The Sears bankruptcy is big news, especially in Chicago, with many people reminiscing about iconic house brands such as Craftsman and Kenmore. I haven't yet seen an article about Silvertone guitars, which were extremely popular during the 1960s. Silvertone guitars, both electric and acoustic, were inexpensive and widely available. Unlike other cheap guitars, they were also pretty good, with decent action and tone. According to Wikipedia, Silvertones were the first guitars of Jerry Garcia, Chet Atkins, Bob Dylan, John Fogarty, Joan Jett, and Jack White. The Who used Silvertones in the concerts, but that may have been because they famously smashed the instruments at the end of the show. Silvertones were the perfect disposable guitars and basses. Decent quality and cheap to replace. Silvertone once marketed a "Leadbelly model" 12-string, although in fact he played a Stella, which was comparably low-priced.
The Silvertone brand actually dated to 1915 and originally included phonographs and radios; it was discontinued in 1972. As with so many vintage items, Silvertones are collector's items today, sometimes selling for thousands, even though you could once find them virtually everywhere. The cheapest model -- which was $67.95, including the in-case amplifier -- was available in the catalog and inspired garage bands everywhere.
UPDATE: Silvertone guitars also played an important role in the development of the blues, beginning in the early twentieth century:
"There was an amalgamation of a number of things that led to the development of the blues and the acoustic guitars being bought through the Sears catalog was certainly one of them," said Michael Roberts, who teaches a class on the history of the blues at DePaul University in Chicago. "It was inexpensive enough that the blues artists were able to save up the money they made as sharecroppers to make that purchase."
You can read the entire article here. (H/T Alex Lubet)
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