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NOT a CBG - don't get confused by this!

Posted by Uncle John on March 20, 2016 at 5:24pm
This 1955 Silvertone Guitar was abandoned at the Shelby County, Iowa dump. It was in unplayble conditon. It was given an amateur neck resest and much body re-gluing. It got a second life as a player and it had the typical 'boxy' tone of inexpensive American made guitars from the 1950s.Silertone was sold by Sears. This one was likely made at the Harmony Gutiar Factory in Chicago, Illinois.The cowboy themed case was bought in the Valentine, Nebraska area with a different guitar in it. I like to think it belonged to a true cowboy. It fits the guitar just right.I converted the Silvertone to a resonator guitar using a brass Lowe cone that had been in a cigar box guitar. The pickup/pick guard is from C.B. Gitty. It plays and sounds great in open tunings both acoustic and plugged in. I like it in open E. The action is just a bit too high for standard tuning, but the nut could still be lowered to improve that.The old open tuners were replaced with enclosed and mismatched tuners.The Sears Silvertone guitar really made its mark in music history as the unofficial "first guitar" of guitar's icons. Chet Atkins, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, among many others, played their first chords on a Sears Silvertone. Sears' guitars have even been immortalized by their mention in songs from artists as diverse as Mary Chapin Carpenter ("Girls With Guitars") and G. Love and Special Sauce ("Blues Music").
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Tags: 55, Silvertone, Unc's
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Comments

  • Uncle John March 22, 2016 at 7:39pm

    Thanks, Alan.   I don't let color blindness affect my builds.

  • AGP # March 22, 2016 at 6:05pm

    "Luv" the Tuners !!!!!!

  • Uncle John March 22, 2016 at 4:25pm

    Thanks, Pat.

  • Maddog March 22, 2016 at 10:32am

    I like!

  • Uncle John March 20, 2016 at 7:10pm

    PS: it's not a CBG, but it is done up akin to CBG style.  

  • Uncle John March 20, 2016 at 7:09pm

    Thanks, guys.  It was a 5 string in open G for while and lately has been collecting dust in the shop.  It seems to like the Open E that I tuned it for today.   Will play it this week for a local mini-jam.

  • smilingdog1 March 20, 2016 at 7:02pm

    Nice fined. I keep an eye out for these all the time.

  • gary sheldon March 20, 2016 at 7:00pm

    Good for you.  I think that is a great find.

This reply was deleted.