This was gifted to me by a friend yesterday. A late 30's Orpheum Style C. I've coveted it for years, and he's been willing to sell it to me, but it was always the wrong timing. Finally was at a point where I had the money and no other priorities. So we played together at church this weekend and he brought it for me to use. Sounded amazing. Knocked my son out. Even knocked my wife out, and she has NEVER been impressed by the sound of a guitar. We agreed on Saturday night he'd sell it to me for what he had in it ($1045), and I borrowed it for the night to really work it out and make up my mind. After the service yesterday, I agreed to buy, just needed his PayPal account to transfer the money. He told me my money was no good, and that if I wanted the guitar it was a gift. He said he'd just been waiting for me to finally decide I really wanted it. I protested, but he was unmoving. Whattya gonna do with people like that?
Buy him a nice bottle of his favorite spirit and give him a pat on the back. Gotta love friends like that.
Hell, I'd even take an enemy like that.
Right?
It was a cheap guitar in the 30's, compared to the Gibson and Vega archtops. But in those days, even cheap guitars were made with materials that are now expensive premiums - like curly maple and Brazilian rosewood. So it has aged really well. It was refinished before my friend bought it, which kills what little collector value it had, but it was refinished at Collings guitars, which is a super-premium guitar builder, and they just did a gentle touch up. I couldn't care less about collector value. I play my guitars.
