In case you haven’t seen them yet, we have the pleasure of selling, as a pair, two 1975 doubleneck Rickenbackers: one 360 12 (6 and 12-string) and one 4080 (6-string and bass), both in azureglo blue finish. Either guitar is special on its own, but as a pair they are truly stunning.

Recently we listed these on Ebay, and it was the most viewed, most watched auction we’ve ever launched. One ebayer who wrote in was a former employee of Rickenbacker who actually remembered working on these guitars as part of a series of doublenecks done by Rickenbacker at that time. Unreal.

It would be a shame to split this pair up, so as of now, they are being sold as a unit.

These Ricky’s are not the only pair on the dance floor. We’ve also got a twin set of 1982 Gibson Modernes–two of less than 150 made. One white, one natural korina, both very clean, both light, both play great. Perfect for the player, collector, or ogler.

Finally, anyone for electric 12’s? To keep the ‘69 335 12 company, we’ve got a mint condition 1967 Epiphone Riviera 12 in a rare brown finish, with original case and hang tags. Knockout clean condition.

An interesting event took place in the Irish guitar world this week: Sheppard’s Auction House in Durrow, Co. Laois, sold the “Roger Whittaker Collection”, which looked to be the contents of a large house, including antique furniture, paintings, and of course, guitars. The famous folkster’s collection consisted mostly of 12-strings, Taylors, and Taylor 12-strings, and there were some very interesting pieces, notably four limited edition top end Taylor 6-strings with some bodacious fretboard inlays, including Sea Turtles, Koi Fish, and grey whales and ships. The latter had Brazilian rosewood back and sides, making them the most desirable of the collection. Other oddballs included a Brazilian rosewood B.C. Rich acoustic from the ’70’s (there’s a silk purse for you) and an old Vox Mark XII.
While the high end guitar market has been decidedly cool for the last few years, the bidding yesterday was red hot, with these guitars fetching exceptional prices. The first to go was the Sea Turtle guitar, 1 of 100, quilted maple back and sides, which went for around €5k, and the other top end custom jobs followed suit. Most of the other guitars, including slightly more modest Taylors such as a 614ce and a 655ce, fetched what would be considered full retail prices as well.
Considering that these guitars went for $6-8k new, these were very strong prices. Used Brazilian rosewood Taylors go for a good discount from their original asking price which means one thing–that the buyers were adding value for the Roger Whittaker factor; that’s a good sign for Roger. It’s also a good sign for the guitar market, as it means that people are once again willing to pay premium prices for high end guitars.
One interesting exception—of the two whales and ships guitars, both with Brazilian back and sides, and both from the same series, the first went for only €2,200, while the second went for €6,200. I personally viewed these guitars, and while I confess that I didn’t take them down off the wall for close inspection, they both looked to be in pristine, unused condition. Unless the one had a gash on the back, somebody got a deal. Ah, the vagaries of auctions.

WADR…
I just saw on usedguitar.com that Norm of Norman’s Rare Guitars is selling a mint condition 1960 Les Paul Std. Not the ideal time to sell, so what’s Norm up to? Does he think we’re going lower? Hey everybody’s got pressure these days, and he might have leveraged a house in the Hollywood hills against his collection. Then again maybe his cost on this is zero and he’s funding his retirement. The fact that these were bid at $400k+ a couple of years ago and now he will obviously take somewhere well south of $325k means that a) he has to sell it, or b) it’s huge profit to him at any price, or c) both. Then again, maybe he’s just fishing for bids to value this and his other ones. Regardless, this is a must watch from a market perspective. –T

Here’s a heads up on a couple of great guitar sites:

www.dbTwang.com is a site devoted to guitar enthusiasts and musicians.  They’ve just launched a great new product called Guardian, which helps you to protect your guitars from theft, and track them down if they’re stolen!  Thanks guys for helping to represent the forces of good in the guitar community.

www.usedguitar.com is a brand new site with a running stream of what’s happening online in guitars–cool gear on ebay, classifieds, articles, etc.  Makes for great daily browsing–well done! 

Of course you might just see a whole lot of KVG gear on both.  Enjoy!

I’m opening this blog up soon for a full on stream of conciousness about vintage guitars, buyers, sellers, stories, and opinions.  Until next time….Tom

We had another great year in Punchestown this year, albeit a bit damp–we will be checking those setups!  Met some old friends and made some new ones, including Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons, the happy new owner of a lovely 1915 Gibson A Mandolin.  Enjoy it Marcus, and we’ll be looking for it on the next album!  Other big hits amongst the musicians were the ‘78 Fretless Antigua P Bass (“Is that a reissue?” Nope, It’s just that clean!), Vernon Reid’s L-5S, the ‘72 SG Deluxe, and the ‘59 Gibson acoustic (that one sold). 

If you’re looking for a vintage Gibson mando don’t be discouraged, as we have a few more beauties on the site.  Please check it out for the latest listings.–Tom

We had another great Rhythm and Roots Festival here in Kilkenny–great music, great weather, and a lot of great guitars!  One highlight was definitely The Band of Heathens at the Set Theatre.  We were happy to lend Gordy one of our Lowdens for the show.  Gordy, good luck keeping your father-in-law away from the gas pump.  We also had an impromptu sing song with Caitlin Rose and her friend Jordan at the Nore Bar.