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Post by simonf on Sept 19, 2014 22:29:47 GMT
There are some cool 40s and probably early 50s all birch harmony Stellas. I got a 46 one for less than a hundred quid. Was lucky and before people starting along silly prices but...
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Post by zak71 on Sept 19, 2014 22:34:35 GMT
Not everyone will agree but for fingerpicking I don't think, they are great for slide I completely agree with that, but unfortunately he's not looking for something to play slide on. The necks and especially the tight string spacing on these guitars make them a less than ideal choice for fingerpicking.
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Post by bluefolk on Sept 19, 2014 23:05:23 GMT
dug the columbia best in your vid. Thanks S496. Back on track now Desserai !!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2014 9:25:24 GMT
There's a lot of bull floating around about Stella guitars, in particular the Harmony-made Stellas. Both the original Oscar Schmidt and the Harmony Stellas were always simple budget guitars, but the pre-war Stellas are generally decent relatively lightly-built guitars, and of course they are much rarer and harder to find. I must admit, I like the Harmony Stellas too, and I've had dozens upon dozens of them through my workshop, but they are what they are: a budget catalogue guitar. If they are properly set up (and that almost invariably means a neck re-set) they can be great little robust guitars...I use them all the time for live work. I must admit, re-selling a cheap Harmony Stella for £400 seems far too much and not good value at all, especially as the descriptions on that website never seem to say what work has been carried out. If I was a buyer I'd always expect (and indeed demand) a neck reset on one of these guitars, and that will push the price up..it's as much work to reset a Stella as it is to do the same job on a Martin. A lot of people seem to want an old (or "vintage" guitar) because of the perceived "mojo" factor...
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Post by zak71 on Sept 20, 2014 12:25:07 GMT
There's a lot of bull floating around about Stella guitars, in particular the Harmony-made Stellas. Both the original Oscar Schmidt and the Harmony Stellas were always simple budget guitars, That's quite false. OS made a wide range of guitars, from budget to highly ornate, and everything in between. The problem is that most people making "pronouncements" about OS Stellas have only come into contact with the lower end of the spectrum, and proceed to make assumptions about the rest of the product line based on some decalomania birch-bodied guitar that originally retailed for $7. They were NOT all "simple budget guitars" - unless this looks like a "simple budget guitar" to you?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2014 14:41:52 GMT
Yes, an over-generalisation on my part about the fancier Oscar Schmidt guitars. In the UK, the simpler birch ones are the ones I tend to see...although I'll wager many guitarists in the UK have never seen an Oscar Schmidt Stella, let alone played one. Apart from the guitars I've had, I think the only other ones I've seen were being played by Michael Roach..and a long, long time ago, a 12 string in the hands of Stefan Grossman.
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Post by zak71 on Sept 20, 2014 15:34:26 GMT
Even the inexpensive all-birch OS Stellas of the 20s and 30s can not be compared to the student model Harmony-made Stellas of the 50s and 60s. Yes, they're both all-birch ladder braced guitars, but the tops are much thicker on the Harmonys, the bracing is heavier, there is no bridge plate spanning the entire width of the top, and there was a lot less care invested in crafting the necks. Even the cheap entry-level OS Stellas had supremely comfortable V or deep-U shaped necks, depending on the era. They simply sound and feel different. Unfortunately the brand name has been hyped up by certain dealers creating the impression that they are inherently superior (or "superior for playing blues" or some such thing) to other instruments made during the same period. The good OS stuff is very good (the Sovereign-branded instruments were at the top of the food chain), but you can usually find a comparable Regal, Lyon & Healy, Harmony (in the 20s, Harmony made some VERY nice guitars alongside the cheap stuff), etc. Additionally, you can find OS instruments made under the less widely known brand names (Marcia, Artist, UAC, and many others) for significantly less than otherwise identical Stella-branded models. For example, this was one of the more common lower-level spruce top OS models...they usually sell in the $800-$1000 range (unless you're Neil harpe, in which case it's more like $1600). Here's a Marcia-branded version...I've seen these sell for as little as $500. The two I had (both Stella-branded) were phenomenal sounding.
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Post by rickS on Sept 20, 2014 19:19:31 GMT
VintageParlorGuitars.com always carries a decent inventory of older inexpensive parlours.
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Post by Dessery on Sept 21, 2014 17:55:31 GMT
Wow!!! I never expected this much feedback!!! Thank you so much everyone for your comments, there is so much great information here. I have been playing my guitars a bit today and am pretty confident I will sell at least the recording King and then I will see what is available and go from there.
Many many thanks David
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Post by bod on Oct 6, 2014 13:57:09 GMT
Just wondering if anyone can tell me a bit more about what I'm looking at here - if not, the pictures might be of interest to some: Two guitars, each held to be a 30s Harmony, ladder braced and birch. I'm mainly trying to get my eye in with regard to what is around and these are available (I'm told the prices are to some extent negotiable) More details at: www.starline-instruments.co.uk/instruments-home.html ebay listing: linkCheers
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Post by zak71 on Oct 6, 2014 14:23:10 GMT
The one in the video is indeed from the late 30s, not terribly exciting. Asking price of £549 makes it completely absurd...they pop up for $200 on ebay.
The one in the photo is much earlier, mid to late 1920s judging by the bridge style, pickguard shape, and 'decalomania' trim. A far more appealing instrument from an era when Harmony was trying a little harder. If you're trying to decide between the two, it's a no-brainer, assuming the earlier Harmony is in good shape structurally and has not been the recipient of some of the...er...'repairs' you see people inflict upon them. Price is still borderline obscene by North American standards. $450? Sure... £450? No way.
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Post by slide496 on Oct 6, 2014 14:39:43 GMT
If you're considering these older ones might be best find a dealer that has them on hand to try them out - I have heard they are not the easiest to play fingerpicking style- or buy from a dealer with a refund policy.
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Post by bluefolk on Oct 6, 2014 15:42:44 GMT
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Post by zak71 on Oct 6, 2014 15:54:05 GMT
Not all Galianos were made by Oscar Schmidt. That one doesn't really have any distinctive Oscar Schmidt features, but it's hard to say for sure without seeing the interior construction, and whether or not the brace directly below the soundhole has the distinctive OS red ink stamp. Once again, an absurd price for an entry-level all-birch guitar. If you are considering spending the equivalent of $1400 on a guitar, there are MUCH better options out there.
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Post by robbie on Oct 7, 2014 8:14:14 GMT
juat the guitarist review on the new freshman parlour guitars....a good quality build with a great sound
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