What's In Zach's Attic Today?
As of August 15th, 2018 we have the following used and vintage instruments in Zach's Attic:
- Guild X-50 Hollowbody more >>>
- Gibson 1959 ES-125 more >>>
- Taylor 814ce Sunburst with wide neck more >>>
- Mastercraft 5-String Resonator banjo more >>>
- Fender Special Edition Std Strat more >>>
- Fender Blues Jr. amp more >>>
- Ovation 1612 Custom Balladeer acoustic/electric more >>>
- Vintage Danelectro Model 122 'Cadet' amp more >>>
- Fender 2007 American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash more >>>
- Fender Vibrolux Reverb 'Drip Edge' more >>>
- Blackbird Rider more >>>
- Harmony Rocket more >>>
Click on one of these instruments or just scroll down for photos and more information.
Zach's Archives
Want to peek at the extraordinary range of cool and interesting instruments that have passed through Zach's Attic? Just click HERE!
Contributing to Zach's Attic
We're always looking for interesting used and vintage guitars, basses and other fretted instruments that need new homes. (Sorry, we don't accept used band instruments.)
If you have a used or vintage instrument that you think Zach might be interested in, bring it in and show it to him. (Call ahead to make sure he'll be in the store when you come.) If he likes your instrument we can work out a trade or buy it outright.
You can contact Zach by phone at the number above or via our Ask Us! page.
Our Guarantee
Buying a used or vintage instrument can be a scary process. If you don't know what you're looking for, you can easily overpay or end up with an inferior (or even unplayable) instrument.
When you buy a used or vintage instrument from The Minor Chord we guarantee it to be as described. If there are flaws in the instrument that we know about, we'll tell you. If there are significant flaws we didn't notice and disclose, tell us within 30 days and we'll cheerfully give you your money back.
The Minor Chord is a music store you can trust!
Our Used and Vintage Instruments
Zach is our store manager and head instrument buyer. He hunts down the top quality used and vintage instruments that we feature here in "Zach's Attic".
Vintage 1960 Guild X-50You just never know what will come through the door! Amazingly, a customer just consigned another vintage hollowbody similar to the 1959 Gibson ES-125 that just arrived in the Attic. The new arrival is a Guild X-50. A full hollowbody with a slimmer body than the ES-125, the X-50 features a single P-90 style single coil pickup with the same simple single volume and tone controls. The neck is a mid-profile shape, very easy to wrap around and play. The guitar has a gorgeous lightweight vintage feel to it. Excellent for blues, jazz, folk rock. Guild was founded in 1952, and these earlier models are very collectable. The guitar appears to be all original with the exception of a second strap button. Overall in very good condition, it's certainly been played, but those years of play have resulted in a rich, well broken in tone. Offered at $1,199.00 with an Access bag included. To hear this vintage guitar in action click here. |
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Taylor 814ce Sunburst with custom wide neckThis gorgeous Taylor 814ce Sunburst has just arrived in the Attic. It was originally sold here and it's a one-owner instrument that was well cared for. Other than some typical minor finish issues on the headstock near the tuners, it's in fantastic condition. The 814ce has always been a highly-regarded Taylor model, and this one is a bit more special featuring a custom wider 1-7/8 inch nut width. That simple feature makes a world of difference in the string spacing. Those coming from the wider-neck classical world, or someone with a large hand, will find this guitar much more accommodating. Having had a few years of playing, this guitar has a nice broken-in tone. We like the elegant look of the light maple binding on the body and neck and the way it contrasts with the darker rosewood back and sides. Nice low action, fresh setup with Elixir Nano Light strings. These wider neck Taylors are hard to find, and we don't expect this one to be here long. Original Taylor deluxe hardshell case included. Offered at $1999.00 |
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Mastercraft 5-String Resonator BanjoBanjo students often begin with an open-back banjo. They're smaller and lighter, but they don't produce tons of volume. Nice for practice, but not for performance! But a resonator, attached to the banjo's back, reflects and focuses the sound towards the audience. This banjo has a nice mahogany resonator that looks sharp. Entry-level resonator banjos start at well over $500, so this Mastercraft instrument is a more affordable option. $299.00 with hardshell case. |
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Fender Special Edition
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Fender Blues Jr.We don't really need to say too much about this amp, it's already one of Fender's all-time best-selling models. Great middle of the road size where it can be turned down sweet and low, but can certainly crank when dimed. The "fat" switch is a nice feature in that it does what the title of the amp says...gives you a bluesy grit with some gain but not over-the-top wailing distortion. This particular one is an older version, one owner, in excellent original condition. Functions perfectly. Come check it out soon before it's gone! |
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Ovation 1612 Custom Balladeer Acoustic/ElectricOccasionally we get a nice Ovation in the Attic. This one is an earlier-vintage Custom Balladeer on consignment from a friend of the store. Built in Connecticut in 1983, it has warmed and seasoned nicely. Good action, easy to play and a nice full tone. The dual strap buttons make it easier to control with a strap when you're sitting and the signature Ovation round back starts slipping. Plugged in, the piezo pickup delivers a familiar sound and the placement of the volume knob makes adjustments on the fly very easy. Hard to believe this is a vintage instrument now at 35 years old! The original deluxe brown Ovation hardshell case is included. Offered at $599.00 |
