Hand-crafted ragtime, jazz & swing — sophisticated music that celebrates love — lost, found, discarded or denied. Concerts filled with amusing anecdotes, memorable melodies, clever lyrics and vintage American acoustic guitars.
Ken Lelen
Ken Lelen sings great American ragtime, jazz, swing and pop tunes in his concerts and plays vintage acoustic guitars for an authentic, back-in-the day sound.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Concert Schedule — 2020 and 2021
Trump lied. People died. The nation cried.
A large
dose of caution, as the threat of Covid-19 spread through Spring and Summer 2020, led my hosts at public libraries, retirement villages, social clubs, fraternal groups, senior centers and churches to cancel their Vintage Music
Concerts. Then, in the Fall, several of these events were optimistically rescheduled
for 2021.
But the pandemic continued into the Winter of 2021 and it was clear holding concerts for older adults gathered in congregate spaces was not a good idea. Sweet Jesus, in the last year 127,491 people died of Covid-19 at 29,351 long-term care, assisted living and skilled nursing sites in the U.S. They were staff and residents of these facilities — the people I work with, the people I sing to. *
Sadly, a few hosts — program managers, life enrichment directors and concert bookers — still don't realize the danger of the virus or the jeopardy we all face. To wit, in recent weeks I've had to turn down requests to perform this winter and later in 2021 at senior sites, life care villages, public libraries and cultural centers. To my dismay, not one of the hosts identified — until I asked — health and safety measures they'd institute for the audience, performer or facilitystaff at these concerts.
Lest it go
unsaid, Vintage Music
Concerts work best — make people happy and feed their hearts — when they are performed in front of live audiences as I sing love songs and tell tall tales, then look 'em in the eye and see the smiles. Maybe you haven't heard, but singing to cameras in empty auditoriums and chapels or zooming songs to a laptop screen are not concerts.
So, any rescheduled dates made at this time would be tentative at best. It's even possible such events may be delayed further if Covid-19 — even with vaccines — continues to endanger people.
We’ll be glad to let
you know when it's safe to hold a Vintage Music Concert at a public library, senior site, community center, church or club. Lest it go unsaid, I look forward to singing and playing for folks
with great joy. And lots of smiles.
She Did It Her Way- Concert Program celebrates the lives, careers, romances and
hit songs of female vocalists and recording artists who were popular during the Big Band Era.
Saturday, 11 May 2019
Old Bridge Public Library,
Old Bridge NJ
www.oldbridgelibrary.org —
Video by Mary Granahan
Program performed with four vintage acoustic
guitars: 1933 Regal MarvelTone, 1934 Gibson
KG-11, 1939 B & D Groton 1 and 1940 Gene Autry Round-Up.
See also: "Bringing Home the Bacon & Day" — posted Weds, July 15, 2020
Here we offer photographs, dealerlistings, vendor notes,circa serial numbers, histories and commentary on about 40 vintage six-string guitars, tenor guitars and mandolins built in the 1920s and 1930s by Bacon Banjo Co. of Groton CT. Assembled during a 20-year
survey ofBacon & Day products, these materials represent the first online record of these fine instruments.
Until we find a better way to present this information, the B & D products shown here are arrayed in the serial # formats published in 2003 by banjo researchers Ed Britt and Michael Holmes:
• Serial number 29, xxxto36, xxx
may date from c. 1931 to c. 1938
• 3-,4-and5-digitserialnumbers
may datefromc.1910toc.1940
• No serial # OR unknown serial # date may rely on educated guess
SN 31341 — c. 1933 B &
D Senorita S-1 Flat Top Tenor
In
December 2007 Players Vintage Instruments of Inverness CA listed this B & D Senorita
tenor guitar at $1695.
c. 1933 B & D Senorita Style
S-1 Flat Top Tenor (sn 31341)
It was offered in excellent condition with fresh neck set and a strong sound. It has 1¼ in. nut width,
137/8 in. lower bout width, 231/8 in. scale length, mahoganybody and neck, a shaded and X-braced top of spruce.The peghead has Grover banjo tuners, metal Bacon tag, serial number and silkscreen Senorita logo. It is similar to another Regal-made tenor, the Washburn No. 5227.
SN 31570 — c. 1933 B &
D Senorita S-2 Grand Concert Flat Top
The
asking price on this grand concert Senorita tripled in 17 years.
It started at $2500 in
February 2003 with Bernunzio Vintage Instruments in Rochester NY. It
listed for $5900 in September 2007 at Lark
Street in Teaneck NJ and $7000 in March 2009, again at Lark Street. In
February 2020 it was listed for $7,500 by RetroFret, then reduced to
$7000.
c. 1933 B & D Senorita
Style S-2 (sn 31570)
The sunburst-finished
spruce top is X-braced and light, with four-ply top binding, multiple soundhole
rings and odd-shaped celluloid pickguard. The back is a dark-shaded mahogany, while the neck is a soft V with fingerboard dots,
the rosewood fretboard is unbound and ebony nut is 1¾-in. wide.
The slotted headstock is
fitted with unplated Waverly brass strip tuners, ivoroid tuner buttons and
arrow-shaped plate ends. A gold silkscreen Senorita logo tops the headstock
face, while the back has a metal B&D tag. Above it serial number 31570 is stamped, indicating this guitar is an early Regal-built B & D.
This is an exquisitely
made flat top. Its differs from later B & Ds in that the 12-fret,
slothead neck would be replaced by a 14-fret solid head design.
SN 32284 — c. 1934 B & D Ne Plus Ultra
Troubadour 2R Arch Top In December 2010 Bernunzio Vintage Instruments sold this B & D Ne Plus Ultra Troubador 2R arch top at
$6500, below its initial $7500.
c. 1934 B & D NePlusUltra Troubadour 2R (sn 32284)
It is a grand concert with an arched and darkly shaded sprucetop,roundsoundhole, adjustable bridge and metal tailpiece.Ithas
an arched rosewood back, bound pick- guard that is curved like a
racetrack, serial number on the rear of the headstock, heel crack and
modern reproduction tuners.
This briefvideo illustratestheunique sound ofthis B&DNe Plus Ultra Troubador.
"This instrument has a sound like no other guitar," the Benunzio listing
said in part. "Brings you to another time."
SN 32406 — c. 1934 B &
D Senorita Special Arch Top
In June 2013 RetroFret
listed this B & D Senorita Special and its original hard shell case for
$3000. The website listing called this instrument an "excellent player
with fairly bright but chunky tone."
c. 1934 B & D Senorita Special Arch Top (sn 32406)
Excited
by its unusual design, I bought it and
played for a week. But I returned it because I did not get excited about
its airy and vacant sound. In Feb 2016 Lost Boy Guitars of Rowayton
CT listed this round hole arch top at $3150.
An early Regal-Bacon
collaboration, it has an arched X-braced top, bound
sound hole with with multiple rings. The back is deeply arched, with a shape formed by heavy curved braces. The guitar's metal tail- piece and floating bridge are typical for the era, while the pickguard
is heavy phenolic resin that was shaped to border the sound hole's edge.
It has a mahogany back,
sides and neck, sunburst spruce top, rosewood finger- board and
Grover Sta-Tite tuners with the “patent applied for” base mark.
Overall length is 393/8
in., lower bout width is 15 in., the body's side depth is 4¼-in., and scale length is 24½-in. The V-shaped neck has a 1¾-in. nut width. The headstock has a Senorita stencil on its face and stamped serial number on its rear.
An unusual feature that stands out is an interior paper label that reads:
"SENORITA SPECIAL Made By The Bacon Banjo Company Groton Ct." Typed on a manual typewriter, this note may indicate this guitar was a prototype or early model, while the word "Special" may
be a reference to its unusual round hole, arch top construction.
SN 32562 — c. 1934 BaconArch Top Tenor
In May 2015 Rochester VT
luthier Jake Wildwood reviewed an arch top tenor he acquired in a trade with
one of his customers. Snugly housed in its original soft case, this Bacon is
finished in a dusky sunburst on both its arched spruce top and arched mahogany
back.
This is an X- braced tenor guitar with 14¼in. lower bout, soft V neck, 11/8 in. bone nut and a non- adjust- able truss rod. The fingerboard is ebony with pearl dots and tall thin period frets.
