#1
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Silvertone... archtop?
A lady at Church brought me some pictures of Granddaddy's guitar...
her mama was born around 1935, and remembers it as a child, so I guess it is mid-40s or earlier? I could get a chance to look at it in person... I guess there'd be some stamps on the headblock or something that might help date it. Posting pictures of it on The Acoustic Guitar Forum might help too ... -Mike |
#2
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Yep, Silvertone sold archtops for quite some time. I think they were made by Harmony or Kay. I almost bought a 50s Silvertone archtop 10 years ago from a local guitar shop, but considering how much work it needed, and that they were low end guitars, decided to pass on buying it - it did sound pretty cool though.
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#3
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I'm no expert in dating these but remember reading that some Harmony's had a date stamp on the backside of the top. If you don't have luck looking elsewhere, might check that. Not as easy to do with an f hole. I love bringing back old guitars like that. I don't know about the "rode hard" but this one looks like it was put away wet. Very cool, though.
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#4
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Quote:
It has history though... they lived way back up in there where lake Jocassee is now. All the people would come over all the time and play music on the porch and stuff. I imagine it was like this video from just up the way in the Hendersonville area... |
#5
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If you look through the bass side f-hole, you should be able to see something like this (stamped on the back):
5.jpg This picture shows the marking for a Silvertone H702 model (built by Harmony?), batch number 2615, manufactured in the second half of 1957 (my guitar). The factory shut down for a period during the summer, so guitars are marked 'F' for 1st half of year, 'S' for 2nd half. Some sources claim 'F' for fall, 'S' for spring or summer, but I believe the 1st half, 2nd half story. You may be able to find more information on the specific model at this site: https://www.silvertoneworld.net/acoustic.html Last edited by JKMartin; 02-21-2021 at 12:47 PM. Reason: added link |
#6
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A bit like my 1936 Cremona
It is similar to my 1936 Harmony Cremona which is my best guitar. Will she be willing to let you try tuning it up?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1254...ew?usp=sharing Last edited by mauricemcm; 02-24-2021 at 06:29 AM. Reason: mage link correction |
#7
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Based on the doodle on the headstock, the bent-tab tuners and such, my best guess is that the guitar dates to the early-1940s. That would make it one of the first Silvertones. Sears owned Harmony up to 1939 with their house brand being Supertone. The Silvertone name does not appear on Sears guitars (I think it was being used on radios and such though) until after Harmony was no longer owned by Sears with both Kay and Harmony providing the store with Crest and then Silvertone-badged instruments. If your guitar did not have the neck binding I would think it was a Kay-made model 290.
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#8
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As I look around I can find this silvertoneworld.net site with lots
of pictures and history... This guitar might be a silvertone 290 or similar... https://www.silvertoneworld.net/acoustic/290/290.html The 290 is the only one I see with the right headstock design. The fretboard dots don't seem quite like the example on silvertoneworld, the bridge either. The 290 has a carved Adirondack top and maple back and sides, they only made it for a year. -Mike |
#9
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Steven Kovacik has a picture of a good set of those tuners
with the covers... -Mike |
#10
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this ebay silvertone seems close... the headstock has the right
decal, but it is much plainer and has different tuners... https://www.ebay.com/itm/293873513154 -Mike |
#11
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Quote:
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#12
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I am stating the obvious: the bridge is in the wrong position. It should be spaced in the middle of the F holes. Much closer to the bottom of the guitar.
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#13
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I have guitars from that era with those exact Kluson tuners. None of them had the covers, so they might have been an option. Covers are cool, though. Agree on the bridge location, there is a shadow mark on the top above where the bridge is now that suggests it's been in random places for decades, and hasn't been played in decades and more... I have a real soft spot for vintage Silvertones, I have a three pickup 1445.
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Brian Evans Around 15 archtops, electrics, resonators, a lap steel, a uke, a mandolin, some I made, some I bought, some kinda showed up and wouldn't leave. Tatamagouche Nova Scotia. |
#14
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It has the requisite cigarette burn on the head stock,
making it a true honky-tonk machine. |
#15
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Harmony
I was supprised to see a comeback of Harmony.
Last edited by Kerbie; 07-14-2021 at 07:02 PM. Reason: Repaired link. |