Smakula
Fretted
Instruments
PO Box 882, Elkins, West Virginia 26241
304-636-6710
Guitars, contact us...
Page Updated 1-11-12
Please Visit our Home Page for links to our banjos, fiddles, mandolins, and more.
Guitars
1936 Gibson L-7. This is one good-looking guitar that appears to have been played professionally. A 17" F-hole archtop with fancy "picture frame" inlays on the Brazilian rosewood 24-3/4" fretboard. We recently completed restoration that included a neck rest and refret. This X braced guitar looks it's age and has a great tone for jazz. In very good minus condition and includes the original case that has a coat of brown paint on the outside. Price is $2,500 Photos
1930 Gibson L-4. A fine sounding 16" wide archtop guitar with a round soundhole. Manufactured during Gibson's classic years, this guitar has the vintage look and tone you require. The 24-3/4" scale Brazilian rosewood fretboard is inlaid with dot position markers. The peghead sports the classic inlaid Gibson script and retains the original Grover "patent applied for" tuners. The back and sides are maple dyed in a dark chocolate brown that allows a hint of the wood's figure to peek through. It is a one-piece back by the way. The sunburst finished spruce top has 2 minor repaired cracks under the perfect reproduction pickguard. I like this one! Price is $2,600 and a newer TKL hard case is included.
1948 Gibson L-50. This archtop F sound hole guitar is a great example of a played, but not abused guitar. The 16" body has a sunburst carved solid spruce top and dark walnut colored maple back and sides. The mahogany neck has a full round shape and a Brazilian rosewood fretboard with a 24-3/4" scale and trapezoidal pearloid position markers. This particular guitar is hard to pinpoint the exact year of manufacture. There is no serial number or factory order number. Analyzing all the details of the inlay, peghead decal, and the fact it has a tortoiseshell celluloid pickguard, not a beveled black pickguard with white laminations, makes me think it was made in 1948 or early 1949. The tone is full, clear, and precise. It would complement anyone playing Carter family tunes, some jazz standards, or backing up an old time string band. With the exception of a fret board leveling, new frets (done here at SFI), new 3 on a plate Kluson style tuners and a decently done repair to the tailpiece, this guitar is all original. Condition is in the very good to excellent range. The price with a newer TKL hard case is $1,500. A great deal for a 63 year old Gibson guitar. Photos
1945 Gibson Banner J-45. Wow, two Banner Gibson guitars on our web site at the same time. This one is likely a little later than the L-00, as it has a trussrod, being built after the US government decided that little bit of metal would have no effect on the needs of Word War II. This guitar has had it's fair share of fun with player wear on the top and belt buckle rash on the back, but amazingly, no cracks! The slightly large (1-3/4" at the nut) mahogany neck has a 24-3/4" scale Brazilian rosewood fretboard. The spruce top is finished in the classic Gibson sunburst. The original straight bridge has been replaced with a martin style belly bridge. The voice is bassy and boomy. A great bluegrass guitar. All in all the condition is very good minus. The guitar comes with a modern tweed hard case for the price of $6,500. Photos
2004 Crafters Of Tennessee TNFTM. A well made dreadnought constructed with mahogany back and sides, ebony fretboard and bridge, and a Sitka spruce top with scalloped bracing. This instrument has not been played much, owing to a manufacturer's intonation problem that was corrected in our shop. It is now set up perfectly and ready for you to do a few tunes. It is in excellent minus condition only because of a few minor dings and light scratches, but our selling price is less than half the retail price of $3,299. It's yours for $1,600 and that includes the original TKL hard case.
1964 Gretsch Anniversary. The two tone green on this guitar is likely the oddest finish any major guitar manufacturer ever offered as a standard catalog item. For those of you that have never seen one, the two tone green Gretsch Anniversary has a light chalky green top and a darker spruce green back sides and neck. Very cool in it's weirdness. Other than the green finish, this instrument is a normal archtop single pickup jazz guitar. With one Hilo-Tron single coil pickup in the neck position you can do all the smooth jazz or rockabilly you want. The neck features an anniversary plaque on the peghead and the half circle "Neo-Classic" inlays on the 24-1/4" scale Brazilian fretboard. The original Gretsch Roller Bridge is missing the rollers and the pickguard has a broken tip. We have this guitar in the shop for a much needed neck reset. Please inquire as to the progress.
