Premier Bantam Deluxe E-706 Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar , c. 1960
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Premier Bantam Deluxe E-706 Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1960, made in Jersey City, NJ, serial # 3250, black lacquer finish, laminated maple body, mahobany neck with rosewood, original brown chipboard case.
The Premier Bantam is a very interesting but mostly forgotten electric guitar of the 1950s and '60s. A product of the New York-based Sorkin/Multivox organization, the Premier brand name was used from the late '40s for amplifiers and from the early 1950s on guitars. The company offered many interesting designs, including some quite original amplifiers like the split-cabinet Premier 88.
The Bantam guitar is an example of an idea that was kicking around New York makers in the early '50s: a small-body archtop hollow or semi-hollow electric guitar to compete with that new-fangled solid-body Les Paul from Gibson. Around the same time, Gretsch came out with the Duo-Jet and Guild the M-75 Aristocrat, which were both more of a semi-solid design. Sorkin's Bantam series were actually the most traditional of the bunch built on a deeper, fully hollow body with f-holes, but only 13 1/2" wide.
Initially there seemed to be more resistance to the solid-body concept in New York (where many studio and broadcast performers worked) than out in the wilds of southern California! The archtop guitar was the preferred tool of most East Coast professionals, and the major NY-based builders -- Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, and Sorkin -- generally eschewed actual solid-bodies well up into the end of the decade. Sorkin offered an extensive line of full-sized Premier-branded archtop electrics, with the Bantam as the runt of the litter!
This particular Bantam Deluxe is from around 1960. The small fully hollow-body and neck unit was made by the United Guitars factory in Jersey City, who supplied components to a number of re-sellers -- including, on occasion, John D'Angelico.
It is bound top and back and finished overall in a striking black lacquer. The bound rosewood fingerboard has pearl dot inlay (larger than most) and the headstock carries the Premier logo and torch emblem engraved into a plastic overlay.
The unique silver-sparkle pickguard and knobs are a Premier trademark and appeared on many of their creations. The pickups are the same rare single-pole white-top DeArmonds used on some Guilds at the time and sound great; they were the "Deluxe" fitting and added $35 to the list price. The unusual large rotary pickup selector lever is another Premier trademark. The heavy tailpiece has a sort of "D'Angelico junior' flavor and the bridge is a generic adjustable archtop type. In the early 1960s this "Ebony Deluxe " twin-pickup model sold for $250 (plus case) so it was not really a particularly cheap guitar. This is a very cool-looking, good-playing, and great-sounding little guitar, a nice example of one of Premier's better and more unique offerings.
Overall length is 38 1/4 in. (97.2 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This little ebony gem is mostly original, showing some wear and tear but nothing too extreme. The black lacquer finish remains original except for some touch up along the sides of the neck where the fingerboard binding was replaced. It presents well with some random dings, dents and scrapes overall but no other heavy wear or other alterations. The back of the neck has some feelable checking and small flaking spots but is not heavily worn.
The hardware is mostly original; exceptions are the pickguard (a nicely done replacement of the silver sparkle original) and the tone knob, which is an old black Bakelite radio/amp piece. The bridge appears original or at least period, but the adjustment wheels look newer. The body binding is in excellent shape with none of the common deterioration except for the piece in the treble side of the neck heel, which is oddly shrunken up. The fingerboard has been refretted and as noted rebound, and playability is very good. This DeArmond equipped Premier has a cool and funky tone, and still lives in the original red-lined brown heavy chipboard case. Very Good + Condition.
The Premier Bantam is a very interesting but mostly forgotten electric guitar of the 1950s and '60s. A product of the New York-based Sorkin/Multivox organization, the Premier brand name was used from the late '40s for amplifiers and from the early 1950s on guitars. The company offered many interesting designs, including some quite original amplifiers like the split-cabinet Premier 88.
The Bantam guitar is an example of an idea that was kicking around New York makers in the early '50s: a small-body archtop hollow or semi-hollow electric guitar to compete with that new-fangled solid-body Les Paul from Gibson. Around the same time, Gretsch came out with the Duo-Jet and Guild the M-75 Aristocrat, which were both more of a semi-solid design. Sorkin's Bantam series were actually the most traditional of the bunch built on a deeper, fully hollow body with f-holes, but only 13 1/2" wide.
Initially there seemed to be more resistance to the solid-body concept in New York (where many studio and broadcast performers worked) than out in the wilds of southern California! The archtop guitar was the preferred tool of most East Coast professionals, and the major NY-based builders -- Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, and Sorkin -- generally eschewed actual solid-bodies well up into the end of the decade. Sorkin offered an extensive line of full-sized Premier-branded archtop electrics, with the Bantam as the runt of the litter!
This particular Bantam Deluxe is from around 1960. The small fully hollow-body and neck unit was made by the United Guitars factory in Jersey City, who supplied components to a number of re-sellers -- including, on occasion, John D'Angelico.
It is bound top and back and finished overall in a striking black lacquer. The bound rosewood fingerboard has pearl dot inlay (larger than most) and the headstock carries the Premier logo and torch emblem engraved into a plastic overlay.
The unique silver-sparkle pickguard and knobs are a Premier trademark and appeared on many of their creations. The pickups are the same rare single-pole white-top DeArmonds used on some Guilds at the time and sound great; they were the "Deluxe" fitting and added $35 to the list price. The unusual large rotary pickup selector lever is another Premier trademark. The heavy tailpiece has a sort of "D'Angelico junior' flavor and the bridge is a generic adjustable archtop type. In the early 1960s this "Ebony Deluxe " twin-pickup model sold for $250 (plus case) so it was not really a particularly cheap guitar. This is a very cool-looking, good-playing, and great-sounding little guitar, a nice example of one of Premier's better and more unique offerings.
Overall length is 38 1/4 in. (97.2 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This little ebony gem is mostly original, showing some wear and tear but nothing too extreme. The black lacquer finish remains original except for some touch up along the sides of the neck where the fingerboard binding was replaced. It presents well with some random dings, dents and scrapes overall but no other heavy wear or other alterations. The back of the neck has some feelable checking and small flaking spots but is not heavily worn.
The hardware is mostly original; exceptions are the pickguard (a nicely done replacement of the silver sparkle original) and the tone knob, which is an old black Bakelite radio/amp piece. The bridge appears original or at least period, but the adjustment wheels look newer. The body binding is in excellent shape with none of the common deterioration except for the piece in the treble side of the neck heel, which is oddly shrunken up. The fingerboard has been refretted and as noted rebound, and playability is very good. This DeArmond equipped Premier has a cool and funky tone, and still lives in the original red-lined brown heavy chipboard case. Very Good + Condition.