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1930's Maybell Acoustic Guitar - Style No. 25

Estimated price for orientation: 750 $

Category: Acoustic Guitars
Class:











Description

Here we have a 1930's Maybell - Style No. 25 Acoustic guitar.  She is all mahogany and probably one of the rarest guitars on ebay today.  In all my years of playing and collecting, I have never seen another one - let alone one in this kind of amazing shape!!  I would never be so presumptuous to say she is one of a kind - what I will say is good luck finding another one.  I have always loved the Maybell brand and have owned quite a few of them over the years - none have come even close to the quality of this one.Here are some specs.  By Martin standards, or any standards for that matter, this guitar would be considered an orchestra model(OM).  It is all mahogany with a really deep dark finish.  The lower bout is just under 15.5" wide, the nut is 1.75" wide, there are 14 frets to the body and this guitar has a 25" scale.  The action is 5/32nd at the 12th fret.  This guitar is ladder braced, but you would have a hard time knowing it.  It has much more complex tonal capabilities than your average ladder braced blues barker and can cover a lot of ground.  One of the great characteristics of this instrument is that it handles fingerpicking and strumming equally well and you don't have to baby it when playing it in either style.  I can't imagine what this instrument would sound like if it were X-braced.  As it stands I couldn't be happier with the bracing as the tone is sweet, complex but somewhat slightly unrefined.  I've always enjoyed that slightly unrefined quality about these old catalog guitars as it sets them apart and gives you some different choices in the studio or in performance.   This is a really special instrument. The condition is amazing for its age.  The neck is straight and everything is tight.  It has its dings and scratches.  Most notable is a scratch on the bass side of the fretboard extension.  There is some scratching around the bridge as it looks like the bridge may have been taken of some time ago.  The guitar was completely gone over by the great luthier James Ralston.  He reset the neck as well as the bridge(No - he didn't create the scratches - they were there when I got the guitar).  Frets are all level and clean and fretboard is in beautiful shape with the slightest of divots in first position.  There is a little lacquer chipped away on the treble side waist - probably about the size of a quarter.  You can see a video on you tube if you type in - 1930's- 40's May-Bell 000 Size Flat Top. Solid Mahogany. RestoredOne more amazing fact is that the guitar seems to be all original -  right down to its pickguard, which never seem to last on these oldies.  Bridge, bridge pins, tuners - all original.  I thought I would never let this one go, but it seems that my guitar stewardship days are coming to a close.  Hoping this rare beauty goes to a good home.Please ask any questions that you may have as there are no returns.  Shipping to the continental US only.  Guitar will be packed extremely well in some type of chipboard case which will ship in a guitar box.  Good luck.