Post by CTGull on Oct 3, 2020 19:01:15 GMT -5
I know I paid more for it than I should have, but it called to me restore it!! BUT IT'S OVER 90 YEARS OLD!!! I've only been able to find one more like it, including the design on the front, and a couple similar.
I've found ALL the Sears catalogs from 1896 to 1993 and downloaded all the guitar related pages thru 1949. Using the pictures and descriptions I find this exact guitar was made between the Spring of 1925 and the Spring of 1927, a period of 2.5 years. There are slight variations of this guitar, beginning with the first model in the Spring of 1921 (solid headstock), and replaced in the Fall of 1927 with a model without the design on the top).
Slot headstock. The tuners seem to be functional.
The top has been varnished, and the back and most of the neck has been spray painted brown. There look to be some cracks in the back.
The bridge is metal and ugly. I'll probably keep it, but make a new saddle to replace the metal one.
The nut isn't original.
The neck is a hard V. Wasn't expecting that.
The neck has a strap screwed to it that holds the bottom of the heel to the back. And there is a small bolt thru the heel, with a nut & washer visible inside.
Some views around the sides.
The cool binding.
The design on the top, showing the missing parts.
I haven't taken any internal pictures yet. Before removing the strings I'll probably attempt to tune it see how bad it sounds.
Well, I did take 3.
Here it is next to my 1973 Yamaha FG-360.
And it weighs 2.93 lbs!! WITH the extra paint and internal post.
And other interesting specs:
24.06" scale
1.82" nut width
1.56" nut string spacing
2.30 saddle string spacing
2.32" end of the fretboard
12.80" lower bout
9.17" upper bout
7.03" waist
18.20 body length
36.50" overall length
3.73" thick at the end block
3.20" thick at the neck block
I'm going to have to think about what to do with this. The neck will have to come off, it needs a neck reset anyway. Then the back will probably have to come off. I'd like to remove the paint on the back and neck, but I need to see how that goes before doing anything with the overspray on the sides. What I can see on the inside, the sides are a light wood, possibly heavily stained on the outside. Stripping the paint may ruin that.
I've found ALL the Sears catalogs from 1896 to 1993 and downloaded all the guitar related pages thru 1949. Using the pictures and descriptions I find this exact guitar was made between the Spring of 1925 and the Spring of 1927, a period of 2.5 years. There are slight variations of this guitar, beginning with the first model in the Spring of 1921 (solid headstock), and replaced in the Fall of 1927 with a model without the design on the top).
Slot headstock. The tuners seem to be functional.
The top has been varnished, and the back and most of the neck has been spray painted brown. There look to be some cracks in the back.
The bridge is metal and ugly. I'll probably keep it, but make a new saddle to replace the metal one.
The nut isn't original.
The neck is a hard V. Wasn't expecting that.
The neck has a strap screwed to it that holds the bottom of the heel to the back. And there is a small bolt thru the heel, with a nut & washer visible inside.
Some views around the sides.
The cool binding.
The design on the top, showing the missing parts.
I haven't taken any internal pictures yet. Before removing the strings I'll probably attempt to tune it see how bad it sounds.
Well, I did take 3.
Here it is next to my 1973 Yamaha FG-360.
And it weighs 2.93 lbs!! WITH the extra paint and internal post.
And other interesting specs:
24.06" scale
1.82" nut width
1.56" nut string spacing
2.30 saddle string spacing
2.32" end of the fretboard
12.80" lower bout
9.17" upper bout
7.03" waist
18.20 body length
36.50" overall length
3.73" thick at the end block
3.20" thick at the neck block
I'm going to have to think about what to do with this. The neck will have to come off, it needs a neck reset anyway. Then the back will probably have to come off. I'd like to remove the paint on the back and neck, but I need to see how that goes before doing anything with the overspray on the sides. What I can see on the inside, the sides are a light wood, possibly heavily stained on the outside. Stripping the paint may ruin that.
