TVG Blog
Black Diamond Strings
Supposedly, in the old days, Black Diamond Strings were just about the only brand you could get. I don't have any experience with them but I've been told that these...
New Vintage: Gibson's 2013 J-35
The Gibson J-35 was the precursor to the J-45 from 1936 to 1942. It had a couple of variations in bracing patterns but was cosmetically a 14 fret jumbo, sunburst...
1931 Gibson L-1 with the original plush green case... Gorgeous
I hear a lot of folks talk about how it isn't like "the good ole days" anymore in the vintage guitar world. They are referring to when you could run...
1934 Gibson L-00 from Instagram
I like to post pictures of guitars on Instagram and sometimes I will search hash tags for other old guitars. Today I found this one, a 1934 Gibson L-00. Neither...
1943 Gibson J-45: All Mahogany, All blues
This banner Gibson J-45 was made in the lowest of low time period during World War II. It is made from all solid Mahogany and features no steel truss rod...
1944 Gibson J-45 "Only a Gibson is good enough"
The banner on Gibson's wartime flat-tops appeared around June of 1942 and disappeared sometime in 1946. It is still a but unclear why but we may know more about the...
1939 Gibson J-35, 3 tone bars of blues.
The model designation "J-35" showed up in the ledgers in late 1936. It was a no frills jumbo featuring a Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. It was originally...
1967 Harmony H59 Rocket... Version 2
If you have followed this blog for a while you might remember my first Rocket (Rocket Version 1). If you read through that post then you might have seen the...
Vintage Guitar Artist Spotlight: Brad Barr and his '51 Gibson J-45
I love watching youtube videos and finding within them little vintage gems that somehow don't get mentioned in the comments. This video was recorded by KEXP in Seattle at the...
Another Nick Lucas.... This one is probably a little later
This Nick Lucas walked into the local shop that I frequent. My ears perked up when I heard about it even though I knew it was a bit rough....
1928 Gibson Nick Lucas... from an email
I'm active on a couple of guitar nerd forums and I like to look out for cool guitars. The Gibson Nick Lucas Special is one of my all-time favorite guitars...
On buying old, broken guitars before you can hear them
Most of the guitars that I buy are finds- as in they have been in a closet or under the bed for 30 years. That means that they usually need...