"Magnatone is indebted to America's Leading Guitar Authority, Paul Bigsby..."
"Designed by America's Leading Guitar Authority, Paul Bigsby" 
An Exceptionally Rare 1957 Magnatone Deluxe Mark III
One of the Last Single-Cutaway Models Produced

1957 Magnatone Deluxe Mark lll (Paul Bigsby designed)

This super rare, sixty-five year old Paul Bigsby designed 11 1/4 inch-wide, 1 5/8 inch deep, electric solid body guitar weighs just 6.50 lbs. Solid mahogany body (contoured on bass-edge) with original dark cherry finish. One-piece mahogany neck (thru body design) with a nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 25 1/4 inches and a wonderful, really thick 'baseball-bat' profile. Unbound Brazilian 'slab' rosewood fretboard with 20 original? medium-thin frets and inlaid silver dot markers. Headstock with 'shield-shaped' black plastic plate secured by four metal pins with "Magnatone / Deluxe / Mark / lll" in gold. Single-layer 'shield-shaped' black plastic truss-rod cover with four screws. Three-in-a-line, closed-back Kluson Deluxe 'single-line' strip tuners with white plastic oval buttons. Oval brass plate with engraved serial number "53698", affixed to the back of the headstock with two brass pins. Specific 'short' single-layer black formica pichguard with nine screws and a small black, rectangular formica neck-plate with two screws. Two Alnico Vl single-coil pickups with metal covers and metal surrounds. The potentiometers are stamped "137 724" (CTS, June 1957. Original black plastic, ribbed side control knobs. Magnatone 'pre compensated' height-adjustable metal bridge and specific Magnatone tailpiece with "M" cut-out, secured to bottom edge of body by three screws and strap pin. There is some belt-buckle scarring on the back and some wear mainly on the edges of the body and some good old playing wear on the back of the neck. Overall this super rare little guitar is in all-original and excellent plus (8.75) condition. Housed in a late fifties, sligthtly larger (13 inch) three-latch brown 'aligator' soft-shell case with  brown plush lining (9.00). This is the first Deluxe Mark III that we have ever seen.

Designed by Paul Bigsby during his brief but historically important association with Magnatone, this exceptionally rare Deluxe Mark III is one of the last single-cutaway examples produced before the introduction of the radically redesigned Mark IV. Lightweight, beautifully balanced and remarkably original, it represents one of the scarcest production guitars ever associated with one of America's most influential guitar builders.

The solid mahogany body retains its original dark cherry finish and distinctive sculpted bass-side contour, while the one-piece through-body mahogany neck has the wonderfully full, substantial "baseball bat" profile that makes these guitars such a pleasure to play. Measuring just 11¼ inches across the lower bout and weighing only 6.50 lbs., the guitar has an almost perfect balance between compact dimensions and full-scale performance. The unbound Brazilian rosewood slab fingerboard retains its original silver dot position markers and 20 medium-thin frets. The headstock carries the distinctive black shield-shaped Magnatone logo plate, while the rear retains the original engraved brass serial plate numbered 53698. Electronics remain entirely original, featuring the desirable pair of Magnatone's powerful Alnico VI single-coil pickups with their distinctive chrome covers. The CTS potentiometers are dated 137 724 (24th week of 1957), placing assembly during June 1957. The original Magnatone four-way adjustable bridge, patented "M" tailpiece, Kluson Deluxe single-line strip tuners, pickguard, controls and hardware are all present.

Condition is excellent-plus (8.75). There is honest belt-buckle wear to the back together with scattered edge wear and attractive playing wear to the neck, all entirely consistent with a well-cared-for professional instrument that has never been altered or refinished. The guitar remains completely original throughout. Housed in its period late-1950s brown alligator-grain three-latch soft-shell case with brown plush interior (9.00).

This is the first Deluxe Mark III we have ever encountered.

One of the Final Mark III Deluxe Models: Serial number 53698, together with the June 1957 CTS pot codes, places this guitar among the very last Deluxe Mark IIIs produced before Magnatone introduced the completely redesigned double-cutaway Mark IV. We have recorded two Mark IV guitars carrying serial numbers 52149 and 53267, indicating that both models overlapped briefly during the middle of 1957. The Mark IV represented a complete redesign, incorporating new pickups, controls, pickguard, bridge and tailpiece, making this guitar one of the final examples of Paul Bigsby's original single-cutaway concept.

Paul Bigsby and Magnatone: Around 1955, Magnatone president Art Duhammel commissioned Paul Bigsby to design a completely new line of Spanish electric guitars. Few men were better qualified. By that time Bigsby had already established himself as one of the great pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, building revolutionary custom instruments for Merle Travis, Grady Martin and many of the leading country musicians of the day, while simultaneously developing the famous Bigsby Vibrato that would become one of the most influential guitar inventions of the twentieth century.

The Mark III and Mark III Deluxe were introduced in 1956 and remained in production for only a short period before being superseded by the redesigned Mark IV during 1957. Production numbers appear to have been extremely small, and surviving examples are seldom encountered today. Although built by Magnatone, these instruments unmistakably reflect Bigsby's design philosophy: lightweight, practical, elegantly engineered and intended for the working professional.

Their powerful Alnico VI pickups produce a remarkably broad tonal range, capable of warm, articulate clean sounds as well as an aggressive bite that rivals many better-known American solid-body guitars of the period.