Gibson Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe (USED, 1938)

We like nothing more than when an old players-grade Gibson walks through the door. And this 1938 Gibson Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe looks nothing like the original but it sounds incredible. The Stage Deluxe was Gibson's first jumbo-bodied Hawaiian dreadnought (see our Gibson HG-00) and everything about it is huge: the body, the neck, and the tone. However, the numerous repairs done to this example make it a lot more playable. The neck was reset at some point and carved down to a comfortable V-shape with a 1 3/4" nut. The original sunburst finish was stripped down to natural and then some sensible repair tech decided to apply a thin, spirit varnish(?) to the whole body, thankfully preserving some of that authentic, chunky Gibson tone. The bridge and bridge plate are shockingly still the original, once again maintaining much of this old hoss' openness and clarity.

This is the kind of guitar that will push you out of any musical ruts you happened to be in. It forces you to play differently and will hopefully guide you into new--or old-- musical directions. If you are at all concerned about nut width, neck profile, or string spacing, this guitar is not for you:-)