1950s Vega E-201 Hollowbody Electric Guitar

Overview: This is the second or third E-201 I've had the pleasure of having in the shop. I worked on this one for its owner some years ago and it's arrived back here in good order -- only needing a wipe-down and minor tweaks to the setup and a replacement G-string.

These are very cool guitars and they have comfortable necks and lots of style. I mean, just look at that "glowing" pickguard job! They're designed to be both a decent acoustic archtop and plug-in-ready as well. Vega kept the wiring from damping the top by "podding" the harness under the pickguard and suspending the pickup off of the top.

Soundwise, these  pickups remind me of "flat pole" Gibson P90s from the late '40s -- sort-of wide and warm sounding with some good bite and excellent punch. They're perfect for retro jazz, rockabilly, or roots-rock/blues sort-of stuff.

It's currently got a set of wound-G 11s on it so the acoustic sound is not as full as it could be with 12s, but it does have a good, round, chunky archtop thing going-on when played unplugged. Vega made the necks in-house in Boston for these but the bodies were made by Harmony in Chicago.

Repairs included: Previously, I'd leveled and dressed the frets, fit a ground to the tailpiece for the wiring, and set it up. It's still playing spot-on and is ready to serve.

• Weight: 5 lbs 12 oz
• Scale length: 25"
• Nut width: 1 5/8"
• Neck shape: medium C/soft V
• Board radius: 12"
• Depth at first fret: 0.88"
• Depth at seventh fret: 0.98"
• Body width: 16"
• Body depth: 3 1/2"
• Body wood: solid spruce top, ply maple back/sides
• Bridge: adjustable ABR-style top with rosewood base
• Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood
• Neck wood: mahogany
• Pickups: 1x single coil
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 49w-11 with wound G (or similar)
• Truss rod: adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium-bigger

Condition notes: It's original-throughout except for a strap button added at the heel, a replacement (modern) adjustable bridge, and a ground wire I added to the harness. There's plenty of weather-check in the finish overall and some finish crackling on the back of the neck and heel area that's heavier. There are small scratches, nicks, and dings here and there throughout with heavier rubbing to the finish at the headstock's pointier bits. The hardware has all aged in its plating.

It comes with: It's got a nice, presumably-original, hard case.

Consignor tag: NRUS