The peghead face is rosewood veneer. Its rear has geared, banjo tuners and a stamped serial number.
The Bacon Banjo label is red with white letters. The bridge has a stained maple base and
ebony top. The mahogany back has several hairline cracks that were repaired
with wood cleats or cloth tape. None are open or funky, Wildwood said.
"The guitar is rare as heck," said the luthier, who set it in a
G-D-A-E tuning with 42w, 30w, 18w and 12 strings. “With a light build and 23-in. scale
length, this thing barks like crazy.”
Wildwood posted a sample of its rich tone on SoundCloud. “It's loud, warm and
sustained," he said. "It has a rich voice for an arch top, with smooth mids and bottom, and a creamy top.”
SN 32686 — c. 1934 B &
D Senorita Special Arch Top
c. 1934 B & D Senorita Special
Arch Top Guitar (sn 32686)
In July 2007 guitarist
Zizala posted several photographs and her remarks about a Senorita Specialto visitorsat the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, an online listserv.
"Craftsmanship on
thisguitarisexcel- lent," she said. "It is X-braced, the
top and back are pressed, arched and braced, and the back, sides and neckare mahogany.
"The body is 15-in.
wide and 4¼-in. deep at the rims. However, the arch of the top and back is very
pronounced, and combine to add another inch of depth. So the body at its
deepest is 5¼-in.
"Its internal volume, when
combined with the X brace, thin top and forward-set sound hole, make this a great
sounding and lively instrument. It still has the arch top happening, but now the instrument has a deeper resonance. This is really nice.
"The label reads 'Senorita
Special made by Bacon Banjo Co. Groton, Conn.' and the original tuners are
telling me they're pre-1936. Can't you hear them?"
SN 32736 — c. 1934 B &
D Dreadnought Flat Top
This is an example of what
passed for flat top bling in the Depression. To catch a buyer's attention, the
headstock on this shaded top, 12-fret dreadnought was graced with B
& D in pearl and two dozen rhinestones around its perimeter.
Its basic features include an
X-braced spruce top, dark finish on mahogany back, sides and neck, straight
rosewood bridge, unbound neck, plain dot inlays, multiple rings of binding on
the sound hole, non-denominational strip tuners, grained ivoroid buttons and
1¾-in. wide ebony nut.
The 26-in. scale, quite
long for its day and similar to some Oscar Schmidt instruments, made it a
powerful guitar. Also, the 16-in. body is slightly larger than a key competitor
in the 1930s guitar market — the Martin dreadnought.
The guitar has seen many repairs, including neck
set, refret and addition finger braces beneath the fingerboard tongue. It's quite
playable and has what one dealer called "a strong thudding
tone."
c. 1934 B & D Dreadnought
(SN 32736)
With
a 16-in. body width and 43/8-in. depth, the design is equivalent to a Senorita
Style S-4 Grand Auditorium. Though not listed in the CMI catalog page shown
above, the appointments are the same as the S-1, S-2 or S-3 — slotted head,
straight bridge, unbound neck, dot inlays, bound sound hole and eccentric
shaped pickguard.
This guitar hit
vintage guitar markets in 2007 and twice in 2008. The first time was at New Era
Guitars of Chesterton IN, price n.a. Then, in May 2008, it reached Lark Street, which listed this behemoth at $5900.
Thinking
bigger is better, so I bought it. But right after I got it home and
began playing it in my concerts, I decided its "thudding
sound" was a rather expensive disappointment. It never rang as crystalline or deep as
other 1930s dreadnoughts I'd played.
So, two months later I sold it to
RetroFret. There, it was listed at $7800, and a month later it was reduced to
$7000.
SN 32023 — c. 1935 B &
D Senorita S-1 Concert Flat Top
Citing
a cool and bluesy tone, dressed frets, original tuners and recent neck-set,
Guitar Gallery of New England in Amherst NH offered this concert-sized Senorita
S-1 at $3495 in January 2014. I thought the price was 20 percent above market
value, but the dealer, like many I've encountered in 25 years,
insisted he had to make his number so he could recover his repair costs.
Though barely able to get a better price, I bought this light and
resonant flattop in June 2014 for $3300.
The guitar has a two-tone
shaded spruce top, mahogany body and rosewood fingerboard. Atop its soft V
shaped neck are a faded Senorita logo (see photo at right) and stamped serial number. The tortoise
celluloid pickguard, though original, is cracking in places. The red label with
white letters says: “Bacon Banjo Co. Groton Conn.” It has a 1315/16-in. wide
lower bout, 41/8-in. body depth, 24¾-in. scale length and 113/16-in. nut
width.
Guitar
Gallery’s neck-set
involved noticeable venting of steam near the heel joint, imposing
unsightly checking and heel touch-up. The bridge was shaved, the frets
were ground to match the lower string height and repairs made to a
crack across the bridge pin holes. Last, because the original tuners
worked poorly, I replaced them for modern repro tuners that cost me $175.
Dismayed by the need for
additional repairs, I solicited restoration bids. The work included a new
rosewood bridge, corrective neck-set, planing the fingerboard, replacement
frets and my usual set-up work. I received three estimates from luthiers
ranging from $900 to $1200.
c. 1935 B & D Senorita
S-1 Concert Guitar (sn 33023)
But instead of spending
more money on a guitar I'd already over-paid on, I opted to sell it. I got $1400
— a loss — from RetroFret in May 2015.
I used the proceeds of the sale of this Senorita,
$2000 from the sale of a 1920sGalianoand$1350 in cashtoacquirea1945LG-2Bannerhead. It's in pristine conditon and a powerful instrument for its size.
RetroFret sold the S-1 in two
weeks for $2650. Given the guitar's worn condition
and need for repairs, I felt this was a more appropriate price. Sadly,RetroFretreneged on its promise to re-mount the original tuner set and return the high-priced repros to me.
SN 33241 — c. 1935 B &
D NePlus UltraTroubadour Bacon 3R Arch Top
A private seller, claiming
this fine guitar had been in his family for more than 80 years,
sold it through a Reverb listing for $4,000 in February 2017. It resurfaced
just two years later in a RetroFret listing at $11,500. It disappeared for two years only to show up in March 2021 at RetroFret, which listed the guitar at $11,500.
c. 1935 B & D NePlus Ultra
Troubadour
Bacon 3R Arch Top Guitar (sn 33241)
In great shape today, this
rare and ornate guitar has an arched and shaded spruce top with segmented f
holes. The rosewood back, in a natural finish, is a
16-in. wide, 4½-in. deep grand auditorium model. The back is arched and held with
transverse braces.
It
has mahogany neck,
ebony fingerboard and 25-in. scale length. The fretboard is festooned
with
multi-colored and engraved pearloid block inlays. The peghead is
engraved and finished in
a multi-colored pearloid veneer with a thousand rhinestones. Flamboyant
decorative touches such as these remind us of the ornate and expensive
banjos B & D successfully sold in
the 1920s and early 1930s.
The beveled-edge black
phenolic pickguard, shaped to follow the winding course of some imaginary
racetrack set deep in the Neutral Zone, is screwed to the top. The bridge is an
adjustable ebony unit typical of the mid-1930s. The neck has a soft V profile
and 1¾-in. wide bone nut.
The
ornate headstock has gold-plated G-98 Grover tuning machines. Each
button is a work of art with engraved floral designs surrounding the
letter B. The trapeze
tailpiece is engraved with the letters B & D.
In the 1930s this special arch top, with its curly maple body and spruce top, sold for $200. It competed with a Gibson L-5andEpiphoneDeLuxe (at $275 each) for its professional
musician customers.
Today, the tone and feel
of this NePlusUltra, per its RetroFret listing, can be described as “some- where between a rose- wood dreadnought and an L-5.”
SN 33271 — c. 1935 B &
D Senorita S-5 Concert Flat Top
In June 2012 Lark Street
offered this handsome concert-sized rosewood B & D Senorita guitar for $7000.
Details in the listing were minimal, but nevertheless hinted at beauty lurking
within.
c. 1935 B & D Senorita
S-5 Concert Guitar (sn 33271)
These hidden details
included a dark sunburst spruce top and its dark and bold and beautiful Brazilian rosewood back and sides (not African rosewood like some Gibsons and Bacon guitars). It has a 14-in. lower bout width, 24¾-in. scale
length, 113/16-in. nut width, and three repaired
cracks below the bridge.
