Vintage Guitar Scene: 1947 Gibson L-7
Everyone remembers their first time. This was mine. Attending an auction to bid for a guitar.
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Articles by Ben Rogers
Guitar Scene: The Spira “Unk” Guitar
John Joseph Rogers from Millicent (South Australia) and Grace Mabel Beatrice Fitzgibbon from Williamstown (Victoria) were married in 1917. They lived in a modest weatherboard house on a vineyard in Merbein, North-West Victoria. John Rogers had purchased the virgin land and planted it with grapevines – primarily sultanas – soon after the Merbein irrigation settlement was established in 1909. John and Grace raised 13 children on the property. My father John (Jack) was the first-born, whilst the last was Kevin, born in 1931, and later to be known throughout the clan as “Unk”. […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: Paul Cumming and his National Tri-cone
This is the story of a vintage resonator guitar and one of its owners. […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: Maton Supreme Electric 777
This double cutaway thinline guitar was built in the old Maton factory in Canterbury (Vic) in February 1965, the last year of this particular model. The Supreme Electric 777 has been described as Maton’s answer […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: The Hawthorn Hawaiian’s Lap Steel
Most guitars have the maker’s brand name displayed on the headstock. However the headstock of this old lap steel displays what amounts to an advertisement, and there are no other identifying marks on the instrument. […]
Vintage Amp Scene: The Fender Tweedless
I’ve owned this little Fender Vibrolux amp for nearly 40 years now. The previous owner was an amateur keyboard player who bought it second hand from a music store in Mildura (Vic) to use with […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: Johnny Osmond’s Vox Guitar
This Vox guitar belongs to New Zealand expatriate Johnny Osmond. It’s an early sixties instrument from British manufacturer Jennings Musical Industries (JMI), the original owner of the Vox brand. JMI entered the guitar market in […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: The Packhorse Stockman’s Wristwatch
What does a wristwatch have to do with vintage guitars you may ask? Well, some vintage instruments were involved in this story, but it’s really about a recording project, an Omega wristwatch and the last […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: The Best Excuse to Buy a Bass – Beatle Bass
Hofner 500/1 Violin bass (Beatle bass) Most readers would recognise a Beatle bass – the violin shaped bass guitar that achieved celebrity status as Paul McCartney’s main instrument during the heyday of the Beatles’ live […]
Vintage Guitar Scene: Songsters, Alvers and Tuners
Songsters – the term will be familiar to those of a certain age with an interest in popular music of the day. Songsters were pocket sized booklets of song lyrics produced in Australia by the […]