Identifying the gear

not sure about the mic but it looks like an AKG stand, I used to have a bunch of them until someone stole them (I'm talking to you, Acey, ya fucker)

on the mic, the red base should be the tipoff, pretty unique... but there are so many companies making condensers at every price point now its hard to know what to search for on google

also, this is a music video, its just a prop! the guy is miming to his pre-recorded track and most likely used completely different gear to record it

also, this guy is the biggest tool I've seen sit behind a keyboard in some time... I am thinking about stalking him and beating his ass right now, and I usually abhor violence, but someone should stomp the guy with a paira doc matens or put a j toe cowboy boot up his @$$ so he'll stop whining

https://youtu.be/7vyANa71gvU

Can somebody tell me (Walrus?) what Archtop Pattengale is playing in this music video? And yeah, that girl is incredibly hot. Both of them are teasing us, 'cause you not only get confused by that incredibly hot woman, Pattengale also never shows the headstock of that guitar. So maybe the only possibility is to tell by the dot inlays. Walrus?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKOxvUqZlBo

At least we could agree on how hot that girl is.

yes, so hot she would never date that goon-ball... the interesting inlay work should be your tip-off on the guitar, I am not sure what it is, but if you look at enough old archtop pictures you'll find one with those inlays

Kenneth is a good little feller and he's got the voice of an angel – and the fingerpicking skills of the devil. I'm in love with him.

so you're planning on dating him?

The Milk Carton Kids are so good. I'll ask him about the guitar on Facebook. Maybe I'll get a reply. Unfortunately no more dating. A lovely blonde girl put a ring on this sexy German.

been there, gorgeous blonde and all, single again... maybe I should date Kenny... I'm not very homosexual and I'm not so into folk music, but it couldn't go any worse than being married

but seriously, after consulting a few books and based on the inlays I think that guitar is a pre-war Vega, I am having trouble finding a good pic on google thismorning, but I am feeling pretty sure its mid-range Vega model.... here's an example of a tobacco burst Vega with the big diamond position markers:

http://www.vintagearchtop.com/images/38_vega/v5.jpg

http://www.vintagearchtop.com/images/38_vega/v2.jpg

also, look at the adjustable rosewood bridge style... its a VERY rare guitar, though not remarkably valuable for a pre-war instrument....

UPDATE here's a Vega C-66 in natural...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qgpIQwESfMQ/maxresdefault.jpg

this one doesn't have a year, but it eventually sold for under $1000, so Vegas would make really nice video prop/gimmick guitars wouldn't they.... interesting these guitars were made with BRASS frets that couldn't have worn well, especially given the heavy string sets of the era

its not the same model he's playing, his only has one large diamond at the 12th fret, but the tailpiece and bridge look Vega as well so I am saying its a Vega, though I am not sure of the era or model yet... these guys are better known for banjos and (believe it or not) trumpets.... I knew about their banjos, but I had to consult Wikipedia to find out that vega was acquired by Martin in the 70s and the vega trumpets were the basis for the popular Martin Committee model endorsed by THE MAN, Miles Davis... getting info on their guitars is very difficult though

ah ha! what about this pre-war Vega C-56?

http://www.guitarz-for-ever.com/vega-guitars.html

I think I am at least getting close.

here's the guitar model you're looking for:

https://www.gbase.com/gear/vega-archtop-1939

sadly the dealer doesn't know what model it is any more than I do.... its not a C26, wrong inlays, but its not a 46 or 66... maybe its a C36? I have no reference for that model but you would think there would be a model between 26 and 46, right?

I think this is one f the toughest but most interesting mystery guitars ever posted to this thread, I have learned a lot just trying to find out the manufacturer and model... if vegas weren't reputed to have slim encks I would buy one just to find out about them. I am hovering on g-base, tempted to pull the trigger on one of their early acoustic archtops in player condition, but NOOOOOO, too many guitars already

Jim, you've been diligent today. The last one really seem to match. I found another old video of him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1slsMyGvU_Y

I have the right guitar, but I don't know what model it is. Vega didn't nescasarily mark the guitars with a model number, so unless I can find a full size '39 catalog scane (no luck yet) your guess is as good as mine on the model. Sorry.That's a really rare archtop. There are almost no pictures of another Vega with the mix of dots and diamonds anywhere on the internet.

How much you wanna bet Kenneth there doesn't know the model name either?

I just went on Facebook and asked him about the guitar. We'll see if he answers. I recently sold a whole lot of my stuff and there's only two guitars left, my J-45 and my Martin DRS1. I would love to have a cool old Archtop. Which one would you prefer. All these old American models are pretty rare and expensive over here. Germany seems to be full of old Höffners and Framus instead, because there from era before everything got imported. When I think about it I probably won't be a good archtop player. I'm not really into crazy jazz shit or 20's or 30's music. It would be wasted on me with my folk and country.

it depends, plenty of early country artists used archtops as well as flattops, archtops weren't unknown in American folk and 'bluegrass' music, particularly in the depression era... a lot of very early blues artists favored archies over flattops too...