Lark Street's listing also boasted: "This little
beauty will hold it's own against any comparable Gibson or Martin."
SN 33582 — c. 1935 B &
D Senorita Troubadour 3R Arch Top
In October 2019 a guitarist
using the online handle MondoJazzer posted several photographs and a few comments
about a Senorita Troubador arch top
guitar to members of the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, an online listserv.
“This guitar is definitely
a keeper for me,” the guitarist said. “It's unusual because it's a dreadnought size
rosewood arch top, which I don't think ever became popular.
1935 B&D Senorita
Troubadour 3R Arch Top (33582)
“It has huge headroom and is very responsive to play. It
veers some towards the gypsy jazz sound. I've used it in that context. It
definitely has more mid-range than a Selmer guitar and a much wetter sound
than [most] maple body guitars.
“I love the MOTS [mother-of-toilet
seat] headstock. It also has a fabulous 1¾-in. nut and playable neck. As it is a
Bacon arch top, it isn't as desirable as a flat top, but still a very cool guitar. And since I mostly play arch top guitars, I'm keeping mine!"
SN 35052 — c. 1937 B &
D Senorita Auditorium Flat Top This auditorium-sized Senorita was deemed a “000-28-type flat top in
excellent plus condition” by Schoenberg Guitars, which listed it for $6350 in March 2002.
c. 1937 B & D Senorita Style
S-6 (sn 35052)
It has a sunburst top,
back and neck, 15-in. lower bout, 24¾-in. scale, rosewood body, spruce top, fingerboard
inlays and engraved and painted pearloid headstock. Outfitted with Grover G-98
tuners, it was sold with a molded archtop-style case, purportedly original, and Bacon strings in envelopes in the pocket — a.k.a. case candy.
Its only repairs were a neck
reset and fret level by California luthier Chris Berkov in 1998, according to Schoenberg, which said “it plays great with easy action and a nice full, bright sound.”
The guitar next appeared
in May 2015 at an under-the-market and under-the-radar price of $4500 at Jet City Guitars, where its assets and faults were again compared with a Martin.
“This one has a lot in common with Washburns, although [Regal] was
clearly trying to capture some Martin magic,” the listing opined.
“It is an X-braced guitar with two
tapered tone bars and tapered X-brace. The nut is 1¾-in. wide and the neck is a
modified V, very similar to Martin necks of the period.
“While they did not
achieve a Martin tone,” the listing said, “they did achieve something between
Martin and Washburn that the combines the richness and articulation of the former
with boxy qualities of the latter that will compliment many playing and singing
styles. Offered in a good-fitting Martin case."
A month later Lark Street got it in an even-steven trade with Jet City for a 1929
Martin
0-28K. Lark Street then
advertised this Senorita in the July 2016 issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine for
$7950. Then it disappeared for three years.
Its owner was unknown
until October 2019, when it showed up at Julien’s Auctions of
Hollywood CA in an estate sale for rock ‘n roller Walter Becker (1950 – 2017). The two-day event offered 1,085 items, including amps, synthesizers,loudspeakers, electronica, microphones, road cases, pedals, mixer boards, turntables, electric guitars, acoustic guitarsand — five Bacon & Days.
The pre-auction estimate on
this rare and fine acoustic guitar was $8000 to $10,000. The winning bidder paid $7500 plus a 25%
buyer’s premium. Then, it disappeared again.
Two years later the Julien's buyer of this Senorita S-6 (sn 35052) decided it was time to recoup his or her investment. It was offered on Reverb for $10,000 by an otherwise unknown San Diego dealer called Strum.
You'll be glad to know it's been in good hands in the interim. The Strum listing reported the guitar "is in very good shape and sounds amazing. Really nice action for quick finger-picking. Following purchase at the Walter Becker collection it was inspected and cleaned professionally and has been lightly used since."
SN 35236 — c. 1937 B &
D NePlusUltra Troubadour3M Arch Top
This arched top instrument
and its original hardshell case was listed by Vintage Gintage in February 2020
at $2950. It is 16 inches wide at the lower bout, and has a triple-bound carved
spruce top and a bound and carved two-piece mahogany back.
In the typical flamboy- ant style of Bacon & Day, a pearloid peghead overlay is bound and sur- rounded by 34 ruby
red rhine-stones. The B & D logo was engraved horizontally and NePlusUltra was engraved horizontally below that. Then,
Troubadour was engraved vertically in the headstock's mid-section and, finally,
Bacon was engraved horizontally below
that. The bound rosewood
fingerboard has pearl inlay designs as well.
A rarely seen arch top in fine condition, it sold for $100 in the 1930s. Today, it has a good action and ample set-up room on an adjustable
bridge, according to the dealer. The frets show wear, but the body is devoid of cracks,
blemishes or abrasions.
“The
sound is full, robust and lively," the listing boasted, "with plenty of cut to penetrate the biggest
of big bands!”
SN 35258 — c. 1937 B &
D BaconAuditorium Flat Top They don't come any nicer than this — a 15-inch auditor- ium flat top with a dark sunburst on X-braced sprucetop andmaho- gany back and
sides. Its oddly shaped celluloid pickguard has been designed to ripen
yourgame soundly. Have youplayed one yet?
This one sports a pearloid peghead overlay, 37/8-inch body depth at the bridge,
251/8-inch scale length, a minor pickguard crack and 14-fret mahogany neck with a burst finish.
Described as in all original condition with a fresh
neck reset, this spectacular dark sunburst, mahogany-bodied guitar was listed by Lark Street in January 2011 at $6500.
SN 35433 — c. 1937 B &
D Senorita Troubadour Arch Top This rare and fine B & D Senorita Troubadour was listed twice at
$2500, first in May 2019 by Vintage Blues Guitars of Lititz PA, then 13 months later by Wilco Loft of Chicago IL.
With nearly identical listings, Vintage Blues
and Wilco both said this mahogany auditorium guitar is “an intriguing if not
spectacular example of a late 1930s acoustic arch top” as well as “the swan song of a
dying banjo company.”
c. 1937 B & D SenoritaBacon
Troubadour
Style 3 (sn 35433)
It is outfitted with a
re-glued celluloidheadstockoverlaythatdeclares itself: Senorita B&D Troubadour Bacon. It has an ebony fingerboard with pearl inlays,
adjustable bridge and Grover tuners. The back and sides are mahogany with 153/16-in. wide lower bout and
4¼-in. body depth. The spruce top, in dark sunburst
finish, is ladder braced. The mahogany neck, with a 25-in.
scale and 1¾-in. nut, is carved with a modern C shape. What's more, the
pickguard was shaped and cut, Vintage Blues said, “to
accommodate an add-on pick-up control knob.”
Vintage Blues said the
guitar is well set and plays easily with a low action. It also has “a strong archtop snap, but is
an effective fingerpicker for those seeking a slightly different tone.”
Unfortunately, in a brief trial in June 2019 at the
Philadelphia Guitar Show in Audubon PA, I found
the guitar’s sound heavy in the mid-range, but thin and lackluster. I had expected a more strident or robust tone.
Nevertheless,
Wilco Loft got in the last word with a typical rock ‘n roller tidbit: “This
fantastic guitar will come with a signed certificate of authenticity showing that
yes, this belonged to Jeff Tweedy.”
SN 00 36 — c. 1939-40 Bacon - Birch Body Concert Flat Top
This is a Bacon & Day
guitar, according to Anthony Fiore, who posted remarks, photos and measurements to visitors at the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, an online listserv,
in February 2010.
“BACON in pearl is set into the headstock, a 1936 B & D ink stamp is visible through
the sound hole on the back, and 00 36 is set in white on the edge of the fretboard adja- cent to the soundhole.
“The pickguard is pretty
cool and looks similar to ones found on other Bacon & Day guitars. My
[online] research points to a Regal-made guitar, though it has simpler
appointment in comparison to pictures of other Bacon & Day flat tops.”
