly raw sound not unlike my taxi dispatch 
    mics. I'm pretty sure I've seen old pictures of Blues harp players 
    using this type of mic. 
    
    I'm going to be buying another acoustic guitar in the near future. 
    The guitar has the name "Curtis" stamped inside and is a very small 
    guitar similar to my 1897 Washburn. It has Brazillian Rosewood back 
    and sides, solid spruce top, with very unique binding, slotted peghead, 
    heavy V-shaped neck with bound fingerboard. The guitar is selling
    dirt cheap due to the fact that it has very high action. The action 
    could be improved with a neck reset, but I have something else in mind.
    This guitar is absolutely perfect for playing bottleneck slide. It
    plays better than my Dobro, or any of my other acoustics for
    bottleneck, and that's been my main persuit lately. The guitar has
    tone and sustain for dayz. You just can't beat Brazillian Rosewood.
    If this guitar was made by Martin, it would probably be selling for
    well over $1k. I'm buying it for about $125. 
    
    My understanding is that this guitar is ~75 years old and was hand 
    made. The quality seems to be right on par with Martins or Washburns 
    from the same era. Anyone know anything about Curtis guitars?
    
    I'm still thinking of buying a Macafferri plastic acoustic. My local
    guitar emporium has one I can buy cheap. It would make a nice addition
    to the off-the-wall collection I'm putting together. They are also
    quite playable and have a unique neck-tilt feature. 
    
    I'll shut up now. 
    
    Later.....Mark
    
    
    
      
    
    

    Is that S25 Guild anything like the Guild that Zal in the Lovin'
    Spoonful used?

    --Ron

    	
     Yo Mark,
    
     Are you finding all this stuff at the place I went to?
    
     Rick.
    

	Is there anyone left out there in guitarland to note with ?
    If so, I just thought I would mention that I made a deal on the
    "N.B. Curtiss" acoustic guitar and a "Maccafferi" plastic flattop.     

	The "Curtiss" guitar has got character in spades. It is a small,
    very traditional looking instrument with solid spruce top, brazillian 
    rosewood sides/back, slotted peghead, and wide-flat fingerboard (great 
    for fingerpicking). The most unique feature is the binding on the top 
    which consists of small orange colored blocks in a delicate marquetry 
    pattern. The pattern is repeated around the soundhole as well. The back 
    is 2-piece with a fancy marquetry stripe at the seam. The sides are 
    joined at the endpin with a wedge-shaped piece of rosewood (in the 
    Martin style). The neck is mahagony with a sharp V shape and a light 
    natural finish. The slotted peghead is capped with Brazilian rosewood. 
    The rosewood fingerboard is bound. The neck attaches to the body at
    the 12th fret. The plate-mounted tuners are original with small ivory 
    buttons and nickel plating. They work surprisingly well. This guitar 
    does not have a pickgaurd. This is typical for this style instrument. 
    Traditional style guitars like this were extremely popular around the 
    turn of the century. This one was probably built between 1900 and 1930.

	As I mentioned earlier, the Curtiss guitar has fairly high action
    and would definately need a neck reset to be playable for standard stuff,
    but for playing bottleneck slide, it is amazing. The action is tolerable
    upto about the 8th fret. Above that it get's quite DEEP. I tried a variety 
    of slides on it and it seems to work best with a Mateus bottle-neck. The
    radius seems to fit the fingerboard well. I have never heard an acoustic 
    guitar that sustains as well as this. If you stike a harmonic at the 12th 
    fret, it seems to ring endlessly. This guitar was consigned to a local
    music store and the asking price was $150. If the action had been more
    playable, the price probably would have been tripled. This guitar is
    very similar to my 1897 Washburn. Now that I have played this guitar,
    I can't wait to get my Washburn restored to playing condition. 

	The Maccafferi guitar is collectable, as well as being good clean
    fun. You can use it to row your boat, then play folk songs around the
    campfire. These guitars have a neck-through design that was way ahead 
    of it's time when they were introduced in 1953. The neck can be tilted 
    to practically any string height without affecting the intonation or 
    knocking the guitar out of tune. This one is the flat-top version made 
    for steel strings. Maccafferi's were available in Flat-top and "archtop" 
    versions (both of which used steel strings) as well as the "Showtime" 
    model which used nylon strings. I had a chance to buy 2 Showtime models 
    for $50/each but I passed on them. There was also a Maccafferi ukelale 
    as well. Maccafferi's feature a wooden neck with a fixed steel truss
    rod. The neck is covered in plastic with the frets pushed into the
    plastic. The one I have is new-old stock. Apparently, thousands of
    these were discovered in an old warehouse years ago, and were sold
    to Martin. Martin has been the distributor for these but the inventory
    is almost nill at this point. Maccafferi steel strings were featured 
    in Teisco Del Rays "Off The Wall" Guitar calendar last year. See the 
    Maccafferi note for more details. 
	
	A friend of mine came up my house the other night with a Harmony 
    "Broadway" which is an archtop guitar with F-holes, no cutaway, and
    checkerboard binding. This is a pretty cool guitar that someone GAVE
    him (don't you just love free guitars!). I gave him 2 options. Either
    sell me this guitar, or I will have to kill you! 
     
    So many guitars, so little time! I'm quickly running out of space in
    my little home studio. That won't stop me from buying more, but I'm
    becoming a little more choosy on which ones I'll *adopt*.
    
    As far as Rick's question, I believe the place you checked out was
    the Auburn Flea Market. If I remember correctly, the place was closed
    the day you drove out there. I apologize for steering you wrong. 
    Apparently, they only open on Sundays. I've been there twice in the
    last few weeks and they were open both times. Only thing is the cool
    stuff is gone including the Teisco Del Ray and the Kent Electric Mando.
    According the the owner, he sold the Teisco to someone that buys stuff
    for the Hard Rock Cafe and it's suppossedly on it's way overseas. 
    
