Silvertone

Silvertone

My paternal Grandparents were all sorts of deep into the world of music. My Grandmother was a pianist and my Grandfather played a handful of instruments from the guitar to the accordion. This weekend my father bequeathed to me my Grandfather’s guitar and amp.

NewGear

The guitar is a 1960(ish) Silvertone tobacco sunburst archtop guitar. It has three pickups with independent tone and volume controls that give the guitar a versatility close to (if not surpassing) my PRS513. The Silvertone is rich with evocative scratches and dings that lay out a history of active use versus display case claustrophobia. The action is great and the sound is raw and metallic in a pleasant retro way.

The amp is a vega tube amp. It’s adorably small but still has bite. The outside has been completely redone and it has a beautiful new fabric cover and leather handle. It’s got some whitenoise issues but I’m hoping with a little electrical TLC that the sound will clear up. It is the perfect practice/small gig amp.

Vega

I love the look of this setup. Both pieces are beautifully aged. The ‘tobacco sunburst’ and the fabric covered Vega suggest a dim lit smokey jazz or blues bar. The Silvertone guitar series were sold by Sears Roebuck up until the 70’s. They were cheap guitars at the time with surprisingly good sound.

For the past few years I’ve been practicing exclusively on my Carl Barney archtop, usually without an amp. The Barney looks so modern compared to the Silvertone. The two guitars make a great pair.

These DiDonato heirlooms will see much attention in the years to come.

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