1936 Gibson Trojan

The first Trojan shipped in October of 1936 and was marked in the Gibson Shipping ledgers as "Trojan."  This guitar has now been confirmed in the old Gibson ledgers as a Trojan shipped on November 26, 1936.  A gentlemen posted about this guitar on the Gibson forum and was kind enough to send me a bunch of pictures.

The Gibson Trojan preceded the J-35 by a couple of months (October to December, 1936).  This Gibson Trojan matches all the features for a 1937 J-35 with the exception of a couple of key things.  The main difference is the lack of back binding.  J-35s were introduced with a single layer of binding on the back which this guitar lacks.

It also has 3 scalloped tone bars.  The standard J-35 would most likely have had 3 unscalloped tone bars.  I'm very curious about the tone of this guitar.  I'm going to guess that this thing is awesome.  Just wait until you scroll down and see the deep scallops.  Amazing.

The Ebony nut is cool but not entirely out of line.  It could have been Ebony or bone but either one would work.  It's just another aspect of this guitar that makes it so darn cool.

This guitar was made for export as evidenced by the "Made In USA" stamp on the back of the head stock.  This was fairly common at the time.  My 1937 Gibson L-00 had the same stamp and Grover branded open back tuners.  It also had the same pumpkin colored sunburst on the top but did have back binding.

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at this beauty.  Many thanks to the owner for letting me post about it.

Hear it:

True Vintage Giveaway!

It's here!  The True Vintage Giveaway is on.  Leave a comment and let me know, "what is your favorite vintage guitar?"  It could be one you already have or one you hope to just hold at least once.  Or just leave a comment.  Be sure to leave some way for me to get in contact with you.

I will be giving this prewar Hohner Marine Band harmonica away for free.  I'll ship it right to your door.  I've been doing this blog for almost a year now (August 5th is the 1st anniversary).  I'm glad that there are some other people out there that care about vintage instruments.  I thought it would be nice to give back.

This harp is in new old stock condition.  It would make a great collector or player if you are so inclined.  It is in the key of G which is my favorite key.  For more info on prewar Hohners then check out my previous post: Prewar Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas.

Good luck!!

Prewar Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas

I've been on a big harmonica kick lately.  A couple of years ago I happened upon an old Hohner Marine Band with a star in the circle on the back cover.  The ends of the covers were bent in and there were some funky graphics on the box.  After a bit of searching I came across this website: Pat Missin Prewar Hohner Marine Band Changes.  Take a minute to educate yourself on vintage Hohners.  While the star on the back is a cool piece of history that is long gone, the real deal on these old harps is the type of brass used for the reeds that is no longer available.

I'm having a bit of trouble finding some solid info on the specific brass alloy used for the reed plates.  The basic understanding is that this type of brass was used for the reeds and reed plates until around the 50s.  It was only made in a couple of factories world wide and eventually became not economical to make.  Harmonicas only used a very small percentage of brass and the other consumers of raw brass went to a cheaper form.  The prewar brass is thinner but more sturdy allowing for easier manipulation but also lasts longer.  I could easily tell a difference when I got my first prewar Hohner in the way the reed plates reacted under hard and soft playing.

I'm currently building my collection (I've got about 12 now?  I'm hoping to have around 30 of different keys and conditions).  I want to make a fancy display for them and show them off at guitar shows.  They may sell, they may not but I don't care.  I think they are really neat pieces of history and undervalued.  You can't get that kind of brass now anywhere.  Your only chance is finding a good condition Marine Band or Old Standby.  Plus, the boxes are very aesthetically pleasing and would look nice on your desk next to your vintage Gibson J-45.  At least they look nice next to mine.

"Mouse Ear" Marine Band

Mahogany Topped Blues Guitar: 1930 Epiphone Model 0

Pre-Gibson Epiphones have weighed heavy on my mind lately.  I bought this one off the Craigslist in my parent's hometown of Galatin, TN from a bluegrasser.  He didn't have much use for a guitar like this.  I didn't even haggle!

