The Godin 5th Avenue archtop model was introduced at the 2008 NAMM show, it was a surprise hit given that this type of guitar has been seen on fewer stages since the early 1960s. Since then, the 5th Avenue has been seen in a number of variations with different pickup configurations, with and without Bigsby True Vibrato tailpieces, with and without cutaways, and in a host of finishes. Seen here is the Godin 5th Avenue Edition Speciale PT sporting an Indigo Blue finish.
Birch
The chambered body Richmond Dorchester by Godin was built from late 2008 until 2013, along with a bass version, the Belmont and Empire models. The Richmond guitar shop was initiated by Godin during 2008 to focus on building chambered and solidbody electric models. Three models were ultimately offered, the Belmont Dorchester and Empire before closure in 2013.
This instrument has sold
MORE →Here we’re looking at an unusual guitar, the Dobro Model 66s, a wood bodied, single cone resophonic guitar with round sound holes and square neck. Its unique feature is the finish. The guitar was first given a standard Sunburst, then many extra coats of a tinted lacquer, and then that was sandblasted into a ‘French Scroll’ design. This Dobro Model 66s example dates to 1975 and was built at Huntington Beach, California.
This instrument has sold
MORE →Here’s a lovely piece – from the early 1930’s, an SS Stewart Model 4024 archtop guitar, built by either Regal or Harmony and sold through Buegeleisen and Jacobson, owners of the Stewart brand. The SS Stewart company, named for Samuel Swain Stewart was a major producer of banjos between 1878 and 1904, and was bought by B&J (Buegeleisen and Jacobson) a few years after Stewart’s death. Over the years, B&J shifted to producing mostly guitars with the brand, had many companies build the actual instruments including Chicago Musical Instruments, who also built Harmony, Kay, and Silvertone brands.
This instrument has sold
MORE →The Godin 5th Ave Uptown GT, now discontinued, was one of the many forms the 5th Ave Uptown has taken since its launch in 2008. Here it is equipped with a pair of Duncan humbuckers a licensed Bigsby B30 tailpiece and a ‘pinned’ floating bridge. Archtop F-hole guitars were very popular from the 1930s into the 1950s, until advances in amplification allowed stage volumes to dramatically rise. Gibson’s groundbreaking ES-335 thinline was the first successful blending of the archtop tone with the feedback resistance of solidbody models.
This instrument has sold
MORE →