1942 Rex Aragon Guitar Project

Archtop guitars hold a special place in my guitar life. I learned to play on a 1957 Gretsch Corsair. It was my dad's. In around 1938,or so, my Grandfather bought an archtop. A Rex Aragon. These were marketed by Gretsch and I was always told his was a Gretsch. I can see the confusion. But they were top model guitars made by Harmony. He had three sons who all played guitar. And play it they did! That guitar has fretboard wear so deep in the first five frets, it shouldn't play. I think you can play you are my sunshine if you never played before. The grooves will just take you there. So one day I was contacted by a cousin, who had found me on Facebook. She had wanted an acoustic guitar built. I really don't build acoustics. So I proposed we build an restore a guitar like my grandfathers. Not an easy model to find. I did locate on in Maryland. Fair condition with no structural issues. The plan was to remove the neck and replace it with a more modern neck. These old guitars had no truss rod and were the neck was very chunky. The body finish was restored and I made a neck to match the look and finished it to match. The end result is an outstanding instrument! A ton of work went into this and it shows. Enjoy the Photo's. Bob.