This is a C. 1930 Epiphone Model 0.  If it is the first one that you have seen then that makes two of us.  It is constructed of solid Mahogany throughout and features X-bracing with a single tone bar, 13 frets to the body and a deep V shaped neck.  It has a light build and is very resonant.  The bridge design is interesting but works very well.  It makes sense to be able to move the saddle around to adjust for intonation.

Dating an early Epiphone flat-top

...can be difficult.  To be honest, I don't know the exact build year but I have had some help narrowing it down.  It doesn't have a label but does have a hand written serial number.  There are a pair of fellers that are cataloging pre-Gibson Epiphone flat-tops and working on a good way to date them.  They've contacted me regarding a couple of other Epis that I've had and I am excited to hear that they are working on publishing their findings.  

It seems like only super guitar nerds (like myself) end up liking these guitars.  I think that it is a shame that they aren't held in high regard by the general guitar public because they are of very high quality and rarity.  Maybe the information gathered by these Epi fellows will spark some well deserved interest in New York and Philadelphia (pre-Gibson) Epiphones.

How does this guitar record?

I have a friend who is working on his first full length album.  He has a 1951 Gibson J-50 that I am fond of and is kind enough to bring it over every once in a while to drink beer and play the blues.  This Epiphone is a good sidekick for his recording because it can do the fingerpicking (without picks) much better than a larger guitar.  Since you don't have to use picks to get great tone from her then you also don't get the pick slap or click.

1965 Fender Jaguar in Olympic White

And I don't!  Want to part with mine, that is.  I will certainly not take it surfing, although I don't have to worry about that here in Birmingham, AL.  My 1965 Fender Jaguar will not be cruising the waves anytime soon.

The Jaguar was introduced in 1962 as Fender's new top-of-the line model.  It's shiny chrome plates, clawed single coils and abundance of switches were supposed to make it more desirable than the Telecaster, Stratocaster and Jazzmaster.  The public didn't quite see it that way and went on buying the strats and teles like it was going out of style.  People didn't really like the shorter 24" scale.  The Jaguar didn't sell as well as Fender hoped but became popular for a lot of different styles starting with of course, surf rock.

This 1965 Fender Jaguar was purchased by the parents of the original owner for their 16 year old son.  He had played a little bit and wanted a nice guitar for his birthday.  The price on the tag of Jaguars at the time was $491 which according to the inflation calculator is about $3526.59 in 2012 dollars.  The custom color was about a 5% upcharge.  The strap, I believe, was purchased sometime in the 70s judging by the style.  

I purchased the guitar from the wife of the owner who said that this was the original case.  This case was sold from '62 to '63 so it is doubtful that this was the original case.  USA sold Fenders came guitar specific cases as in each guitar was shipped in its own case.  Maybe the store had guitars hanging on the wall but didn't organize their cases very well so an earlier guitar sold with a newer case and vice versa.

The Jaguars had a similar circuit to the Jazzmaster in that it had a separate rhythm circuit on the bass horn.  With the slider switch down, the lower controls are activated.  The main volume and tone knob and three slider switches let you dial in the tone desired.  The three switches are: neck pickup, bridge pickup and bass cut, also known as the "strange switch."  When this switch is on it has a very trebly and jangly tone.

You'll notice the interesting looking "claws" on either side of the pickups.  This was to help with the hum problem that plagued the Strats, Teles and Jazzmasters.  The electronics cavities were also heavily shielded which did noticeably reduce hum.  The Jaguar pickups still retain that fender tone but I think are a little stronger, hence the bass cut switch.  I haven't had enough time with it yet but I don't think that this guitar really lends itself to blues but it does the surf/indie rock thing in spades.

The tremolo is very smooth and usable.  This "Floating Tremolo" type does a lot better job keeping the guitar in tune compared to the "Synchronized Tremolo" on the Stratocaster.  Smooth, long weeps of the tremolo are accurate and even easy.  I always felt like I was breaking the strat's tremolo when I really used it, which was not often.  I really enjoy the jaguar/jazzmaster style trem.

