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Lot Essay
In addition to his dedicated patronage of American luthiers, Walter Becker collected dozens of vintage instruments throughout his career. His guitar tech Nite Bob recalled: He loved to shop, man. He was every guitar-shop-owner’s dream. Unlimited budget, you know. If he came to your store, usually it was 15 minutes before closing. Because he didn’t like people to bug him when he was trying to do things. And you would stay two or three hours after closing. And it could be a $1,000 sale, it could be a $15,000 sale. He loved going to vintage shops all over the place. He loved Emerald City Guitars in Seattle. He liked going to Rock and Roll Vintage, and Chicago Music Exchange in Chicago. Buzzy, we’d go into Buzzy [Lark Street Music] all the time. They loved us there. He bought a whole bunch of Bacon & Day stuff. The sale of Becker’s collection included five 1930s Bacon & Day ‘Senorita’ model acoustics, with this guitar and the subsequent lot being rare flat-top ‘S-6’ models. This model is most closely associated with the American guitarist and composer John Fahey (1939-2001) who played a slightly earlier version in the 1960s and which can be seen on the cover of his 1967 album Requia.
The company of Fred Bacon and David Day, based in Groton, Connecticut, was famous for making banjos in the 1920s, building the flashiest and most expensive models available – and the banjo-inspired design of the headstock of this guitar reflects that heritage. Whilst Bacon and Day also experimented with building ukeleles and mandolins in the early 1920s, the focus of their production was banjos. However, by the mid-1930s, with the banjo market declining and the lingering effects of the Depression still being felt, the company took the decision to branch into the guitar market – one in which they had neither the experience nor the manufacturing capability. They employed the Chicago-based company Regal to build the guitar bodies – with the S-6 model being the highest spec example in their flat-top line, retailing at $60 – and added the decorative flourishes of simulated pearl and rhinestone themselves. It cost around the same price as a Gibson Jumbo or a Martin D-18, both of which were made of mahogany. Bacon and Day specified that the S-6 Senorita be made in rosewood, and in their catalog promoted the quality and tonal advantages of rosewood.
The company of Fred Bacon and David Day, based in Groton, Connecticut, was famous for making banjos in the 1920s, building the flashiest and most expensive models available – and the banjo-inspired design of the headstock of this guitar reflects that heritage. Whilst Bacon and Day also experimented with building ukeleles and mandolins in the early 1920s, the focus of their production was banjos. However, by the mid-1930s, with the banjo market declining and the lingering effects of the Depression still being felt, the company took the decision to branch into the guitar market – one in which they had neither the experience nor the manufacturing capability. They employed the Chicago-based company Regal to build the guitar bodies – with the S-6 model being the highest spec example in their flat-top line, retailing at $60 – and added the decorative flourishes of simulated pearl and rhinestone themselves. It cost around the same price as a Gibson Jumbo or a Martin D-18, both of which were made of mahogany. Bacon and Day specified that the S-6 Senorita be made in rosewood, and in their catalog promoted the quality and tonal advantages of rosewood.