        So what is in the future for my guitar collection? The following
    items remain on my wishlist. 
    
    	Gibson Les Paul
        Gibson advanced Jumbo acoustic
    	Rickenbacker 12-string
    	National Steel resophonic guitar
        Lots more Lap steels
        Melobar
        More Harmony guitars (Soveriegn, Patrician, etc)
        Kay guitars (Kelvinator models and other collectable Kays)
        Teisco Del Rays
    	Silvertones
        Danelectro's
        
        Mark
    
    

    Just checking in. I'm surprised there are still a few noters left.
    I expect the numbers in here will dwindle even further once the
    Quantum deal takes affect on Oct 3.
    
    I just returned from a 2 week vacation in the White Mountains, 
    Maine, and New Brunswick Canada. Had a great time and got to 
    play guitars with some of my Canadian cousins. 
    
    I returned to my favorite flea market Sunday and came home with
    a "mini" electric guitar, and an old Mandolin. The mini guitar 
    is made by "Synsonics". It is shaped like a Strat, has one strat
    style pickup, and is finished in pearl-white. It plays remarkably 
    well and with some adjustments I was able to get it intonated just 
    right. My son is begging me to give it to him, but he has to show
    more of an interest in playing before I'll consider it. All in all 
    the mini-guitar was a good deal at $30.00
    
    The mandolin appears to be quite old. It is pear-shaped with a flat
    top and back. The label inside lists the manufacturer as "Peerless" 
    from New Hampshire. It needs a little TLC to fix some cracks on the
    back but considering the age, it's in great shape. It was also a 
    good deal at $25.00
    
    Got to run. Stay low. 
    
    Mark 
    
    

	I haven't been to my favorite flea for the last several weeks,
    so Sunday I was overdue. I bought a Little Harmony model H400 tube
    amp. It has 3 tubes and an 8" Jensen speaker. The amp is in very
    good condition considering the age (I would estimate it to be from 
    the 60's), and it works fine. The tubes are stamped with the Harmony 
    logo! It's not very loud, but when cranked above 5, it has a nice 
    raspy tone. The amp has only one knob for volume, but strangely
    enough it has 3 (1/4") input jacks. All 3 jacks seem to have the
    same output level. This amp makes a nice companion to my Harmony 
    Rocket II guitar. This amp is obviously not something I would want
    to gig through, but it does have a measure of collectable value to
    it that far exceeds the $20 I paid for it. Another permanent addition
    to the collection.

	Overall, it's been a fairly slow season compared to last year.
    There has been a shortage of dealers as well as people with money 
    to spend. I've bought a grand total of 6 guitars (4 of which I've 
    kept), 1 mandolin, and the Harmony amp. A guy I know from the fleas 
    offered to sell me a Silvertone solid-body electric guitar for $50. 
    He didn't have too many details, but he did promise to put it aside
    for me. I'm hoping it's either a Danelectro or a Harmony made for 
    Sears. I should know more next Sunday.
    
 	By the way, I also buy things other than musical instruments
    at flea markets. For one thing, I usually find at least 1 or 2
    compact discs each week. I generally pay anywhere from $3 to $7
    for discs but I draw the line at about $7 since the price of new 
    discs isn't all that much higher in the stores. I also see tons of
    stereo equipment, records, cassettes, books, and other items that
    you would expect. This year I bought a DBX model 200 "Program
    route selector" which allows you to connect upto 3 tape decks (or
    other devices) as well as noise reduction units and signal processors.
    It's rack mountable, in mint condition, and only cost me $20. Last
    Sunday I picked up a Sansui audio timer which has a digital clock and
    outlet controls for tape decks and other audio devices. This is also
    in mint condition and only cost me $5. I'd like to rack mount this. 
    Does anyone know where I can find rack ears for a single space unit?
    I also buy fishing tackle as well as collectable knives and other
    cool items that I find in my travels. I've bought Penn reels for
    $5, buck knives for $2, and lots of other cool stuff dirt cheap. 
    Many of the people I see at the fleas every week go there strictly
    for excercise and fresh air. If they find a bargain along the way,
    it's nice, but not a neccesity. I generally run into my Dad at
    the fleas every week as well. One of my flea market buddys just 
    celebrated his 74th birthday. I hope I'm still in good enough shape
    at 74 to enjoy combing the fleas for bargains.
    
    I'll shut up now. Stay tuned for the continuing story.
    
    Mark

Wow I used to have one of those little harmonies...put a elector harmonix LPB-1
on the input and it'll wail!

Of course I blew mine up!...

dbii

    Tomorow is the last day for my favorite flea market before they close
    for the winter. Overall, it's been a pretty slow season. I missed quite
    a few weeks, but had fun the times I went. I'm planning to go tomorow
    morning and enjoy it one last time before they close down. With the time 
    change, it should be pretty easy to get up at 6:00 and get there for 7:00. 
    
    If I find anything worth buying, I'll post it here next week. I've been
    mostly read-only lately, but I generally have a chance to write in once
    a week or so. 
    
    Mark

	It's been said many times that "You can't buy them all". Sad,
    but unfortunately, true. In the past year alone, I've had to pass on 
    tons of really cool equipment due to limited funds. Here's a short 
    list of stuff I definately would have bought if the funds had been 
    there:

	Lap Steels
	
	I love old lap steels, even though I'm not much of a player. These 
    old instruments are a blast from the past and most have the coolest 
    40's or 50's styling. I've got 3 of them, but if I could, I would own 
    a lot more. 

