Help with some old slide guitars...

[Sacausey]

I've got two old slide guitars that I'm looking for info on, and I'm hoping some of you will have seen them before.

The first is a Magnatone and the second is a Recording King. The Magnatone looks all original. One of the tuning pegs (the one that would be high E on standard tuning) is broken, but still works. The Recording King looks all original except for the volume and tone knobs. They both sound fine when plugged into an amp. They're both in their original cases.

I'll attach some pictures here.

Anybody know where I can get some info on these? I tried a simple google search, and didn't find much. I'd like to know when they were made and how much they're worth.

Thanks.

 

[Bob Womack]

There's a Maggie like yours (except white knobs) on Fleabay right now, HERE. I had one of the single knob Maggies back in the '70s. Right now I'm playing a Supro and a Gretsch. Have fun!

Bob

 

[PG13]

I'd contact Geroge Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. He's arguably the smartest man on the planet in matters like yours. I've had him appraise a couple of vintage instruments I own a few years back. He does charge a fee per instrument, but if you want the last word on worth and insurability, he's the guy to talk with. http://www.gruhn.com/

 

[rocksalt7]

+1 for George....walking encyclopedia of guitar knowledge.

 

[Joe Dampt]

Those are some cool finds! Magnatone and Recording King are both known for producing some interesting instruments back in the day, so you're sitting on some great history. For the Magnatone, they were particularly active in the 1940s-60s, so narrowing down the date usually comes down to identifying specific features, like the logo style, hardware, or even the case it’s in. The broken tuner could be an easy fix with the right part, but you’ll want to keep everything as original as possible to maintain value. The Recording King guitars were often produced by different manufacturers, so figuring out exactly when and where it was made can be tricky without detailed serial number info. I'd suggest reaching out to vintage guitar shops that specialize in slide guitars, sometimes they have resources or experts who can help with appraisal and history. My experience? I’ve been working for 6 years at Joe’s Vintage Guitars.