TVG

New Vintage: Gibson's 2013 J-35

The Gibson J-35 was the precursor to the J-45 from 1936 to 1942.  It had a couple of variations in bracing patterns but was cosmetically a 14 fret jumbo, sunburst or natural with a firestripe pickguard.  This combination made for an absolutely gorgeous instrument.  Gibson has reintroduced the instrument for their 2013 line of Gibson Acoustics from Bozeman, MT.

Then (1939)

Now (2013)

The J-35 has was discontinued in 1942 but was reintroduced in this configuration sometime in the 2000s by Gibson through Fullers Guitar in sunburst.  It closer resembled the Gibson Jumbo (1934) because of its small pearl inlaid Gibson logo.  These are very nice guitars but the 2013 production version is a bit different.

Cosmetically the only differences between old and new are the natural finish, Kluson repro tuners, unfortunate banner headstock and the addition of the LR Baggs Element pickup.  I questioned Gibson's decision to put a gold banner logo on the headstock but I think I know what really happened.  These guitars are largely designed in Bozeman, MT however sometimes the Nashville guys sink their claws into the design, hence the banner.  One Nashville guy in particular thought this would be a good idea and had the unfortunate superiority for it to stick.  This is purely hypothetical of course.  Don't get me wrong, I love banner headstocks on wartime period Gibsons however the J-35 was decidedly prewar and never had a banner.  The Bozeman guys almost got away without putting the banner on there as you can see from the NAMM prototype:

But the production version's headstock had this logo:

Why would you do this HJ?

The original J-35 had 4 main bracing patterns: 3 tone bar scalloped, 3 tone bar unscalloped, 2 tone bar scalloped and 2 tone bar unscalloped.  "Scalloping" refers to the careful shaving of mass away from the parts of the brace where extra mass is less needed, such as the very center.  It appears that Gibson scalloped seemingly at will during this time period.  Some say that it depended on whether or not the builder though it was necessary on a certain top.  If they felt the top was too strong and would inhibit tone then they scalloped the braces.  This is just hearsay though, I was not there in 1939.  The 3 tone bar versions are largely seen from '36 to '39 and 2 tone bars until '42.

Gibson's new production version uses a 2 scalloped tone bar style bracing closely resembling what would have been in a '39-'42 J-35.  They call this their "1930s Advanced X Bracing."  This is the same bracing used in the current Advanced Jumbo and the J-45 TV with the only difference being that they use different glue.  The AJ and J-45 TV use hot hide glue to brace the top while Titebond is used to brace the top on the J-35.  Titebond is easier to work with and still provides a great bond.  Hide glue dries very hard and brittle.  This seems to transfer energy better than a Titebond joint.  Guitar nerds such as myself will swear that hide glue sounds better but the difference is marginal at best.  Hide glue is still used on the neck joint of all Gibson acoustics because is it much easier to reset the neck in the future.

I have played two 2013 J-35s and both were phenomenal instruments.  The J-35 was positioned (price wise) to compete with the Taylor range of prices so they can be had for much cheaper than the J-45 standard.  I have heard a lot of people say that they just weren't as good as the 45 standard but I must disagree.  Don't be fooled by the price point.  These guitars were priced and built by two different sections of the company.  The price is basically a marketing trick.  

In my opinion, the J-35 is a "better" guitar and not just because of the price.  The only structural difference between the 45 standard and the 35 is the bracing.  The 30s advanced bracing in my opinion results in a more resonant guitar.  I liked the sound of the 35s better than the 45 standard.  What do you think?  Which model did you like better?  Keep in mind that the J-35s will probably have fresher strings than the 45 standards.

I do not work for Gibson and have no affiliation with anyone in that company.  I don't care if Henry sells guitars or not.  I normally would not consider new guitars because they usually don't do it for me but for some reason this one does!  I was pumped about their reintroduction and I think Gibson did a great job with the exception of the banner.  If finances permit then I may get one!

TVG

1944 Gibson J-45 "Only a Gibson is good enough"

The banner on Gibson's wartime flat-tops appeared around June of 1942 and disappeared sometime in 1946.  It is still a but unclear why but we may know more about the banner after this book comes out: Kalamazoo Gals.  Maybe it had something to do with national pride during the war years since the Martin guitar company was still family owned and the original CF Martin was in fact, a German immigrant.  This is solely speculation though, It may have had nothing to do with Martin.