	Gibson EH150's -   About 6 months ago, me and a friend of mine went 
    in 50/50 on a (6-string) EH150 circa 1940's that was mint. It was in my 
    local guitar emporium and I lusted after it, but didn't have the cash to 
    buy it outright. We paid $450. I ended up selling my share to him 
    (actually, we made a trade). Recently, someone I work with showed me a 
    picture of another EH150 (7 string lap steel) which his father owns and 
    would like to sell. It is the only 7-string EH150 I've seen. The back of 
    the neck and body have diamond shaped inlays. It appears to be a Gibson 
    custom-shop special. At one time, he also had a matching Gibson EA150 amp 
    to go with it but sold the amp separately. I figure it's worth at least 
    $500. The airline-style tweed cases supplied with these instruments are 
    really classic. For anyone unfamiliar, EH150's were introduced in the
    late 30's/early 40's. They were among the first instruments from Gibson
    with a pickup. The pickup is the famous "Charlie Christian" pickup
    which was also used on the ES150 guitar and an electric Banjo that was
    also available at that time. 
    
  	Rickenbacker Electro (7 string lap steel) made of black bakelite,
    with nickel plated covers and horse-shoe pickup. Sold for about $450.
    with original hsc.

	Oahu "Tonemaster" Lap Steel w/matching amp - My local Guitar emporium 
    has this totally cool old Oahu 6-string lap steel combo. It probably won't 
    last long. This lap steel is similar to an EH150, but has checkerboard 
    binding around the fretboard and body. It's in *perfect* condition. The  
    matching amp is all-tube (of course) with a 12" Jensen Alnico speaker. 
    This beauty belongs on a vintage guitar calendar with Hula girls in the 
    background. $500/set. If I can scrape up the cash before someone else
    does, I just might jump on this one!

	National 6 string lap steel, with black/white laminated body design.
    I've never met a National I didn't like! This one would like great next
    to my '49 Dynamic!

	Mellobar - White solid-body design similar to a Strat. For anyone
    unfamiliar, a Melobar is a stand-up steel. The neck is at a very sharp
    angle to the body. David Lindley is the only popular player that I've 
    seen playing a melobar. David used one on the tune "Running on Empty". 
    I could have owned this one for ~$350.
    
	"Off the Wall" guitars and other instruments:

	Teisco Del Ray electric - 4 pickups with kitchen switches. Metalic
    blue with scuptured aluminum pickguard. $225

	Airline Electric - Made by Kay for Montgomery Ward. Very cool
    solid body with humbuckers and kluson tuners. $175

	Kent Electric mandolin - Very cool looking. Solid body with two 
    pickups (one slanted), mother-of-toilet-seat pickgaurd and headstock
    veneer. $350

	Supro Electric - Solid body shaped like a jazzmaster, with two
    pickups that look like Gibson hummers. Tuners are Kluson "6-on-a-plate"
    on a Fender-style headstock. Way cool $150.

	Hagstrom 12-sting electric solid-body. Very nice slim neck with
    3 pickups. $350. Played almost as good as a Ricky.

	Misc

	Epiphone Sheridan - Sunburst. Mint $250 w/hsc (kick,kick,kick)

	Rickenbacker TP660 with the nicest birds-eye maple I've seen on
	one of these. One of only 1000 made! Fireglow. $1000    If you're 
    	gonna end a marriage, you might as well do it in style!!
	
	Rickenbacker 360 6-string. Fireglow. Mint. $500 w/hsc. Plays 
	beautifully, and is easily worth the asking price.
	
	Gibson LP classic+ - Cherry sunburst over the most outrageous
	flame top I've seen. Didn't ask the price, but I would guess 
	at least $1600.

	Fender custom-shop Stratocaster. Reissue of 1957 model in Shoreline
	gold. sold for about $800.  Sweet!!

	Gibson Advanced Jumbo reissue - Like a J45 but made of Rosewood and
  	has a little fancier appointments. Daddy's had it for about 3 or 4
	months. The price was originally $1500, but they kept lowering it
	and ended up selling it for $800. This is one of the nicest Gibson
	acoustics I've ever played. 

	I keep waiting for my lottery number to come up. I'm getting a bit
	impatient. Lot's of great stuff out there looking for a new home,
	but I've already got too many mouths to feed. 

	    Oh well, can't buy em all :^(   

	    Mark

    RE: Melobar
    
    Rusty Young of Poco plays one.  If I'm not mistaken he had some input
    on its design.
    
    _stew-

    I almost forgot about Rusty Young playing a Melobar. I used to 
    be a big fan of Poco and I still like to listen to their stuff.
    
    My last message was a little bit melancholic, but don't feel too
    sorry for me. I've got enough toyz to keep me occupied for quite
    some time. In fact, I just added another cool instrument to the
    arsenal. It is a Harmony model H510 archtop guitar with cutaway.
    This is a fully acoustic guitar with no pickup. The top appears
    to be solid spruce. This is one of Harmony's better guitars with
    multi-bound body, bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl block inlays,
    inlayed headstock logo, and segmented F-holes. It plays beautifully 
    and has a very full tone. I believe this guitar is from the late 50's 
    or early 60's. There is a picture of this guitar in Tom Wheeler's
    book "American Guitars". 
    