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Vintage Danelectro Model 122 'Cadet' AmplifierAnother early vintage tube amp has found it's way into the Attic. Small, lightweight, and snarly! Simple design format with the rear panel controls, turn it on, crank it up, and you'll hear that old tube tone. With an amp this size, the type of guitar plugged into it really affects the sound. A Strat or Tele with single coils will keep it cleaner with a slight bit of grit at full volume. A strong P-90 or humbucker brings out much more of the natural tube gain when cranked. This old-timer is a bit noisy when you're not playing but that doesn't matter when the volume is up. A great value for the price, and a totally different sound than a Fender, Vox, Marshall, etc. Offered at $299.00 |
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Fender 2007 American Deluxe Stratocaster AshThe American Deluxe guitars were the top of Fender's American line for some time. These are excellent sounding and playing instruments. The ash body paired with the tobacco sunburst finish looks great. The Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups eliminate much of the hum that single coils are known for. The contoured neck heel is a nice feature when fitting your hand higher up the instrument. The S-1 switching works by enabling a capacitor for some interesting pickup combinations. Basically there are 10 selector switch settings instead of the typical 5. The stainless steel block saddles are ideal for palm muting, and the 'drop-in' style whammy bar is much smoother than the standard twist-in bridge version Schaller locking tuners keep your tuning stable. Excellent condition with minimal play wear. Original Fender hardshell case with locking latches included. To hear this Strat in action click here. |
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Vintage Fender Silverface 'Drip Edge' Vibrolux Reverb AmplifierWe are thrilled to offer this highly collectable 'drip edge' Fender Silverface Vibrolux Reverb. Dating to around 1968, it's from a classic era for Fender tube amps. The aluminum drip-edge front panel was only offered for a short time on several Fender amp models making these a bit more prized. Just serviced by our tube amp technician, it's ready to rock. 40 watts of all-tube power really cranks but won't blow your head off like a Twin Reverb can. The two original Oxford 'Fender Special Design' 10 inch speakers sound fantastic and can handle pedals easily. The genuine spring reverb is lush and the vibrato shakes like it should. There have been several classic Fender tube amp models in the Attic recently and they've all sold quickly. This is a special opportunity and these amps are hard to find. Bring your favorite electric down and give it a try! Click here to hear this vintage amplifier in action! |
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Blackbird RiderCarbon fiber instruments have grown in popularity. Fighting the weather & humidity poses a struggle for many folks, and a carbon fiber guitar might be the solution. At only 3 lbs, this Blackbird Rider could truly be brought anywhere. Hiking, boating, walking, it will work and it sounds really good. Surprisingly full for a "paddle-style" body shape. Plugged in the pickup delivers a full/warm tone. This is a hard to find, unique guitar and is no longer being made in the steel string version we hear. Grab it and have your own adventure! Click here to see what this travel guitar can do. |
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Harmony Rocket
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Common problems with used instruments
We see a lot of used instruments at The Minor Chord and a few common issues seem to show up in many of them. If you are thinking of buying an instrument on the private market, make sure you can spot these common flaws.
Lifting bridges
Most bridges on acoustic guitars are simply glued to the guitar top. If the glue joint starts to separate you are looking at a dangerous guitar. Six steel strings exert a huge tension on the bridge, and if it suddenly comes loose it can seriously injure anyone nearby. The staff at The Minor Chord has seen this happen - so we always inspect the bridge of an acoustic guitar before restringing it.
Piece of paper under a lifting bridge
If you can slip a sheet of paper under the bridge of your guitar (see picture) you should relax the string tension immediately and bring the instrument to us for inspection.
An experienced luthier can remove a bridge and reglue it, but the time and labor involved makes the process too expensive for beginner and intermediate guitars.
High action
The distance between the strings and the fingerboard is called the action height. If the action is too high the guitar becomes hard (or even impossible) to play because it takes too much effort to press a string against the fingerboard. In addition, the guitar will probably not play in tune because each string has to be stretched so much (which raises its pitch) as it is pressed down.
Proper action height depends on two factors: The alignment of the neck and the height of the saddle (the point at which the strings rest on the bridge).
Electric and steel-string acoustic guitars usually have a truss rod running down the neck that can be used to adjust neck alignment. Classical-style guitars with nylon strings typically do not have a truss rod, and the only way to realign the neck is for a luthier to remove, shim and reinstall the neck - a major operation. The same operation is required on electrics or steel-string acoustics if the truss rod doesn't have enough available play to achieve the needed adjustment.
Saddle height is easily adjusted on electric guitars using a very small allen-head wrench. The saddles on acoustics and classical nylon strings may simply lift out of the bridge and can be shaved or shimmed to achieve the correct height. If these adjustments cannot bring the action height to a playable level, an expensive neck reset is required.
A low action height is desirable for easy playing but the action cannot be lowered so much that the strings start buzzing against the frets. Inexpensive guitars tend to have uneven frets, which means that the action height cannot be brought very low at all. Resetting or dressing the frets can even them up but it is a time consuming and expensive process, worthwhile only for valuable guitars.
All of these adjustments related to action height are fussy and interrelated. It's best to leave them to an experienced luthier, which means it is usually not economical to rescue an inexpensive guitar having these problems.