Very old parlour guitar need help with ID

[Hank Seldon]

I own a vintage shop in Pittsburgh and I got a call from a lady that this was under the bed. It belonged to her grandfather and she sent me a pic of him with the guitar circa 1910. There are no markings but it appears to be made of fine rosewood with perhaps abalone inlays. I have several pics posted on photobucket. Any help identifying this one would be appreciated. Hank

[Taylorplayer]

I suggest you contact:

Steve C at www.vintageparlorguitars.com
Specializing in the repair, restoration and sale of vintage parlor and 12-fret acoustics guitars

Steve is a great guy. He may be able to help you with that one.

PS - Welcome to the acoustic guitar forum!

[Taylorplayer]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[cotten]

I can't help with the ID, Hank, but I bet someone here can. Mind posting a link to your other pictures? What I can do is issue an official, sincere Welcome to the AGF family! Glad to have you among us!

cotten

[Hank Seldon]

Thanks for the welcome from everyone.
Here's the link:
http://s595.photobucket.com/albums/tt31/hank_seldon/

[arie]

that is an awesome guitar! the side binding is most unusual. the bridge and binding pattern as well as the fretboard inlay have common design features with larson/washburn efforts. the classical style rosette is unusual also as well as the back plate on the headstock. perhaps it was somebody's handbuild?

[gitnoob]

The flat pyramids on the bridge usually indicate one of the Chicago builders (Regal, L&H, etc).

I've seen that wide pearl binding on Supertone parlors (sold by Sears), but it's often difficult to identify the original builder.

[ship of fools]

Well I thought it might be a Lyon and Healy but I could not find anything that was really that close especially with the inlay rope on the sides I went through Hubert PLeijsier's Washburn Prewar Instrument Styles book ( and he is the ultimate expert when it come's to the Washburn line ) and could not find anything that was the same and almost all of the info indicated that the Washburn logo was branded on most of these old parlors down the center spline and that there was often numbers stamped on the top of the headstock for the model number.
But it does look as if the guitar was modified with the pin holes being covered and that tail piece was added after 1910 I would think, which is to bad but still can be bought back to it's original shape I am sure.ship

[Howard Klepper]

deleted. Thanks Ship.

[ship of fools]

I missed it ot but he has a few more pics from photo bucket up about three posts.ship

[Hank Seldon]

see the link above to photobucket, much better pics.
Here's a pic of the original "band", dig those shoes!
The tailpiece looks to be on the guitar in the photo.

[pitner]

Did you ever notice the size of the ears of musicians from the days before amps? Those guys have it bad.

[hermithollow]

I had an SS Stewart parlor that had a wide faux pearl binding and soundhole inlay similar to the guitar in the pictures. The fretboard inlays remind me of what might be used on a banjo, another type of instrument SS Stewart marketed.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by pitner

Did you ever notice the size of the ears of musicians from the days before amps? Those guys have it bad.

I'd noticed the jug ears on those guys in the photo, but hadn't considered the possibility of them being an adaptive evolutionary trait responding to the lack of Marshall amplifiers in their bleak and mostly unelectrified lives....

Dr. Pitner, you need to publish a scholarly article about this phenomenon in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Discovery Channel will probably want to film a documentary about it, too.

Good spotting there, eagle eye!

This does raise the question, though: what is Prince Charles adapting to?




Wade Hampton Miller

[Trevor M]

Football..??