c.1916 Larson-made Stetson X-braced 00 Guitar

Egads, it's not too often that a pearl-trimmed Larson Bros. guitar wanders onto the porch for photos! Mr. Jim S., owner of the instruments in the last two posts, traded out and traded up from a couple of other Larsons (here and here) to arrive at this luscious, teens-era (1916 to be exact) J.F. Stetson-branded x-braced lovely. It's 14 1/2" on the lower bout making it roughly Martin 00-sized but a slightly larger soundhole and tightish (Chicago-y) waist profile give it an almost L-00 or Regal 00 feel in the lap. The side depth and 12-fret neck are closer to Martin-y measurements, but it does feel a bit thinner front to back than a 12-fret 00-28.

Simply put, it's an amazingly good guitar. When you pick up a guitar and don't feel like handing it back to its owner, that's when you know it's got that "extra special sauce" somewhere in the works. Compared to other makes, Larsons (and especially this guy) tend towards strong fundamental tone with singing overtones and a lot of sustain. They've also got a sweet clarity and focus that can get lost in warmth in the case of (similar style) Martins. It's definitely geared towards fingerpicking and the wide nut (1 7/8") is tempered by a medium-oval neck shape that feels fairly modern (compared to its period competitors), to be honest.

Parts of this guitar's repair were handled by various repairmen: Tucker Barrett down in Brattleboro did a great job resetting the neck (and refretting it?) as well as installing a reproduction ebony bridge (super close!) made by Tony Klassen of "New Era" guitar fame.

Check out all that pearl... fancy digs, Mr. Jim! The modern fretwire installed on this guy also feels really nice to play on. Sometimes that just makes all the difference...

That trim really pops out, huh?

I might mention here, that the braces on this guy are solid rather than laminate braces as found on many other Larsons... and, like all of the Larsons I've handled... the top thickness is miniscule. It's like the guitar is made from paper.

Bone nut, playful pearl inlay, rosewood headstock veneer...

The bridge pins are original but the rest of the bridge is a handmade replacement cut by Tony Klassen. I appreciate the slightly folksily-cut pearl clover designs as they perfectly match the style of the cracked-up original bridge.

That's what I'm talking about... big bad old Brazilian rosewood! The owner also mentioned that the rear binding on this instrument was out of place for a Stetson-branded Larson of this time, though it wouldn't have been out of place on a Maurer-branded one.

Mahogany neck...

Here you can see just how crisp that original finish is...

There's the Stetson mark.