 	I've been tempted to start a Harmony note, but we might just 
    as well discuss theme here in the "Off-the-wall" note. Since I 
    started combing flea markets a few years ago, I have owned several
    Harmony guitars. Some have the name Harmony on them, while others
    were Silvertones made for Sears by Harmony. The lower line Harmony's
    are junk, plain and simple....plywood constuction with many features
    (like body binding, pickgaurds, and logos) painted on. These are not
    worth owning although some of them play okay. Some of the more high-
    end Harmonys on the other hand, are good guitars and I have decided
    to keep the better ones I come across and build up a collection. I
    currently own a Harmony Rocket (thin-hollow body electric with 2 
    DeArmond pickups), a Harmony tenor guitar, and the archtop I just
    mentioned. Eventually, I hope to add one of the better Sovereign's
    and a few more electics to the collection. I have no intention of
    dumping my Gibsons in favor of Harmonys, but these are cool guitars
    to collect, and occasionally I find them cheap. In the grand scheme
    of things, Harmony was a very prolific company between the 1930's
    and 1960's. They were perhaps the largest American guitar manufacturer
    ever, cranking out guitars by the thousands at their peak. They were
    a huge part of the Chicago musical instrument market, and built
    guitars for many retailers. Many people that learned to play guitar
    during the 60's owned Harmonys as their first guitar, myself included!
    
    Mark (cronic GTS sufferer)

I should try to restrain myself, but I can't help teasing Mark by mentioning
that I have both an old Harmony Sovereign *and* an Oahu Tonemaster lap steel
with matching amp!  I especially can't help it because I'm majorly jealous
of Mark's guitar collection. :-)

On a more serious note, my Harmony Sovereign was my first "decent" guitar,
and I still use it today.  There was a *lot* of variation from guitar to guitar
though.  My brother Carl had the exact same model as I did, but his guitar
wasn't anywhere near as nice.  The ironic thing is that I didn't know a darn
thing about buying guitars then (I was only 16 or so), and just bought the
one off of the rack at the local music store.  I accidentally got one of the 
better Sovereigns that I've ever played.  The best of the Sovereigns had a 
*very* nice, full sound.  I'm just sorry that I didn't take better care of 
mine over the years.  It's pretty beat up looking nowadays.  Still sounds 
great, though.

-Hal

    Regarding the Oahu Lap steel. I have every reason to believe that
    these lap steels were in fact made by Harmony. I have absolutely
    no facts to back this up, just a guess. If you compare the shape
    of the headstock on the Oahu, it is identical to the shape on my
    Harmony Rocket, and many of the other Harmonys I've seen. 
    
    The guy that runs my local Music store believes the Oahu was made
    by Gibson. I believe he is way off base here, but then again, I've
    been wrong before. 
    
    In any event, Oahu definately did not make any of the instruments
    that bear their name. They were strictly a publishing company and
    farmed out all of the instrument manufacture to other companies. 
    I own an old (beat up) Oahu acoustic Hawiaan guitar. This looks like
    a small acoustic, but has a square neck and no pickgaurd. It has the
    name and company adress printed inside the guitar. They were originally
    out of Cleveland, Ohio (just east of Honolulu!!)
     
    Mark

re: .86

>    In any event, Oahu definately did not make any of the instruments
>    that bear their name. They were strictly a publishing company and
>    farmed out all of the instrument manufacture to other companies. 
>    I own an old (beat up) Oahu acoustic Hawiaan guitar. This looks like
>    a small acoustic, but has a square neck and no pickgaurd. It has the
>    name and company adress printed inside the guitar. They were originally
>    out of Cleveland, Ohio (just east of Honolulu!!)
     
Now that you mention it, I just looked on my Oahu's amp and it says
"Oahu Pub. Co., Cleveland, Ohio".

-Hal

    I've got a lead on a Harmony "Stratotone" guitar circa 1964.  This is 
    a small solid-body guitar with single cutaway, 2 (DeArmond?) pickups, 
    short trapeze tailpiece, and concentric knobs. There is a picture of 
    one in Tom Wheeler's book. 
    
    The asking price is $30. Needless to say, I want to grab it before 
    someone else beats me to the punch. I'll post a note tomorow if I get 
    it. The Harmony collection is growing steadily. 
    
    Later,
    
    Mark
    

    
    Well, I missed the boat on the Stratotone. =:^(.  Someone else 
    beat me to the punch. Apparently, I'm not the only one interested
    in collecting Harmony guitars. 
    
    I told my wife that since I missed out on this $30 Harmony, I 
    might as well go ahead and buy the $1000 Rickenbacker 12-string
    I'm lusting after. She didn't seem too impressed. It looks like 
    it's gonna take a little more time to wear her down on that one!
    
    Oh well, Can't buy em all!
    
    Mark

    Well, my will power was really put to the test yesterday, and
    it just couldn't cut the mustard. I ended up buying one of the
    Harmony guitars that was listed in the classified ads. I would
    have grabbed both, but one was already spoken for. The guy is 
    shipping it to me to save me the trip to New Hampshire. 
    
    I also decided to buy the Harmony bass that was for sale in my
    local guitar emporium. A friend of mine actually went in and
    made the deal for me as I was tied up all day in meetings. 
    
    I'll post more info later after the UPS man shows up.
    
    Mark

    your lack of control is an inspiration to us all
    
    :-)

	More on the Harmony Bass guitar that I mentioned in the last note, 
    and on Harmony's in general. 

	This is a cool bass! Not just a wall hanger, but a player as well. 
    Keep in mind that I own an American-made Fender Jazz Bass so I have 
    fairly high standards. 

	The body is double-cutaway like a Gibson 335 but fully hollow. 
    Like the Rocket, there is a sound-post inside the body which transfers 
    some of the energy to the back of the instrument. It has two DeArmond 
    pickups with nickel-plated covers. The pickups are both stamped November 
    1966. It has a sunburst finish and the wood grain has a noticeable curl 
    to it. The body is bound front and back with multi-binding. The 3-way 
    selector switch is mounted to a diamond-shaped tortoise-shell plastic 
    plate. There were originally 2 thumb rests, but one is missing. The thumb 
    rest is made of rosewood with a tortoise-shell cap. There is a volume and 
    tone knob for each pickup. The output jack is side-mounted like the Rocket. 

