Some Amazing Archtops at Ebay

Nicolai Foss

When I checked the archtops offered for sale at ebay, the first 4 that came popping were … an amazing 1943 D’Angelico New Yorker, an example from 1937 of the famous and strange Wilkanovski cello archtop, a very pretty 1982 Benedetto Artist, and an early L5. Drool!!!

It is actually throught-provoking that ebay is now used for trading archtops this expensive (e.g., around 30k USD). A further indication that these guitars simply aren’t acquired by players (who may be reluctant to buy on ebay because of the inability to check acoustic and tonal qualities) but are snatched by wealthy collectors.

The Epitome of DeArmond Craziness

Nicolai Foss

Sometime ago I blogged on the crazy prices that those old DeArmonds are increasingly able to fetch (here and here). But here is what arguably the pinnacle of this tulip/DeArmond craziness/bubble: A quite plain FHC offered at a buy it now price of 1,200 USD!!

The James Bond Guitar, errmmm, almost ….

Nicolai Foss

The most expensive guitar in history is arguably the Clifford Essex Paragon de Luxe that Vic Flick used for the statement of the melody line in the James Bond theme (here is a fun page on Flick). It is reported to have been traded for a price around ½ million USD. Still some way to go for those D’Aquistos, Strombergs and D’Angelicos. Anyway, here is a similar Essex archtop. Not the one — but still offered at a buy it now price of 15,500 USD! Essex guitars are well made, do fetch high prices, and this specimen is quite pretty, but 15,500 …. GMaB!!!

Jim Hall and Barney

Nicolai Foss

I had no idea that they ever played together, but here they are. My first thought was their respective styles would be mismatched, but Hall could be quite funky and Barney could be quite delicate, and I think the duet works out very well indeed. Reminds me a bit of Jimmy and Doug Raney duets.

Gabor Szabo

Nicolai Foss

Gabor Szabo wasn’t exactly a traditional jazz guitarist, playing in a, hmmm, post-bop idiom that mixed pop, rock and the folk music of his native Hungary. Some probably wouldn’t consider his music jazz at all. He usually didn’t play archtops, preferring instead flattop Martins. But he was capable of composing and playing hauntingly beautiful music. Here is a solo clip with Szabo. Here are a few licks. And here is a Szabo site.

BeBop Guitars and Drums

Nicolai Foss

I have often complained here on J&A about the excessive prices charged by Euro vendors. “BeBop Guitars and Drums” (UK-based?) is an ebay shop that seems to me to offer excellent value, as witness a 1951 L5 at a buy it now price of 3,750 Pounds, a 1939 ES-150 at 2,650 Pounds, or the very rare Gretsch Sal Salvador at 2,750 Pounds. And for us Epi nuts, there is a nice Zephyr (with a somewhat unfortunate pick-up job, however) priced at 1,250 Pounds. These prices are roughly equivalent to US prices for the same kind of instruments. Ahh, market forces do work!