Description
The G. E. Smith Vintage Guitar/Amp Collection
If you have ever watched the Saturday Night Live band back some of the greatest names in music, then you probably saw G.E. Smith on guitar. G.E. has been THE rock-steady guitar sound behind SNL, Hall & Oates, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, MoonAlice and many more.
Recently, G.E. had been thinking about selling some of the gear he'd collected during his long career. While looking for an established, knowledgeable and trusted buyer, he ran across our shop and liked what he saw. After checking out the store's bona fides, he decided to touch base with John Majdalani, Cream City Music store co-owner and head vintage buyer.
Fortunately, John and G.E. hit it off immediately, and G.E. asked John to come out east to see, in person, the portion of his collection he was no longer using. When John arrived at G.E.'s, he was invited down to the basement, and they spent the next 8 hours deep-diving through the whole thing: amps then guitars--all the while jibber-jabbering about gear, life, food and rock'n'roll war stories.
The collection turned out to be a total of 60 pieces--roughly 30 guitars and 30 amps...an astonishing wealth of great vintage gear. At the end of the long day, as John was packing everything into the truck, G.E. sat on the tailgate and played a goodbye tune on his old, trustworthy 1960 Black Beauty Les Paul.
Most of the collection is currently at Cream City Music and consists of some of the most extraordinary vintage pieces we have seen in many years. If you're in the area, it's truly worth a visit to the store to see this gear. If you can't make here though, take a look at our website and social media over the next few weeks to see these items as they are posted for sale.
What makes this guitar special: A beautifully voiced archtop with nice projection, and a sweet subdued sound. The solid wood construction makes this piece nice and resonant, while the chunky neck feel in tandem with rosewood fingerboard make for hours of comfortable playing. Professionally inspected and setup, and ready to play out of the case.
Cosmetic condition: Used but not abused, with plenty of wear consistent with age. Various scratches, dents, dings, nicks, chips, and scuffs are present, along with visible pickwear on the top and finish checking throughout. The hardware shows some typical oxidation and the back of the neck shows some finish wear. There is a very slight gap across the back of the neck joint, but the guitar is not in need of a neck reset. Overall this one has a great look, with an honest patina.
Body: Double bound maple back & sides with solid spruce top in dark sunburst finish. Dual f-holes, trapeze tailpiece, and compensated rosewood bridge with floating rosewood base. Black pickguard is in great shape with no cracks and hardly any warp.
Weight: 4 lb, 4 oz
Neck: Chunky U-shaped maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and pearl dot inlays. Black headstock with gold May Bell logo. Original open gear tuners work great. Rosewood fingerboard is in great shape and original frets show wear but still have a lot of life left.
Case: Original hard shell case included. Case shows some wear and the handle is broken.