	The neck looks like a P-bass neck and bolts on. The headstock is 
    completely covered in tortoise-shell plastic and the Harmony logo is a 
    nickel plated script like the type of lettering used on cars from the 
    50's/60's. The rosewood fingerboard is bound and has pearloid dots. The 
    tuning machines are individual nickel-plated units with sealed backs
    (perhaps Klusons). The neck is a 30" scale length. The shorter scale
    length makes it very easy to play, yet it still has a nice deep tone.

	The overall condition of this bass is excellant. The finish has
    a slight hint of weather checking which gives it just the right amount 
    of character. I love this in an old guitar! I'm not really into beat-up 
    guitars, but a little bit of character is nice on an old instrument and 
    this one has it in spades. 

	From a distance, this looks a lot like a Gibson Trinny Lopez with the 
    335 body/Fender-style headstock. Keep in mind this becomes part of my 
    "Off The Wall" collection which I am putting together mainly for the fun 
    of it.  However, all of the Harmonys I've kept are players as well.

	The deal included the original black and white Harmony case with red 
    fuzzy lining. I ended up paying $160 + tax. This is about the max I'm 
    willing to pay for these guitars, but from what I am hearing, there are a 
    lot of people collecting these now and I expect prices to continue climbing
    I guess I have to readjust my thinking on this if I am going to continue 
    collecting these. The best place to find these is still flea markets, but 
    the really nice ones don't seem to show up at the fleas too often. The 
    latest issue of Guitar Player has a picture of the 2 guitar players from 
    the Red Hot Chile Peppers. One of the guys is holding a Harmony single-
    cutaway *Bass*, complete with a DeArmond pickup. I predict that we will 
    be seeing a lot more Harmony's in the near future. Many people seem to be 
    scouring yard sales, Flea markets, or their parent's attics in search of 
    these old relics. The competition is getting fierce!

	I'll be attending the Ocean State Guitar show in a couple of weeks, 
    and I'll be looking for deals on more Harmony's to add to the collection.
    I'd like to find a Sovereign, 6 and 12 string Meteors, Stratotone, Lap 
    Steels, and more. I'll keep you guys posted on any more deals I find.
    Right now, I have in my collection the Harmony Bass (model H47), a
    Red Sunburst Rocket, an arch-top jazzer with cutaway (model H510), an 
    acoustic tenor guitar, and a turn-of-the-century acoustic with slotted
    headstock.
    
	BTW, the other Harmony guitar arrived UPS on Friday. It turned out to 
    be a Japanese made beginners guitar. It has a hockey-stick headstock, with 
    a couple of strat-style pickups. My son has been asking for an electric
    guitar lately, so this one went to him. 

	Mark
	
    

	I bought a book last week entitled "Stella's and Stratocasters"
    by Willie G. Mosely who writes for Vintage Guitar Magazine. He has
    spent the last 30 years as a traveling saleman, and in his travels he
    combs pawn shops and other places where old instruments can be found.
    In the book he documents many of the odd instruments he has come across
    in his travels. He also talks about some of the instruments that are 
    often overlooked but represent great value and are becoming more and more
    collectable or in demand. These include Harmony's and other inexpensive
    brands from the 50's through the 80's. 

	This book is right up my alley, as it runs the full range from 
    the cheapest flea market specials to one-of-a-kind Gibsons and Fenders
    that are quite valuable. There are also several interviews included in the
    book with George Gruhn, George Fullerton, Teisco Del Ray, Rick Neilson,
    Leo Fender, and others. The entire book is made up of articles that have
    appeared in Vintage Guitar Magazine and it's predecessor. There is an
    article in the book entitled "Guitars of La Bamba". In this article, he
    critiques the instruments used in the movie "The Buddy Holly Story" in 
    contrast with the movie "La Bomba". He points out that whoever produced
    the Buddy Holly Story made no attempt to be historically correct with
    regards to the guitars used, but in La Bamba, most guitars that appear
    are historically correct. Some of the guitars used in the early sequences
    of La Bamba were in fact Harmony's. I've seen both of these movies and
    recall noticing some of the major oh-oh's. I guess I'll have to rent
    them again and concentrate more on the guitars than the plot.

	There are several interesting Harmony guitars in the book that I've 
    added to my wish list. Here's a brief summary:

	H75/H77 - These are fully-hollow, thin double cutaway guitars with 
    *3* DeArmond pickups. According to the Author, the electronics and 
    switching on these guitars is actually better than on some high-priced 
    triple pickups models. The H75/77's have a volume/tone knob for each 
    pickup, plus an on/off switch for each pickup allowing 7 differant sounds. 
    The 75/77's were upscale models with fully bound bodies, bound fingerboards
    block markers, inlayed headstock logos, and were available with Bigsby's. 
    I believe the only differance between the H75 and H77 is finish. The H75 
    is sunburst, and the H77 is a solid color (possibly black?) These guitars 
    are also available with the Silvertone name as well as several other house 
    brand names that Harmony built.
    
