Re: I seem to have conceived an unnatural lust...
Originally Posted by
BadExampleMan
...Didn't Gold-Tone used to be a Sears house name for their one-step-above-toy guitars, or am I misremembering?
Silvertone, as mentioned above, was the Sears "house brand"; they used to sell Autoharps by Oscar Schmidt, electrics by Danelectro, and I believe Harmony-made instruments with that label through their catalog, possibly in their "big box" stores.
Gold Tone is a Florida-based importer that has instruments made in Korea, I believe, and supposedly given final inspection in FL before being shipped to dealers. I have several Gold Tone "weirdo" instruments -- 4-string cello banjo, "banjola" 5-string mandola, Cripple Creek Mini piccolo 5-string banjo -- and they're all very good quality. Gold Tone's noted for making and selling "niche market" instruments, such as ukulele and mandolin banjos, which used to be fairly common a century ago, but which aren't made today. They've also licensed instrument designs from Rigel mandolins and Beard resonator guitars, and sell imported versions of these American-designed instruments.
Gold Tone's also a good source of out-of-the-mainstream instrument cases and gig bags; I keep my old Regal tenor conversion to "Pete Seeger" long-neck 5-string banjo in a Gold Tone plectrum banjo case, which was the only one I could find that would accommodate a resonator banjo with an extended neck. Pretty good company, at least in my experience.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
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Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
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