{"product_id":"stella-gambler-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1930-9467","title":"Stella Gambler Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1930)","description":"Stella Gambler Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, c. 1930, made in Jersey City, NJ, black lacquer with decals finish, birch body, poplar neck, black chipboard case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The only thing a Gambler needs, is a suitcase or a trunk. And the only time he's satisfied, is when he's all a-drunk\". And maybe carrying around this guitar!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a real blues-approved relic, a very heavily worn and much repaired old Oscar Schmidt Stella with a great vibe and plenty of stories still to tell. \"The Gambler\" is a nickname applied to this style of guitars by vintage guitar enthusiasts, based on the playing card motif applied as decals to the top. The overall tuxedo black and white look is similar to J.R. Stewart's 1920's \"Le Domino\" line. It's likely that Chicago company had theirs on the market before Jersey City based Schmidt operation picked up the idea, but this competition resulted in some very cool and flashy (if relatively cheaply made) instruments from both. As the Great Depression hit, these inexpensive \"decal\" guitars were often the only instruments affordable to many Americans, and offered great looks and good sound for the money. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere were a variety of Gambler variations over a number of years. This one appears closest to the 1932 Schmidt catalog listing for the Model 5024-P as a \"Standard\" size guitar. Underneath the paint-and-decal pageantry the construction is typical period Oscar Schmid. The body measures 13 1\/2\" across at the lower bout, made from birch painted in \"black satin finish\", bound in white celluloid with three playing card decals and a gold filigree stencil around the soundhole. The top is ladder braced with only two main brace spars and the large flat bridgeplate typical of Schmidt. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe neck is poplar with a dyed maple fingerboard, carved in a distinct but fairly soft \"V\" without the sharp spine of some earlier 1920s Schmidts. The scale length is 24 3\/4\", fairly short for a Schmidt though in line with most other makers' guitars. This guitar has seen nearly a century of hard use, and bears many scars of this long life. It is a \"real relic' in every sense, but has a huge sound for a small body instrument. It responds best to being tuned below concert pitch as many Stellas do, and sounds fabulous in open tunings. \"Blues approved\" for sure, this is a guitar that can take you back to places you've never been before.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 37 in. (94 cm.), 13 1\/2 in. (34.3 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.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis guitar has been heavily played for generations, and likely rebuilt more than once over that time. The finish has wear everywhere, with a huge swath played off the top and the back of the neck worn down to the wood over most of its length. Still, the only non-original components on the guitar are the bridge (which looks like a '60s or '70s Harmony piece) and the extremely odd addition of fancy Martin-style shaped pearl inlays to the fingerboard. These snowflakes and diamonds (appropriate for a Style 42) have a lovely if somewhat ironic effect in the fingerboard of this flashy but basically cheaply made guitar. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The top has several sealed cracks, including two parallel grain splits running forward from the outside corners of the bridge and several small ones behind the bridge in the decal area. All are solidly sealed but visible. There looks to have been a split just off the bass side of the fingerboard extension as well. The sides and back do not appear to have suffered any cracks but there are a couple of spots where the seams are slightly mis-aligned. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeveral braces look to have been re-glued, but the interior is intact as Schmidt built it and has not been altered by re-bracing as many have. The neck has been reset and there is a plug on the heel suggesting that a dowel or screw was employed as part of the process. The open-plate strip tuners are original and work as well as they ever did. The nut is original, the frets appear to be an old refret and are in excellent shape. The words \"Stockton Cal.\" are incised in the back of the headstock so we know where at least some of the roads this Gambler rambled down led to. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe neck is not perfectly straight but does not have a serious warp issue either, just some typical minor relief. The action is set at 3\/32\" bass and treble and the guitar plays well for the sorts of styles one would expect to suit such an instrument. It produces a lot of sound with the typical ladder-braced, birch body punchy tone, plenty of volume and great sustain. This won't replace anyone's Martin as an everyday guitar, but taken on its own merits is a great blues box, and \"true telic\" vintage guitars don't get much cooler than this hard-living Gambler! Very Good Condition.","brand":"Stella","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853364678796,"sku":"9467","price":1650.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_6ac3f9ca-8dc5-4ce7-8ca7-83458bd91be0.jpg?v=1774336101","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/stella-gambler-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1930-9467","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}