~1930 Unknown Sovereign Natural

Sovereign c 1930 | | (v2312) This little concert-size beauty with the Sovereign label is an enigma to us. First, it's clear after a thorough examination that all elements and appointments appear original to the guitar. The Sovereign brand was owned by Oscar Schmidt in Jersey City. But it's easy to rule out Schmidt because there are several features not found in OS-made guitars. The heel shape, kerfing, even the type of mahogany, does not suggest Schmidt. Regardless of the maker, it's a very cool guitar with a great look, patina and sound.

The ladder-braced top is spruce featuring abalone inlay around the edge and sound hole, along with marquetry and celluloid trim. The back and sides are mahogany, with the back bound in white celluloid and inlaid marquetry strips down the middle. The bound fingerboard is black-painted maple and sports a tree-of-life style inlay in pearl, along with various pearl dots. The neck is mahogany and is carved in a fairly soft 'V'. The head stock is bound, overlaid with Brazilian rosewood and inlaid with various pieces of pearl. The tuners are Stu-Mac vintage-style replacements. The bridge is an ebony replica of the original, which was cracked.

The body measures 13 7/16" across the lower bout. Scale length is 24 1/2". The neck width at the nut is 1 13/16", with string spacing at the saddle 2 5/16". Action is set at ~ 5-6/64".

Prior repairs include a neck reset; frets (possibly replacement) removed, glued back in place, leveled and dressed; replacement tuners; a few pearl dots replaced. We recently crafted an ebony replacement bridge. There is a small, 1" crack in the upper part of the back, otherwise the top and sides are crack-free. A 1/4" piece of celluloid binding is missing from the head stock. There is evidence of much playing wear, nicks, dings and scratches, with the finish on the back of the neck quite worn from use. Overall, the guitar is solid with an appealing patina and plenty of glitz!

The action is very comfortable, and with its short scale and comfortable string spacing, the guitar plays smoothly. The sound produced is warm and woody, with outstanding projection and sustain, and a nice thumpy bass response. This is one of the best sounding and easy-playing concert-size guitars we've played!

Comes with a hard case.

Check the sound clip!