Oscar Schmidt Stella Gambler DeLuxe 6-String

Stella Gambler DeLuxe c 1930 vbg1921 | In the throes of the Great Depression, many guitar makers altered their manufacturing to weather the hard times, some more radically than others. The Oscar Schmidt Company, in Jersey City, NJ, introduced a line of guitars produced from less expensive materials, and gave them a glitzy look to attract buyers in these grim times. The instruments were cataloged as 'Decalcomania', and the guitars sported a range of decals, from minimal to way off the charts. This iteration has come to be known as the 'Gambler DeLuxe', although in the OS catalog from 1932 it's simply listed as 5024-P.

The DeLuxe features a MOTS (white celluloid) fingerboard with engraved markers, matching head stock overlay, gold decal around sound hole, and three sets of playing card decals. The motif is rather obscure, but popular among collectors and players when one surfaces.

Top, back and sides are solid birch, finished in black with the decalcomania motif. Bracing is ladder, as one might expect. The neck is likely poplar. The bridge is rosewood, and, although shaped like some Schmidt bridges, could be an old replacement. The tuners appear original.

The scale length is 24 3/4". The neck measures 1 13/16" across at the nut, and is carved in a typical 'soft V'. The lower bout measures 13 1/2" across.

The neck was recently reset. The body is nicked and dinged from wear and tear, with on a 2" crack in the waist, treble side (see photos). The top has a noticeable dip in front of the bridge from string tension, oft seen in ladder braced guitars, but it doesn't effect the integrity of the guitar. Bridge pins are replaced, end pin is original.

The action is set at a comfortable 5/64", and the guitar plays easily. It produces the punchy but woody sound expected from these little blues boxes.

Comes with a soft case.

Check the sound clip!