1930s Unmarked Rubber Bridge Electrified Flattop F-Hole Parlor Guitar

This guitar was refinished a long time ago so any trace of brand is long-gone. I'm pretty sure it was made in the Oscar Schmidt factory either by Schmidt or by the later-occupiers of the same factory, United. This would have been in the mid-late '30s.

It's a weird one because the whole guitar is plywood throughout the body and it's a flattop design but with two-tonebar bracing (like an archtop), a 12-fret neck joint, and short "parlor" 24" scale length. It handles approximately the same as a tailpiece "parlor" guitar from the same time.

This is part of a trio of rubber-bridge instruments I worked-on for a single buyer -- the other two being a Harmony "Lyra" and a Harmony "Airline" -- and all have the same basic setup and same freebie Strat-style pickups pulled from the same freebie Strat-copy guitar. Check out the other two to hear what these sound like plugged-in (and acoustic).

This guitar's a hair brighter and more forward than the other two but in the same boat, for sure. And it's got f-holes! And it's a flattop! So curious...












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Nick R said…
I think this is another Harmony- sold as a Supertone but now minus its original finish on the board and elsewhere. Here is one from the very late 30s- I think this one of yors, judging by the tailpiece is mid-30s.

https://reverb.com/item/27145614-1938-harmony-supertone-flat-top-f-holes
January 26, 2022 at 11:42 AM
Jake Wildwood said…
Hi Nick -- nope, it's not a Harmony, but thanks for the suggestion. I don't know of any they made like this one with the ply body -- Harms are almost all solid save the resonators. That's a United thing, the ply, mostly. Also the HS/neck cut and fretwire and whatnot doesn't feel right for H. But it's a good lead -- I am familiar with those weird flattop ones. The bracing on this is definitively non-Harm as well.
January 26, 2022 at 12:32 PM
Nick R said…
That's very interesting and I suppose there could be other suspects. All plywood really does rule out Harmony although I have a 1933 Harmony DeLuxe- their first f hole archtop and that has a ply body but the top is solid. Harmony liked a stencilled board for their offerings at the very bottom end so again those dots rule out Harmony and probably there would be a Harmony stamping inside. My DeLuxe and a mandolin from the same era have a "Lot No" in small print stamped in which is an early to mid 30s feature- then is not seen any more. Richter used that headstock shape- or similar but I imagine as you have done a fair few of them you would have made an ID on it. A mystery box all right!
January 27, 2022 at 4:14 AM
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