1967 Selmer Diplomat. Around 1967 Selmer of London had Hofner Of West Germany make some guitars with the Selmer brand name. Any real guitar geek can see the telltale Hofner construction details on this instrument. If you are not a guitar geek, you'll just enjoy the European look and the sharp, clear tone. The 16-1/4" body is made of laminated curly maple for the back and sides with the top of laminated spruce. The sharp Florentine style cutaway gives the guitar an ES-175 look. The 3-piece maple neck has a 25-1/8" scale rosewood fretboard. All in all it is in very good plus condition and the price of $1,000 includes a modern hard case. Photos
1957 Kay Flat Top Cutaway Jumbo 8234 Model Guitar. This instrument and I have a lot of history. It was found in the trash in Cleveland's Little Italy in 1983. The neck was not attached to the body so our offer of $5 was immediately accepted. I carried those guitar parts around for 27 years until I couldn't stand it any more and did the necessary neck reset, refret, new bridge, and modern replacement Kluson tuners. The back, sides, and neck are made of maple. The top is spruce. The Brazilian rosewood fretboard has huge rectangular pearloid position markers. The peghead features an oh-so sweet engraved & painted tortoise celluloid overlay. Yep, it's beat up, but all the important things are solid and crack free. Yes, the $650 price is significantly more than my $5 cash investment, but the $750 parts and labor I put into it is more than that asking price. Sometimes ya just gotta do that sort of thing. Oh, that price also includes a ratty looking (but solid!) faux alligator hard case. Sweet. Photos
1930's The Prep. A cool looking budget factory made guitar from the 1930's. It could be a Harmony, Kay, Or Regal. But that pedigree is not as important as the solid birdseye maple back and sides or the Red Spruce top. A recent major change to this instrument is the new professionally X top bracing. This improved the structure and gives the instrument a tone similar to a 1930's L-00. The scale is 24-3/8" and the lower bout of the body measures at a tad over 14". In excellent condition with a newer hard case, this guitar is priced at $900.Photos
2002? Seagull S6+ Folk. A smaller (00/classic size) guitar made in Quebec, Canada. Birch back, sides, & neck with a red cedar top. Scale length is 24-3/4" on the rosewood fretboard. All in all a good looking, sounding, and playing guitar. Only $250 and we include the original hard case.
2007 Fender Esquire. A great twangy classic country guitar with a body finish in see-through blond. White pickguard with one pickup, just as you expected. Made in Mexico and in excellent condition. At $500 it comes with a tweed Fender gigbag
New Recording King R0-06M. A nicely made 000 size guitar at an affordable price. The 14-fret neck has a 24.9" scale length and a comfortable profile. The solid spruce top has scalloped forward X bracing producing a full tone remarkable for it's size and price range. Natural satin finished throughout. With a decent, well padded gigbag and our professional set up, we offer these guitars for $300.
New Recording King R0S-06. An inexpensive 12 fret acoustic guitar with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The neck on this one is a little big, but if you like that sort of thing, then this guitar is for you! Price is $275 and includes a nice gigbag.
New Recording King R0S-16. A 12 fret 000-size acoustic guitar with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. This one is an upgrade from the R0S-06 with a gloss finish, a pyramid bridge, and herringbone purfling. The 1-13/16" nut width neck is quite comfortable to play and the tone is rather full. It's nice, especially in it's price range. With a decent padded gigbag the cost is $350.
Six String Guitar Banjos
New Gold Tone I-BT-2000. Gold Tone has made the best sounding new guitar banjo money can buy. With the 12" rim, this banjo has all the growl and funk you need in a guitar banjo. Not a wimpy, tinny sound you get from the easy to find 11" Asian imports. The list price is $999. We offer this model at $665 and include a good gigbag.
Guide to Abbreviations and Physical Condition;
New; An instrument that came to us from the manufacturer. It has never been owned by a consumer and has it's full warrantee.
Mint; As the instrument came from the factory. No blemishes at all
Near mint; Almost as it came from the factory
EC; Excellent condition, a very clean instrument that has a few minor blemishes
VG; Very Good Condition, reasonable wear for its age.
GC; Good Condition; plenty of player wear.
Plus or minus indicates the condition is half a grade better or worse.
HC; Price includes a Hard case, either made of laminated wood or ABS plastic. Hard cases offer the most protection for your instrument. The disadvantage is they are heavy.
OHC; Original Hard Case, the hard case purchased with the instrument when it was new.
SC; Softcase, refers to a chipboard (stiff cardboard) case,
OSC; The chipboard case sold with the instrument when new.
GB; Gigbag, a padded cloth bag. Usually with shoulder straps.
Shipping
We ship most of our instruments via UPS. Cost to ship a mandolin is $15 to $25. Cost to ship a guitar is $20 to $50. The cost of insurance is extra. We will be happy to quote before shipping.
Small goods like banjo heads and other parts cost $5 per order for Priority Mail shipping in the US no matter what the order size. Out of the USA shipments will be quoted before they are shipped.
Sales Tax
We are legally obligated to charge 6% West Virginia sales tax on anything purchased here at the shop, or shipped within the state of West Virginia. We do not charge sales tax on anything sent out of state.
To Order
Please call us at 304-636-6710. As payment we accept checks and MasterCard and Visa.Email; Occasionally a customer will let us know that the "Contact Us" button will not work on their computer. If you have that problem, please use sfi<at>smakula<dot>com You will have to change the <at> and <dot> to @ and .