resurrecting a Silvertone Parlor - advice.suggestions?

[lkjjr]

Recently had a family member bring this old Silvertone parlor to me for some "care, cleaning and maintenance".  It is in amazingly good condition given a recent history of being ignored and neglected, plays generally well and produces some nice tones.  The owners are more concerned with the sentimental value than anything else.

Hoping to tap into the wisdom of forum members as I begin to clean and inspect this guitar.  So...
    • Any ideas about the age of this guitar?
    • Anyone familiar with a historian/hobbyist site with details about Silvertone parlors?
    • Thought I would re-string it with some low tension strings so as not to stress the joints unnecessarily.  Any suggestions from those of you who have had similar "vintage" ones (i.e., Stella, Harmony, etc.)?
    • Are there any common issues with these I ought to be looking for as I go over it?
   
Thanks for taking the time to look at this. Please don't hesitate with any suggestions from those of you who have been down a similar "road."

[unclrob]

Hoping to tap into the wisdom of forum members as I begin to clean and inspect this guitar.  So...

    • Any ideas about the age of this guitar? They were made from the late 50's thru the late 60's both in the USA and Japan

    • Anyone familiar with a historian/hobbyist site with details about Silvertone parlors? Sorry can't help here.

    • Thought I would re-string it with some low tension strings so as not to stress the joints unnecessarily.  Any suggestions from those of you who have had similar "vintage" ones (i.e., Stella, Harmony, etc.)? I've used Silk and Steel's with good return.

    • Are there any common issues with these I ought to be looking for as I go over it? Though the bridge is nut and bolted sometime's the bridge can still lift.Neck joints can be week but from your description this doesn't seem to be an issue.

Thats all I got.

[lkjjr]

Thanks Rob

[mike in lytle]

From an online Sears catalog, 1963. You can see the guitar you have in the shop. Birch body, steel reinforced neck. Pinless bridge!!
My dad wrote copy for Sears catalogs, and would bring home various guitars used for photo shots. We would keep them for a few weeks, and we always had Silvertone and Harmony guitars around the house, including electrics. My dad played the classical, not so well, and me and my sister had flat tops and arch tops mostly.
Anyhow, I knew exactly where to look.
Mike

[lkjjr]

Great story Mike, and thanks for the sharing the page from the catalog.

[noyage]

I have the same guitar! Got it a long time ago. Could use a neck reset so it stays on the wall.
It's like the Lebowski rug - ties the room together ;)

[jpmist]

Nice find, Mike!  I got a kick out of zooming in and reading the copy. Kudos to dad!

Nearly 60 years later I was struck by how contemporary the features are still. I swear Martin has made a recent model like #2 with the worn in satin finish. "Ebonized" fretboard is a thing now as well. Interesting also that they had a electric pickup option at a pretty hefty price. The biggest surprise was the "3 ply" top being a premium feature 🙃

[noyage]

The biggest surprise was the "3 ply" top being a premium feature 🙃

Sounds 10x better then the 4 ply tops being offered by the competitors!