This guitar was probably made in 1944 but again, that is just a guess.  It bears no visible factory order number and may have never received one which is common for the late war years.  It was constructed of a two piece Spruce top and a solid, one piece flat-sawn Mahogany back.  The one piece back is of note because it is evidence that wood stock piles were low so "lower quality" wood was used.  The Mahogany should have been quarter sawn for appearance and strength however this process wastes more wood than the flat sawing method.  Also of note, the Kalamazoo Gals that built this guitar were told to put "back strips" on the interior of the guitar to help the two joined quarter sawn pieces of Mahogany.  Yet this guitar has a one piece back.

I mention this because the people that built this guitar were probably not men who had worked in the factory for many years.  More than likely they were "Rosie the Riveters" that filled the empty positions of men who had gone to support the war effort.  In John Thomas' book, "Kalamazoo Gals," an argument is made that these guitars were somewhat superior to other Gibsons because of the nature of the women who made them.  These women had been working with their hands all of their lives.  They may not have been making guitars but they were very skilled nonetheless.  Since the book is not out yet I cannot say that this is the exact point or argument made.  I am very excited about the book as you can imagine!

One thing that I have noticed as a pattern of the banner Gibsons is that they have a distinctive percussive "thump" that vibrates throughout the entire instrument when a string is struck.  My experience is limited since I have played only as many banners as you can count on two hands but it is certainly a pattern.  A friend once described the thump of this exact instrument to be akin to a "lapping", as if from the tongue.  I thought that was a great way to describe it since thump would indicate a bit bass heavy, which these guitars are not.  I am worthless when it comes to describing tone with words so just bear with me.

I have three banner J-45s: one spruce and mahogany, one all mahogany and one in the mail that is spruce and flame maple.  The maple banner is still in the mail and should arrive in a couple of days.  I'll be doing two more posts on the other two banners later this month.  Do you have a banner Gibson?  Send some pictures to my email at tvguit at gmail.  I don't want to post the actual email for fear of bots.

TVG

Pre-war Epiphone Flat-top: 1940 Epiphone FT-50

I say 1940 but I don't really know.  A friend on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum concluded that this was built by Epiphone in 1940 or '41.  There were very few of these ever made.

This one popped up on the local Craigslist.  I don't think that many people on there knew what it was.  Of course, this is no asian made Epiphone.  This was made before Gibson purchased the Epiphone brand in 1957.  They moved the production of Epiphone branded instruments overseas in the 70s tarnishing the name.  The American made Epiphones were very fine instruments.

This Epiphone lived a sordid life.  It came to me covered in soot with two stickers and a name carved right in the top.  The seller was the nephew of the schizophrenic aunt that owned it (last).  The soot and stickers came up fairly easily with some Naptha and elbow grease.  The name, "Kelsi" is there to stay.  It features an Adirondack Spruce top, Walnut back and sides, and what looks like a very dark Rosewood fingerboard.  It has feaux tortoise shell binding and a very nice pearl inlay on the headstock. The tuners have been changed.  It still has 4 of the original Bakelite bridge pins.

 The FT-50 started showing up in the 1941 but it says that they had Mahogany backs and sides.  It also shows a model FT-45 that had Walnut but also white binding.  This may have been pre-catalogue before they really nailed down what was what.  The label with the model number and serial number is badly torn so we may never know if this was a 45 or 50.

The Epiphone researcher that I spoke with on the forum said that since this was X braced and lacked the metal cover for Epiphone's "thrust rod"then this was probably pre-war.  His research indicates that the model line was reduced during the war and this was one that was cut.  They start reappearing a couple years later with serial numbers indicating 1945.  After that, the FT-50 was cut for good.  

He is currently compiling serial numbers, pictures and catalogues into a database so he can offer a better understanding of Epiphone's past.  Do you have a guitar like this?  Please email me and I will pass the information along to him.  

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