Description
What makes this instrument special: We had an amazing experience recently that we wanted to share with our friends.
If you have ever watched the SNL band back some the greatest names in music, 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.
He 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 for the store.
Fortunately, John and G.E. hit it off immediately and G.E. asked John to come out east (where he lives) to see in person the portion of his collection he was no longer using. They exchanged some of the collection details via email and agreed to move forward. Within a week or two, John found himself at the wheel of a 26' straight truck motoring eastward to meet G.E. at his place.
When John arrived at G.E.'s , G.E. invited him down into his basement and they spent the next 8 hours deep-diving through the whole thing: amps first, then guitars, all the while jibber-jabbering about gear, life, food and rock'n'roll war stories. To hear tell about it from John, there was a lot about food.
The collection turned out to be a total of 60 pieces: roughly 30 guitars and 30 amps - an astonishing wealth of great vintage gear.
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.
Cosmetic Condition: These Gibson Tenor Lutes are extremely rare & this one is in fantastic condition for being over 90 years old! Gently used with some light play wear - various minor nicks & dings; surface scratches & some finish wear. No cracks, breaks or repairs. Overall the lute is in wonderful shape with a gorgeous patina.
Neck: V-shaped maple neck with ebony fingerboard & pearl dot inlays. Frets show some wear, but have plenty of life in them. Grover Pat Pend tuners are in perfect working condition. 1 1/8" nut width; 21" scale length.
Body: Carved, solid spruce top with dual F-holes & top binding. Nickel tailpiece with The Gibson engraved in the cover. Compensated maple bridge & tortoise pickguard. Solid maple back & sides with some gorgeous flame figuring in the back. Lute weighs 2 lbs 8.1 oz.
Case: Original hardshell case included. The case shows some wear & tear, but is still quite solid & serves its purpose well.