Fiore provided measurements for his guitar: 36¾-in. length, 21/8-in. body depth, 13½-in.lowerboutsize, 93/8-in. upper bout width, and 17/8-in. nut. "Wood is possibly birch," he said. “Can anyone
identify or shed some light on this guitar?"
Luthier Steve Kovacik, KovacikGuitars in Scotia
NY replied: “While
the tuners may appear high quality, they are
actually rather cheap tuners."
“They have no cap screw
to hold the crown gear to the post,” said Kovacik. “More importantly, the barrels are hollow rather than solid brass, a feature of less-costly hardware of the era.
c. 1939-40Bacon (sn 00 36)
birch body and concert size
“As for attribution of the
guitar,” Kovacik added, “it doesn't look like any of the B & D guitars I've
ever seen.”
It may be the recipient of a Gretsch
numbering plan in 1939 and 1940, when Gretsch took over Bacon
production, according to research by Michael Holmes and Ed Britt about the final years of Bacon
Banjo Co.
“It can be very difficult
to separate Bacons and B & Ds made in the late 1930s from Gretsch-made ones because Gretsch carried on certain models and stylistic details,” Holmes and
Britt said. “Due to the various numbering schemes, some Gretsch-made Bacons and
B&Ds with 3-digit, 4-digit or 5-digit numbers can be mis- takenly dated to anytime from 1910 to 1940.”
Gretsch-built Rex
No. 8
birch body + concert size
and retailed at $7 in 1936
I would echo Kovacik’s cueFiore's Bacon doesn'tmatch
any B & D in material, fit, size or finish. It was likely made with
Gretsch parts and tagged with a Bacon logo
and B & D serial number. The non-adjustable bridge and the trapeze tailpiece,
in my view, indicate it's a low-cost department store or mail-order guitar.
Indeed, Gretch produced
“Rex Guitars at Moderate Prices” (retailing at $7 to $9) as early as 1936. This budget line
included several iterations of a standard size guitar made with selected
hardwoods, an ebonized bridge, ebonized fingerboard with position markers,
nickel-plated trapeze style tailpiece, top edge and sound hole in white, and distinctive finish.
So, let’s say you ran a
mail-order catalog firm or managed a downtown department store in late 1940.
The headstock logo on a dozen Rex guitars you ordered for Christmas sales might say anything you want, including "Bacon."
SN 123 — c. 1939-40 B &
D Senorita S-1 Concert Flat Top
This spunky six-string appeared
in the vintage instrument market five times in the last seven years. Its price has almost
doubled in that time.
c. 1939-40 B&D Senorita S-1
(sn 123)
It first showed up in June
2013 at the Philadelphia Guitar Show in Audubon PA in a booth run by Blue
Moon Music of Fayetteville AR. Intrigued by its gutsy sound, I traded a 1935 KG-11(fon1495A) valued at $1500 and paid $1000cashtoacquire it.
I played it for five
monthsuntilarare1929EpiphoneD at RetroFret called my name. I'd only owned the S-1 a short while, so it was not hard to trade it away with two other guitars and some cash to acquire the Epi.
Suffice it to say, the Epi
was a sophisticated instrument but underwhelming in my concerts, and I quickly regretted
selling the B & D at a loss. Sadly, I realized if wishes were horses,
musicians would only play the guitars of their dreams.
In short order, RetroFret
listed this B & D S-1 for $3650. Then, some time in 2014, Lost Boy Guitars
of Rowayton CT was offering this very guitar at $3250. When I saw it, it had already sold.
Then, with no warning, in December
2016, I came upon this B & D at T. R. Crandall of New York NY for $3899. I had to re-acquire it. Lacking excuses, I knew I was obsessed with this B & D.
I ran into NY City to buy it, but Crandall partner Alex Whitman, would not part with it. This B & D, he said, was on "a verbal hold for a good customer." What bad luck! Then, it disappeared again.
Finally, in October 2019, it showed up in an estate sale by Julien’s Auctions of Hollywood CA, which had listed this and
four other Bacon & Days and 1,080 pieces of musical equipment once owned by rock ‘n roller Walter Becker (1950 – 2017). In its pre-auction
estimate Julien's pegged this Gretsch-era acoustic at $1000 to $2000. The winning bidder
paid $3840 plus a 25% buyer’s premium.
Then, it disappeared
again. Where it is now is not known. But if you come upon it, call me.
What is known is what a
great sounding and playing instrument this guitar is. It features include a
dark sunburst and X-braced spruce top, sunburst mahogany back, white ivoroid
body binding, headstock serial number and good tuners. And eccentric B & D
pickguard.
It also has a mahogany
neck with 14 frets to the body, 247/8-in. scale length and fairly recent neck
set. It has a red bean fingerboard with pearl dots and 113/16-in. nut
width.
The headstock face on this concert-sized
guitar (14-in. lower bout width) was given a full-featured Art Deco treatment. It has a black plastic faceplate with white cut-outs
that reveal the B & D logo, Senorita model name, S-1 style number, the Bacon brand
and a pastiche of floral designs.
This guitar sold for $50
in 1939 or 1940. Well-used in its day, today this lightweight instrument has a woody tone, decent
bottom end, nice mid-range honk and dry treble snap.
For auditory proof, here's a brief video of Brooklynite Jack Devine playing it at the RetroFret shop in late 2013.
SN 135 — c. 1939-40 B &
D Ramona No. 3 Arch Top This is a mahogany-bodied Ramona
No. 3 arch top built in the Super Auditorium size. Though it cost $65 between
1935 and 1940, in June 2020 it was listed at $3200 by JAMF Music in Los Angeles
CA.
c. 1939-40 B&D Ramona No 3
(sn 135)
Its has an arched and
dark-burst sprucetop,carvedmahogany back, three-piece neck with flat C
profile, 1¾-in. wide nut, mother-of-toilet-seat headstock and good frets. It is 41½-in. over- all length, 153/16-in. lowerboutand
43/8-inbodydepth.
The chrome tail- piece with B & D
and Ramona etchings is intact. It plays easily with the bridge adjusted down, JAMF said. It has no top cracks and retains both its original finish and original tuners.
This Ramona guitar is very
responsive, with its thin top and extremely light weight, explained JAMF’s
David Yorkin. “It is very loud and has held its own in jam sessions with other
axes,” he said. “Kind of straddles the line between arch top and flat top, but
has the attack of an arch top.”
As evidence he offered
this short video of this B & D arch top guitar in action.
SN 136 — c. 1939-40 Bacon Princess Arch Top
c. 1939-40 Bacon Princess
(sn 136)
Village
Music in Stockton MO sold this player-grade arch top for $445 in June 2016. It dates to about 1940, has a spruce top in good condition, mahogany body and no
visible structural issues.
The natural, or non-shadetop, finish may be
original, since it ischeckedandorange-peeledin several spots, according to the dealer. Likely original are the black
phenolic (Bakelite) pickguard and metal tuning machines.
The bridge, tailpiece
bracket and tuner buttons, however, are replaced. What's more, although repaired some
time ago, the heel is cracked.
It's a great player, though, the
dealer said, with a nice tone for fingerstyle and punchy mid-range for swing
chop chords.
In my view, this guitar was
made by Gretsch, not Regal, and within one or two years of Bacon & Day's closing in late 1938.
Thematerialsused,lack of shaded finish and lowserialnumber hint to product- ion by Gretsch when the firm made the last few B & D and Bacon branded instruments with its own models, parts and serial numbers.
Though the typeface used for the
Bacon headstock is similar to that on banjos of the 1920s and 1930s, its contours are thicker and awkward. It's not identical, it’s interpretative. Just look at the headstock logo on the Bacon mandolins from the 1920s and rthe 1924 Bacon concert-sized flat top shown below in the NO SN section.
Finally, to my knowledge, Princess wasnot a model name used by B & D for a banjo or guitar. Maybe this model name originated with the Gretsch Company.
SN 1019 — c. 1939-40 B & D Senorita S-6 Super Auditorium Flat Top In recent years only one B & D Senorita Style S-6 (sn 1019) has surfaced that is nearly the same — but not an exact copy — as the S-6 played by John Fahey in the 1960s and 1970s.
