Your guitars: a Russian-made Stella guitar - inside and out

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Hi, Gavin,
 
I'm following Guitarz blog for quite some time and I have the guitar you already posted but I find it just too interesting not to send you more info and pics on it, in case you want to post it.
It's Russian Stella electric guitar, made in 1979. A friend of mine had it for years in his closet, looks almost brand new, and decided to give it to me. I opened it up and took bunch of pictures - it's quite a crazy guitar.
Its made in Rostov Na Donu in the USSR in 1979 then put together in 1980 - at least judging from labels I found inside on piece of deteriorating paper. It cost 210 Rubelj, and it says so on plate on back of the guitar :)  Finish is the weirdest thing I've seen (but not weirdest part of the guitar) - you need a bloody axe to chip it, it's just impervious. Thus, the wood remains a mystery. Neck is stable but the frets...made of brass and pretty much rectangular. 

What's weirdest are the electronics - seems they took guts from old TVs or radios and accommodate them for guitar - looks like a jungle in there - mind you, they are done VERY neatly, check the photos - little knots that hold wires together etc. And of course, the goodies: stereo output, phase outs and all other mysterious switches and pots. 

Sound is actually very good if you manage to find right combination of switch positions and volume pots - which is, due to possible combinations, almost random - you flick first one up and third one down, open this and that volume and you get awesome tone, then you flick something else and it sounds like mosquito. And electronics are quiet, specially considering how much is going on. I got myself made a Y-cable with 5-din input on one end and two 1/4" input-jacks to which I plug the normal guitar cables - this way I get stereo output and can also hook up two amps.

 

Check this great video I found on youtube out, it explains much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SyALQncxY4

Vibrato bar is sadly missing, but seems it's there for the looks only - it does nothing. The metal thing just above the bridge is string dampener (foam is missing) which is lifted by pulling it up and it is retained there by springs underneath it. 
Tuners are horrible, you can wiggle them left and right, bridge is quite the same. But overall, the shape is one of most pleasant shapes I've ever hold, neck is chunky just enough, the emerald green pickguard is great.

 

Once I will deal with frets, tuners and bridge, and maybe shield electronics, it will be one spiffy guitar.

Thanks for reading, 

Barth

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Grab your sunglasses: 1955 Harmony Stella Sundale acoustic guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I often wish that contemporary acoustic guitar designs featured more interesting finishes. Usually if it isn't a natural finish, the most outlandish you can find is a completely black acoustic guitar - or else a pink one for girls.

Just look at this Stella Sundale by Harmony from 1955. Now there's a guitar that's going to get the player noticed with its grey finish emblazoned by what looks like an inverted yellow Christmas tree on the guitar's top. According to the eBay seller, "this was an art-deco series put out by Harmony in the mid-late 1950s, and this is the rarest model, as it was only offered in 1955." I've certainly seen photos of other Harmony/Stella guitars from this period with interesting coloured finishes, but this Sundale has to be the most eye-catching.

These guitars are not known for their fantastic acoustic response or particularly great playability, but as an affordable guitar for the masses they are still remembered fondly by many; some players even prefer their idiosyncratic qualities for rough and ready blues playing.

This example with original hard case is currently listed for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $550.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!

Gretsch Roots Collection G9500 flat top parlour-style acoustic guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Guitarz reader Alan writes:

You gotta see this. Gretsch has rolled out a new guitar for their "Roots" series, recreating guitar models from a much earlier era. This time out they put their mark on a guitar that echoes the stylings of old plywood Harmony "Stella" models from the '40s-60s. Right down to the "Steel Reinforced Neck" stencil on the headstock.

Or, as Gretsch themselves put it:

Crackerjack quality at a sober price! Faithfull to the Gretsch "Rex" parlor guitars of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, the all-new G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top parlor-style model embodies everything that was great about everyone's first guitar. Everything and then some, that is, because the G9500 is crafted with select guitar woods and is fully lined and braced for warm and pleasing tone, with a 24" scale for endless hours of playing comfort.

Indeed, it is a guitar that appeals. I've always had a soft spot for parlour-sized acoustics, and absolutely love those retro looks but with  the added bonus of modern quality materials and construction it should sound and play a whole lot better than its influences.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!

1920s vintage Oscar Schmidt Stella Sovereign violin-shaped acoustic guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm afraid I know nothing about this Oscar Schmidt Stella Sovereign violin-shaped acoustic guitar, but I think the design is rather gorgeous. It's interesting that, despite being styled after a violin, the guitar appears to be a flat-top rather than the archtop you'd expect. This guitar is thought to be from the 1920s which makes it very nearly antique. It's in original condition and includes the original rope strap, although unfortunately the seller reports that the top has sunk a little beneath the bridge.

Currently listed on eBay with a starting price of $1,599. (One for the collectors or else museum curators, perhaps?)

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!

1920s Oscar Schmidt Stella doubleneck harp guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This Stella doubleneck harp guitar was made in Jersey City, New Jersey, in the 1920s by the Oscar Schmidt Company. Stella was the brand name used on the budget-priced line of instruments, but having found favour with many a blues musician over the years, the Stella brand is now highly collectable and vintage examples now sell for prices that are far from the "budget-priced" label.

It's also interesting to note that an instrument such as a harp guitar, which nowadays would be regarded as a highly specialised form of guitar, was in the early years of the 20th Century considered popular enough to warrant the existence of a budget line model.

Harp guitars come in many shapes and forms as even the briefest of glances through the fascinating www.harpguitars.net website will show you. This Stella example appears to be a double-necked guitar, but the contra-bass strings on the upper neck - which you'll notice has been left fretless - are only intended to be played as open strings. In fact, the necks are mounted too closely together to allow conventional playing on the upper neck, and this is another visual clue that the left hand is not required on the upper neck.

This guitar is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $3,499.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

1930s Stella parlour guitar in crystalline blue finish

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Founded in 1899, Stella was part of the Oscar Schmidt Company based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was the brandname applied to low to mid level stringed instruments which as well as guitars included mandolins, banjos and autoharps. Partly because Stella guitars cost a mere fraction of a Gibson or Martin, they ended up being played by blues musicians such as Leadbelly and Charlie Patton.

The Stella brand, as well as other Oscar Schmidt brands Sovereign and La Scala, was acquired by the Harmony Company of Chicago, Illinois in 1939.

Pictured above we see a 1930s Stella parlour guitar in a rare crytalline blue finish, created using "a technique that has been lost with time". Finishes were more commonly black, natural or sunburst. This is one of the later Oscar Schmidt Stellas and pre-dates the Harmony takeover.

Unfortunately, this particular example is not in very good condition and would require the attention of a luthier to make it playable.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

1950s Stella electric with 3 pickups

guitarz.blogspot.com:

How cool is this? A Stella-brand electric guitar from the 1950s. Of course Stella are best known for their cheap and cheerful acoustics beloved by many an old bluesman, but - whilst rare - their electrics are not unheard of. This 3-pickup example is supposedly particularly uncommon. The seller suspects that it may originate from Japan, and I guess that could well be the case. I just love those three golden pickups with a volume and tone control for each. Although it appears to be a solid body, the seller says it is chambered which may be a good thing seeing as the body is reportedly "bigger than a Jazz Bass".

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!