Stella Koa Standard Size Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, made by Oscar Schmidt , c. 1928
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Item # 10286
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Stella Koa Standard Size Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, made by Oscar Schmidt, c. 1928, made in Jersey City, NJ, natural lacquer finish, koa body, mahogany neck with ebonized fingerboard, chipboard case.
This guitar is a very interesting and very playable example of a fancy original koa wood standard size flat-top made by the Oscar Schmidt Company of Jersey city, NJ. It is branded "Stella" on the headstock, THE classic name familiar to pre-war blues fans and prized by fingerstyle blues pickers everywhere. This one was originally intended for a different crop of 1920s players: Hawaiian musicians. It is made of genuine Hawaiian koa wood and has a flashy look compared with actual guitars made in the islands with an inlaid celluloid pickguard, fancy shaped pearl fingerboard inlay and bound neck and and headstock. The "Sovereign" brand was generally used on higher-grade instruments, this is an very deluxe model to bear the "Stella" marque.
This is not only a fancy-looking piece but also a very good quality guitar for this maker. The body has lovely solid Hawaiian koa on the back, sides, and top. The top and back edges and sound hole ring are multi-bound in Celluloid, with additional side binding lines on the body. The neck is genuine mahogany (many Schmidts are poplar) with a bound ebonized fingerboard. This is inlaid with large cut-pearl pieces in a pattern often seen on New York area instruments of the period.
Internally the original ladder top bracing is intact and unaltered; it has not been converted to X-bracing as was once a common treatment. The guitar has other typical Schmidt characteristics including the position marker at the 10th fret, a slightly canted heelcap, and a particular design of wide-ended pyramid bridge. The mahogany neck has the fairly hard "V" profile common to many older Stella guitars. The typically angled slotted headstock is bound with the "Stella" logo hot-stamped into the face and fitted with typical period openback strip tuners.
This guitar is a very nice playing instrument, though admittedly not up to period Martin or Gibson standards. It remains nearly all original and has a very loud and punchy sound, with a tighter response than some birch or poplar guitars and a lot of detailed high end. The koa adds a brightness without diminishing a rich and fairly even response to the tone, and this guitar really shimmers even under a light touch. It has had some repair but overall remains in better original condition than many Jersey City instruments from the period. This is a lovely and very playable piece of Oscar Schmidt history; a cool guitar for period blues, hillbilly or Hawaiian styles or just general use.
Overall length is 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Oscar Schmidt guitars, in particular early koa examples like this, have rarely survived the nearly 100 years since their construction without some issues. This guitar shows some general wear and repair but plays better and remains in more original condition than many period Schmidt instruments. The finish has dings, dents and scrapes overall, most heavily on the back which shows some fairly heavy scratching. The top had some random dings and scrapes but no heavy playwear.
The top does show several koa grain cracks, two behind the bridge and a couple of smaller ones near the soundhole. All are solidly sealed up without any overspray. The most notable repair is a long split through the neck block extending to the treble side waist. This is solidly repaired and there is finish work around the heel and the upper bout sides as a result. The guitar has had the neck reset, apart from the probably related situation crack above it is a neat job. The koa body show no other cracks.
The pyramid bridge is the original and does not appear to have been cut down; it has been reglued and the saddle lowered. . Four of the pearl-inlaid bridgepins appear original, the other two are nicely done repros. The original openback strip tuners are still intact and functional; the low E peg is a bit bent. The original thin fretwire shows hardly any wear, so we would guess the guitar was most likely played in the Hawaiian style when new.
This lovely guitar has a very good sound and is quite playable, with a low and even action for an old Stella. This very attractive Koa Stella would still make a wonderful Hawaiian style guitar (with a nut raiser) as it was likely intended; as it stands it is not only a fine fingerpicking blues machine but an excellent general strummer as well. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This guitar is a very interesting and very playable example of a fancy original koa wood standard size flat-top made by the Oscar Schmidt Company of Jersey city, NJ. It is branded "Stella" on the headstock, THE classic name familiar to pre-war blues fans and prized by fingerstyle blues pickers everywhere. This one was originally intended for a different crop of 1920s players: Hawaiian musicians. It is made of genuine Hawaiian koa wood and has a flashy look compared with actual guitars made in the islands with an inlaid celluloid pickguard, fancy shaped pearl fingerboard inlay and bound neck and and headstock. The "Sovereign" brand was generally used on higher-grade instruments, this is an very deluxe model to bear the "Stella" marque.
This is not only a fancy-looking piece but also a very good quality guitar for this maker. The body has lovely solid Hawaiian koa on the back, sides, and top. The top and back edges and sound hole ring are multi-bound in Celluloid, with additional side binding lines on the body. The neck is genuine mahogany (many Schmidts are poplar) with a bound ebonized fingerboard. This is inlaid with large cut-pearl pieces in a pattern often seen on New York area instruments of the period.
Internally the original ladder top bracing is intact and unaltered; it has not been converted to X-bracing as was once a common treatment. The guitar has other typical Schmidt characteristics including the position marker at the 10th fret, a slightly canted heelcap, and a particular design of wide-ended pyramid bridge. The mahogany neck has the fairly hard "V" profile common to many older Stella guitars. The typically angled slotted headstock is bound with the "Stella" logo hot-stamped into the face and fitted with typical period openback strip tuners.
This guitar is a very nice playing instrument, though admittedly not up to period Martin or Gibson standards. It remains nearly all original and has a very loud and punchy sound, with a tighter response than some birch or poplar guitars and a lot of detailed high end. The koa adds a brightness without diminishing a rich and fairly even response to the tone, and this guitar really shimmers even under a light touch. It has had some repair but overall remains in better original condition than many Jersey City instruments from the period. This is a lovely and very playable piece of Oscar Schmidt history; a cool guitar for period blues, hillbilly or Hawaiian styles or just general use.
Overall length is 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Oscar Schmidt guitars, in particular early koa examples like this, have rarely survived the nearly 100 years since their construction without some issues. This guitar shows some general wear and repair but plays better and remains in more original condition than many period Schmidt instruments. The finish has dings, dents and scrapes overall, most heavily on the back which shows some fairly heavy scratching. The top had some random dings and scrapes but no heavy playwear.
The top does show several koa grain cracks, two behind the bridge and a couple of smaller ones near the soundhole. All are solidly sealed up without any overspray. The most notable repair is a long split through the neck block extending to the treble side waist. This is solidly repaired and there is finish work around the heel and the upper bout sides as a result. The guitar has had the neck reset, apart from the probably related situation crack above it is a neat job. The koa body show no other cracks.
The pyramid bridge is the original and does not appear to have been cut down; it has been reglued and the saddle lowered. . Four of the pearl-inlaid bridgepins appear original, the other two are nicely done repros. The original openback strip tuners are still intact and functional; the low E peg is a bit bent. The original thin fretwire shows hardly any wear, so we would guess the guitar was most likely played in the Hawaiian style when new.
This lovely guitar has a very good sound and is quite playable, with a low and even action for an old Stella. This very attractive Koa Stella would still make a wonderful Hawaiian style guitar (with a nut raiser) as it was likely intended; as it stands it is not only a fine fingerpicking blues machine but an excellent general strummer as well. Overall Very Good + Condition.