Original 1957 Fender Precision Bass – Now Sold

This is the Holy Grail of bass guitars, a very rare and collectable 1957 Fender Precision bass. It was in June of 1957 that the Precision bass changed to the style and shape that we all now know and love. Before this it had been, what is commonly referred to as the Telecaster style bass. It was finished in two-tone sunburst until 1958, when the three tone sunburst was introduced. One of the reasons then, that this bass is so rare and sought after is the fact it was only made for these six months in 1957, and a further six months after that in two-tone sunburst. This bass is all original, it is serial number -20228, with original beat up tweed case, all original parts, finish, the works. Great neck with finish and frets in excellent condition (obviously strung all its life with flat wounds), body has typical belt buckle wear on back, wear on pickguard and edges, but it’s worn just right. No cover plates. This is an archetypal ’57, here are some stats, very little wear on back of neck, which is a rounded V, not a bat, not a V. Standard P Bass ‘C’ width. Finish on the back is 95%, with a few minor scrapes, as you can see, but not worn through from playing. It is the original finish and VERY smooth playing. Neck date is 9-57. Body dated under pick up 9-57. Weight is 8 pounds 12 ounces, a couple of ounces under average, about 9 pounds even is where they usually come in. Solder joints and cap are original, pots are coded 304732. Pickup reads 11,560 ohms. Tuners are fine, 95% plating, still shiny, a little normal slop on the G, about 1/16 turn, on the D, 1/32 turn, on the A, 1/64 turn, on the E, none. General finish is pretty good, honest wear, but scratches and wear all over, mild checking. Neck pocket is initialed in script ‘D’ and ‘dg’, under the finish. Good truss rod action, 1/8th of an inch recessed. Very slight back bow unstrung, just like you want to see. Works like it should, and the neck is dead straight with no bow at the body joint. There are NO setup issues, this one is in perfect playing condition, feels good, sounds good, sustains forever. I would say this is the best Precision I have ever played. It will be supplied with its aforementioned beat up original case, and as a bonus, a brand new Fender reissue tweed case which is a new replica of the old one. Also included is a Fender bass book which actually mentions this very bass. This is a bass players dream and is a superb investment which will only rise in value. (Food for thought!!, if you spent this amount on a second hand car, how much would that be worth in ten years time???).

  • CONDITION: VERY GOOD.
  • BODY: Alder.
  • NECK: Maple.
  • F/BOARD: Maple.

Our Special Price Only £7500.00 – This Item Has Now Been Sold.

Original 1952 Martin D-28 Acoustic – Now Sold

This is an extremely well looked after 50 year old Martin D-28. It is a two owner guitar and the receipt from the second owner who bought it in 1953 will be included with the sale. It comes with its original case, which is also in very good condition. The guitar is all original apart from the frets, and one string peg. The overall finish and appearance is outstanding. The fretboard shows very little wear at all. There is hardly any sign of weather checking in the lacquer, and it still shines like new. The front has no pick wear and the back has no heavy belt buckle marks. The only flaws in this otherwise perfect guitar is the standard small pick guard crack, which most old Martins have because of the way Martin used to lacquer over the pick guards back then. This has been repaired and is hardly noticeable, there is also another small repaired top crack which again is pretty standard for this age of guitar and not noticeable. The guitar has been fully inspected and setup by our Luthier and is now in his words “Stunning”. The sound is what you would expect from a 50 year old Martin and it plays lovely. These guitars are getting hard to find in this condition now, and are a great investment. Our asking price is well below book value.

  • CONDITION: Excellent.
  • TOP: Solid Spruce.
  • BACK/SIDES: Solid Brazilian Rosewood.
  • F/BOARD: Ebony.

Our Special Price Only £5595.00 – This Item Has Now Been Sold.

