Unusual Martin made tenor guitar for Wm. Lang

[Charles E.]

Now this is pretty wild, I would love to see this up close. :grin:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1930s-Martin-Style-L-Tenor-Guitar-ala-Paramount-Banjo-/280585795467?pt=Guitar&hash=item415437778b

[MikeEdgerton]

They have one of the 6-string models of this guitar in the Martin Museum. I've seen it behind glass, that's a s close as I've been to it.

[delsbrother]

Banana!

[allenhopkins]

From Mike Longworth's Martin Guitars, A History (1980), p. 115:

The Paramount Guitar -- It was around 1930 that Mr. Lange of the Paramount Banjo Co. asked Martin to make a special guitar for them. The guitar had a resonator and was made for the purpose of producing extra volume before the days of amplification. There were about 36 of these guitars made, some with four strings and some with six. The guitars were evidently marketed through the New York Band Instrument Company.

The "guitar cousin" of the Beltone and Blue Comet resonator mandolins, no doubt. A curiosity, but would I go $3K for it? No way!

[Jim Garber]

I think this is a little less common and higher quality than the Blue Comets. OTOH, would I pay that for one... nah!