This page about Slingerland "Songster" Style No. 81 is a stub. You can help improve it:

Slingerland "Songster" Style No. 81 main image

Slingerland "Songster" Style No. 81

3.0 (1)

This product is Vintage or Discontinued

Find out who is using Slingerland Songster

1 wishlisted

1 saved

Page last updated Aug 10, 2025

Pricing and availability

Store

Reviews

Price

^* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.

Description

Edit description

Grand Concert Size. Select figured three-ply curly maple back and sides with seasoned Adirondack spruce top finished in high lustre Cremona brown. Golden sunburst on top, sides, back, and neck. White ivoroid binding on top, sides, back, and sides of neck. Has new hinged extended tailpiece, adjustable rosewood bridge, arched top and back, oval rosewood fingerboard, metal reinforced neck, individual machine heads, and elevated finger-rest. Head-piece inlaid with sparkling pearl diamonds.

Videos

Add video

The Local Pickup

Episode 40: 1930s Slingerland Songster

The Local Pickup

Reviews

Add review

3.0 out of 5

Based on 0 Reviews and 1 Rating

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

Artist usage

Add artist

Walter Becker

Guitarist, Bassist

Steely Dan

Verified via Julienslive

Posthumously auctioned via Julien's on October 18, 2019 as Lot #357 of Auction #3244, "Property from the Estate of Walter Becker".

A Slingerland Songster archtop acoustic guitar circa 1930s, constructed with a spruce top and rosewood fretboard all with sunburst finish and white binding. Accompanied by a hard shell case.

PROVENANCE From the Estate of Walter Becker

Charles Manson

Singer, Guitarist

Verified via reverb.com

Listed for sale on Reverb.com in 2021.

Charles Manson’s Guitar

This 1930’s Slingerland ‘Songster’ guitar was discovered in an infamous Hollywood mansion's attic, securely wrapped up with several unopened cases of Manson’s album, called LIE, which was released in 1970.

According to Phil Kaufman (producer of Manson’s LIE album), the Slingerland guitar and the Manson albums were hidden in the mansion’s attic by ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, who had access to the house and attic at the time and who had recently stolen the lot from the garage of Kaufman’s residential headquarters in early 1970. Kaufman believes that with the impending legal cases against her, Miss Fromme stashed Manson's prized albums and guitar in the attic for safe keeping. She never returned for them. The Slingerland guitar has a very distinct sound and sounds identical to many of the guitar tracks heard on the LIE album. Phil Kaufman has verified that this Slingerland ‘Songster’ guitar was Charles Manson’s guitar. Included in the sale is a notorized document signed by Phil Kaufman declaring the guitar to have belonged to Charles Manson.

CONDITION: The guitar is in good condition. There are several 'wear and tear' marks, scratches, dings and other imperfections. There was a repair done to the end of the fingerboard where it meets the body, but this does not affect the playability of the instrument.