1890s George Bauer "Presentation" Parlor Guitar

Update 2024: I've taken new photos and a video for this instrument as it's back here for resale. I've updated the description where necessary. I last had this here in 2017 and it has remained stable in service, exactly as it left, since then. Yip!

Overview: This rare, Bauer-made splurge-fest is pearl-encrusted, x-braced, rosewood-bodied, and over-the-top in all the right ways. It even has that bizarre, middle-eastern-flavored inlay on the fretboard that's extremely common to the era's 5-string banjos, too. This was made in Philadelphia and, at the time, the maker's offerings were the equivalent of Martin and nicer Washburn products.

Tone: It's even, balanced, and full for its size. It sounds gorgeous fingerpicked!

Feel: The nut is wide at 1 15/16" and the neck has a medium somewhat-hard V-shape to it, so it certainly handles like a period guitar. The extra width makes it an easy fingerpicker, however.

Interesting features: Let's admit it, folks -- she's a beaut! Its size puts it in Martin's "size 2" realm, as well, with its 12 1/4" lower bout and 4" side depth. Materials are first-rate throughout with a mahogany neck, solid Brazilian rosewood back and sides, ebony fretboard, rosewood bridge, and a tight-grained, solid spruce top. Check out the headstock "stacking" of veneers -- giving this, again, a banjo-ish decorative style. The thick rosewood veneer has a lovely amount of pearl in it, doesn't it? This instrument sure gives high-brow Washburns from the time a run for their money on the bling-front!

Repairs included: Work progressed slowly on this instrument because I knew that the final effort on it would be to replace a bunch of missing inlay around the top edge. The other work -- a neck reset, fret level/dress, bridge/saddle modification, crack repairs to the sides, and general setup -- was fairly straightforward. Pearl work, however, is one of those things you can't rush. I'm certainly not a "pro" at it, either, but I do have a workmanly way of getting bereft inlay-holes plugged-up. It's now playing perfectly with 3/32" action at the bass and hair-under 3/32" treble at the 12th fret. While this would've been strung with gut (now nylon/classical) originally, it's wearing a set of Thomastik PJ116 hybrid strings that give classical tension and basses but a more steely-sounding treble vibe.

• Weight: 2 lbs 14 oz
• Scale length: 24 5/8"
• Nut width: 1 15/16"
• Neck shape: medium round V
• Board radius: flat
• Body width: 12 3/8"
• Body depth: 4"
• Top wood: solid spruce
• Back & sides wood: solid Brazilian rosewood
• Bracing type: x
• Bridge: ebony
• Fretboard: ebony
• Neck wood: mahogany
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass, hair-under 3/32” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: classical strings (Thomastik PJ116 hybrid at the moment)
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: lower/smaller

Condition notes: It's all-original save the new bone saddle and the bridge pins. There is mild wear and tear to the finish as well as weather-checking/crackle and a few repaired hairline cracks -- one medium-length one in the side at the waist and a couple small ones on the back. The bridge originally had a fret saddle, but I reconfigured it to a glued-in bone saddle. You can differentiate my replacement pearl bits from the original stuff as mine are shorter and clumsier but get the job done. At a glance, you would not notice. Mine are also thicker front-to-back and better-fit to the inlay channel's bottom (the originals were shimmed up/down to get them level with the top), for what it's worth. Post neck-reset the fretboard extension dips slightly down from the plane of the rest of the fretboard. It looks like it'd been "reglued" in the past, too, as when I heated it up and removed it, it came apart in three pieces.

It comes with: It has a nice, new, hard case (not pictured).

Consignor tag: BSM