Oscar Schmidt 'San Jose' Acoustic c 1920

Oscar Schmidt 'San Jose' c 1920 | $1195 | (VBG#1929) If there were a quintessential ‘Stella’ from before WWII, this example would be it .. concert size, spruce top (looks four piece), stained birch body, rope binding and a jobbers’ label .. just an Oscar Schmidt classic! And, nicely preserved and all original. The fingerboard is black-painted maple, as is the bridge. Position markers at 5, 7 10, and 12. Top and back bound in white celluloid. Nice, clean label inside: "This is a Genuine San Jose Artist Guitar B&H Horenstein New York Endorsed by Leading Artists". Of course, those leading artists aren't listed. Not much known about Horenstein except that the company was a distributor of musical instruments in New York City in the twenties. The guitar has all the hallmarks of a Schmidt-made guitar including arch of back, square-cut kerfing, flat head tuner screws.

The neck is likely poplar and is carved in a comfortable 'V' shape. The fingerboard is maple, painted black. The concert-size body measures 13 1/2" across at the lower bout, and the top is ladder braced. Scale length is 24 13/16". The fingerboard measures 1 3/4" across at the nut and string spacing is 2 1/8" across at the saddle.

The neck was recently reset. Three back cracks and a few braces were glued. The frets were leveled and dressed. The nut, saddle, bridge pins and end pin are replacements. Fingerboard is nice and straight, and the action is set at 5/64". The bridge appears to have been reglued. Some finish 'melt' on back from lying in the case.

The guitar plays easily, and produces the classic 'Stella' tone that players of the old country blues seek. Good push in the mid range, cutting highs, and just enough bass to round things out. Great blues finger picking guitar, and as nice an example as one could hope to find.

Comes with a soft case.

Check the sound clip.