Resonet Grazioso / Futurama Electric - Late 50s / Early 60s (Used)

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$5,999.00

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,Condition: ,Shipping:

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Condition:
Used
Shipping:
$30.00 (Fixed Shipping Cost)

Description

*This is a vintage guitar in good condition. 
*This is a consignment item.

$5,999.00 plus $30.00 Shipping (Consignment Item)

*Observations: Most famous as one of the guitars that George Harrison played in the very early days of the Beatles' career and as one of Jimmy Page's first electric guitars, the Czech-made Resonet "Grazioso" model was introduced in the late 50s. When British music company Selmer began importing them, they changed the name in their catalog to "Futurama", although going forward both names appeared on guitars they imported. Since US-made guitars like Fenders and Gibsons were extremely hard to find in the UK in the 50s and 60s due to trade restrictions, the Grazioso / Futurama became popular with British guitarists looking for an alternative to a Stratocaster.

This example is in good condition, especially for a relatively inexpensive guitar of this era. There is a lot of heavy wear in the form of scratches, dings, dents and large areas of worn off finish on the body and neck, but strangely, the frets are in very good condition. The neck has been oversprayed but the headstock still has the original finish. The body's light finish has sunken into the wood grain over time. The body has what appears to be a large repaired crack that runs the length of the guitar all the way through the body.

The neck and body are most likely made of maple or birch. The vibrato bridge is stiff but functions, and the tuners work well for their age. One of the tuners has a small crack in its bakelite post. The chunky "D-shaped" neck has an unusually rounded fingerboard radius, and the action is a bit stiff but not unplayable. 

The volume and tone controls work well. Each of the three single coil pickups are activated by individual rocker switches. The neck and middle pickup (although out of phase with each other) are working normally but the bridge pickup barely makes any sound and may possibly need to be rewound. The neck pickup may have possibly been already rewound, based on the appearance of the leads coming off of it.

The wooden hard case, with leather corners and covered in laquered fabric, is definitely from the same period as the guitar. There is a very old leather strap inside stamped "Selmer - London", so there's a possibility it may have come with guitar originally. The case handle is intact and the latches function normally.

In spite of its cosmetic and electronic issues, this is a nice example of a very rare and hard to find instrument associated with some legendary players.

  • Model: Grazioso / Futurama
  • Year of Production: Late 50s - early 60s
  • Body: Solid Birch (or Maple?)
  • Neck: One-piece Maple (or Birch?), Bolt-On
  • Neck Profile: Chunky D; .901" depth @ the 1st fret, 1.02" @ 12th
  • Nut: Plastic, 1.598" width
  • Neck Scale: 25 1/2"
  • Pickups: Three single-coil
  • Controls: Volume, Tone, 3 pickup selector rocker switches
  • Bridge: Vibrato bridge
  • Tuners: Original open-gear three-on-a-side with bakelite buttons and tuning posts
  • Weight: 8 lbs 11.5 oz
  • Case: Period Hard Shell case
  • Made in the former Czechosolvakia

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AT (512) 243.6036 OR sales@austinguitarhouse.com