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 hollow body from G.E.’s collection, in expectedly great shape with a fabulous patina. This one sports beautiful birdseye checkered throughout the sides, with elegant flame throughout the back. A real beauty! The hand-carved spruce top projects beautifully, and the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard is a dream to play as well. Professionally inspected and setup by our expert in-house luthier staff, so it’s ready to go out of the case!
Cosmetic condition: Terrific overall shape, with some standard wear throughout. Various scratches, dents, dings, nicks, and scuffs are present, with a handful of areas of finish wear, and plenty of visible weather checking. The fingerboard has been refretted, and there is an etching on the back of the headstock from a previous owner. The guitar has holes from different tuners that were previously on it, and because the original tuning buttons are gassed out (see photos), we have put on a set of modern reproduction strip tuners with black buttons. Originals are of course included in the case. There is also one surface level crack present on the treble side, which does not penetrate through.
Body: Double bound maple back and sides with carved spruce top and dual f-holes in sunburst finish. Compensated rosewood bridge with floating rosewood base and trapeze tailpiece. 15” lower bout width with 3 5/8” depth. 10 3/8” upper bout width with 3 1/4" depth.
Weight: 3 lb, 15.8 oz
Neck: C-shaped solid mahogany neck with white side dots and pearl dot inlays. The back of the neck does show some chips and wear in the finish. Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard is in great overall shape. Neck has been refretted and frets have a lot of life left in them. Black headstock overlay with white Gibson logo and modern reproduction strip tuners with black buttons (originals are included in the case).
Case: Unoriginal vintage chipboard case included. Case is in somewhat rough shape, but serves its purpose.
