George Bauer Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, c. 1910, made in Philadelphia, PA, natural varnish finish, Brazilian rosewood body, spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard.
One of the loveliest and most neatly-made turn of the (last) century guitars we have seen in a long time. This Bauer is a fairly large instrument for the period, nearly 14" across the lower bout, with beautifully grained Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a fine spruce top. While having little ornamentation, this is a high-grade instrument comparable in quality to the very best American guitars of the era.
The top and back are bordered with strips of wood and bound in genuine ivory; the ebony fingerboard has simple pearl dot inlay. The neck is quite flat with a prominent "V" profile, and the tuners are brass with celluloid buttons. "Geo. Bauer, Maker" oval stamp on the back of the peghead. This is a lovely-sounding fingerstyle guitar with extremely delicate ladder bracing and a very sensitive top, currently strung with silk and steel strings.
George Bauer was the foremost guitar and mandolin maker in Philadelphia fron the late 19th through early 20th centuries; for some years he partnered his operations to S.S. Stewart's banjo making activities, creating one of the premier fretted instrument concerns of the era. Original Bauer instruments are relatively rare, and this is both the largest and best-preserved Bauer guitar we have yet encountered.
Overall length is 38 7/8 in. (98.7 cm.), 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 15/16 in. (49 mm.).
Almost incredibly fine condition for an instrument of this type and age; very little playwear and no cracks or damage at all except a small divot down by the neck on the treble side where it looks like a player's pinky ring may have impacted sharply. The bridge has been neatly reglued early on and a block was added to the bridgeplate long ago to strengthen the very light top for steel strings.
Plays and sounds extremely nice and includes the original end-opening tooled leather case in amazingly still functional condition. Excellent + Condition.
