Here’s a gallery of instruments that have previously graced our walls. For your enjoyment only, as these have all definitely been sold. You’re welcome to ask if we’re getting anything similar in future but there’s no guarantee given the rarity of some of these instruments.
Second hand. C.1900s. Something a little out there even by our standards, this distinguished old lady is the nicest sounding Romantic guitar we can remember coming across. The elevated fingerboard was devised by JG Staufer in the 1820s, and is found on many Austrian guitars of the 19th Century, but our example has a fairly large body and Germanic styling that puts us in the mind of early instruments by Hauser. Sadly there’s no label, but this is a handmade instrument rather than a factory example, with exemplary woodworking and a very fine, sophisticated tone. True enough it’s not as loud or boomy as a modern classical, but the sound is very articulate with lovely treble response and a cleanly defined bass. The condition is fair, with a couple of long cracks in the Birds-eye Maple back which we’ve cleated, and the shellac varnish has been touched up. On the plus side there are no cracks in the top, and that ingenious neck mechanism works smoothly. An excellent period piece that plays and sounds as good as it looks.
All solid Walnut and Cedar cutaway electro-classical with Fishman Prefix Pro Blend preamp and double top.
in Madagascar rosewood and spruce
all solid cedar and walnut double top with second cedar top above the back.
Limited Edition number 439 of 500 with case and certificate signed by Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch.
Second hand. 2001 model in excellent condition, a few, tiny dings but nothing to write home about, or even Twitter. Sound is open and rich. Excellent value for a handmade classical. Includes POD hardfoam case.
In translucent black Tiger Maple
Second hand. Designed by luthier and jazz aficionado Maurice Summerfield and manufactured by the Kiso Suzuki factory in Japan, this is one of the most highly regarded Maccaferri style guitars on the vintage market. A solid Spruce top and, we’re pretty sure, a solid back with laminated sides in the style of the originals. Currently set up with silk and steel strings and a lowish action, it plays beautifully with a warm, throaty and mature sound – in fact, we’d go so far as to say, the nicest Gypsy guitar we’ve come across. The original good quality hard case is included.
Limited edition in white finish
Blue
Special edition in sunburst
Made in Japan, block inlay in Candy Apple Red
Black
Natural Mahogany
It’s all original except a rewound bridge pickup, done for us by Bare Knuckle and just refretted by our fair hands. Overall it's in very good cosmetic condition.
All original, immaculate condition with OHSC.
Made in Japan in Candy Apple Red
Sunburst
Sunburst
When it comes to rock’n’roll vibe, there’s little that can beat a well gigged Fender, and this grunge era Japanese Jazzmaster is a classic example. There are a fair few nicks and scratches and the gold hardware has tarnished slightly, but the playability is excellent, it sounds great and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than a modern day relic. A rectangular Freestyle case is included.
with Headway pickup
with Headway pickup
One for the rock'n'rollers, a sexy blue finish on probably Gibson’s best recent design. This is the humbucker equipped version with a stop bar and tun-o-matic bridge mounted into a Mahogany block, giving it a different personality to either the earlier P-90 and trapeze equipped 135s, and the Maple blocked ES-335. The condition is good, although it carries a few dings and scratches to demonstrate a life of regular use, and it plays beautifully. A hard case is included.
A charming budget model from the venerable Gibson company. Although the majority of LG-0s have a Mahogany top, the last few years of production - of which this is an example - saw an upgrade to Spruce. Otherwise it's a plain looking fellow, but the ladder bracing gives it a quick and lively response, and we've seen many a 70s Gibson selling for far more money that don't pack nearly as good a punch. The tuners on this one have been changed, and the adjustable bridge disabled which helps out considerably in the tone department. The bridge is lifting slightly but, as it's firmly bolted from the underside and we don't want to push the price up by removing and regluing it, we've chosen to leave it as it is. A Hiscox case is included.
A weird and wonderful curiosity from Gibson’s darkest days of the early 70s, this is basically an EB-3 with the same electronics as the equally peculiar ES-320. The plastic covered single coil pickups bear a ‘30s style Gibson logo and can be selected by small on-off switches. This one has been refinished in an opaque black, but it’s a professional job and it now has better rock credentials than the dung-brown livery it would have left the factory with. However, against all odds it sounds good, and it’s a bone fide Gibson for Epiphone money, so what are we complaining about? A non-original case is included.
Second hand. Immaculate condition. A great guitar, ideal for you singer-songwriters out there; with the warmth and depth you would expect from a mahogany and spruce Gibson dreadnought and playability to match. A real beauty to look at too. Has a factory fitted under saddle pickup. With original hardcase.
in green
in Dakota red
in Competition Orange
in Shell pink
in sonic blue
in green
in Cherry Sunburst with tun-o-matic bridge
Left-handed in cherry finish
in amber sunburst
Left-handed with GSG P90 pickup in TV Yellow finish
in TV Yellow
Professional series Chet Atkins Hollow Body w/ DynaSonic Pickups. Made in Japan
Synchromatic series. In Black
Synchromatic series. In Orange
Factory second - small piece of lacquer missing around end pin hence special price
with Bigbsy in Silver Sparkle
Second hand. description to follow
All solid Rosewood and Spruce with Florentine cutaway with D-TAR pickup and preamp. USA made.
All solid Mahogany and Spruce. USA made.
1960s USA made electro-acoustic.
