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New really old guitar day !
Posted on 8/15/25 at 3:53 pm
Posted on 8/15/25 at 3:53 pm
Just picked up an old (1936) Harmony Supertone Archtop guitar. Got it for $150.00


This post was edited on 8/15/25 at 4:23 pm
Posted on 8/15/25 at 6:31 pm to midnight1961
That is awesome. Does it sound good and is it loud enough?
Posted on 8/15/25 at 7:08 pm to AthensRattler
I think it sounds really good. From what I've read it's got a solid spruce top. I put new strings on just a little earlier today. The only thing I may change is have a new nut cut.
Posted on 8/15/25 at 10:00 pm to midnight1961
I bet that old guitar has some heart and soul to it, and rings like a bell. 
Posted on 8/16/25 at 5:46 am to midnight1961
This comes to mind immediately:
link
link
quote:
Rawlings achieves his signature guitar sound flatpicking a small archtop guitar. The 1935 Epiphone Olympic that has been his primary instrument was a mid-priced guitar for its time, with a carved arched solid sprucewood top, carved arched solid mahogany back and mahogany sides.[20] It sold for about $35 in 1935[21] (equivalent to $800 in 2024[22]). The guitar's lower bout measures 13 5/8 inches wide, and it has three piece f-holes.[20]
Rawlings "scavenged" the guitar from a friend's garage and is now hardly seen playing anything else. As he states, "I just picked it up. It was filthy, and it didn't have strings. You could just see the shape of it under the sawdust." Rawlings had a new one piece bridge made for it and brought it to a recording session for Welch's first record. "As soon as I heard it through the microphone and through the speakers I was like, 'I love this guitar'." he says.[23]
Posted on 8/16/25 at 7:25 am to tiggerfan02 2021
quote:
I bet that old guitar has some heart and soul to it, and rings like a bell.
Yes it does. It has definitely been played a lot. There are small indentions on the back of the neck where the thumb rests, and the fretboard has some wear. To me, it just adds character to the guitar.

Posted on 8/16/25 at 11:46 am to midnight1961
Here's my 1215 Archtone from the late 40s/early 50s. I haven't found the inkstamp with the suffix of the production year to date, I think it was never stamped.
The Archtone 1215 is made out of birch, the entire guitar. Interesting wood choice in that you will recall birch is not a guitar tonewood, it is traditionally a drumshell wood.
Where it gets fun ... The Archtone's birch top has faux grain lines painted on to make the soundboard look like spruce; and the birch sides and back have faux quilt added to make it look like figured maple; and the birch fingerboard is reddish browned to look like rosewood.
I espied it in the back corner of a Plank Road pawn shop about 10 years ago and scored it for I think $200 cash out the door. It plays and sounds absolutely phenomenal which is insane considering it's never had a neck reset. Or if it did, it was among the most pro and cleanest I've ever seen - zero trace evidence.
You made a STELLAR score!
The Archtone 1215 is made out of birch, the entire guitar. Interesting wood choice in that you will recall birch is not a guitar tonewood, it is traditionally a drumshell wood.
Where it gets fun ... The Archtone's birch top has faux grain lines painted on to make the soundboard look like spruce; and the birch sides and back have faux quilt added to make it look like figured maple; and the birch fingerboard is reddish browned to look like rosewood.
I espied it in the back corner of a Plank Road pawn shop about 10 years ago and scored it for I think $200 cash out the door. It plays and sounds absolutely phenomenal which is insane considering it's never had a neck reset. Or if it did, it was among the most pro and cleanest I've ever seen - zero trace evidence.
You made a STELLAR score!
Posted on 8/16/25 at 11:51 am to TheFretShack
Your Archtone is beautiful !!
Posted on 8/19/25 at 1:11 am to awestruck
quote:
This comes to mind immediately:
Rawlings is one of my favorite guitarists. He can make that guitar weep. Such an emotive player.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 7:42 am to midnight1961
looks to be in amazing shape to be almost 90 years old
excellent buy, thanks for sharing
excellent buy, thanks for sharing
Posted on 8/19/25 at 7:54 am to SEClint
I saw where Tarantino got an old &15,000 guitar from a museum on loan for the movie for her to play because it sound awesome. They had an old beater for the smashing scene,
The look on her face was genuine after Russell smashed it because instead of the beater, Russell really smashed the $15,000 guitar.
She and Russell thought Tarantino was going to cut right before smashing it and Russell said he was going to keep going until he cut the scene. He never called cut and well. The museum will never loan out another item for movies again.
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