Martin 5-17T c1920s

A well played but lovely example of Martin’s baby of the family. The all-Mahogany 17 series guitars make great tenors, the relative stiffness of the top providing an excellent high frequency response. Small it may be, but if you’re looking for a powerful sounding tenor you’d be hard pressed to find one that sounds this good. It’s an early example with the Martin stamp to the rear of the headstock and no pick guard – a bit of a shame, as the talons of a previous owner have clawed their way through the lacquer on the top. Otherwise there’s the usual reasonable wear and tear for a guitar well into its 80s but no cracks or other issues to worry about. Comes with a newer generic cardboard case that the Americans seemed to be so fond of.

£899

Regal tenor guitar c1930s

Our latest addition to our selection of vintage tenors is super sparkly little thing hailing from Chicago in the 1930s. Solid Spruce top, solid Birch back and sides with dyed wood binding and, in case you hadn’t spotted it, a gold sparkle plastic veneer over the dyed pear-wood fingerboard. These little Regals have a mandola sized 21” scale length rather than the more common 23”s used by Martin and Gibson, so it’s a very pleasurable thing to play, and the usual open, chimey sound that we’re looking for in a nice vintage tenor. It’s essentially all original: it’s had a recent re-fret and the bridge has been shaved slightly, although not enough that you’d notice beyond the finish touch up. We can’t claim to be hugely impressed with the original machine heads, but they kind of work, and we can usually source modern reproductions that fit into the original holes if you’d rather.

£375

Ozark Tenor guitar £199

Ozark Autoharp £185

Gibson TG-1 c1928

First up in a series of new and old tenors we have on their way to us is a gorgeous little Gibson from the dawn of the company's illustrious flat- top making career. Although the TG-1 is essentially a 3/4 size version of the same year's L-1 design, Gibson chose to upgrade the tenor version by adding their mid-line pearl banjo headstock facia and, more importantly, a feather-light X brace supporting the Adirondack Spruce top. Condition is excellent - a little pick wear to the top but all original and no cracks to be found anywhere. 

Tonally these little Gibsons could well be the best there is: sweet and warm with a harpsichord like chime when playing chords. A rare and beautiful thing that shows perfectly why modern players are rediscovering these elegant little instruments.

The original Gibson case is supplied.

SOLD

Regal "Le Domino" tenor, c1930s

A mean and moody tenor from one of America's best known early guitar manufacturers. All solid woods - Spruce top, Birch back and sides underneath the black finish - with a loud, chiming tone and comfortable setup. We've seen a few Regal tenors over the years, most of which are Martin size 5 copies with floating bridges. This fellow is a chunkier affair, closer to size 0 and with a fixed bridge. It's been well played and sadly most of the domino decals have worn though, but there are no repairs beyond a reglued back brace, and it's a great sounding vintage tenor for not a lot of money. We’ve replaced the original machine heads with Grovers, but will keep hold of the originals.

SOLD

Ozark 2142G £495 OFFER PRICE £419

Ozark 2142G £565 OFFER PRICE £439

Countryman Pro £489 OFFER PRICE £415

1950's Gretsch New Yorker Tenor banjo 

Although not a name you immediately associate with banjos, Gretsch first entered the music industry as a drum manufacturer, and occasionally made forays into the wierd world of drums with necks and bits of wire stuck on them. 

The New Yorker range was manufactured throughout the 50s comprised arch top acoustics, mandolins and banjos. This example is a lovely bit of American kitsch; a little unusual in design, with a cast aluminium shell forming the bulk of the body with a wooden back plate acting as a resonator. The sound is bright and metallic with plenty of volume.

Generally good condition, the only notable repair being replacement binding to the neck.   

SOLD

AER AMPS - Forsyth's are stockists of these fantastic German made acoustic amplifiers. Incredibly compact with amazing sound reproduction and a host of professional features these amplifiers complement perfectly all our top quality electro-acoustic instruments be it a guitar, mandolin, violin etc. Visit AER

We are able to order any of the AER range. If you would like a particular model not listed here, contact us and we'll see about getting it in for you.

International Orders

We are only able to offer online calculation of shipping costs for orders to the United Kingdom mainland. For all other orders  our shipping rates vary between area and will be dealt with on a case by case basis. To enquire about international orders and shipping costs, please do not hesitate to call us direct on +44 161 834 3281, fax us on  +161 834 3281 or email us at info@forsyths.co.uk.