Circa 1890 – 1910 American Made Parlor Guitar Spruce & Rosewood Body

Circa 1890 – 1910 American Made Parlor Guitar Spruce & Rosewood Body

Up for sale is this one-of-a-kind American made parlor guitar. Judging by construction and wood age, I am estimating this to be between 1890 and 1910. The guitar is possibly from Chicago and is similar to Columbia models of this time period.

It has ladder bracing, solid spruce top, solid rosewood sides and back. The fingerboard is ebony with original frets except for the 12th fret. The neck has the typical “v” shape common in the 19th century and early 20th century on parlor guitars.

The sound hole is surrounded with multiple inlaid strips of wood. The binding on top is made up of six parts. There is binding loss on the lower bout on both the top and bottom.

Despite this being a small guitar, it is a powerhouse of an instrument. It has incredibly low action with a straight neck. The sound projects better than many dreadnought guitars, and it is full, warm and bright. It has a very articulate sound.

The top board is solid spruce and has two repaired cracks running up from the lower bout toward the sound hole. There are some minor cracks toward the top end of the sound hole as well. All are visible in the pictures.

The back is made up of two separate rosewood boards. There is a repaired crack that runs up the back a bit. See pictures.

There is a crack running along the side of the lower bout, which is also repaired. See pictures.

Guitar Specs:

  • Scale: 24 1/2″
  • Nut width: 1 11/16″
  • Overall length: 37 1/2″
  • Overall width lower bout: 12″
  • Overall width upper bout: 8 5/8″
  • Body thickness: 3 3/4″
  • Action at 12th fret Low E: 0.035″ / 1.0mm
  • Action at 12th fret High E: 0.035″ / 1.0mm
  • Frets: 18
  • Neck radius: 15″

Free shipping in the lower 48 of the United States. International shipping is available. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Description

Up for sale is this one-of-a-kind American made parlor guitar. Judging by construction and wood age, I am estimating this to be between 1890 and 1910. The guitar is possibly from Chicago and is similar to Columbia models of this time period.

It has ladder bracing, solid spruce top, solid rosewood sides and back. The fingerboard is ebony with original frets except for the 12th fret. The neck has the typical “v” shape common in the 19th century and early 20th century on parlor guitars.

The sound hole is surrounded with multiple inlaid strips of wood. The binding on top is made up of six parts. There is binding loss on the lower bout on both the top and bottom.

Despite this being a small guitar, it is a powerhouse of an instrument. It has incredibly low action with a straight neck. The sound projects better than many dreadnought guitars, and it is full, warm and bright. It has a very articulate sound.

The top board is solid spruce and has two repaired cracks running up from the lower bout toward the sound hole. There are some minor cracks toward the top end of the sound hole as well. All are visible in the pictures.

The back is made up of two separate rosewood boards. There is a repaired crack that runs up the back a bit. See pictures.

There is a crack running along the side of the lower bout, which is also repaired. See pictures.

Guitar Specs:

  • Scale: 24 1/2″
  • Nut width: 1 11/16″
  • Overall length: 37 1/2″
  • Overall width lower bout: 12″
  • Overall width upper bout: 8 5/8″
  • Body thickness: 3 3/4″
  • Action at 12th fret Low E: 0.035″ / 1.0mm
  • Action at 12th fret High E: 0.035″ / 1.0mm
  • Frets: 18
  • Neck radius: 15″

Free shipping in the lower 48 of the United States. International shipping is available. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Additional information

Weight 18 lbs
Dimensions 50 × 20 × 8 in
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Model

Year