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 immaculate piece from the collection of G.E. Smith, this pre-war O-17H is in terrific shape, and plays like a dream. Impeccably resonant, with a warm and full sound provided by solid mahogany pre-war construction. Super clean, with no cracks, breaks, or repairs-this one is a perfect addition to any slide player’s collection. Professionally inspected and setup by the experts at Cream City Music.
Cosmetic condition: This one is in remarkable shape for an 80-year old guitar, with only some light standard wear throughout. There are various light scratches, dents, dings, nicks, and scuffs, with visible pickwear on the top.
Body: Solid mahogany body in natural finish with two-ring rosette, tortoise pickguard, and rosewood bridge.
Weight: 3 lb, 4.6 oz
Neck: Chunky soft-V mahogany neck with white dot inlays. Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, and original raised nut. 1 7/8” nut width, 24 7/8” scale length. Slotted headstock with gold Martin logo. 3-on-a-side open gear tuners work great. Note that this model does not have raised frets, but merely leveled fret indicators.
Sound/Playability: A full and warm sounding Hawaiian, with a beautiful full-bodied tone. Nicely punctuated low end with a sweet and pleasing midrange. This one is sure to have you playing for hours!
Case: Unoriginal Alvarez hard shell case included.