Described as a rosewood
tone monster, it is fitted with a 15¾-in. lower bout, 14-fret neck, 25½-in. scale
length, two-tone sunburst top, an X-braced spruce top and gaudy headstock
festooned with a multi-colored pearloid overlay and 31 rhinestones.
The rosewood fretboard has eight pearloid
blocks of inlaid floral emblemsanddiamondmotifs.Theneck has a C profileand113/16-in.nut.Thebridgewasastraight rosewood rectangle with an offset saddle like those found on Gibson flat tops in the 1930s.
c. 1939-40Senorita S-6 (sn 1019)
with its original bridge in July
2006
The
guitar sold for $9500 at RetroFret in Brooklyn NY in July 2006, and then it disappeared
for more than decade.
During the hiatus, someone reset the neck, repaired the heel crack, touched up the top near the pickguard and replaced the bridge plate. That same person replaced the original straight bridge with a replica of
the Guild bridge installed on Fahey's guitar during
the 1960s.
Today, this guitar (sn 1019) is nearly the same — but not an exact copy — as the S-6 guitar played by John Fahey in the 1960s and 1970s.
During this same hiatus, the guitar was acquired by rock ‘n roller Walter Becker (1950 – 2017), who liked B & Ds. This S-6 (sn 1019) was one of 1,085 pieces of instruments and musical gear listed for sale by Becker's estate throughJulien’s Auctions of Hollywood CA in October 2019.
c. 1939-40 B & D Senorita S-6 (sn 1019)
with the Fahey-replica bridge in Feb 2020
Julien's pre-auction
estimate pegged the Becker S-6 at $10,000 to $15,000.
The winning bid was $12,800 plus a 25% buyer’s premium.
So, in February 2020,when someone decided they wanted a B & D that looked nearly the same as John Fahey's S-6, they paid RetroFret $18,000 for it. Luckily, the original label is intact and the lobster claw pickguard was not removed or replaced.
In its website listing, RetroFret described this Senorita S-6 (sn 1019) as a
great playing and sounding guitar with a deep and powerful tone. "The combination of the X-braced top, narrow- waisted
rosewood body and long scale produce a unique sound, with
depth, power and clarity in equal measure," it said.
SN 1041 — c. 1939-40 B & D Senorita S2 Super Auditorium Flat Top
Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz
CA sold this Senorita S2 with period hardshell case for $1100 in June 2020.
c. 1939-40 B & D Senorita S2 (sn1041)
Listing details were minimal, but Sylvan Music cited Regal as the maker, a solid
spruce top, mahogany back and sides, 113/16-in. wide bone nut and the 25½-in. scale
length.
Repairs included an old but stable headstock fix of an unknown pedigree, neck reset and
refret. The listing did not mention the ornate black and white cut-out headstock, a fixture of B & D guitars from 1939 and 1940, the eccentric-shaped tortoise pickguard or the hourglass profile of the large body.
The shape of this Senorita S2 merits our attention. As a super auditorium guitar it has a 15¾-in. lower bout width and hourglass shape similar to a SenoritaS6. Whenconfigured as a Hawaiian model (S2H), this same model lost an inch of its scale length as well as thecomfortable pinched waist.
The neck is three-piece laminated mahogany that has been reinforced with a steel rod. The topandbackedgeare inlaid withcelluloid in white.The sound holehas a white edge binding and a pair of rosette rings.
In addition, the guitar exhibits dirt and wear on the fingerboard, neck wear into the finish behind the first five frets, scratches and marks on the back and top, especially on either side of the fretboard, and deep pick wear into the top near the lobster claw pickguard. It apparently has no other cracks or body damage.
However, lest it go unsaid, the headstock repair is, well, a nasty looking thing.
SN 1078 and 1040 — c. 1939 - 40 Bacon Espana Auditorium Arch Tops
"The Depression was in
full swing and the market for new, expensive banjos was shrinking fast,” said luthier Elisha Wiesner of Musician’s Enemy in Chilmark MA. “As a last ditch effort, B & D began offering a line of guitars in early 1930s."
c.1939-40 Bacon Espana (sn 1078)
One product of this
effort was this Bacon-branded Espanaarch topguitar, whichMusician’s Enemy listed at $1895 in 2013. It has a 15½-in. wide body, brown-burst spruce top
and mahogany body, and mahogany neck with a slight V carve.
"I'm of the belief it was manufactured by Regal in Chicago and sent to
Connecticut where it was finished and embellished with their trademark
rhinestones," Wiesner said. "It's a
wonderful arch top. The sound is fantastic, similar to a
1929 Gibson L-5."
In my view this guitar,
like the 1940 Bacon Princess (sn 136) above, was assembled by Gretsch, perhaps with
Regal parts, a year or two years after Bacon & Day closed in 1938.
Even with bindings on the body, fingerboardandpickguard,theserialnumber hints to
a Gretsch build with B & D leftovers. It may be a Bacon-branded arch top with that cheesy vertical Espana model and other Gretsch items slapped on during production.
The typeface in the Bacon headstock is similar to Bacon banjos, but the shape isnot identical. It's thicker, interpretative. I doubtEspana
was ever used as a model name on a B & D banjo or guitar.
Still, this guitar is in good shape, without cracks or repairs. “It's all original with the exception of one pickguard
screw and tuners, which are Kluson Deluxe,” Wiesner said.
“There's some obvious
play wear, dings and finish checking, but nothing out of line with a guitar
this age,” he said. “I don't know if the Geib case is original or not, but I know it's
period correct.”
Theaction isgoodand the
intonation is fine, Wiesner said.“Whenit'splayed above the 14th fret
the lower strings do buzz,” he admitted, “but I've never found this an
issue as I don't do much playing up there. I'm sure it could be addressed easily if you wanted.”
In May 2020 an identicalEspana model (sn 1040) was listed by Music Gear of Solcom AL at $775. The guitar's torso was in decent condition and offered as "a wonderful guitar for its age."
But the instrument was found in rough shape, with evidence of issues These included scratches and wear, heel crack, buzzing frets, non-original bridge, and decent tuning machines with broken buttons. Even the case was beat up and its top unattached.
Worse of all, some rhinestones on the headstock had fallen out and gone missing. Clearly, this is a guitar that has seen better days, so the dealer invited offers on the Reverb listing.
SN 1111 — c. 1939-40 B & D Groton No. 2 Auditorium Arch Top
Ithaca Guitar Works of
Ithaca NY listed this 15¾-in. wide arch top guitar at $595 in December 2009.
c. 1939-40 B & D Groton
No. 2 arch top (sn 1111)
The guitar’s back and
sides are mahogany with white celluloid binding along its edges. The sunburst
spruce top is missing its pickguard. It has a 25½-in. scale length, 3¼-in. body
depth and 1-7/8-in. nut width.
It has an unbound rosewood
fingerboard, extra large frets, trapeze tail piece, period tuners and
adjustable rosewood bridge with saddle. IGW performed a neck reset and set-up
in early 2010.
Late1930sB&DCatalogPage
Groton No. 1 flat top
- upper
Groton No. 2 arch top – lower
The headstock face has
an Art Deco overlay. The black plastic face has been cut to reveal the
headstock edge, Groton model name, 2 model number and theB&D brand. The reverse side of the headstock was impressed on the top with an early Gretsch era serial number 1111.
I owned this Gronton No. 2 for about a
year and during that time I spent a few hundred dollars to plane the fingerboard, replace the frets and
custom-intonate the saddle. Still, the guitar’s playability remained awkward and its sound was washed out and unappealing.
The
Groton No. 2 arch top (sn 1111) shown here is sibling to Groton No. 1 flat top. Both B & D guitars were described in the catalog issued by wholesaler Chicago Musical Instruments in the late 1930s.
The
super-auditorium-sized arch top was priced $25 and the auditorium-sized
flat top was priced $15. An Arch-Kraft keratol case designed for No. 2 was
priced $9.50, while a Challenge keratol case designed for No. 1 was priced $5.50.
SN 1147 — c. 1939-40 B & D Senorita S-6 Super Auditorium Flat Top
Made between 1935 and 1940, this
super auditorium-sized, wide-waisted, rosewood guitar was part of an
estate sale conducted by Julien’s Auctions of Hollywood CA in October 2019. The
auctioneer listed this guitar, four other Bacon & Days and 1,085 pieces of
musical gear once owned by rock ‘n roller Walter Becker (1950 – 2017).
c. 1939-40 B & D Senorita S-6 (sn 1147)
In a pre-auction
estimate Julien's set this late 1930s acoustic (sn 1147) at $10,000 to $15,000.