	Strat-o-tone - There were several differant models in this series, 
    including the "Mercury" model (single pickup) and the "Mars" which had
    2 pickups. These are small solid-body guitars with a single cutaway,
    similar in appearence to Les Pauls, but not quite as sophisticated.
    Some of the dual-pickup models had concentric knobs like the ones used on 
    early Jazz Basses. The single pickup models include a switch which changes 
    the capacitor value for the tone pot, thus providing 2 differant sounds 
    from one pickup. The author devotes an entire section to one very strange 
    Strat-o-tone he found in a pawn shop. It has a nice curly maple top, and 
    a very unique "explosion" style pickgaurd. I'm still kicking myself for 
    missing the boat on the Strat-o-tone that was in the Want Ads for $30. I 
    doubt I'll ever see another deal like that. There is a picture in the 
    book of a guy at a guitar show that has a Stratatone guitar that is still 
    in it's original packing that has never been opened. It is in the original 
    black and white case with all of the promotional material still in tact. 
	
	H82/H82G - This model combines a Rickenbacker-inspired body with a 
    Fender-style headstock, DeArmond pickups, and slider pots for the volume 
    and tones. It has a (sharp) double cutaway body, with a single sound hole 
    which gives it a definate Ricky look. The headstock is Fender style but 
    the truss rod cover looks like it was taken off of a Firebird. The G in 
    the H82G model number designates a green sunburst finish?!?!. Green 
    sunbursts are not found on many instruments, but it was a custom finish 
    for Rickenbacker at one time. I'll definately be on the lookout for one 
    of these extremely cool Harmonys, but it doesn't have to be green. :^)
    If I buy one, I'll have to make sure the slider pots work, as I'm sure
    finding a suitable replacement would be a bear.

	Ukelale's - The Ukelale become popular in the USA after being featured 
    at the Hawiaan exposition of the 1918 World's fair. Harmony jumped on the
    band-wagon (so to speak) and began building Ukelales. For a time, they 
    were virtually the only company making Them. There are thousands of
    Harmony Ukelales out there and no Harmony collection would be complete
    without at least one. This is not at the top of my wishlist. I'll probably
    wait until I find one at a Flea Market for small change, but eventually,
    I'm sure I will own one. 

	One thing to bear in mind is that at their peak, Harmony had the
    capacity to produce 250,000 instruments per year. It is believed that
    for several decades, Harmony produced about half of the instruments built 
    *world-wide*. Despite this fact, Harmony ended up going out of business
    because they did not have the capacity to hold off the Japanese. The point 
    is that there are still truck-loads of Harmony instruments out there and 
    this will probably keep prices low despite rising interest or collector's 
    status. I do believe I have found my niche! 
 
  	The Ocean State Guitar Show is happening tomorow, March 18, in 
    Johnston, R.I. A friend of mine is planning to rent a table and (hopefully) 
    turn over some of his equipment. He is a recent TFSO-type guy and is 
    trying to break into the musical-equipment market. I'll be helping him to 
    keep an eye on his display and we'll take turns walking aroung and looking 
    for bargains. In the last year or so, he has established working relation-
    ships with several dealers, traders, luthiers and others in the vintage 
    market and this will give me a chance to meet them all. I'm hoping to
    knock a few things off the wish list, but we'll have to wait and see.

	I've been considering bringing a few of my own instruments to the show
    and try selling them, but I'm so attached to all of my gear, that I can't
    bring myself to part with any of it. Oh well, GTS is a terrible thing ;^{>

	Mark		
    

    Mark, you are truly the Danny Weber of the low end!
    
    :-)

    
    Good one Rick (except Mark is way taller than I)
    
    When I was stationed at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, in 1966, there was a guy in
    another platoon who claimed to be the "lead guitarist" in an
    unspecified band. When he found out I played guitar, he offered to
    teach me all the tricks of the trade and he said he'd even let me play
    his "professional-quality" guitar .
    
    I had a '59 Gibson L-4C that I kept in the barracks for practice
    (remember, back then it was considered a low-end guitar of no
    particular value. I'd paid $75 for it at Sam Ash). I had a band that
    played every weekend in Seaside Heights, so after a gig I brought my
    stage guitar over to his barracks. As if he were unwrapping a Faberge
    egg, he slowly opened the chipboard case to reveal a single-cut,
    cherry-red Harmony Rocket! He patronizingly said that I could play it
    if I'd be careful. I said I'd be afraid to hurt it, so I'd play my own
    guitar. Out of the gig bag I hauled my cherry-red '59 Gibson ES-355TD. 
    
    His jaw made a great sound hitting the floor. I was a wise*ss even
    then.
    
    I played better than he did, too.
    
    Danny W. 
    

    In '66 I was living in Jersey too. I grew up in Union Township and in
    '66 I was in the 5th grade.  
    
    Actually Rick, my interests and tastes range from the low end all the
    way to the high end. Unfortunatley, my salary doesn't go quite as high. 
    Hence the P-name. I think my paycheck is still living in the '60's.
    
    The spring flea market season is only about a month away. Can't wait!
    
    Mark
    
    

    My sources tell me that my favorite Flea opens this Sunday. It'll
    be tough getting up Sunday morning, but I don't want to miss the
    first outing of the year. A lot of people spend all winter scrounging
    stuff and it's all up for grabs on opening day. Yahooooooo!!
    
    I'll post a note on Monday if things work out this weekend.
    
    Mark

    We are 3 weeks into the Flea Market season. So far, I've only gone once. 
    The second week got rained out and the third was Easter.    I should be 
    returning this coming Sunday in search of more toyz.
    
    I have a chance to buy a Kay flat-top guitar with cutaway that was made 
    in the 50's. It's supposedly mint, and has premium features including 
    curly maple back/sides, and neck. I'll post another note after I check 
    it out. I've been thinking of entering a new basenote to discuss Kay 
    guitars. I have done quite a bit of reading and I am beginning to realize 
    that Kay made some beautiful instruments prior to 1965. In view of the
    cold response to my recent Gibson Flat-top note, I was wondering how
    much interest there would be in Kay guitars. Any taker?
    
