My Vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone Archtop Guitar
Can you help me find information about this guitar? It is my vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone archtop guitar. I purchased it more than thirty years ago. I still love to play it and now my daughters have taken an interest in it and I want to repair the binding because it is cracking.
Here are some pics...
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posted by Kevin's Guitars @ 10:39 PM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Someone else recently asked me a question about a Lee Gibbs guitar. I asked him if he could send pictures, and he never did, but from his breif description, I speculated that it was an old Japanese import. I'm still not sure about his (an LP copy), but your photos reveal that yours is a Kay product, sold through Montgomery Ward.
The main identifying characteristic is the bell-shaped truss rod cover. The shape and placement of the f-holes is also typical of Kay designs. Concertone was a house brand for Montgomery Ward guitars before they started using the Airline name. I'm not sure precisely when Wards switched the names, and they may have used both names concurrently on different models for a while before retiring the Concertone label. I don't think Kay started using adjustable truss rods until the late '50s or early '60s, and that's probably around when the Concertone name was being phased out.
While most Kays were cheap "beginners' instruments," some of their better models were pretty decent, even if most suffered from high action as a result of poor neck angles.
I suspect that yours may be one of their better models for several reasons:
1) When Kay (and their big competitor, Harmony) started using adjustable truss rods, they were generally only on their better models.
2) The tuners on yours (if original) appear to be Klusons of a slightly better grade than the plastic-button Klusons used on practically all other Kays.
3) It bears an "artist" name. I tried to research who Lee Gibbs may have been, and came up with zilch. But a named guitar usually indicates something special, even if nothing more than a marketing promotion.
4) The sunburst finish follows the contour of the body, instead of the usual one-size-fits-all, "teardrop" stencil pattern, suggesting a greater level of attention to the finish.
Since Kay and Wards were both based in Chicago, maybe this could have been a limited production model for local distribution aimed at fans of a local guitar hero?
Another thing that's unusual about yours is the body shape for the time it was probably made. The narrow upper bout is more typical of designs of the late 1920s and '30s than the late 50s.
The cracking binding is a common problem on guitars of this age. A good luthier can replace it or possibly repair it, depending on the severity of the cracking.
Hope this helps. Have fun with it,
Bill
Lee Gibbs was Montgomery Ward's house brand. I have a single cutaway Lee Gibbs Concertone. My dad played it, and his dad played it, so it's more than a guitar to me.
My grandfather added electronics to it. Home-wound pickups made with bar magnets, wire, wood screws, and cellophane tape. My father and I lowered the action and had to remove the pickups to make room for the lower strings. We shaved down the underside of the bridge and replaced the missing thumbwheels by tapping out two pennies (should have used dimes, the smooth edges on the pennies make them hard to turn). I hope to someday buy slim pickups and re-electrify it.
Your Concertone is in far better condition than mine except for the binding. My binding is immaculate, but the wood is cracking around the F holes, it is discolored from age and nicotine (though much of the nicotine came off with Martin's guitar polish). The paint on the head of my guitar is in bad shape. It's faded so much it doesn't match the logo sticker, and the head is gouged all around the edges. Also I think you have replacement machines; mine are much lower quality than yours. The part you turn is white plastic, and the gears are open as opposed to yours which are covered. Those look like they might be Gibson machines, check to see if a name is stamped on it.
After lowering the action as I described, it became quite a good player. It went to college with me, but as the wood began to crack, I played it less and less out of caution. I picked up a very boring looking Yamaha acoustic just so I don't have to risk damaging the Concertone further.
Somewhere in my family is a matching Concertone that wasn't electrified. It is in much better shape, but still not quite as good as yours. Many of the men in my father's family play guitar, and these Concertones are important to all of us.
Brad, thanks for your comment and I apologize for my lack of posts. I almost forgot my login credentials because it has been so long.
