Matt Umanov Guitars

Wild and crazy Brazilian concoction with aluminum resonator cone a-la Dobros and Nationals, combined with hot hot single-coil pickup. Hoo-hah! Extra-deep Brazilian (of course) solid(?) rosewood body; mahogany neck; sure looks to me like an ebony fingerboard, has slightly curved fingerboard surface for all you extra-hot pickers out there. Action a bit high for my taste, maybe perfect for yours. A...

How often do you come across a totally solid, mid-1920s, prime era Martin that you can own and play with confidence? And that will comfortably support extra-light gauge steel strings as well? Not too often, not even in the sixty years I’ve been doing this. We rescued this lovely pre-war Martin from ignominy; it had been languishing in storage for years after some very solid repairs and some that...

From those great people at Valco in Chicago, one of their better lap steel guitars from the 1940s-50s. Often called the “New Yorker” model for its graphic resemblance to New York's skyscrapers (and that may be the official model name though it's not so marked right on it), it's got tons of power from its 23” scale and its hot hot pickup. The variable tone control is seductively labeled form...

An early example of a better-grade Gibson mandola and in wonderful all-original condition. No repairs ever needed nor done; no cracks, no messin’ around; this 1909 Gibson H-2 is simply fine. Original frets with almost no wear in nearly unplayed condition; all-original Handel tuning machines with those unique, beautiful abalone pearl and wire inlaid buttons. Original white-bordered pickguard...

I LOVE this banjo! As charming and endearing as any open-back 5-string banjo can possibly be. Apparently made in Britain (news to me) for the American market in the late 1890s and so beautifully done. Its solid Brazilian rosewood neck with seductive mother-of-pearl pearl fingerboard inlay and seven-pointed-star peghead inlay cleverly made from seven slotted diamonds, solid ebony tuning pegs and...

The Grande Dame of the most-esteemed Orpheum banjo line, the Super Orpheum, with all the fanciest stuff of that bygone era one can imagine. Made by Wm. L. Lange, also noted for his fabulous Paramount banjos, it has a beautiful solid Indian rosewood neck with five center laminations and a solid Indian rosewood resonator, intricate mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlay and especially intricate peghead...

Fifty years old now, can you believe it? This wonderful 1974 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, in the rare combination of Mocha finish body and solid maple neck, is one hot ticket. With a pair of Fender's own proprietary humbucking pickups it's got a sound that no other Fender has and it still plays like a true Fender Telecaster, which it surely is. Original utlra-smooth frets, just a bit of wear on ‘em,...

Cool as cool can be. The real deal, a gen-you-wine 1958 Gretsch Duo Jet, an original from the 1950s. Plays like a dream, looks like two, sounds like three. The frets are fabulous and it took me one heck of a lot of very close examination to determine that it’s been refretted with original-style/size frets and so much the better. It’s a top-notch job. Two insignificant pieces of plastic have been...

A rare and stupendous Brazilian rosewood guitar from the workshops of Steve Klein and Steve Kauffman. It is the sought after Parlor Model with 14-1/2” lower bout, so much more comfortable to hold and to play than the extra-large Klein models commonly encountered. Even better than that, not only are its back and sides Brazilian rosewood but they are strikingly straight-grained Brazilian rosewood...

From Takayuki Mori of M's Craft, handcrafted in Saitama, Japan, signed and dated on its label. Mori builds only a limited number of instruments every year and each possesses its own aesthetic. It has premium Hawaiian curly koa top, back, and sides and a five-piece Honduran mahogany neck with abalone shell inlay up and down its center stripe and gorgeous multi-medium inlays of surf-boarders on the...

Banjo Bargain Bonanza! From the famed Gold Tone Company, makers of more varieties of top-shelf banjos than you can shake a fiddle-stick at, this BG-250 is built to pre-war specs and has it all: solid maple neck with all geared tuners, mahogany resonator, multi-ply rim, cast one-piece flange, and that most desirable 20-hole flat-head tone ring. In beautiful nearly unplayed condition, it was bought...

As used on many Martin and other top American-made guitars in the 1950s and 1960s. A better-quality set with a nice original patina for the true vintage look. Even the gears and posts are plated, with blued gear screws. Off-white buttons. $95

Once again, from the depths here a beautiful set of tuners that are exact replicas of 1950s-60s style Klusons, the “One-Line Deluxe” type. No idea who made them but they do have a “Made in Japan” label on their backs indicating very high quality, way above the usual import stuff. Standard 2-3/4” spacing for strings 1-3 and 4-6. Appear to never have been used. Only $59

As used on many Martin and other top American-made guitars in the 1950s and 1960s. A better-quality set with a nice original patina for the true vintage look. Even the gears and posts are plated, with blued gear screws. Off-white buttons. Twelve mounting screws included. $95

An extremely rare find. A complete set of American-made, nickel-plated Grover Rotomatic tuners, still in their original box and never on a guitar. These were considered fine enough to be the standard for Martin's very best guitars from the late-1950s through the early 1980s, when they had no choice but to switch over to the later Korean-made versions. You will not find another set like this...

