USED Silvertone Model 698 Sunburst 1965 Acoustic Guitar - No Bag/Case

Players of a certain age all know the Silvertone name as mega-retailer Sears & Roebuck’s house brand of musical instruments. If there was a guitar under the Christmas tree in the 1960s, there’s a good chance it was a Silvertone. At the same time, EKO was an Italian guitar-making juggernaut, turning out several thousand guitars a month, mostly lower-priced acoustics and electrics. 

This Silvertone Model 698 acoustic was manufactured by EKO in 1965. It has lived a relatively gentle life and came to us needing only a little cleanup work to get back to living its best life. Other than reseating a few frets, fret polish, saddel shave, and cleaning up the fret ends, the guitar was remarkably sound. The bridge sits flat, and the glue joints around the body and neck are tight (there is a neck heel bolt inside the body). The neck does not have an adjustable truss rod, and the action is about .110 at the 12th fret. Not great by modern standards, but plenty of old budget acoustics started out there and got worse. The saddle could be worked a bit more, but we’ll leave that to the discretion of the buyer. It’s strung with D’Addario EJ26 11–52 strings. The tuners work remarkably well, and the plastic buttons show no signs of disintegration. This Silvertone 698 is a nicely preserved period piece that is also a good strummer. If you are a fan of the era, Silvertone products, or Italy’s golden age of guitar manufacturing, this is a great addition to your collection. 

All clean up and repair work done by UpFront Guitars. Vintage gear is not returnable, so please ask questions if in doubt. Guitar does not have gig bag or case. We have some options but can also ship safely and securely without either.

About this Silvertone Model 698:

• Body Style: Dreadnought
• Top Material: Solid Spruce
• Back & Side Material: Press-Laminated, Arched Maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• 18 frets, joined at the 14th
• Zero fret
• 25.5" scale
• Made in Italy by EKO
• No Bag or Case included