1970s El Degas (Korean-made) GB22 Dove-copy Dreadnought Guitar
A customer sent this guitar in sometime back to get spruced-up so it could be a donation to a veteran's group. I dragged my heels on it (being perpetually busy) but got it done a few weeks back and it's been sitting here awaiting shipment ever since. I'm finally getting it outbound today and a spare set of Grover Rotomatics came into my hands, so I popped them on last week and now it feels even more "ready for service."
This box looks spiffy from the front in its Gibson Dove-clone trappings, but in reality it's very much a beast inspired by the likes of '70s Japanese ply boxes -- x-braced, thin plywood used throughout the body, a long scale length, and it was originally fitted with an adjustable bridge. While it doesn't have as full a sound as something like a '70s Yamaha jumbo/dreadnought, it does have a respectable sound (but with that usual upper-mids plywood 'zip' to the tone) and feels good in the hands.
Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, replacement tuners, recompensation and adjustment of the (replaced) saddle, a restring, and setup. I also reglued some detached seams along the lower bout top.
Setup notes: it plays bang-on with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret and is strung with 54w-12 gauges. The neck is straight and the truss works. Frets are in good shape.
Scale length: 25 5/8"
Nut width: 1 11/16"
String spacing at nut: 1 7/16"
String spacing at bridge: 2 1/8"
Body length: 20"
Lower bout width: 15 3/4"
Waist width: 10 3/4"
Upper bout width: 11 5/8"
Side depth at endpin: 4 3/4"
Top wood: ply spruce
Back/sides wood: ply mahogany
Neck wood: mahogany-like
Bracing type: x-braced
Fretboard: rosewood, plastic nut
Bridge: rosewood, giant Tusq saddle
Neck feel: medium soft C/V shape, ~12" board radius
Condition notes: it shows plenty of small scratches and scuffs throughout and some wear and tear to the edges (bumps), but nothing serious.
Comments
I bought it in the early eighties and there was just something I really liked about it, not least of which is the beautiful red sides and back. I have a beautiful Martin guitar now and sometimes think I should let the old GB22 go. But when I throw a fresh set of strings on it, it seems to come back to life and I remember afternoons and evenings in my room twangimg out old CCR songs. It is then that I remember how attached I am to this old Korean knock off of a Gibson Dove guitar. I will be leaving it in my will to my grandson who seems to love playing it too, even though he hasn't learned his first chord yet! Big Al
I am fortunate to have a very playable model which never collects too much dust between uses. For a young guy in his early twenties when he bought it, I have never regretted the purchase . Big Al