I am very excited to hear from another Lee Gibbs Concertone owner/player. I have owned this guitar since 1972 and you are the first and only evidence that there are more out there! Do you think you could take some digital photos? I would love to see it and post them here on this blog page...
You are correct about the Gibson machines. I still have the originals in a box. They looked identical to the Gibson other than the white knobs. I was afraid they would crack like the binding.
Just like yours, mine is also destined to become a family heirloom! My daughters both play guitar and I just had the binding repaired because my little sixteen year old rocker (Erika) had had her eye on it for years. I'm adding a Kent pickup very soon. I will post photos when it is complete. I had a new pick guard made because the original fell apart. It was made of the same material as the tuning knobs and binding I think. It was off-white just like the binding, so I wanted the same color. My oldest daughter and my wife think the off-white pick guard is ugly. I don't care what they think as long as Erika likes it. Like me she wants it to look as original as possible.
Thanks again for the post and I hope your Lee Gibbs Concertone keeps playing for many years to come, Kevin
Did Motgomory Wards ever market amps under the "Lee Gibbs" name? I have what ai belive to be a "Lee Gibbs" Concertone amp. Thats my best guess because the decal on the front of the amp has worren badly.
I can send pictures if need be.
Dean, Please do send send pictures of your Lee Gibbs Concertone amp and I will post them here. I have been researching the Lee Gibbs Concertone brand for a long time and until I started this blog, I have never run into anyone who has ever seen Lee Gibbs Concertone guitar. And now thanks to you, we know that there were Lee Gibbs Concertone amps. I wonder about the quality. My Lee Gibbs Concertone archtop guitar is made very well and it is hard to believe it was from Motgomory Wards!
Thanks for posting your comment, Kevin
Hi Kevin
Sorry it took so long to reply.
I have some pictures of my Lee Gibbs amp but I'm not sure how to get them up on the blog.
If you send me an Email at: deanreichert.com,
I'll get them to you.
P.S.
I'll pay a little more attention to my spelling from now on.
Dean
I am not sure if my other massage took or not. But I just got a Lee Gibbs Concertone Archtop electric a long with what looks like the oringinal case. Brown algiator type.Would like as much info on it as possible.
Roger
hey! i went to a couple pawn shops today and the guitar the stuck out the most to me was one of these mysterious Lee Gibbs Concertone Archtop Guitars.
The guitar had an older pickup in it and i played it through an amp, I LOVED IT!!
It sounded exactly how it looks and it was beautiful!
They are asking $650 for it but i dont know about dropping that much.
I love how it sounds but this day and age its rough to drop that much money.
I like it when others help me ponder on decisions like this so if anyone has some input, lets have a conversation.
stickbug.mc@gmail.com
thanks
mike
It looks just like the one I had! I bought mine in 1973, and after about 10 years the pickguard just disintegrated. The binding on the top started crumbling a bit, and the guitar was always in a harshell case if I wasn't playing it. Mine had a sliding DeArmond pickup that is very collectable now, and the body was drilled for a 1/4" jack. I sold mine about 10 years ago. Thanks for posting...
Mark in Boston
i have a Lee Gibbs Concertone ukeleale , very old mahogany , its going on ebay soon.
Hi if anyone is looking for a LEE GIBBS acoustic guitar I just listed one on ebay it has a enamel metal plaque on the arch top thats says Lee Gibbs. thanks 1.21.11
LEE GIBBS ARCH TOP LE ACOUSTIC GUITAR FOR SALE ON EBAY Item number:120674454399
RUNNING NOW TAKE A L@@K
Hi, Loved reading all the posts about the Lee Gibbs Concertone! I also have one and it plays rather well for the age.
Kevin if you still reply I would like to send you some pictures. Thanks LCG
The Lee Gibbs Concertone guitars may have looked like the products of a Chicago maker but they were not. The giveaway is the Gibsonesque heel- unlike Kay or Harmony. The guitars were in fact made by United of New Jersey- the company that took over the old Oscar Schmidt works.
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