Mystery Guitar!

One of my customers came to the shop yesterday with this guitar. He bought it for a song at a flea market not long ago. He asked me how old it could be, and where it was made. I had to admit that I haven't a clue, could anybody here more knowledgeable than me tell me anything about it?

It has a lovely body, made like a mini cello, and a nice hand made scarf joint on the headstock. The number stamped into the top at the tail end made me think it could be German, although from the style it looks more Italian. Anybody?

Attachments:

SAM_0379.JPG, 2.2 MB
SAM_0382.JPG, 2.2 MB
SAM_0383.JPG, 2.3 MB

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Permalink Reply by Grahame Myers on July 3, 2011 at 12:52pm

This is starting to get interesting: I think I'll phone the customer up tomorrow, and have him bring the guitar to me, and this time leave it here so I have the time to take a proper look, and to take some more pictures: As he was here last week, he just wanted to show it to me, and took it with him when he went back home.

It needs a couple of small repairs anyway: a piece of the rosette is missing, and one of the side "cello points" is damaged.

I haven't played it yet, as he brought it to me, he'd already taken the strings off. He told me it had steel strings on it when he bought it, that would seem to be right judging by the bridge construction. There is no sign of a trussrod, at least not one that you can adjust, but the neck is straight, and should yield a playable action with the right saddle height. The saddle is missing anyway, I'll have to make a new one, but apart from the cosmetic damage already mentioned, it seems to be in good condition. You can see that some of the parts were hand carved, the headstock for example. Here are some more pics, I'll take more when I get it back in the shop

Attachments:

SAM_0386.JPG, 2.2 MB
SAM_0388.JPG, 2.2 MB
SAM_0387.JPG, 2.2 MB

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Permalink Reply by Tim Mace on July 4, 2011 at 6:10am

I don't think it necessarilly was intended for steel strings.I wouldn't put them on there if I owned it.Maybe silk & steel...more likely nylon..

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Permalink Reply by chris snyder on July 4, 2011 at 3:38pm

That guitar screams gut strings.

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Permalink Reply by Kerry Krishna on July 4, 2011 at 3:55pm

The nut is made for gut strings. It couldn't possibly be a steel string, it's too early for that.

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Permalink Reply by chris snyder on July 4, 2011 at 4:40pm

Grahame, are those brass frets?

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Permalink Reply by Grahame Myers on July 5, 2011 at 11:51am

I spoke to the customer today, and he's bringing it back to me on Thursday. This time he's going to leave it with me to enable me to do two or three cosmetic repairs, and to give me time to take a proper look at it, and to take lots of pictures. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it again! Progress report will follow!

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Permalink Reply by charley erck on July 5, 2011 at 1:52pm

Great guitar Grahame. Could you reduce your photo files to the KB size insteaof the MB size for the next set?

Narrow band internet!

What an opportunity for us to see an unusual old instrument1

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Permalink Reply by Paul Hostetter on July 7, 2011 at 12:26pm

It looks like another confection from the Wandervogel era, late 1890's to WWI, when Germans were buying up lute-guitars as well, fantasy guitars that required no real new skill to play. Gut or nylon for sure. It looks as though the board is made from dyed maple? The workmanship is a bit sketchy, which makes me think it's an instrument straddling guitar and stage prop.

It would be interesting to find out what "G.M.Sch.No 704175" signified. Patent number?

Keep the file sizes big, you can see details much better!