- Home
- 1935 Gibson S-1 Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe, Sunburst ex- Norman Blake + OHSC
1935 Gibson S-1 Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe, Sunburst ex- Norman Blake + OHSC


































A beautiful, rare,1935 Gibson Roy Smeck Stage De Luxe previously owned and played by world renowned folk musician Norman Blake. It comes with a signed letter of provenance from Norman and a letter from Christie Carter of Gruhn Guitars at the time, authenticating its status as a "collectors item of historical significance."
Norman Blake is a world renowned American folk musician celebrated for his traditional approach to Bluegrass, Old-time and Appalachian folk styles, and his technical ability as a guitarist, mandolinist and fiddle player. In his early career he was studio and live guitarist for Johnny Cash, and has since released numerous albums both as a solo artist, as a duo with his wife Nancy Blake, and as a collaborator with the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant among others. Norman is renowned for his devotion to 12-fret Gibson and Martin acoustic guitars, and we're very pleased to offer for sale one of his old 12-fret Gibson's in the form of this 1935 Roy Smeck Stage De Luxe.
Leroy G.A. Schmeck, aka Roy Smeck, was a talented multi-instrumentalist and performer who's breakthrough came in 1923 as the accompanist to singer Olga Myra on the Keith-Orpheum Vaudeville circuit (a large chain of moving picture houses/ theatres renowned for it's variety shows.) Roy Smeck's technical ability, knowledge of Jazz music and various instrumental tricks he would use set him apart from other musicians on the circuit, and it wasn't long until he became a household name.
Roy Smeck's endorsement with Gibson began in 1934 with the introduction of two signature Hawaiian models - the "Stage De Luxe" and the "Radio Grande." They had the same body dimensions and Appalachian Spruce/Brazilian Rosewood combination as the Advanced Jumbo - in particular a deeper and less tapered body depth than the models produced post '36. Given the rarity and value of original Advanced Jumbo's in today's market most Roy Smeck models, including this one, have since been converted from Hawaiian to Spanish style thus creating a 12-fret version of the Advanced Jumbo.
Although we don't know who did the conversion work on this guitar, it's clear it has been done to a good standard. The conversion process has involved re-shaping the square neck, adding a truss rod, adding frets, resetting the neck to give more back angle and recutting the saddle slot for intonation. The neck is refinished as a result of the work. The back appears refinished, the sides look original, and we're very pleased to see the original, attractively-aged small sunburst top finish too. There is remnants of glue squeeze-out around some of the top braces, bridge plate and neck block.
The Adirondack Spruce top is tight grained and incredible resonant. This example has two tapered tone bars and sound wise it is an absolute canon with incredible sustain and power. It's responsive to the touch and very dynamic giving the player the ability to go from whisper to growl with a lot of space in between and a lot of headroom. The low end is bold and warm without being cluttered. Note separation is excellent making this guitar ideal for flat picking, fingerstyle and chord work. The 12 fret neck join means the soundhole is further towards the middle of the string length which gives excellent volume, power and very rich harmonics especially when paired with the Brazilian Rosewood back/sides. The neck is a handful, but for me these limitations can be quite inspiring, limiting some options and pushing you into different areas. It's a guitar like no other, and one I found incredibly difficult to put down.
This is a rare beast, especially in the UK market. A guitar that is as much a piece of Gibson history as it is a beautiful instrument to play, not to mention it's esteemed previous ownership. If that's not enough it also comes complete with it's original plush lined Geib case. A stunning set and an instrument to be treasured.
Send to a friend
Recommend this to a friend by entering their email address in the box below.
Related products
1927 Gibson Nick Lucas Special + OHSC
View details
1955 Gibson J-200 + OHSC
1955 Gibson J-200 + OHSC
View details
1963 Gibson J-200, Sunburst + HSC
1963 Gibson J-200, Sunburst + HSC
View details
1968 Gibson B-25 rare Cherry Red + OHSC + Tags + receipt
1968 Gibson B-25 rare Cherry Red + OHSC + Tags + receipt
View details