    Mark

    Another instrument is available that I'm tempted by. It is a National
    "Reso-Phonic". One of those reso-glass models with the sheet plastic
    covering both the top and back. It has a resonator and a cover plate
    on both front and back. This is pictured in Wheeler's book and is
    listed as a student model. Anyone familiar with these? Are they any
    good for bottleneck slide?  If so, is $350 a good price for one in
    good condition?
    
    Mark

    
    The guitar mentioned in my last reply is en route to me. It turns
    out it is not made of "reso-glass". The body is made of wood, with
    sheet plastic (mother of toilet seat) covering both top and back. 
    I'm told it is in very good shape, 100% original parts, no major
    repairs, includes a case. We'll have to wait and see. 
    
    My wife and the UPS man are on a first-name basis!
    
    Mark 
    
    ps: I can quit this GTS stuff anytime. Really!!

    
    The UPS man paid me a visit yesterday. I recieved the National
    "Reso-Phonic" guitar. 
    
    The instrument did not have a case, and the tuners are definately
    not original. This should have plate-mounted Klusons, but it has
    an imported replacement type. I'll have to see about scrounging
    an original set for it. Other than that is is in very good condition
    and plays well. It appears that it would fit into an SG-sized case.
    
    All in all, it's a very unique guitar and considering what I paid
    for it, it was worth getting. 
    
    Mark
    

    but how does it smell?
    
    :-)

    
    Considering that the entire body is covered in Mother of toilet Seat
    it smells pretty good!! The MOTS is more of a green/black color than
    you generally find today. It's the sort of thing that it's so fugly,
    it's cool, if you know what I mean. A lot of Nationals fit into this
    category, especially the ones with the crinkled enamel finish.   The 
    neck on  this is a bolt-on  with a  gloss black finish and  rosewood
    fingerboard.   There is a white plastic pickgaurd that sits atop the 
    sheet plastic.
    
    Mark
    
    Mark
    

    I have an opportunity to buy a mint Harmony Soverign. I really need 
    this guitar for my Harmony collection, so I think the decision has 
    been made for me.
    
    There are several differant versions of the Sovereign. Some are
    Dreadnought size, and some are Jumbos. The Jumbos generally have
    2 pickgaurds. They're supposed to be J200 Knock-offs. This one is a 
    Dreadnought. It has a single small pickgaurd. I like this version
    the best. The larger, double-gaurd models look kinda gawdy.
    
    This guitar has a natural finish. The mahogany body and neck are 
    very light in color. The pickgaurd is tortoise-shell. It has the 
    original rosewood pin-less bridge and 3-on-a-plate tuners. It's in 
    perfect condition, one of the cleanest I've seen in years.  The 
    headstock is the classic Sovereign style, with the diagonal banner. 
    Later models had an ugly squared-off headstock, gloss finishes,
    with a weird looking maples ring around the soundhole. This is 
    really the best example of a Sovereign I'm likely to find any time
    soon. 
    
    As I said, I really need this guitar for my collection, however,
    I wouldn't buy it if it didn't play well. These guitars are IMHO
    very much under-rated. It was Harmonies attempt at a high-quality
    acoustic guitar with a solid spruce top. Many starving Blues Players
    could not afford a Gibson guitar. They needed an instrument that 
    played as well as a Gibson that fit into their budget. For many
    the Harmony Sovereign was the only option. You see these on tons
    of Blues Albums. This Harmony Sovereign plays exceptionally well.
    Fortunately, it is in the possesion of one of my good friends, and
    he has promised to hold it for me. I guess I can give the UPS man
    the week off.
    
    Mark
    

    The Harmony Sovereign I mentioned in my last note is now in my
    possesion, as in, it's MINE, all MINE. 
    
    I was a little confused about the sizing on these. The smaller 
    Sovereign is actually 000 sized. The larger is sized like a
    Dreadnought (16" lower bout) but has a much rounder shape. Mine 
    is the smaller 000-sized guitar. 
    
    As I stated, this is the cleanest Sovereign I've seen in years.
    The mahogany back, sides, and neck are finished natural (blonde
    if you will), with no staining lacquer to darken the wood. The
    solid-spruce top has a very even grain with a light color. The top
    binding is 5-ply white/black. It has a small tortoise-shell pickgaurd
    and a bound rosewood fingerboard with tiny little pearl dots. This
    guitar plays incredibly well and has a very full tone. The neck 
    attaches at the 14th fret and has a very slim profile. This indicates
    it is probably from the late 60's/early 70's. Harmony guitars
    maintained a very fat (baseball bat) profile until the late 60's when 
    they switched to a newer slimmer profile on most guitars. The deal 
    included a brand new black hardshell case. 
    
	I know of another Sovereign that is for sale. It is the larger
    model with double pickgaurds and mustache bridge. It is supposedly
    mint and selling for a very reasonable price. 
    
    	Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
    
    	Mark
    

    I just picked up another gem. It appears to be an ancient Harmony
    acoustic with small 00-sized body and V-shaped neck. Someone set
    it up for Hawiian slide playing with an extention nut, and high
    bridge. The deal included a Nick Lucas Hawiian Guitar method book
    (circa 1940) and a cool steel bar. 
    
    I'll probably resell the guitar, but I'm definately keeping the
    accessories. This stuff is as rare as hen's teeth!
    
    Mark

    
    	Come on, Mark - post the prices...  ;^)
    

    
    Prices you say! Okay but first raise your' right hand and repeat
    after me......I solemnly swear not to tell Mark's wife what he 
    bought or how much he paid for it, so help me God!
    
