Travel back in time with this vintage archtop guitar. Made by Gibson at its old Kalamzoo, Michigan factory, it's a Cromwell G-4. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Gibson's business, which specialized in expensive instruments, was hurting. So, it began making and selling budget guitars under other brand names through mail order catalogs and department stores with no Gibson logos. The guitars were similar to its Kalamazoo line of guitars: not as fancy as the regular expensive Gibsons and without truss rods. There's a great book by Paul Fox, "The Other Brands of Gibson," detailing this history. From about 1935 to 1939, Cromwell was one such brand. This guitar is kind of like a simple Gibson L-50 or, even more, a Kalamazoo KG-31.     This guitar is likely from 1935-1936, as it lacks the white fingerboard centerline on the later Cromwells. It is complete and seemingly all original. Mah0gany back and sides. Spruce top. Faux tortoise tiger pickguard. 16" lower bout. It does have ordinary play wear all over, but still looks good. Lacquer checking. Please see photos for cosmetic condition. The neck heel is firmly attached with no separation. The neck is appropriately straight. 12th fret action is sweet: between 2/32" and 3/32". Front and back binding. The inner paper label is for the retailer, "New York Band Instrument Company." There is an inked number inside 1372, which I couldn't link to any known Gibson factory order number system. The downside is that there is a hairline crack, running with the grain in the lower bout in both the front and back. On the front, it extends from under the tailpiece up through the bridge. On the back, the crack extends with the grain though the bass side of the lower bout.      The guitar also comes with some neat extras. A vintage nut extender; thumb pick; six finger picks, and slide bar, all for playing Hawaiian style, as well as a pitch pipe. Comes in the original purple-felt-lined faux-alligator black chipboard case, which is in poor condition. The hinges and latches on the case work, but the top and back have some side separation. It has done a good job of protecting the guitar though.           Questions? Please check out my Ebay store, “The 1970 Time Travel Trailer,” for more cool vintage stuff, including a bunch of vintage guitars (and a few ukuleles, banjos, fiddles, mandolins and amps, as well as fiddles, brass, woodwind, and various oddball musical instruments and old instrument brochures & catalogs). And please check out our new YouTube TV show, “Musical Treasure Hunting,” to see more of our adventures searching for old musical instruments.