Guitars for sale

Wards reso uke, made by Regal

Monday, December 7th, 2009

IMG_1605.JPG Since we are on the topic of Montgomry Wards coincidentally I got in this Reso uke made for  Wards by the Regal Company during the period when they were license to make Dobros for the Dobro company. This uke has the “spider” style  cone and is very cute. Not as punchy as the National style reso ukes but it has a very sweet sound.Mor photos click here.

Thornward, made by Washburn

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Montgomery Wards, like Sears, was another catalogue company who sold thousands of household products many manufactured with their brand name. Also, like Sears, musical instruments were some of their offerings. This is a splendid example made by Washburn for Montgomery Wards. Spruce top, ladder braced, Brazilian rosewood, with a fair amount of “bling”. We installed a trussrod, reset neck,refret, repro bridge. One of the nice ones. For more photos click here.

Lyre Guitar circa 1800

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

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Lyre guitar circa 1800  Boy, 200 years old! Thats hard to think about. And you want it to play not just hang on the wall? Im suppose to finish this in a month, we’ll see.

Fortunately this one has a “fix it hole”. I found some writing on the top. I tried to take a photo of it with my camera but there is not much room in there. I can see it with a mirror but its backwards and in a different language so thats no help.Ill show this to John and see if he has a clue.More photos click here

Martin O18, 1954

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

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This Martin O 18 #141739 was gifted to my customer Hiaso Shinagawa  by the late Townes Van Zandt in 1980. Hisao who is also known as, the Japanese Bob Dylan, claims an arsenal of 2,000 songs! The guitar got run over by a vending truck at a Farmers Market he was playing at on December 14 2008.I think this one is going to take a little extra time.  Click here for more photos.

Tulip Guitar

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

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Tulip Guitar     Do you know what this is? I dont.The neck block is the whole arc of the top of the body and is only 1″ deep.The bracing is ladder and the back and sides are Mahogany. Weird.   For more photos click here.

1960’s “Dead Head” J45

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

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J45 1960?  What can I say. For more photos, click here.

N.B. Curtis

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

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N.B. Curtis Parlor.The lower bout on this parlor is almost 15″ so it is on the larger size for a parlor. Scale length is 25″ and it is ladderbraced. Top is spruce and the back and sides are Mahogany. We reset the neck added a trussrod, refretted it, and made a repro bridge for it. This thing plays and sounds fabulous! For more photos click here.

Rooted in classic building traditions, Kerry Char crafts a wide variety of beautiful and unusual instruments as well as providing museum quality repair and restoration.

The shop is located at:

Kerry Char
Char Lutheries
5922 N. Willamette
Portland, OR 97203