Update August 2023: this is back in the shop after a couple years out in the world. Its owner is just downsizing his collection so this one's up for grabs! It arrived back just the way it left back in 2021...
How many of these First Hawaiian Conservatory of Music models have I worked-on? Half a dozen? I start to get repeater's syndrome after a while with these old guys.
This particular Schmidt-made model is super-popular out there, though, and for good reason -- they sound amazing. The top is braced a little differently from other Schmidts in that the lower bout only has two ladder braces on the top but does feature a wider/longer bridge spruce bridge plate/brace. This configuration still gives it the woody, open, punchy ladder-braced sound but it's warmer and fuller-sounding than other models. This lets it flatpick old-time and old-country tunes really well aside from bare-fingers fingerpicking (which most old Schmidts are typically used for).
This one arrived in overall good shape and it even had the original "learner's sticker" on the fretboard (gold-colored paper labeling every note for open A Hawaiian tuning on each fret) when it came in. That's why when you see these out there for sale on the net, the fretboard tends to be bright maple in the center and black on the edges as the stickers meant the factory didn't need to paint the center of the board.
The bridge was toast, however (lots of cracks), and it did need the usual sprucing-up. Post-repairs, though, it plays bang-on and sounds excellent. These have big necks, however, so that should be a consideration if you're looking to get into the old Oscar Schmidt territory.
Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, side dots install, cleaning, new rosewood bridge, new bone saddle, replacement bridge pins and endpin, minor brace and seam regluing/repairs, setup.
Top wood: solid birch
Back & sides wood: solid birch sides, poplar (I think) back
Condition notes: the bridge, pins, and saddle are replacements. The rest is original. The finish shows the usual Stella/Schmidt minor alligatoring here and there and plenty of light use/handling wear but it's otherwise in good order. The fretboard has discoloration and glue-leavings from the "learner's sticker" that used to be on it. I would prefer to leave this as-is (it's neat) but there's no reason it couldn't be painted black or gold-metallic like the original stickers were. The belly of the guitar shows minor distortion under the bridge (ladder-braced boxes always do) with a dip in front of the bridge and a little belly behind it. It's stable and no issue. The nut is original but cut-down from its old "Hawaiian-height" setup.
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