Description
No name is more synonymous with X-bracing conversion than Santa Fe's Scott Baxendale, whose revamping of classic Harmony, Regal, and Kay guitars from the 1950s and 60s have turned him into one of the most respected luthiers in the western US. This S.S. Stewart, a rare 7002 model likely dating from the late 1950s, was a perfect fit for Baxendale's hand, with decades-old cuts of solid spruce and mahogany just begging to be reinvigorated with new bracing, a new bridge, and a refret. This one left Scott's shop in 2025 and has since landed in our hands, and every one of us on staff is extremely taken with its big voice and seemingly endless amounts of volume and wide open headroom for a relatively compact, concert-sized instrument. Aesthetic appointments on the 7002 model are pretty similar to Kay and Harmony models of the same era and don't necessarily evoke the company's history as a high end banjo manufacturer, but we like the simple, elegant look of this guitar in its own right.
Baxendale performed the conversion package on this guitar in 2025, and we are representing it on behalf of its first post-conversion owner. This guitar's cosmetic condition is very good, with a largely typical amount of wear and tear as what might be expected on most 70-year-old instruments. There are a handful of cracks on the guitar, including two on the top - one is about six inches in length and runs along the treble side of the top, and the other is a center seam crack which is very narrow and is not noticeable on first glance. The third major crack is on the guitar's back, and extends from the waist down to the bottom of the lower bout. All these cracks occurred well before the conversion, and were reglued and diligently repaired by Baxendale. Given the guitar's age, future cracks are highly unlikely to occur, and existing cracks are likely very stable.
While sound and playability have been revamped, no refinishing work or elective repairs have been performed, and interested parties should note that this is still fundamentally a used guitar and will not look nor feel new. Included in the price is a non-original Gator hard-shell case.
*Please note, per our return policy, all sales on used and consignment instruments are final.*
*Photos from our inventory, actual grain patterns may vary slightly. Contact us for details.
