Overall the Airline 7214 is a semi-professional guitar with a great sounding pick-up...
The body is not deep... but is very
resonant - sort of like a Gibson Melody Maker. The Valco built case-amps
(with 6V6 power) sound like a late-50's Fender Champ amp. This 1959
Airline "Amp-In-Case" kicks-the-crap out of the comparable Silvertone
amp-case models.
Airline Guitars were a "HOUSE" brand produced for the big store chain
Montgomery Ward during the late 50's & 60's. These rare 7214 models
were made in the US by Valco/National Guitar Company and were considered
"State Of The Art" and the top-of-the-line guitar / amp combo for its
time. These Airline Guitar / Amp-in-Case models were manufactured around
1959-1963. The combo models were listed in sales catalogs as "affordable
quality-alternatives for the budding & semi-professional guitarists."
The Guitar: The Airline Guitar is a 22" scale, deluxe single pick-up
instrument.... that fits into a wooden guitar amp-case. It is a very
simple concept... you arrive at your gig, take-out this Airline Guitar,
plug-it-in to your guitar case and just start playing. The coolest part
of all is... it's contained in one very unique combo guitar amp case.
The Amp: The matching amp-case is a very hot little 8 watt tube
amp, featuring a 8" Jenson speaker. Essentially, the Airline Case-Amp is
an early version of the 50's Fender Champ amp. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and
other great players have used these Airline Combo Models on many legendary
Rock N' Roll recordings. This Airline 7214 model is better known by
collectors as a Great Pieces of American Guitar History. The feedback is
always the same saying... "these Airline combo models are a Vintage
Dream"...