1920 Italian Luthier's Guild® Jumbo Deluxe "Stella"-type natural, Excellent, Hard,

One of the finest vintage twelve strings to surface over the past decades. Construction details point to instruments made by what's loosely called the Italian Luthiers Guild, working in NYC in the first quarter of the 20th century. Makers such as Antonio Cerrito, Antonio Grauso, Michael Iucci, and many others, built a variety of string instruments for the Italian population (and others) living in Manhattan. It's been reported that many worked in the nearby Oscar Schmidt factory as well.

Construction details such as the mortised heel joint, the neck shape, and the purfling style set this instrument apart from the factory Schmidt instruments. The overall fit, finish and materials are all top shelf, and match that of a small shop, custom-built guitar.

The body is a fine grade mahogany, with a spruce top. The neck is also mahogany, and carved to a comfortable 'C'-shape, typical of these instruments. Fingerboard and bridge are ebony. The headstock is overlaid in Brazilian rosewood. The body is bound in white, trimmed with a high-grade purfling commonly found on the 'Leadbelly' Stella 12s, and the fancier Concert and Grand Concert size OS guitars, too. The sound hole purfling is a type commonly seen on the Italian Guild instruments, and this example sports several rows. The back is also bound in white, with an inlaid center purfling strip that differs from that found on the top. The neck and headstock are also bound in white, and the fingerboard in inlaid with 'Nick Lucas'-style abalone position markers. The original tuners are also a higher grade. Inside the body is pasted an 'A. Galiano' label, typically found on the Italian Guild instruments, as well as many higher-end Oscar Schmidt guitars.

The body measures all of 15 7/8" across the lower bout, with a 4 9/16" depth at the end pin. Scale length is 26"; the fingerboard measures 1 3/4" across at the nut with string spacing 2 7/16" across at the saddle. Action is set at a very comfortable 5/64", and the neck is straight. The finger board is not radiused, which is typical of guitars from this era.

This instrument is a miraculous survivor; it sparkles. Excellent, original condition throughout (including nut and saddle) but for two bridge pins and a 6" piece of binding, now replaced, which was damaged in neck removal. The guitar was carefully gone over by Dave Strunk at Brothers Music. Dave completed a neck set, plus glued a back crack and some center seam below the bridge. It also appears that the original bridge was reglued at some point in time. The original frets have good height.

The guitar has a tonal brilliance that makes it a bit different from the OS 'Leadbelly' jumbos. It shares materials and ladder bracing, but the tone produced is more refined in the highs and mids, with a pronounced sustain. Very appropriate for ragtime fingerpicking, but when pushed, especially with a thumb pick, can rumble with the best of jumbos.

This is a rare and historic guitar to own, but its most redeeming quality is that it is an exceptional musical instrument as well.

Comes with an old, quality hard case from the 30s or 40s, which post-dates the build era of the guitar.

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