This example is a solidly attractive guitar, with beautiful finish, nicely proportioned f-holes, and classic 1934 appointments. It’s in wonderful condition and plays very nicely thanks to a reset and refret that were done in our shop a couple of years back.
A unique and fairly rare small body archtop with extra depth in the lower bout (4-1/8” at the endpin), this smaller Gibson archtop has a great sound that you won’t find in most any other archtop other than, perhaps, the Waterloo archtops that Collings built in very small numbers before the Pandemic – which were bench copies of this very model. A wonderful accompaniment guitar that’s naturally well-suited alongside a fiddle or in a jazzy blues ensemble, this L-75 has lots of punch, excellent definition in the bass, thick and forward trebles and plenty of mid-range support for comping. It’s quite dry and fundamentally voiced with few overtones to work around, and really likes a flatpick.
A nearly crack-free guitar with very little playwear, no repairs, and great looks, this L-75 is original but for a set of high-end Antique Acoustics replacement tuning machines, The original tailpiece’s cross-bar is bent from years of string pull, but functions well. There is a small, repaired crack travelling 2” from the end of the fretboard approximately under the high E string.
Pearl Gibson logo, original bone nut, original ebony adjustable bridge, and original pickguard. The guitar’s only real flaw is some bubbled finish on the bottom, adjacent to the endpin, that had to have been the result of heat.
Comfortable V neck with 1-3/4″ nut and 24.75″ scale. 1st fret depth of .960”, 2-1/8” string spread at the bridge. Currently set up with 12-54 strings and a 12th fret action of 5-6 64ths.
With non-original hardshell case.
Introduced in 1934 as a replacement for the HG-24 Hawaiian, the original Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe featured the same body dimension as the Jumbo, which was also introduced in 1934. Both of these new large guitars featured 16” wide bodies with deep sides that didn’t taper much in thickness between the endblock and neck heel. As Gibson transitioned from the Jumbo to the more tapered-sided J-35 in 1936, the Smeck followed suit. As such, the early Smeck models are the only ones built with a deeper body. This example is from the 4th and final documented batch of Roy Smeck Stage Deluxes built in 1936, likely from around the middle of the year and among the last of the deep-bodied Smecks. The depth of the sides taper from 4-1/2” at the endpin to 4-3/16” at the neck heel.
Originally built as a Hawaiian, or lap-style guitar, this Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe has been converted for Spanish (AKA Normal) style playing. The conversion is nicely done and is blended in well with the rest of the guitar’s originality. The neck has been carved into a very comfortable soft V, with a nut width of 1-7/8”. The neck depth at the 1st fret is .890”, which feels appropriately sized and neither too large or too small. The headstock front and back and the neck heel retain their original finish; side dots and real frets were added during the conversion. The original fingerboard was reused and has not ever been separated from the neck; no truss rod was added in the process (and none was needed). The guitar’s current fretwork is brand-new (done here) and neck relief and playability are quite perfect. The tuners are modern Waverly’s with ivoroid buttons.
The Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe guitar’s body features original finish throughout, with touch-up adjacent to the fretboard extension, where the board was narrowed. There are four repaired top cracks including one at the pickguard’s inside margin, two repaired back cracks, and one small side crack that’s been repaired and locally touched up. The original bridge remains in excellent condition and has been reslotted for proper intonation. The aged bone saddle was installed here, the bridge pins are original. A few brace ends have been reglued over the years, and the bridge plate is a well-made replacement. The bridge pin spacing is 2-3/8”.
A wonderful sounding Gibson Jumbo, this Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe is loud and powerful and has limitless headroom at the ready. Its voice is very focused, fundamental, and clean, with overtones kept at bay; which makes it a perfect flat-picker. The bass is not overpowering but is quite present and underlies the mids and low mids well. Trebles and upper mids are strong, thick, and perfectly defined.
With non-original hardshell case
With its darkly shaded early ‘50s sunburst finish, gorgeous pickguard and aged binding, beautiful rosewood bridge and pickguard, killer tone, and heavenly neck carve, this c.1950 Gibson J-45 is about as close as it comes to the ideal post-war Gibson flat-top. It’s a wonderfully photogenic guitar and might make a cameo on the cover of our 2025 calendar, if we can make such a thing happen!
This J-45 has just come through our repair shop. We’ve reset and refretted the neck, reglued various braces and cleaned up some glue left by the last repairperson, installed a new bone saddle and Antique acoustic pins, and set it up with 12-54 strings with an action of 5-6.5 64ths. The guitar is just about crack-free; its only visible repairs are its reglued back centerseam and a very minor b-string pickguard crack. The tuners are ‘50s replacements, and there is a visible filled screw hole at the base of each of the Kluson strips. There is some playwear to the finish, most notably on the side’s upper bass bout and on the back of the neck in the 1st position, and some fingernail groves remain visible on the fretboard.
The round neck has a 1st fret depth of .850” and a 9th fret depth of .980”, 1-11/16” nut, and 24-3/4” scale. The guitar weighs 4.0lbs.
A great sounding guitar with clarity, sustain, and plenty of that classic J-45 warmth, this Gibson is a perfect songwriting companion and vocal accompanist. It sounds lovely with fresh or old strings and is remarkably appealing in just about every way.
This example is in excellent condition, crack free, and has recently been refretted here at Folkway. The pickup has been lovingly rewound/restored by Alastair Miller, while the rest of the wire harness is factory original, save for a new endpin style jack installed in our shop.
Playability is excellent on this 1953 Kay K-150 thanks to new frets, replacement ebony bridge, and careful setup. The tuners are StewMac replacements. Round neck carve with a nut width that’s just shy of 1-11/16” and a first fret thickness of .971”.
With modern deluxe case