• Airline Acoustic Guitars History

Dating Valco Instruments

• The Japanese acoustic guitar scene of the ‘70s isn’t an easy one to follow. 'Who made what and for whom?' Is an endless pursuit—and it does matter, because a brand could suddenly produce an unexpectedly superior instrument, having bought a particular model or series from one of the better suppliers.
• Vintage 1960's Airline Archtop Acoustic Guitar. A sweet vintage 1960's Airline archtop acoustic guitar. Plays and sounds great. Love the big white pickguard! Cool vintage archtop for a nice price! Neck is a nice thick V shape. Feels really comfortable under your grip. The action on this one is low and is easy to play all the way up and down.

The most effective way to date a Valco guitar or amp is by its serial number. From the ‘40s until 1964, the serial could be found stamped into a small metal plate that was tacked onto the back of the headstock or the back of the cabinet. From 1964-1968, the serial was ink-stamped onto a silver foil sticker that is found in the same place. The following is a key for decoding the serial number, but keep in mind that the numbers are approximate.

Starting in 1947, a new serial number system was adopted that allows for reasonably accurate dating of instruments. Valco quickly became one of the leading manufacturers of lap steels, alongside Magnatone, Gibson and Rickenbacker, and the company also sold acoustic guitars with National necks and bodies by Gibson.

'N' prefix: 1935

'S' prefix: 1935-36

'A' prefix: 1936-37*

'B' prefix: 1937-38

'C' prefix: 1938-40*

'G' prefix: 1941-42

'G' suffix: 1943-47

V100-V7500: 1947

V7500-V15000: 1948

V15000-V25000: 1949

V25000-V35000: 1950

V35000-V38000: 1951

X100-X7000: 1951

X7000-X17000: 1952

X17000-X30000: 1953

X30000-X43000: 1954

X43000-X57000: 1955

X57000-X71000: 1956

X71000-X85000: 1957

X85000-X99000: 1958

T100-T5000: 1958

T5000-T25000: 1959

T25000-T50000: 1960

T50000-T75000: 1961

T75000-T90000: 1962

T90000-T99000: 1963

G5000-G15000: 1963

G15000-G40000: 1964

Starting with '1-': 1964-68

Starting with '2-': 1968

*'A' and 'C' prefixes also occur in some pre-1936 serials.

However, some of these plates and many of these stickers have disappeared over time. Often the speaker codes or potentiometer codes can help, assuming that these parts are original and legible. Pot codes can be decodedhere, and speaker codes can be decoded here. For dating pre-Valco acoustic instruments,see this page.

Airline was a store brand of consumer electronics and musical instruments originally marketed and sold by American retailer Montgomery Ward via their catalog and retail stores. Products included radios, televisions, record players, guitars and amplifiers. In the early 2000s, Eastwood Guitars acquired the rights to use the 'Airline' brand-name.

Musical equipment[edit]

The Airline brand was used by Montgomery Ward on a range of electric and acoustic guitars from 1958-68. These were made in Chicago, Illinois, by the Valco Manufacturing Co., Kay Musical Instrument Company, and Harmony Company.^[1] Airline-branded amplifiers were manufactured by Valco and Danelectro.

Valco Airline guitars have been played by a wide array of bands and artists, including: Jack White,^[2]J. B. Hutto, David Bowie, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Calexico, and Wooden Shjips.

Eastwood Guitars reissue[edit]

After Eastwood Guitars purchased rights to the 'Airline' trade name in the early 2000s, they reissued the early 1960s 'JB Hutto' Airline shape as the 'Airline DLX.' The new version set aside the defining hollow fiberglass body of the Valco-made original^[3] in favor of the simpler and less-costly chambered mahogany body, giving it a more traditional electric guitar feel and tone, rather than the unique playing feel and response of the original.^[4][5]

Eastwood Guitars later released the 'Airline '59 Custom' in two- and three-pickup models in December 2008, which come with striped pickguards and rubber-bound bodies, in the spirit of the originals.

See also[edit]

• Valco
  • National String Instrument Corporation — origin of Valco, via National Dobro Corporation

References[edit]

1. ^Electric Guitars: the Illustrated Encyclopedia Edited by Tony Bacon. San Diego: Thunder Bay, 2000. Pp. 18 & 242.
2. ^Robinson, Mike (April 14, 2014). MyRareGuitars.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014
3. ^Electric Guitars: the Illustrated Encyclopedia Edited by Tony Bacon. San Diego: Thunder Bay, 2000. Pp. 18 & 243.
4. ^'White Heat: the White Stripes' 21st Century Blues' by Darrin Fox. Guitar Player Magazine, edited by Michael Molenda, June 2003, Pp.72.
5. ^'The House That Jack Built' by Christopher Scapelliti. Guitar World Magazine, edited by Brad Tolinski, May 2004, Pp.150.

External links[edit]

Media related to Airline Guitars at Wikimedia Commons

• 'Eastwood Guitars'. — home of reissued Airline guitars.
• 'Guitar Kits USA'. — home of Res-O-Glas guitar kits.

Airline Acoustic Guitars History