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: Another beautiful piece from the personal collection of GE Smith, this L-3 is one of the cleanest examples we’ve ever gotten our hands on. It showcases very little wear for its age, and the original pickguard is still intact. The tone is warm and vibrant-a truly sweet fingerstyle guitar. The finish has aged beautifully, with a rich dark cherry hue, giving a patina that is to die for. Professionally inspected and setup by our expert in-house luthiers, for optimum playability right out of the (original hard shell!) case.
Cosmetic condition: Fantastic shape for its age, with some expected wear throughout for a 100 year old piece. Various scratches, dents, dings, nicks, chips, and scuffs, with visible pickwear and light fretwear. Much of the hardware shows visible oxidation, and the back of the neck showcases some light dents and dings as well. There is a single repaired crack along the center seam on the back (glued but not cleated), and the neck has been refretted. There is visible finish checking and the G-string tuner is bent. Overall, this one is in remarkable shape for its age, with gorgeous patina.
Body: Double bound maple back and sides with hand-carved spruce top in dark cherry finish. Multi-ring ivoroid & herringbone rosette with bound soundhole. Mounted pickguard, nickel trapeze tailpiece, and compensated ebony bridge with floating ebony base. The bridge base has been taken down to provide better playability, but production date of 1921 is still visible.
Weight: 3 lb, 14.8 oz
Neck: Super chunky V-shaped mahogany neck with black side dots and pearl dot inlays. Bound ebony fingerboard is in terrific shape with no pitting, and refretted neck (frets have a lot of life left in them). 1 3/4" nut width, 24” scale length. Original open gear tuners work great. Pearl “The Gibson” logo on headstock. Neck is straight and plays very nicely up and down the length of the fingerboard. Neck thickness measures 1.03” at the first fret, and 1.38” at the 10th.
Case: Original hard shell case included. Case shows wear consistent with age, but the tolex is original and the handle is still intact.