The winning bid was $18,750 plus a 25% buyer’s premium.
By all accounts, this
instrument was sold in excellent condition. What's more, the
combination of the X-braced top, wide-waisted rosewood body and long scale give
it an enormous sound.
It is one of three B &
D Senorita S-6 models — and the only one with a wide waist — formerly owned by Becker. This was sold by Julien’s for $18,750.
The other S-6 models have tight-waisted bodies and resemble the profile of Fahey’s S-6. One of Becker's tight-waisted S-6 (sn 1019) guitars sold at $12,800. The
other tight-waisted S-6 (sn 35052) guitar, a less ornate version, sold at $7500.
In 1938, 1939 and 1940, the B & D Senorita S-6, whether wide-waisted or tight-waisted, sold for $80. Competition in the marketfor15-inch rosewood guitars included Washburn
Solo De Luxe at $62.50 and Martin's 000-28 at $90.
Whatever the brand, at
these prices sales were probably modest. We know from company records that Martin’s 000-28 sold a total
of 230 guitars in this three-year period. After that, guitar production and sales dropped off for everyone.
Four Bacon acoustic guitars produced by C.F. Martin Co. in the early 1920s have surfaced in vintage markets in recent years. All are uniquely stamped: "Made by the Bacon Banjo
Co. Inc., Groton, Conn, U.S.A." on the reverse face of the headstock.
Three of these Bacon guitars are concert-sized instruments similar to a Martin 0-21. They all have a 131/2-inch lower bout width, slotted headstock, neck with 12 frets to the body, an ebony fingerboard, bar frets and pearl dots at the 5th, 7th and 9th fret. Each has a rosewood body, spruce top and ebony pyramid bridge.
A fourth Bacon guitar resembles a Martin 2-17 model. The back, sides and top of this guitar are made with solid mahogany. It has a lower bout width of 12 inches and neck with 12 frets to the body and bar frets.
The first Bacon has a sprucetop with a dark
and glowing finish. It also has a Baconheadplatelogo similar to those on Bacon banjos in the 1920s and 1930s, andno serial number on
the neck block. Instead,thedovetailneck joint,whichwasopen during arecentreset, revealed the presence of the letter S, the mark Martin used to note its special editions.
Found on a Connecticut farm by a client of Bernunzio VintageInstruments of Rochester, this guitar was initially listed in June 2005 at $6500. Bernunzio later reduced it price to $5000. Pretty and delicate, this
precious instrument was built by Martin prior to installation of top bracing of
sufficient strength for use with steel strings.
c. 1923 Bacon (Martin sn
18909)
A second concert-sized Bacon guitar contains the Martin serial number 18909 on its neck block. This would fix its production to 1923, when Martin
built 100 of its own 0-21 guitars, which it sold for $50.
Identical to a Martin 0-21
guitar of the 1920s, the spruce top on this second guitar has a natural finish — nota shaded top like the Bacon shown above. In addition, this Bacon has a herringbone rosette and herringbone backstripe as found on a Martin 0-21.
This rare bird does not contain Martin indicia, Bacon headstock logo or branding on the face of the headplate. Instead, the headstock's reverse sideis stamped: "Made by the Bacon Banjo
Co. Inc., Groton, Conn, U.S.A."
The third Bacon guitar is identical to a Martin 0-21. It has a concert-sized rosewood body, spruce top and 12-fret neck. Produced with no Martin branding or serial number, "Made by the Bacon Banjo
Co. Inc., Groton, Conn, U.S.A." is stamped across the rear of the headstock.
Tuning machines on 1923 Bacon concert-sized guitar built by C. F. Martin Co. PHOTO: Robert Corwin
This third Bacon guitar is one of numerous vintage Martin acoustics described and displayed with images taken by photographer and guitar collector Robert Corwin of Philadelphia on his website www.vintagemartin.com.
1924 Bacon 2-17 made by Martin
without a Martin brand. However,
serial number 20956 is stamped
on its neck block.
According
to Corwin, Bacon Co. ordered four guitars from Martin in 1922 "as
samples, with the intention of selling a line of Martin made instruments
with the Bacon [brand]. The guitars were stamped [with Bacon Co.
indicia on the rear of the headstock] in mid-1923, one shipped on September 7, and
remaining three shipped on November 23rd."
Corwin also said Bacon originally requested the guitars delivered "in the white," or unfinished. However, he said, managers of the Groton CT firm "changed their minds and sent the first of them back to Martin to be finished."
Martin also produced a small parlor-sized mahogany guitar for Bacon. It is stamped Bacon Banjo Co. on the rear of the headstock. The present owner said he didn't realize it was made by Martin until recently, "after doing some deep dives on the Internet."
This dimunitive guitar has serial number 20956 on its neck block. This dates its production to 1924. That year Martin
built 500 of its 2-17 models, which sold at retail for $27.50. It is among the first guitars Martin braced sufficient for use with steel strings.
The owner also said the guitar belonged to his father. "He bought it second-hand sometime in the mid-1930s. It has been in the family ever since, though played very little."
NO SN — c. 1935B & DNePlus Ultra Troubadour Bacon Arch Top This c. 1935 B & D NePlus Ultra Troubadour Bacon was listed sometime between 2015 and 2017 by Lark Street Music in Teaneck NJ. Listing price is not available.
c. 1935 B & D NePlusUltra Troubadour
Bacon (no sn)
We
do not know if the body is rosewood or mahogany since we only have
these two photos. One shows the front of the body with its metal
tailpiece, adjustable bridge, fingerboard with
multi-colored pearloid block inlays, and wear spot on a bound pickguard. The other shows the headstock overlay, which has
a multi-colored pearloid veneer and 36 rhinestones.
Despite a paucity of details, it's worthwhile to compare and contrast the body finish, pickguard, fretboard and headstock on grand auditorioum rosewood NePlus Ultra Toubadour 3R (sn 32241), shown above, and the grand auditorioum mahoganyNePlus Ultra Toubadour (no sn.), shown below.
NO SN — c. 1935B & DNePlus Ultra Troubadour Bacon3M Arch Top
This c. 1935
NePlus Ultra arch top was listed in January 2009 by
Cotton Music (now dba North American Guitar) in Nashville TN for $2696. Three months later a guitarist using
the handle MSWILKS offered this guitar to the online Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum.
Initially priced at $1950, this fell to $1850, with the seller covering PayPal,
shipping and insurance expenses.
c. 1935 B & D NePlus Ultra
Troubadour Bacon 3M (no sn)
Back in the day this B & D NePlus Ultra Style 3M guitar sold for $100. It was made with arched mahogany body,elevated and bound fretboard, arched spruce top, unbound f-holes and two-tone dark shaded finish.
The guitar's key feature, according to a 1930s wholesaler's catalog, is its "yellow pearloid peghead that has been enamelled and engraved in beautiful colors and edged in colored rhinestones."
Cotton Music and MSWILKS called the guitar a big box with big sound. It has a 16-in. lower bout width (B & D's grand auditorium size) and 5-in. body depth. MSWILKS said it
has a 113/16-in. wide nut and
Cotton Music said the nut is 1¾-in. wide.
Both sellers said the guitar was without
structural problems. Both also said it has some finish crazing, one repaired back crack, one finish crack on the back, and one cleated hairline crack on the center seam under the fingerboard extension.
It has a V-shaped mahogany
neck with a C profile. The frets are new. The nickel Grover tuning machines,
ebony adjustable bridge, trapeze tailpiece, and a bound serpentine- shaped pickguard are
all original.
The spruce top and mahogany back are arched. MSWILKS found the interior bracing “unusual,” with
half of an X (i.e., a V) under the lower bouts and a few ladder braces under the
upper bouts.
“This guitar is a
different and unusual sounding arch top,” MSWILKS said. “The extra depth does not
make it bassier as with a flat top. It puts more air around the sound, full and cavernous. Yet it still has as good an edge as most archtops. The
sustain is very good.”