However, if you are only into modern acoustic stuff, golden-age Nashville/Bakersfield country&western and 60s greenwhich village revival-era folk then tis probably a big waste of money...

I was tempted because I have a jazz background and have never owned a full-depth, non-electric archtop and the prices aren't bad on these Vegas even though they are pretty well made and use great old-growth woods you can't get anymore. If I were living in Germany I would look at an early post-war Hofner archtop like the 465. I can fingerstye some travis picking or folk arpeggiations with the best of 'em if you pay me, but I am primarily a rock and jazz player and really like the feel of instruments designed specifically for those idioms. I have only met a handful of flattop acoustics Itruly enjoyed playing.

Yeah, you're right, there's really something country to it. Rawling plays this cool old pre-war Epiphone.

http://equipboard.com/items/1935-epiphone-olympic

there's really no rules as to what guitars you can play in any given genre if it produces a sound YOU like for your music and you feel comfortable enough to really stretch out and play your best... but when it comes to other people's music, some artists and producers are very concerned with classic, genre-specific sounds and others are more interested in getting you to feel comfortable so they can make the most of your personal technique.... neither is wrong

I used to take a strat and a vox to every gig in every genre, it makes MY sound and I just changed my picking technique, volume settings and adjusted my improvisation decisions to fit the style

never used to get complaints... I might bring other stuff to a gig thatw as really genre specific like a tele, gretsch and a deluxe for country or an SG, Supro and Marshall to rock, but they wouldn't always get plugged in, I would just start n my comfort zone and focus on approach first

if I need to playa coustic I always bring my mangled, willie nelsonish classical guitar in case I can get away with playing that over a steel string because I have had it for 25 years and I always get more creative playing her

its a very similar 60/70s Espana to this: https://reverb-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--GA_DPZhf--/a_exif,c_limit,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_620,q_75,w_620/v1447875668/jbgrwsevv3tcpjk0zenn.jpg

actually more like this '74 http://www.guitar-museum.com/uploads/guitar/90/190241294206-1.jpg

so in short, get an old, oddball and see if you can make it work with what you do.... just look for the best price so that resale is easy if you fail to bond with it. I always try to look for folks in dire financial straights when I buy a guitar for experimental purposes so I might be able to turn a profit or use it in an advantageous trade. I try not to pay top dollar for anything, but if I do its on an axe I know I will keep for at least a decade.

god, I thought I did a lot of hammer-on chord extensions when I play acoustic ballads, but Kenny here really throws down the folk/country clichés on a whole new level.... in a good way

he frets too hard though, he's choking the harmonics off his notes, you can hear it on that home recording in front of the AKG C414

damn if I don't wish I could sing like that though

god, I thought I did a lot of hammer-on chord extensions when I play acoustic ballads, but Kenny here really throws down the folk/country clichés on a whole new level.... in a good way

he frets too hard though, he's choking the harmonics off his notes, you can hear it on that home recording in front of the AKG C414

He's even aware of the fact that he probably won't be able to play guitar when he's 60 because he's pressing so damn hard. I mean look at this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR-t65j17Uo

hahaha, welp, you can just HEAR it (in that Opry video he's using a pick for some of of his plucking and its still choked, but it has an 'aunthentic americana' quality that's endearing, though I'm not sure why a a European identifies with it more than I do)... hard fretting is a technique to be deployed intandem with appropriate right hand touch using your fingers or pick/bow to coax a wider variety of tones from any stringed instrument, it can even verge into vibrato if you develop it, but you don't want to do it all the time... its not good dynamics... its about broader timbrality in a piece and therefore a deeper elvel of emotional nuance behind each note... I think!

but that's just one jaded guitarist's opinion....

here's an acoustic example where I am combining my fretting pressure with a mix of classical and folk fingerpicking on one of my compositions to change the balance of fundamental to harmic on each note to fit the tune (as well as vrying left hand pressure to produce an almost chorus tone)... the track is maybe a little warmer than I woulda liked because the engineer convinced me to do it with a mahogany 60s Guild I felt really uncomfortable with playing this style (great strummer, maybe not my favorite fingerpicking guitar, plus the action was 2 miles high and over the top even by my standards... and I am well known to favor high action assuming it gets the best tone from a guitar) any way, in hindsight this guitar was too warm to make all the stuff I was doing audible to even the C414 we used to record (or did we go ribbon on this track... nah, AKG condenser)

if you listen past Jim's fantastic vocal performance you can hear my 'choking' the strings, particularly on the wound strings at various points to coax a wider range of timbralty from the guitar