zptx Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 My family has had this guitar around the house since I was born, I believe my mother bought it in the mid 60's. I don't see any markings othe than "The Texan" on the headstock. Was wanting a project to make it playable again , but I have no idea what it is, if it has any value, or if it is something that I should waste any time or money on. Any comments welcome. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Looks kind of like a Harmony/Kay product. They were made for several labels and this may be one. It looks like it needs a lot of work but not insurmountable and my guess is that will sound real nice. It's old wood. Plus the family connection is cool. I say go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 This is a wild guess, but Jefferson Manufacturing in Philadelphia, known mainly for their cowboy guitars, put out a number of slightly different models called Texans over the years, starting around 1943. These were among the few full-sized guitars sold by Jefferson. There are a couple of different '50s-era Texans in pictured in Ron Middlebrook's "Cowboy Guitars" book. This would be a really top-of-the-line guitar for Jefferson -- just for starters, it's made out of wood -- but the more sober of the two Texans in the book looks pretty comparable. If this guess is right, then the guitar is probably an inexpensive import rather than a product of Chicago. Making it playable for its sentimental value is a great idea. Making it playable for its value as a guitar, not so much. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zptx Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Thanks for the help. My guess was an import too, certainly wanted better eyes than mine if I was to risk messing something up. May be a funlittle project, maybe for my son to play who is now 3. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I would get it fixed , just to see how that old wood sounds :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 In what country was this guitar aquired?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 It is hard to tell much without eyeballing the guitar. The open back tuners with the gear wheel above the worm gear are a very old style and generally were no longer used by the late 1920s. The 14 fret neck, however, points to a guitar made no later. The burst has a real early to mid-1930s look to it. No way to guess what it is worth in terms of cash. It could have been one of the thousands churned out by the Chicago jobbers like Harmony or Regal. On the other hand, guitars made by others such Oscar Schmidt or Larson Bros. fetch a pretty penny these days I would say it is worth having a good repair guy look at the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Don't make me buy a Taylor if I'm wrong, but I think it was made by Framas Guitars in Germany, back in the early60's. The reason I even remember the name "Framas" is because my uncle had a Texan guitar and it was a Framas and it was also a sunburst............Okay, now don't make me buy a Taylor.....but if you want to give me your 814 I'll take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zptx Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 In what country was this guitar aquired?? USA ... Mom was a self proclaimed yippie while in college at smu in dallas around the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zptx Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 !http://antebelluminstruments.blogspot.com/2010/10/c1935-kay-made-unmarked-archtop-guitar.html Tuners look similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Don't make me buy a Taylor if I'm wrong, but I think it was made by Framas Guitars in Germany, back in the early60's. ... All the pictures of Framus Texans I could find said "Framus" on the headstock, and were bigger guitars of a different shape. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Nah, it sure ain't a Framus. Often times it seems these guitars are something built by a company like Regal for a specific store or even a small regional chain. Tracking them down to a specific maker though is usually not the easiest task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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