MSWILKS called this NePlus Ultra guitar a rare and
collectible arch top. “It is an interesting and different player for
those who like tonal variety. It's certainly an attention getter. Nobody else
on your block (or your state) is likely to have one!”
NO SN — c. 1935 B & D Ramona 3R Arch Top
Archtop.com of Seattle WA
listed this Bacon and Day Ramona 3R
in July 2006. The listing price is not available.
c. 1935 B & D Ramona 3R Arch Top (no sn)
The dealer said this
guitar has it all: handcarved rosewood back and sides, hand- carved spruce top with sunburst finish, bound rose-wood fingerboard with pearl inlays,
back and top checkerboardbind- ing, engraved tortoise Art Deco headplate, and original
plush-lined hard-shell case.
The guitar has its original
hardware, including Grover tuning machines, engraved nickel trapeze tailpiece, bound
translucent tortoise pickguard and adjustable rosewood bridge.
The lower bout
width is 16¾-in. (B & D’s super auditorium size), body depth is 4-in.,
scale length is 25.4-in. and nut width is 1¾-in.
Rosewood was the choice tonewood for many years on premium guitars, said Joe
Vinikow of Archtop.com. "It was an truly expensive choice for production of a large-body arch top" like the Ramona, which cost $100 retail in the 1930s.
“It’s notoriously hard and
brittle, so carving a guitar's arched back is laborious and hard on the
tools,” he said. “Carving an arched back demands a rough plank at least a full
inch deep. As several flat backs could be sawn from such a slab, carving an
arched back of rosewood would have been absurdly expensive.
“But the folks at Bacon and
Day apparently didn't care,” he said. “They'd been making the world's most
expensive banjos for decades, so cost was evidently no object, at least for a
while."
Fortunately, all this labor and expense produced a guitar with a remarkable voice, added Vinikow. The arched rose- wood body, arched spruce top and the instrument's depth all combined to
produce a resonant arch top guitar.
"It offers powerful arch top
projection with added bass response and sustain reminiscent of a dreadnought,”
he said. “A unique and finely crafted instrument, this B&D Ramona is a rare find for player and
collector alike.”
NO SN — c. 1935Senorita TroubadourBacon This B & D Senorita Troubadour arch top from the
early 1930s was listed at $800 by McKenzie River Music of Eugene OR in December 2005.
c. 1935 B
& D Senorita
Troubadour Bacon (no sn)
It’s missing its bound
black pick-guard, but it still has its function- ing adjust- able bridge, trapeze tail- piece
and Grover tuning machines.
A serial number was stamped into the back of the
headstock near the tuning machines, but it can't be
deciphered in the photos.
The body is beat to hell, with lots of wear and tear. It has damaged back binding, finish wear on the top and back edges, a center seam crack below the bridge and tailpiece, multiple fissures, cracks and wear on the flat mahogany back, and a pair of f-hole cracks that run parallel to the fingerboard for half the length of the sunburst spruce top.
Ninety years ago this auditorium arch
top, with 15-in. lower bout, cost $70. A wholesaler’s
catalog in the 1930s described this handsome guitar as follows:
Senorita-Troubadour
Arched
top (only) for orchestra use
Mahogany neck, 14th fret at
body, mahogany body, arched
spruce top, black and white in lay
edges, adjustable bridge,
bound edges, nickel plated double rod
tail piece, all metal
upright gear single type machines,
B&D heavy gauge brass
spun strings. Two tone dark shaded
finish.
Tool steel bars inserted in all
Bacon and Day guitar necks to prevent warping.
Style 3, Mahogany Body, Auditorium……………… $70.00
It won’t win any beauty
contests today, but I bet it sure sounds nice.
NO SN — c. 1937 B & D Sultana GrandBacon Arch Top This enormousandfinely finished
Bacon & Day arch top was probably made onlyashort time before
Fred Baconsoldhis hurricane-ravaged factory to his brother-in-law, Fred Gretsch, and Gretsch Co. of Brooklyn NY in 1938 or 1939.
1937 Bacon Sultana
Grand (no sn)
Featured in the late-1930s instrument catalog of Chicago Musical Instruments, this rhythm and jazz arch top was B & D's premier orchestral achievement. A quality instrument then, a quality instrument now. "Its
sheen and brilliance will increase with age and use," asserted CMI's copywriter.
This
spectac- ular18-inchjumbo hasstripedmaple back and sides, pearl fingerboard
inlays and Art Decopegheadwith pearl in- lays that spell B&D, SultanaGrand
and Bacon.
The tuning machines are gold
Klusons with pearl buttons. The guitar’s top is bordered in abalone
inlay. Ithasahugeengravedandgold-platedtailpiece.
Few of these remarkable
instruments were made, perhaps a half dozen, said Portman, who has seen
only one — his. He sold it for $4250 in May 2016, he said, along with
several fine instruments by C.F. Martin and the Larsons.
Ninety years ago this
coliseum-sized arch top, with its 18-in. lower bout, was made in three
models of increasing embellishments and finish details: Sultana No. 1 (or I) with mahogany body at
$150, Sultana No. 2(or II) with curly maple body at $250 and this one, the Sultana Grand with striped maple body at $325.
In its 1930s catalog, wholesaler CMI described the Sultana Grand as follows:
Sultana Grand Model
Coliseum size — Carvedtopandback — Artist Grade
Lavish
expenditure of time, skills and materials are required
to
produce an instrument of the quality of the Bacon Sultana Grand Guitar. The top is carved from selected eastern moun- tain spruce and the back is carved of beautiful striped maple.
Sides of maple, reinforced along the top and back edges with
band
of overlaid maple; beautifully cut block inlay of genuine
mother-of-pearl,
fine polished ebony fingerboard, individual
gold plated tuning keys with pearl button. The neck is beauti-
fully made of 7-ply laminated mahogany, reinforced by steel
rod
and is extra slender, facilitating difficult technique. The
genuine
French polish bringsoutthebeautyandlusterofthe
In case you thought there
was only one of these 18-in. acoustic monsters in the world, here is
another Sultana I Bacon arch top guitar for your review.
1937 Bacon Sultana I Bacon (no sn)
The instrument was listed by Emerald City Guitars
of Seattle WA for $2895 in June 2010.
Due to an unexpected and sudden
loss for words, the dealer didn't have much to say about this guitar other than call it a "super cool rare vintage piece."
Ninety years ago this
coli- seum-sized arch top was offered with a close grained spruce top that was carved to a handsome arch with hand-cut slender f holes. The guitar's back is striped fiddle back mahogany, carved with an arch, and matching mahogany sides.
An 18-in. wide rhythmic beast, this guitar cost $150, while its silk plush-lined case cost another $27.50.
NO SN — c. 1937B & D Senorita S2H Bacon Flat Top RetroFret
listed this c. 1937 B & D Senorita S2H Bacon at $6200 in April 2008.
c. 1937 B & D Senorita
S2H Bacon (no sn)
This is a great example of a rare
flat top. I was lucky to find it, since it wasinsuchgood shape.
I acquired it by trading another Regal-made guitar, a Bronson Hono- lulu Deluxe, a 14-fret rosewood grand concert valued at $3000, and paying $3000incash. In no time RetroFret soldtheBronsonfor$5500.
Originally retailing for
$50, this Regal-made guitar features a sun-burst finish, mahogany body
and neck, ladder-braced spruce top, 12-fretneck,engravedhead- stock
overlay and B & D “tortoise guardplate.” It hasa15¼-in.lowerbout, 1-13/16 in. nut, 24¼ in. scale, 4¼-in. wide body and recent repro tuners.
The neck has a hefty, rounded
V shape, since it was shaved (and refinished) from a Hawaiian-style
square neck. It also has a replaced saddle and multiple repairs to a pickguard crack, side crack, top crack, fretboard's lower edge and on a badly worked center-seam
glue job.
Converting from Hawaiian to Standard or Spanish-style play meant an ordinary guitarist like me could capitalize
on the bridge’s central location and endow this 12-fret auditorium guitar with a clean and powerful tone. Sadly, the Great Recession intruded and I sold it to
pay off some pre-Recession debts.
