Retrofret Vintage Guitars

07/02/2026

07/02/2026

Just arrived this exceedingly rare 1962 Epiphone EBS-6 Newport Electric 6-String Bass Guitar! https://retrofret.com/products/epiphone-ebs-6-newport-electric-6-string-bass-guitar-1962-14215
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This Epiphone Newport EBS-6 6-string bass is one of the rarest electric instruments ever turned out by Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory. According to available shipping information a paltry total of 21 were ever shipped; 10 in the initial year 1962, 7 in 1963, and a final 4 stragglers in 1965. Probably only one batch was ever assembled, and Epiphone’s sales office had little luck moving them out from the beginning! Unsurprisingly few vintage guitar fans even know they ever existed.
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07/01/2026

We’ve just listed this 1957 Gibson ES-125T 3/4 Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar! https://retrofret.com/products/gibson-es-125t-34-thinline-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1957-14217
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This ES-125T 3/4 is an extremely cool little Gibson — and with its hot P-90 pickup, a surprisingly great-sounding guitar. The small 3/4 size, short scale non-cutaway thinline archtop was offered starting in 1957 lasting well into the ‘60s.
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06/29/2026

Just arrived a 1955 Fender Telecaster in a blonde re-finish! Original Tweed Hard Shell case. https://retrofret.com/products/fender-telecaster-solid-body-electric-guitar-1955-14121
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This early “white guard” Telecaster has been re-worked over the decades as quite a few were, but still retains more original character than many, with an older refinish and a planing/refret to the fingerboard but no heavier mutilations. At present the original untouched lead pickup has an appreciable sonic output but reads as an open coil; the sound is bright, articulate spanky but to most tastes somewhat thin. Many players would prefer it to be rewound which can easily be arranged, with a number of excellent artisans working today who can restore or tweak it as preferred. As the unit appears so far untouched we have left is so for now but would be happy to discuss options.
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06/28/2026

It’s and we have this 1955 Gibson Byrdland N (Pre-Production) Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar in its original brown hard shell case! https://retrofret.com/products/gibson-byrdland-n-pre-production-thinline-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1955-13860*
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This is a truly historic instrument, one of three known production samples (NOT prototypes) if the Byrdland, a pivotal guitar in Gibson history. This is documented in Andre Duchossoir’s book “Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years: “According to factory records the earliest production samples were registered on 30 June 1955 ( -20985/A-20986/A-20987) but the model was not shipped in quantity until 1956. For the record, four original prototypes were built as modified L-5CES with a special thin body and registered on 4th April 1955. Two of them were sent to Billy Byrd and Hank Garland and the remaining pair kept by CMI/Gibson”. What Andre did NOT mention (or may not have known at the time) is that these three pre-production guitar are *significantly* different from all subsequent production models, in a way that makes them both unique and arguably superior instruments. Two of these were natural finish and one sunburst; this beautiful guitar is one of those natural Blonde twins. (Twins, Max...imagine the possibilities...)
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06/26/2026

One of our favorite airlines to travel with a 1964 Airline Model 7244 Solid Body Electric Guitar!! https://retrofret.com/products/airline-model-7244-solid-body-electric-guitar-1964-13991
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This Model 7244 is way cool and relatively rare wood-body version of a guitar more commonly seen built on Valco’s trademark “Reso-Glas” fiberglass body. This maple-bodied guitar was the top of the “Airline” guitar line in 1964-5, their “Best” twin-pickup guitar retailing at a princely 99.95 with the strap, instruction book and pick included; the case would run you $13.95 extra. The catalog stated it featured “”Newest design hard rock curly maple body finished in attractive polished cherry red color”. It’s possible Ward’s initially had reservations about “plastic” guitars, or more likely using a simpler wood body was simply more cost effective.
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06/25/2026

Just arrived this 1962 Martin 00-21! https://retrofret.com/products/c-f-martin-00-21-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1962-14109
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The ghost of the 1960s folk era beckons with this lightly gussied-up Martin 00-21 which has added pearl slotted diamond inlay to the fingerboard and bridge ends. This guitar was built in late 1962, one of only 78 shipped out that year. The charming label under the soundhole indicates it was originally sold out of the genuinely legendary McCabe’s guitar shop in Santa Monica bearing the shop’s original 3015 Pico Boulevard address from the early 1960s This store was the center of the Folk scene in the Los Angeles area the way Izzy Young’s Folklore Center was here in New York. It is quite likely the “upgrade” pearl work was done there in the early 1960s as a custom appointment for a folk player desiring a bit of extra “bling”, it is in the Martin style but is almost certainly not factory.
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06/24/2026

Just arrived a 1961 Gibson ES-350TD in its original brown hard shell case! https://retrofret.com/products/gibson-es-350td-thinline-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1961-14108
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This guitar is a rare example of the final original version of one of Gibson’s classiest thinline electrics, the ES-350TD. It was shipped out early in 1961 at the end of the model’s run; only 61 sunburst examples were sold that year. After late 1960 this model was redesigned with a sharp Florentine cutaway instead of the rounded Venetian style. Gibson shipping records indicate well under 200 (at the most) of these sharp-cut sunburst-finished examples were ever produced.
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06/23/2026

Today we just posted this great sounding 1956 Gibson J-45 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar! https://retrofret.com/products/gibson-j-45-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1956-14151
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Gibson’s slope-shouldered Jumbo guitars have been very popular since their introduction with folk, blues, and pop players, and as always picking this one up it’s easy to see why. This is 1956 J-45 shows some wear for its 70 years on earth but remains a superb player with a comfortable round-backed neck, slightly slimmer in feel than some mid-‘50s examples. These 1950s Gibson Jumbos are pretty much universally great-sounding instruments, with a big, warm sound that can still cut through the mix when pushed. It is set up as a gigger with an added pickup system consisting of an L.R. Baggs Anthem unit added under the bridgeplate, with a volume control under the soundhole rim and endpin jack.
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06/22/2026

Just arrived a 1965 Gibson ES-330TD Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar! https://retrofret.com/products/gibson-es-330td-thinline-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1965-14077
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This is a nice original example of an “Iced Tea” sunburst ES-330TD from 1965, a pivotal year at Gibson as it marked the beginning of many detail changes to the instruments. This 330 has new appointments from ‘65, most notably chrome-plated hardware including the pickup covers and tune-o-matic bridge with nylon saddles. The nut is the narrower 1 9/16” width introduced this year, which would last through the end of the 1960s. 1318 sunburst ES-330 TD’s shipped from Kalamazoo in 1965, so while not particularly rare these were still not built in enormous quantities even at the height of the guitar boom.
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