    The Harmony Soveriegn that I bought last weekend set me back
    $175, not including case. The case is a brand new hardshell case
    designed to hold a classical guitar, but it will also hold an
    00 or 000 sized acoustic as well. These are premium cases with
    plush lining. A friend of mine buys these in bulk and gets them
    for just under $50 apiece. 
    
    The other guitar which is set up for Hawiian cost me $75. I 
    would not normally pay this price for this instrument, but the
    accessories that were included in the case are very cool, hard
    to come by, and they belong in my collection. I figure I can
    resell the guitar and get most of my money back, if not all of it.
    I'll probably bring it with me to the New England Show and sell
    it there. The guitar is low-rent but has some interesting features
    such as a set of 3-on-a-plate tuners with black plastic buttons
    that are quite cool. Parts is Parts!
    
    The last instrument I bought was the National Reso-Phonic that 
    I mentioned a few notes back. The price I paid for that guitar
    was no secret, $350 + shipping. 
    
    It's been a busy (and expensive) month. I did not buy much in
    the way of instruments since the first of the year, so I'm simply
    making up for lost time. If Rick Calcagni doesn't buy the other
    Sovereign that I mentioned, I'll have to buy it myself. 
    
    Mark

    Mark, my wife wants to have A WORD with you!
    

    
	    This has been quite a week for procuring instruments. A
	good friend of mine has been on the lookout for a Harmony
	Stratatone for me. He knew I wanted one for my collection,
	and he knows I have high standards and generally only buy
	instruments that are mint. Yesterday he called me up and
	said that he had a chance to buy a dead-mint Stratatone.
	If I wanted it, I had to decide on the spot, otherwise the
	guitar was headed for the Long Island show this weekend and
	would be put on the auction block. Naturally, I had to buy
	it. Before anyone asks, I ended up paying $150. The deal 
	included the original chipboard case. 

	There are several differant versions of the Stratatone that
	were made between the early 50's and the late 60's. The
	very early ones were solid-body and were available in 1 or 2
	pickup models. The 2 pickup models had concentric knobs. 
	Later on, in the 1960's the Stratatone mutated into a double-
	bound semi-hollowbody design, very similar in appearence to
	a Les Paul. This one is the semi-hollow version. It is gloss 
	black, double bound with 2 DeArmond pickups, 2 vols, 2 tones, 
	a pickup selector switch, and a white plastic pickgaurd. it is
	dead-mint except for one pearl dot missing from the fingerboard.
	This should be a sinch to replace. 

	I never realized that these guitars play as well as they do. 
	I mainly wanted it for my collection, but upon playing it last
	night, I realized that this guitar plays great and sounds
	outrageously sweet. Through my Deluxe reverb, I had no trouble
	getting a chello tone from either pickup. It has a nice range
	of tones and it is not noisy at all. I'm amazed.
	
	Time to enter into a little cooling-off period. I'm preparing
	to sell a few pieces I've picked up in my travels that I have
	decided I don't need to keep for my collection. Stay tuned for
	a for-sale note in the near future. 

	Mark

    BTW, I'm starting to realize that maybe I do need counseling
    after all!
    
    Mark

    re: -.1
    
    This stage passes too, and you realize that life's too short to pass up
    a great guitar
    
    Danny W.

From:	SCOMAN::FANARA       21-MAY-1995 19:50:17.41
To:	fanara
CC:	FANARA
Subj:	guitar
                                                             


                          -< Oldies but goodies >-    
    
    I have a couple of old guitars in my attic are they worth anything?
    
    The first was given to me as a kid for my first guitar it was called
    a Rocket put out by Harmony.  It's still in excellent condition and
    was done in the sunburst color.
    
    The other I forget the name but I'm pretty sure it was sold by sears
    It's a black electric powered by a 9v battery with Vol and Tone. It has 
    the wammy bar and soft black case. It's brand new..
    
    This is it for my old guitars...
    
    Matt
                     

    The Harmony Rocket is somewhat of a low-end collectable, especially
    if it is in good shape. These generally sell for anywhere from $100
    to $200, possibly a little more if you can find a buyer that really
    has the hots for it. If you have the original case, that's a selling 
    point as well. The case should be made of chipboard, white with black 
    trim.
    
    The other guitar you mentioned doesn't ring a bell. None of the
    Danelectro/Silvertones or Harmony/Silvertones used a battery. 
    
    Mark

    
    
    I only have the Harmony rocket not the case oh well it's still sounds 
    pretty good.  The other guitar I looked at this morning I bought it
    about 5 or 6 years ago and looked for a name on it. It has Synsonics 
    printed on the neck.  It's electric with a 6" or so built in speaker, 
    volume and tone knob, and head phone jack.  I have a feeling it was 
    made in japan for Sears..I'm probably wrong.
    
    thanks for the reply-
    
    Matt

    You're not gonna believe this but I also have one of the Synsonic
    guitars with built-in speaker and headphone jack. I also have a
    Synsonic mini-electric guitar. I bought both of these at my
    favorite flea market ror $30/each. 
    
    These are pretty cool for what I paid, but realisitcally, they are
    really just toyz. The Harmony Rocket, on the other hand is more
    than just a toy. In it's day it was a pretty good guitar for a
    kid starting out, or for someone that started on an acoustic and
    wanted to move up to an electric. In today's market, some of the
    Harmonys are becoming somewhat collectable. The Rocket is one. 
    
    There ware several version of the Rocket, too. Rockets started out
    as single cut thin acoustics with one or two pickups. They later
    mutated into double cut (like 335's) with two or three pickups. 
    Three pickup Rockets are worth as much as $500 from a dealer.
    
    Mark

    
    
    Mark thanks for the information on the Rocket I appreciate it.
    
    Matt