From the heyday of the ukulele craze, the 1920s-30s, this very cool SS Stewart soprano ukulele. Stewart was a top-of-the-line banjo company from Philadelphia, going back to the late 1800s and with both the facility and the know-how it was an easy transition to making ukes. With its all-mahogany body and rosewood fingerboard, it’s the perfect little ukulele for all occasions. It is in all original...

This is a gorgeous, absolute first-quality, perfect, unused ebony Martin bridge that I have had in storage here for thirty to fifty years. Ordered by me from Martin back in the day to have on hand in my repair shop and absolutely unmatchable for quality and accuracy. This bridge has 2-1/8” string spacing, standard for 14-fret Martins of grade-28 through-45 and is of the “short saddle” variety....

This is a gorgeous, absolute first-quality, perfect, unused ebony Martin bridge that I have had in storage here for thirty to fifty years. Ordered by me from Martin back in the day to have on hand in my repair shop and absolutely unmatchable for quality and accuracy. This bridge has 2-1/8” string spacing, standard for 14-fret Martins of grade-28 through-45, and is of the “short saddle” variety....

This is a gorgeous, absolute first-quality, perfect, unused ebony Martin bridge that I have had in storage here for thirty to fifty years. Ordered by me from Martin back in the day to have on hand in my repair shop and absolutely unmatchable for quality and accuracy. This bridge has 2-1/8” string spacing, standard for 14-fret Martins of grade-28 through-45 and is of the “short saddle” variety....

This is a gorgeous, absolute first-quality, perfect, unused ebony Martin bridge that I have had in storage here for thirty to fifty years. Ordered by me from Martin back in the day to have on hand in my repair shop and absolutely unmatchable for quality and accuracy. This bridge has 2-1/8” string spacing, standard for 14-fret Martins of grade-28 through -45, and is of the “short saddle” variety....

It never ceases to amaze me that there are still parts I haven’t seen in years popping up here. Witness this set of genuine Fender brass Telecaster saddles, complete with original-style slotted height adjustment screws, and intonation adjustment screws with their springs. Quite unusual in that they’ve got flat undersides, for adjusting for an extra-low action. Gotta be at least 10-20 years old,...

These are unusually fine 19th-century bone bridge pins with heart-of-abalone dots that are larger than usual, quite rare. They also have little holes laterally through them just under the heads, if one wants to thread strings through them, even more unusual. The dots are missing from two of the pins, easily replaceable. $149

Three tight, essentially unused, Gibson-style tuners with Keystone-type buttons; two treble and one bass. Replace those bent ones on your guitar efficiently and at low cost. $39

A true mixed bag, two gold-plated and seven chrome-plated replica tuners of various types, all fresh and unused, all with Fender-style slotted tips for easy string changing. Also includes four gold bushings, twelve chrome bushings, and six screws. You can’t go wrong for only $39

In use by Martin from the early-1950s through perhaps the 1970s, these white bridge pins are quite cool in that they are indeed an older set, and have got the patina and aged look to match your earlier Martin guitar. All straight and quite usable. $79

A lovely and most unusual set of four bone bridge pins from the 19th-century. Rather than having pearl dots inlaid into them, they’ve got concentric circles lightly cut into the tops with a diminutive inset depression in the center of each. 1” length below the head, 13/64” dia. below the head, 3/16" dia. at the tip. $195

I’ve been accumulating older bridge pins here since the early 1960s; 19th-century ones of bone, some with abalone dots, early-mid 20th-century ones, mostly from older Martins. Some are in complete sets, some are partial sets. (Please email directly to info@umanovguitars.com if you are in need of individuals to match your own incomplete set). This particular set is extremely rare as well as quite...

These pins were taken from an otherwise unsalvageable Martin that came in sometime over the fifty-plus years I’ve been involved with restoration and repair of Martin guitars. They are unusual in that they are of the “long white no-groove" type and of an earlier material, indicating that they are from a 1940s or earlier Martin They are in excellent condition and are a true find for completing an...

This set was taken from an otherwise unsalvageable guitar that came in sometime over the fifty-plus years I’ve been involved with restoration and repairs. They are of the “short white no-goove” type common to Martins from the early 1920s-mid-1930s. Nice patina on the tops, perfect for a Martin or any other period instrument. Complete set $75

True original Gibson parts, just discovered in our seemingly bottomless collection. They were acquired directly from Gibson sometime in the 1970s-80s-90s, during my 30-year tenure as a Gibson dealer. This is a truly cast tailpiece, with the parting line showing underneath. This is not one of those cheap modern copies, is not one of those hollow fly-weight jobs; it is the real deal, stored here in...