The Stradette Is A Hit!

[JimPage]

Hey--

Here is something that strikes me as a little strange.

I play guitar with several local folks, and none of them are familiar with Mosrites or Hallmarks. In the past few months, instead of playing my old Slingerland Nite Hawk archtop or my Martin acoustics, I have been playing either my Hallmark Stradette or my Hallmark 60 Custom. The Stradette is the Vintage (bolt-on neck) model in black and white, and the 60 Custom is the Fire-Sparkle Burst. Both are strung with D'Addario ECG23 Chrome Extra Light Electric Guitar strings (.010/.048 flatwounds).

The Stradette has a slightly longer scale, I believe, than the 60 Custom. I think that the Stradette is more expensive.

Now, with that as a bit of background, three guitarist buddies who have tried both ALL prefer the Stradette-- a lot! Is it the looks? I don't know. Is the the playability? They both play very well with low actions but two guys thought that the Stradette had a more pleasant neck profile. Is it the sound? Maybe. Comfort? The Stradette feels lighter than the 60 Custom.

One player last night thought that the Stradette had a "thump or whack" to it that the 60 Custom did not have, making it better suited to rockabilly or western swing. He asked to try the guitar and he didn't give it back for almost an hour.

The first of the three is a folk/Grateful Dead type player; the second is a jazz/Bakersfield country type player, and the fellow last night is more of an all-around can-play-anything well type player.

I find this fascinating. I like both guitars a LOT, and think they are both wonderful for any of the music I play, which is classic rock to Bakersfield country to folk. These are both terrific musical instruments capable of a wide range of sounds; more than I have noticed in other electrics. Maybe that is because of the pickups being so different from Fenders or Gibsons. I am not that well informed on electrics.

But all three guitarists mentioned, once they heard the price that Hallmark sells these for, that they want one, but all three leaned toward the Stradette.

Of the two body styles, I would say that, in my opinion, the 60 Custom is more conventional, but there is an elegance to the Stradette that is certainly appealing. Two of the guys said that they were reminded of the Hofner Beatle basses.

Anyway, I thought that you all might find this interesting. I have no idea which sells better or what you folks have found to be the case if you have been able to compare the two types of guitar. Again, I like them both. If I had to pick a guitar that both remind me of, other than a Mosrite, I would say a Rickenbacker.

Take care--

--Jim

[Desert Surfer]

Yes, I agree that Bill Gruggett's Stradettes are so unique and are very well made guitars. I was very lucky to get this handmade Custom Shop model from a eBay seller a few years ago. I take it out and play it on July 4th every year.

The guitar plays very well and the pickups are hot. The body is small and light and it does look like a violin. The headstock is a little strange but is distinct and unique.

[JimPage]

Gosh, Desert Surfer, that is a gorgeous unit. The headstock is way different than the one on my Stradette; yours reminds me of the one on an old Univox bass I used to have in the late 1960s.

Love the red, silver, and blue paint job!!!

Is yours the set neck or the bolt-on? Mine is the bolt-on, as Bob Shade recommended that to me based on the stuff I play.

I love mine.

I think we are all so lucky to be able to score such wonderful guitars at reasonable prices. When I bought my first guitar, it was the best electric in the Sears catalog but it was still a piece of junk when it came to playability, and, since no one else in that little North Florida town played an electric guitar and there were no stores within 100 miles, I never realized they could be modified for better action. Also, the Western Auto radio I modified to use as an amp for it wasn't the best thing in the world, either.

So it goes . . . That's the only reason that other Jimmy Page got the jump on me . . .

--Jim

[Desert Surfer]

Gosh, Desert Surfer, that is a gorgeous unit. The headstock is way different than the one on my Stradette; yours reminds me of the one on an old Univox bass I used to have in the late 1960s.

Love the red, silver, and blue paint job!!!

Is yours the set neck or the bolt-on? Mine is the bolt-on, as Bob Shade recommended that to me based on the stuff I play.

I love mine.

I think we are all so lucky to be able to score such wonderful guitars at reasonable prices. When I bought my first guitar, it was the best electric in the Sears catalog but it was still a piece of junk when it came to playability, and, since no one else in that little North Florida town played an electric guitar and there were no stores within 100 miles, I never realized they could be modified for better action. Also, the Western Auto radio I modified to use as an amp for it wasn't the best thing in the world, either.

So it goes . . . That's the only reason that other Jimmy Page got the jump on me . . .

--Jim

Thanks, Jim. Yeah, the headstock is surely unique and distinct. it reminds me the head of violin or cello.

I love mine too. It's not only a great guitar, it's a piece of art.

Mine is the set neck.

I believe most guitars in old Sears catalog were made by Harmony in Chicago. I used to have a 1964 Hallow body Rocket H54 which was one of the early vintage guitars I collected. Actually, it wasn't too bad and I had some fun with it. I sold it to get other guitars.



Best,
D.S.

[JimPage]

Hey!

My Silvertone was purchased from the 1965 Winter Sears catalog and cost $90 plus shipping. It was a Silvertone model 1435, which was a house-branded version of a Japanese Teisco model MJ2 or ET200.

The action was very high and it never had anything but Black Diamond strings on it, cause that was all you could buy at the Lanier's Rexall in Apalachicola, Florida, in those days.

--Jim

[Desert Surfer]

Hey!

My Silvertone was purchased from the 1965 Winter Sears catalog and cost $90 plus shipping. It was a Silvertone model 1435, which was a house-branded version of a Japanese Teisco model MJ2 or ET200.

The action was very high and it never had anything but Black Diamond strings on it, cause that was all you could buy at the Lanier's Rexall in Apalachicola, Florida, in those days.

--Jim

Speaking of Silvertone, I also got a 1959 Danelectro U-1 from the same seller (Sears carried the exact same model under Silvertone name) which I also sold. It is a very simple guitar but has a unique '50 sound.

Had a 1968 Teisco once but sold it cheap quickly as the neck is not straight and cause a lot buzz sound on higher notes (unless I raise the action way high)

Best,
D.S.

[Bob Shade]

Thanks guys! Yes we do have vintage series Stradette's in stock and these are amazing little units. Deke loves his and still plays it out on occasion. He purchased one prior to the Hallmark Deke Dickerson model being introduced which you see him playing out these days. That Red Silver and Blue was an idea I had for a finish for one and it turned out great. It was handbulit by Bill Gruggett in Bakersfield form the ground up and it has the Hallmark parts and handwound pickups which we still do today upon request. Every handbuilt has been a one of a kind. We still handbuild here in our USA Hallmark shop and Bill still handbuilds for us in his Bakersfield Ca. shop and we can build any type of guitar on request. For people who are on the fence about a Stradette, don't be. I saw Deke play in town a few years ago and he was toting his Gretsch White Penguin and the Stradette. I thought this would be interesting to A/B the sound form out front. I was very interested to hear the results. Sorry Gretsch, but there was no comparison in both tone, and that 50's/60's high fidelity sound. The Stradette was full, loud and beutiful in tone and the Gretsch was a bit too clean on the verge of tinny. I am sure it would sound good for some things, perhaps studio work, but it simply could not keep up live to the Stradette and was buried. These guitars play very well and for a custom semi hollow guitar are priced very competively.

Thanks again for the thread, and keep picking! Bob Shade