Vega Profundo Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1940s), ser. #39840, black hard shell case.

Vega Profundo Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1940s), made in Boston, Mass., serial # 39840, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case. The Dreadnought is the most common acoustic guitar type today, but when created was viewed as startlingly large instrument. Martin first produced 12-fret Hawaiian Dreadnought guitars for Ditson in 1916, but the design did not hit its stride until the advent of 14-fret models in 1934. Other manufacturers took note and by the end of the decade, Gibson, Epiphone and Regal were building guitars that approximated Martin's design. Vega joined the club by 1939 with this Profundo model.Vega had already been building guitars for over half a century, mostly typical smaller flat tops though the company did experiment with arched bodies and f-holes. The Profundo was the largest flat-top guitar Vega ever attempted and its vaguely art deco styling mirrored the company's recent archtop line.Vega offered something different from Martin and Gibson, just not visibly from the outside. The Profundo's top is ladder braced, the traditional design they had used for decades. Today this is associated with budget instruments, but most guitars at all levels were once built this way. Martin and then Gibson's successful flat-tops made X-bracing the standard for higher grade guitars, the sound associated with "refined" instruments. Actually, ladder bracing does not automatically create a sub-par sound, just a different sound. The Profundo has an accentuated high-mid chop and somewhat limited sustain compared to a Martin equivalent; it really sounds more like a parlor guitar on steroids!The first 1939 Profundos had rosewood backs and sides, as per Vega's 1939 catalog but very quickly mahogany was substituted. This guitar has a mix of features: a mahogany body with earlier style diamond fingerboard inlays and deco headstock. Beneath the soundhole is a pre-war style gold label and small tag reading "Profundo" in script. The neck is quite slim and very comfortable to play, with a soft "V" profile reminiscent of period Martin necks. Vega's guitar serial numbers are not well researched but this would be an earlier 1940s instrument, likely a wartime build. The riveted gear Kluson tuners with no bushings and plain screws support this conclusion. The Profundo was built (albeit in very limited numbers) well into the next decades but after the war Vega switched to rectangular fret markers and a plain headstock. The quality of construction was always high, but later models tend to be more heavily built than this one. The Profundo's floating pickguard is an unusual feature a flat-top guitar; perhaps the thinking was that it would allow the top to vibrate more, or perhaps it was convenient to just use an existing arch-top piece. This superbly well preserved Vega Profundo is a very rare 1940s flat top. Off all the early Dreadnought instruments it is the least known, often discounted because of the modern bias against ladder bracing. While it has a noticeably different tone than the closest Martin or Gibson models this is still a very high quality instrument, an excellent player with a powerful even if slightly unconventional sound.Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.). Overall this is a very clean original guitar, particularly for its age. It is all original and shows only light wear and minor maintenance repairs for its eight or so decades on the planet. The very thin original finish has some light checking small dings, dents and scrapes overall, but little actual play wear. The top has a few scratches and the back some scuffs and scratches towards the upper edge. The neck has been reset to an optimum angle and playability is excellent with the original uncut bridge. The heel has a crack repair running through the center almost certainly related to neck set, a notoriously difficult procedure on vintage Vegas. This is visible but completely solid. The fingerboard has also been refretted, and as a result this is an very fine playing guitar. Internally the guitar is unaltered.All fittings are original, even the oft-missing pickguard which has warped slightly downwards. This Profundo rates as the nicest of these we have seen, which is not many! If not to most players the sonic equal to a wartime Martin D-18 this is still a lovely guitar in its own right, a cool find for the picker with a taste for something different! Overall Excellent Condition.