Original 1833-67 Martin Style 2-27 Acoustic – Now Sold

This is an extremely early Martin made between 1833 and 1867 (during that era, the logo appeared as C.F.Martin, without “&Co”). There is some wonderful abalone inlay around the soundhole, as well as nice multi-colored herringbone next to the (real) ivory binding. Tuner buttons are also ivory. This style2-27 is a rare model, it has long been discontinued. This guitar was purchased in the States from a 75 year old man who had inherited it from his grandmother years ago. As you can see from the pictures, the top has several repaired cracks, some of which go perpendicular to the grain. Over $400 (£250) was spent in the States to have all the cracks fixed and touched up, and now the guitar is very solid and stable. The top is spruce, the neck is cedar, and the back and sides are beautiful Brazilian rosewood. The finish as well as the tuners, bridge, and frets, are all completely original. Playability is good. Although the action gets fairly high at the 12th fret (1/4″), the guitar is not hard to play because of the short scale and light gauge strings. This little Martin (12″wide,37″long) puts out a lot of volume; the tone is very balanced and the highs are crisp. It’s really amazing to think that this guitar was being played around the time of the American Civil War, and possibly well before that! What stories it could tell…… Obviously, if this guitar was in A1 shape it would sell for around £5000,(look at our price). Supplied with new de-luxe case.

  • CONDITION: VERY GOOD.
  • TOP: Solid Spruce.
  • BACK/SIDES: Solid Brazilian Rosewood.
  • F/BOARD: Ebony.

Our Special Price Only £2495.00 – This Item Has Now Been Sold.

Original 1889 Martin 0-28 Acoustic – Now Sold

This is a very rare 1889 Martin 0-28 in excellent condition throughout and totally original, with no splits, cracks or repairs. It is extremely rare to find a Martin of this age in this condition. The guitar has an Adirondack spruce top with herringbone purfling, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and a cedar neck with the slotted headstock and German tuners with ivory buttons. The binding is all ivory and completely intact. The instrument has very light scalloped X-bracing and an ebony bridge with ivory bridge pins. The fingerboard is ebony with the original bar frets. The top is dated in pencil on the underside by the Martin foreman – “10/89”. The guitar is in excellent playing condition, with a straight neck and good action. It can be strung with nylon strings or very light steel strings – it is currently strung with steel and sounds magnificent, with a deep, resonant bass and thick warm treble. It would be a finger-stylist’s dream guitar. The case is a modern handmade reproduction in solid walnut of the original “coffin” case, and protects the guitar perfectly as well as being a fine piece of furniture in its own right. This 0-28 came to the UK in 2000, and previously had been in the ownership of one family in Baltimore, MD, since new. If you are looking for an early Martin in “Top Condition”, this is it. I doubt you will find another one better than this.

  • Condition: Excellent
  • TOP: Solid Adirondack Spruce.
  • BACK/SIDES: Solid Brazilian Rosewood.
  • F/BOARD: Ebony.

Our Special Price Only £5995.00 – This Item Has Now Been Sold.

Original 1960 Gibson ES-330TD Acoustic – Now Sold

This is a rare and very special guitar. It is a 1960 Gibson ES-330TD. It looks all original. It is in excellent condition. The guitar plays great and the P90 pick-ups sound lovely. Factory Order Code/Batch number is R3308 17. Supplied with a non-original case.

  • CONDITION: Excellent
  • TOP: Archtop.
  • NECK: Maple.
  • F/BOARD: Rosewood

Our Special Price Only £2995.00 – This Item Has Now Been Sold.

Original 1955 Martin D-28 Acoustic – Now Sold

This is a 1955 Martin D-28 Ser No: 141784. It is getting so hard to find old D-28’s in original condition that haven’t been messed with or scat (Cornish expression) around. This guitar is all original with beautiful Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. It has a unique and unusual pickguard which again is original and was ordered from the factory by the original owner, whose daughter sold it to my contact in the States stating “dad picked down there and knew where he needed a pickguard to be”. I think it looks great. The guitar has great tone and volume, and the sound is just what you would expect from a 50 year old Martin. The guitar plays beautifully, and the action is perfect because it has had a neck re-set. The neck has a v profile and is the most comfortable I have ever played on a 50’s D-28. The overall condition of the guitar is very good, and you only have to look at it to see that someone really loved and cherished this instrument. The guitar has two cracks (both professionally repaired), a very small, tight back crack, and another thin crack running by the centre seam in the top which our luthier has inspected and thinks might not be anything more than a lacquer crack, the previous owner could have had it repaired as a precaution. The guitar has been fully inspected and set-up by our luthier and is now ready for another 50+ years of playing enjoyment. Supplied with hardshell case. I don’t think you will find another 1955 D-28 as nice as this one for this price again.

  • CONDITION: Very Good.
  • TOP: Solid Spruce.
  • BACK/SIDES: Solid Brazilian Rosewood.
  • F/BOARD: Ebony.

Our Special Price Only £5495.00 – This Item Has Now Been Sold.