Vintage Tenors Help Needed

[mandrian]

Hi,

I have an opportunity to buy two vintage tenor guitars, but need to so without seeing them. I trust the guy who is selling them and he and his repair man have an excellent reputation.

What one would you choose?

1. Kay 1930's 23" scale (12 frets only to body). 1.125" nut width. All original except end pin, but with crack repairs to front and back. Straight neck and low action (2.8mm at 12th fret). Work carried out by good experienced repair man. Have seen many detailed photos which look to confirm its in good repair and certainly has mojo! Price £350.

2. Stella H929 1960's 23"scale (14 frets to body). In good condition for year. Have still to receive photos, but have heard a similar one he sold on you tube and it sounds good. Price £300.

This will be my first tenor and although I could buy a Gold Tone TG-18 for £400, I prefer the idea of keeping alive the older instruments. Any comments on the choice.

P.S. I did go the Gibson TG-0 that was on the cafe yesterday, but lost out.

Regards.

[mrmando]

Kay all the way!

[delsbrother]

Both seem a bit pricey to me, considering.

[mandrian]

Hi,

They might be a bit pricey, I'm not too sure. The thing to remember though is that if I buy something from the US I need to pay shipping ($120?) and then around another 25% on the purchase price to cover VAT and duty, etc. This can make something that looks cheap in the US significantly more expensive when I buy it in. I also like the comfort of buying from someone who specialises in vintage guitars and who gives a 14 day money back guarantee.

Makes me wonder why I don't just buy a new Gold Tone TG-18 for £400 delivered in UK. That seems a decent price, but as I said before I like the idea of buying a vintage one (assuming it does not cause me problems down the line).

Thanks for help.

[Charles E.]

Old Kays,Stellas, Harmony's and the like tend to be ladder braced not that great sounding. At least I have never played one that I would ever be happy with. I would consider the Gold tone. Also there is a brand available in the UK called "The Ozark", you might want to explore that option.

[mandrian]

Charley,

Do you consider that there are any reasonably priced (under $800) vintage tenors. I know that pretty much rules out Gibsons and Martins, so is there anything else I should look out for?

In terms of new guitars in my budget (and which I can get in the UK) I have narrowed it down to Gold Tone, Blueridge and Ashbury which would all come in for around $600. I'm probably leaning towards the Gold Tone, but change my mind daily. I could also get the Martin LXM which I think (based on YouTube) actually sounds the best of four, but it is slightly dearer even although it is composite which probably for illogical reasons puts me off.

Thanks for your advice.

[Charles E.]

Mandrian, When I made my comments about old tenor guitars, I was thinking of the plywood type that I see at flea markets. Here is an example of one with a solid spruce top that might be quite good. It will still have ladder bracing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Silvertone-4-string-Tenor-Acoustic-Guitar-MADE-IN-THE-USA-/320951524580?pt=Guitar&hash=item4aba339ce4

Other names that come to mind would be Regal, S.S. Stewart and Harmony Sovereign. And if you can find one with the "Airplane" bridge that would be cool. These tend to be solid wood, second tier instruments.
Good luck with your search.

P.s. I can not stand the Martin LMX tenors.

[mrmando]

I am not that excited about the Gold Tones or Blueridges.

I just picked up a nice Kalamazoo KTG-11 from the mid-'30s. Ladder braced but with a solid top. Sounds great except that the A tuner isn't holding.

[Charles E.]

Martin, I forgot about the Kalamazoo's. They made flattops and archtops. Thanks.

[Jim Garber]

Of the two in the original post, I would think the 1930's is more likely to be solid wood vs. laminated. I think the 1960's Stellas were made by Harmony and were prob those cheesy-looking ones with laminated wods and fake wood grain. The other question: is the Kay a flattop or archtop?

[Charlieshafer]

I agree with Jim and Martin, the Kay is probably the safer bet. I have been surprised at how good some of the lower-end various instruments from the 30's sound. Not great, mind you, but pretty nice for the price. Plus, Kay has cool that a Blueridge will never have...

[Charles E.]

Now if you can get one of these, it would be the cats pajamas......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kay-Kraft-Stromberg-Voisinet-Vintage-30s-Archtop-Tenor-Guitar-with-Two-Points-/261073718474?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cc934ccca

Note the adjustable neck angle.

[mandrian]

Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated.

Regards.

[mandrian]

Hi,

This was the 1930's Kay that I was talking about. All solid wood mahogony flat top. Seems unusual leadstock decal.

Thanks,

[mandrian]

Hi,

Sorry, forgot to post the URL!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KAY-USA-VINTAGE-1930s-ALL-SOLID-MAHOGANY-PARLOR-SIZE-23-SCALE-TENOR-GUITAR-/221083257629?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item337996cb1d

[ambrosepottie]

The Kay looks nice. I like mahogany topped guitars. The Stella is almost certainly an all birch ladder braced Harmony. Not in the same league as the Kay.

[Mandocarver]

You might also want to look at an old 1920s/30s Regal tenor if the idea of a shorter scale (20.75") appeals.
http://antebelluminstruments.blogspot.fr/2010/01/c1925-regal-tenor-guitar.html
A much smaller body but a great vintage instrument, which can also sometimes be found in your price range. They also make a good transitional instrument if you're coming from the mandolin.

Dean

[Pete Martin]

I had a student with a solid spruce top Stella that was a wonderful sounding tenor guitar. Every other one I've seen was plywood and dead as a doornail...

[Martin Jonas]

Charley,

Do you consider that there are any reasonably priced (under $800) vintage tenors. I know that pretty much rules out Gibsons and Martins, so is there anything else I should look out for?

In terms of new guitars in my budget (and which I can get in the UK) I have narrowed it down to Gold Tone, Blueridge and Ashbury which would all come in for around $600. I'm probably leaning towards the Gold Tone, but change my mind daily. I could also get the Martin LXM which I think (based on YouTube) actually sounds the best of four, but it is slightly dearer even although it is composite which probably for illogical reasons puts me off.

Thanks for your advice.

As you're in the UK, I really would check out the Ozark. Widely available - a good place is Eagle Music, but they are also in music shops to try. The Ashbury is also not bad if you want a 23" scale, although I prefer the Ozark. Both are at least as good as those you list, solid wood tops, and much cheaper!

Martin

[mandrian]

Hi,

I finished up buying a Gibson TG-0 on Ebay. Expect receipt next week. $650 so seems a good price and should be all the tenor guitar I ever need. Famous last words!

Regards