NO
SN — c. 1938 B & D Jumbo Flat Top This c. 1938 B & D Jumbo flat top was made by Regal
with mahogany back and sides and ladder-braded spruce top in a natural finish.
c. 1938 B & D Jumbo (no sn)
It was listed for a couple years with Players Vintage Instrumentas of Inverness CA. Then, in December 2007,
it showed up at RetroFret of Brooklyn. Neither listing price is available.
The instrument is typical
of the last guitars Regal built for B & D before the banjo firm closed in late
1938. Upper and lower bouts have ample proportions and shallow waist, with 15-7/8
in. lower bout, 4-15/16 in. body depth and 25½-in. scale.
The neck has a shallow C
profile with 1¾-in. nut width. The rosewood fingerboard is bound and inlaid
with a celluloid trapezoid-and-triangle pattern, a familiar Regal motif.
Offered without major
cracks or repairs, the guitar is refinished except for back of the neck.
Neck angle is excellent from a recent reset. The solid
headplate is rosewood-faced and sports a B & D logo pearl inlay with a somewhat rustic
or handmade design. The top is ladder braced, with
multiple bindingsandcoloredwoodinlaysonthe soundhole. A strap button was added to the heel and the rosewood bridge is a bottom-belly repro. The tuners are individual flat plate Klusons, though the headstock has evidence of previous tuner sets.
Though the appearance is
no longer original, it was offered ingoodconditionby
RetroFret, which called it “a great-playing and sounding guitar with a deep,
powerful tone.”
I
found the sound disappointing, shallow and thin, however, for such a large
thing. Though of nearly identical size and scale, it didn't approach the sonic heft of Regal’s double-X Recording King dreadnoughts built in the
late 1930s and early 1940s.
NO SN — c. 1939 B & D Groton 1 Flat Top
In May 1997, when I first saw this unusual flat top with an Art Deco headstock at J.B. Kline & Son, a hole-in-the-wall guitar shop near the Delaware River in Lambertville NJ, it cost $425, excluding capo, strings and tax.
Who knew I'd have a history with this guitar. Two decades later, in April 2016, when I needed money for debts and expenses, Lark
Street listed this B&D Groton
1 for me at $3000 by touting its “huge rhythm sound.”
And who
knew my first vintage guitar would be this homely looking B & D? It's my
keeper, theoneI'vehad the longest, sold and re-purchased four times, and played
the most in 23 years.
c. 1939 B & D Groton 1 (no
sn)
This auditorium-sizedguitar has a15¼-in. lower bout, 4-in.
body depth, 14-fret neck with buried steel rod, rosewood bridge, red bean fretboard,
engraved head- stock overlay and no serial number.
It was reportedly built "in the white," or unfinished, by Regal in Chicago IL and sent to Bacon in
Groton CT for finishing. It has a dark two-tone finish on mahog-any back and
sides and on its ladder-braced spruce top.
1939 B&D Groton 1 -
upper
1939 B&D Groton 2 –
lower
A jobber's catalog for B & D in the late-1930s listed Groton 1 at $15 and the arch top Groton No. 2 at $25. The flat top was called “Low in price, plain but beautiful in its velvety rubbed finish. Extra large frets, rich tone quality.” A suitable case was $5.50.
Between the late 1930s and 1950s, Regal made several iterations of this guitar with its faux-KG-1 shape for jobbers and retailers . An identical Regal known as Washburn No. 5240 Junior was sold by the Chicago-based jobber Tonk Bros. for $17.50 in 1939.
When
the neck was reset in 2004, the luthier found popsicle sticks securing the neck joint. So, we know the guitar was made sometime in 1939 while a busy woodworker ate his lunch. Today, it suits hokum, swing or jazz with snappy-bright trebles, enormous midrange,
surprising bass and unstinting sustain.
NO SN — c. 1939 B & D Groton 1 Flat Top The owner of this 1939 B
& D Groton 1 said it originally belonged
to her grandfather. About 50 years ago her father refinished the guitar, installing
a weird bridge, quirky paint job and strung it with classical strings.
Before 2019 refinish — paint leached into old varnish, custom paint on bridge, shadow of removed pickguard, and old finish revealed under the fingerboard tongue.
The current owner wanted a
more "normal" guitar, so it was refinished by Jake Wildwood of
Rochester VT in January 2019. He removed the pickguard and 1940s–era rosewood
bridge, then sanded and refinished the solid spruce top with sealer coats of
super-thin polygel varnish.
He also reset the neck,
re-installed pickguard, installed new rosewood bridge and rosewood bridge pins,
installed new bone nut, leveled and dressed the frets, and repaired several hairline
top cracks, cleaned and set up to play.
After 2019 refinish — c. 1939 B & D Groton 1 (no
sn)
Wildwood took notes on
the measurements, materials and finishes of this B & D:
10-in. upper bout width; 3¾-in.
body depth; solid mahogany body;
poplar neck; rosewood fingerboard; medium C neck shape; 12-in. fingerboard
radius;
1960s-era jumbo frets; 3 lb 4
oz. weight.
c. 1939 B & D Groton 1 (no sn) — original engraved
tuners
Considering the work it
took to perform a respectable re-finish and update the guitar’s playability, Wildwood
was pleased. “When it's warmer out, I'll have them come back and give it a
couple coats of gloss nitro to get the look right,” he said.
NO SN — c. 1939 B & D Groton 1 Flat Top Here's another refinished B & D Groton 1, which was offered for $700 by Subway Guitars of Berkeley CA with a Reverb listing in the summer of 2020.
Refinished c. 1939 B & D
Groton 1 (no sn) with original
bridge, Grover tuning machines and missing pickguard.
The lister said it "plays great with low action," as if that made up for its sad look and muted demeanor.
Where's the B & D pickguard? What genius desecrated a Martin dreadnought so they could install a set of over-sized Grover tuners and bushings on an Art Deco headstock? Strangely enough, the original rosewood bridge escaped the maw of the refinish job.
Nevertheless, it's a $700 beater, a player's axe. In years to come folks will smile politely when they say it sounds nice, but what's that obscure logo on the crowded headstock?
_________________
See also — "Bringing Home a B & D" — posted July 16, 2020
Archtop.com Seattle WA www.archtop.com Bernunzio Uptown Music
Rochester
NY
https://bernunzio.com Cotton Music—NoAmerGuitar Nashville TN https://thenorthamericanguitar.com Emerald City Guitars Seattle WA www.emeraldcityguitars.com/ Folkway Music Waterloo ON https://folkwaymusic.com Guitar Gallery of New England Amherst NH http://guitargallery.com
Ithaca Guitar Works Ithaca
NYwww.guitarworks.com J.B. Kline & Son Lambetville NJ www.jbkline.com Jet City Guitars Seattle WA http://www.jetcityguitars.com Julien’s AuctionsHollywood
CAwww.julienslive.com Kovacik Guitars Scotia NY https://guitar-repair.com
Lark Street
Music
Teaneck
NJ
www.larkstreetmusic.com
Lost Boy
Guitars
Rowayton
CT
www.lostboyguitars.com Mandolin World HQ Brandon FL www.vintagemandolin.com McKenzie River Music Eugene OR www.mckenzierivermusic.com Musician's Enemy Chilmark MA https://reverb.com/item/25559804
New Era Guitars
Chesterton IN
www.arkneweraguitars.com
Players Vintage
Instruments Inverness CA
www.vintageinstruments.com
RetroFret Vintage
Guitars Brooklyn
NY https://retrofret.com/default.asp
Subway Guitars Berkeley CA www.fatdogs-subwayguitars.com Sylvan
Music Santa Cruz CA
www.sylvanmusic.com T.R. Crandall Guitars New York NY https://trcrandall.com/
Unofficial Martin Guitar
Forum Nazareth PA
https://umgf.com Vintage Blues Guitars Lititz PA www.vintagebluesguitars.com Wildwood Rochester VT https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com
Wilco Loft Chicago IL https://reverb.com/item/25451736
Fred Baconhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_J._Bacon
Bacon & Day History https://acousticmusic.org/research/guitar-information/large-shop-guitar-builders Vtg Guitar Catalogs https://acousticmusic.org/research/guitar-information/catalogs
John Faheyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fahey_(musician)
John Fahey's
guitarshttps://umgf.com/john-fahey-s-first-martin-t161688.html
