Vega E-30D Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1963, made in Boston, Mass., serial # 11721, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body with spruce top, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.

The E-30D was Vega's pro-grade archtop electric in the early 1960's, a very fine instrument but pretty much a forgotten model since that time. By this era Vega was primarily back to building banjos for the folk boom, and electric guitars were only a very minor part of their product line. In the mid-50's Vega offered a full line of guitars, but by the end of the decade had shifted gears into banjos full-time. When the Kingston Trio hit it big in 1959 using the company's proprietary Pete Seeger Model long-neck banjo the company was overwhelmed with orders, and guitars were suddenly a less important product! Vega guitars from the 1960's are rarely seen today, and we are always impressed when we do find one.

By the time this E-30D was made, Vega was sourcing parts from all over the industry. The arched body was made by Harmony, very similar to their top-line H-1310 acoustic archtop but with specially-designed asymmetrical F-holes specific to this Vega version. Vega themselves made the slim maple neck, with a single-bound rosewood fingerboard. The pickups appear to be the same New York made Fransch electronics units used by Guild in the 1950's, similar to Gibson P-90's but with a white plastic cover. The guitar also carries the combination of a Hagstrom Adjusto-Matic bridge, Waverly tailpiece and chrome-top, black plastic numbered knobs that Guild often employed at this time. If this sounds like a bit of a muddle, it's not; the net result is more than the sum of its parts, a splendid electric that is easily the equal of many similar Gretsch or Guild products. This guitar easily holds its own in Jazz, Blues or early Rock'n'Roll territory and is one of the best bargains in a pro-grade archtop electric we have had.
 
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). Spectacular, beautiful all original condition with very little wear and no modifications at all. There is one small ding to the top on the cutaway bout, other than that the guitar shows almost no wear. Also a great playing and sounding instrument, a serious bargain in a more than 50 year old archtop electric guitar. Includes an extremely fine OHSC. Near Mint Condition.

Item # 6965

$1,950.00