Second hand. The 450 is a European model that comprises the cosmetics of the UK Congress model with the body style of the UK Senator. Our example also benefits from a cutaway, so the jazzers amongst you will have no trouble reaching those pesky upper frets. The condition is good, with the original tailpiece and machine heads (one changed button). The bridge is a Gretsch style tuno-matic affair, not original but it helps keep everything nicely intonated. There’s been some repair work carried out around the heel, but the neck angle is good and it plays smoothly. A nice vintage example. No case I’m afraid.
Second hand. A wide bodied, Selmer imported version of the venerable Congress. The bridge is a new one but the tuners and tailpiece are original, and it’s in pretty good shape. The neck has been repaired at some point but is good and stable now, and there is a slight bow in the neck – nothing major but it’s worth knowing about if you’re hoping it can be set up to play like a Strat. It sounds great, really full and meaty with a great period feel to it.
Everyone who has played this agrees, it sounds absolutely stunning. If you're in the market for a fine classical instrument, you'd do well to come and try this one.
with Elipse Pro Blend pickup
Second hand. Mid-90s, made in the Newtownards facility. In excellent condition save a superficial but long scratch to the front, we've had the frets dressed and it's been set up by our in house Luthiery team called Joe so it plays like a dream, it sounds like a dream too and one you don't ever have to wake up from. Original Lowden-embossed Hiscox case is included.
Second hand. A lovely guitar from the later days of the Bangor workshop in the late 1980s. In the workshop for a setup, full description will follow on its return. Original Hiscox hard case included.
in Koa and Sitka Spruce with K&K trinity pickup and low-profile neck. Left-handed.
with Honduras rosewood and Redwood
UK Custom artist series
second hand. Immaculate condition with hard case.
UK Custom artist series
Second hand. Beautifully built all solid Cypress and Spruce Spanish made flamenco guitar. Immensely playable with a rich and bright tone. Excellent condition. No case.
Cedar top
an exact replica of the 1958 model 325, just as John Lennon first purchased in Hamburg in natural
in mapleglo
An extraordinarily rare model from Rickenbacker. Indeed it's the first one we've ever seen in the flesh. Made in 2004 this example is in excellent condition with just a few minor scratches. The body is a sandwich of beautifully flamed maple and nice dark walnut all finished to a gorgeous high gloss. The single Rickenbacker high-output 'toaster top' pickup brings out all the brightness and jangle you would expect from a Rickenbacker and makes it the perfect complement to the mandolin form. No case.
In mapleglo
in jetglo
in fireglo
in fireglo
in natural maple satin. An exact replica of Paul McCartney's bass (only right-handed) as it was after he'd substantially modified it - changed the pickups, stripped off the original fireglo finish and reshaped the body. Now a discontinued model.
in Jetglo. This model is now discontinued.
in mapleglo
Here's something you won't see every day: a one of a kind, hand made guitar by the acclaimed Coventry based luthier Rob Armstrong. The body is a rather elegant take on a Martin 0000 size, the twist being a neck join at the 12th fret, pushing the pin-less bridge out toward the centre of the lower bout. The top is cedar, the back and sides - well, we're not honestly sure. It looks vaguely like Spanish cypress wood or even korina, but we're guessing it's probably a species of mahogany. Things get weirder when you peer inside the sound hole - the braces are perforated with a series of drilled holes, reducing their weight to that of a particularly light feather whilst maintaining the maximum possible strength in supporting the soundboard. All in all an excellent sounding, highly individual guitar.
limited edition koa and spruce
Kalamazoo’s are fairly thin on the ground over here, so we’re pleased to have found this one. Made in the Gibson factory using an A-1 mandolin mould but with a flat top and back, it’s basically an update on the Gibson Army & Navy model. We always rave about the sound of Gibsons of this era and, yes, we’ll say the same about this one. Beautiful condition, with a classic looking fire stripe pick guard and a deep, V profile neck.
Originally designed as a weapon of torture rather than a musical instrument, banjo mandolins thankfully disappeared from our shores many years since, and what we’re doing trying to reintroduce the things here I’ve no idea, but bear with us a minute… As a traditional mandolin they’re very loud and abrasive, but try a tremolo rhythm and they give incredible projection, cutting though the loudest of rhythm section. This one’s loud, chunkily made and full of character, and they’re a useful addition for the musician looking for unusual textures – or simply want to torture their neighbours.
Handmade in Hawaii from solid Koa.
Second hand. Another nicely made Kumalae copy, this one based on the Style 2, which we think was originally sold under the Oliver Ditson trade name. Solid Koa throughout with an arched back, although the glued neck betrays its Mainland roots. It’s in immaculate condition for such an old instrument, and comes with a nice period case.
Similar to Kumalae Style 3 with rope binding to the top, but a glued in neck rather than the Spanish heel favoured by the Hawaiian makers. No cracks or repairs except for one replaced machine head. Comes with a good condition end opening period case.
A nice later example of an instrument by the venerable Hawaiian maker. Plain Koa for the top, back, sides and neck of this one. There’s a repaired top crack running along the bass edge of the bridge and the tuners are new, but otherwise it’s in very nice condition with a healthy arch to the back and it sounds great. Comes in a new and rather big hard case.
Koa 8-string cutaway electro-Tenor
Koa electro-Concert
in redburst
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.
One of Gretsch’s first forays into guitar making, the Model 30 was the cheapest of the carved top instruments offered by the company, and our example is all the rarer for being in a tenor format. Solid Spruce top and solid Maple back and sides, with plenty of wear to the peculiar red sunburst finish, and there’s a repaired crack from the treble F-hole, but it plays well with a good action. Arch-top tenors can be a bit on the harsh side – we’re pleased to report that this one is warm and lively with a fantastic bass response. Non-original case included.
c1920
0161 834 3281