Fret-King / STVDIO Corona 60 HB / Aged Coral Red / Guitar For Sale
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There’s no doubting the appeal of many original 50s and 60s guitars with matching headstocks. One of our favourites is this custom aged relic Corona 60 in a Coral Red finish with custom aged relic mint green pick guard. No guitar range would be complete without paying homage to the most famous double cutaway guitar shape of all time. Making a guitar this shape is easy; however, knowing how to build one from the inside out is a lesser-known skill! Trev has owned many of these guitars and repaired many hundreds more over the decades. These years of knowledge and experience are the essence of Fret-King’s ‘authentic vintage construction’, and imbue his guitars with that true ‘vintage vibe’. Built with a hand-selected, two-piece centre-jointed alder body, the Fret-King Corona is a classic combination of aesthetic and tonal perfection. In keeping with the 60s tradition, this model has a familiar and comfortable shallow C profile maple neck with 25 1/2" scale length. The neck utilises a 10" fingerboard radius to facilitate easier string bending, with a low, fast playing action. By utilising an original spec, small diameter truss rod, there is a much greater ratio of wood to metal, contributing to retaining all that elusive ‘vintage tone’. Add to this the extra benefit of hardware that keeps you in tune and you have a truly rare instrument – one that really works live, on stage or in the studio. Superb quality Gotoh tuners replicate the style and light weight of the original Kluson tuning keys. Height-adjustable tuning posts provide the perfect break angle for each individual string to rest in the self-lubricating Wilkaloid top nut, ensuring absolute minimum string friction. These unique tuners also feature posts which lock automatically as the strings are brought up to pitch, eliminating excess string winds, making string changing a breeze and keeping your guitar in tune even with heavy vibrato use. Keeping a vintage guitar in tune can be a nightmare, so all Fret-King Corona guitars are fitted with the Wilkinson VSV high-performance vintage vibrato system. Built to exacting standards, the VSV really is the icing on the cake. Vibrato is a fundamental part of the performance of these guitars, and you will not believe the tuning stability of the Wilkinson VSV, and the Fret-King Corona. Specification: Body: Alder. Neck: Maple. Fingerboard: Maple. Scale: 25.5”/648mm. Tuners: Gotoh Magnum locking. Bridge: Wilkinson VSV vibrato. Pickups: 3 x Fret-King alnico V singlecoils. Controls: Volume, tone, 5-way selector. Hardware: Chrome.
Ivor Mairants Musicentre, UK 
The History
IVOR MAIRANTS was well known throughout the world to guitarists of all styles. After over 50 years as a professional guitarist, teacher, composer and leading UK musical instrument retailer, he devoted the last few years of his life to composing and writing for the guitar.
Born in 1908 in Rypin, Poland. Ivor Mairants came with his family to the United Kingdom in 1913. He took up the banjo at the age of 15 and became a professional musician at the age of 20.
From the 1930's he was a featured banjoist and then guitarist of many of Britain's leading dance bands including those of Ambrose, Roy Fox, Lew Stone, Geraldo and Ted Heath. In the 1960's and 1970's his outstanding guitar playing was often heard on television, radio, film soundtracks, and many recordings with the popular Mantovani orchestra, and with Manuel and his Music of the Mountains. His recording of the 'Adagio' from Joaquin Rodri-go's 'Concierto de Aranjuez' with Manuel sold over one million copies. His guitar quintet broadcast regularly in the late 1950's on the BBC's 'Guitar Club' series.
In the 1950's Ivor Mairants established his central school of dance music in London. All instruments were taught at this innovative establishment, but special emphasis was given to the guitar. Several of his ex-pupils are today Britain's top guitarists. In 1958, together with his wife Lily, he opened The Ivor Mairants Musicentre. This was Britain's first specialist guitar store and it was situated in the heart of London's West End.. For many years some of the world's best guitars and guitar accessories were introduced into Britain by Ivor Mairants at his store. The Ivor Mairants Musicentre became a Mecca for professional guitarists, and for amateur guitarists at all levels of ability. Today, it continues to stock one of the finest ranges of guitars in Britain.
The Musicentre Today
Reputation, trust and credibility take years, even generations to build up and establish. Only then can a business be described as having a history.
Ivor Mairants, one of the world's most seminally influential guitarists, opened his now world-famous music centre in 1962, when his career as a guitarist, musician, teacher, author and composer was at its peak. The Musicentre has gone on to be as famous as its creator; establishing many brands which are now household names, and always offering an outstanding selection of the most interesting and highest quality instruments, catering to the seasoned professional, leisure and hobby guitarists, and, of course, because of Ivor's extensive tuition activities, the first time buyer. Modern, bright, clean, comfortable air conditioned showrooms, and as is the Musicentre tradition, with knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff.
