Oscar Schmidt Marcia guitar

Oscar Schmidt Marcia guitar, c. late 1930s. All birch.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• stella
• parlor
• guitar
• blues
• fingerpicking
• slide

[MikeSavageguitars]

I had one exactly like this last year, looking at the braces I was 100% sure it was a Schmidt, however (and much to my embarresment) it turned out to be a Kay from C.1940! Bearing in mind I scepialise in pre-war Stellas (and have several for size comparison) I can see where the confusion lies. Not that I totally believe the guy who bought it but he said he scratched the soundhole paint to confirm it is laminated too. Still, the thing I like about these old guitars, is that nothing is 100%!!

[guitarded71]

@MikeSavageguitars - it isn't the bracing, it is the square-cut top kerfling that was unique to Oscar Schmidt.

[MikeSavageguitars]

@guitarded71 I agree on that, 15x5mm square top and bevelled 15x5mm on the back, the back braces are usually flat sawn too (end grain of the braces going horizontal), often 6 digit stamp including 30 stamped on a brace (or on the back in early examples) the positioning of the bridge plate is another classic ID point. I know all that but occasionally there is one that breaks the rules and my bet is that Kay attempted a blatant rip off in the time Harmony were acquiring the copywrites!

[guitarded71]

@MikeSavageguitars - More likely that Kay (like Harmony) had purchased unused OS necks and bodies when OS went belly-up, and were assembling them in various combinations with their own stuff.

[guitarded71]

@MikeSavageguitars - that would make sense if Kay were into making blatant copies at that point in history (to the best of my knowledge they were not), furthermore it would make more sense to copy the instruments of a successful company, not a 'sinking ship' that had gone belly-up and was not one of the more "desirable" brands of the day...their popularity with blues musicians of the 20s and 30s was predominantly due to the cheap prices and the easy availability (via mail-order) in rural areas.

[guitarded71]

@RascalKyng - I noticed you also commented on the PMICO Collegiate - they are pretty much the exact same guitar aside for the headstock being slotted on the Collegiate. 

[guitarded71]

@RascalKyng - the last OS guitars no longer used the 10th fret marker.

A quick peek inside and you'd know that it was an OS.

[RascalKyng]

@guitarded71

i don't know... it doesn't seem OS like.

The fret markers don't really add up to the OS standard 5-7-10-12 combo. The tail piece also seems more Chicago-ish.

Even when OS did a lot of commission work for all the various music distributors and vendors, they still kept their build standards the same. 

[guitarded71]

@TheAllioli : different body shape, different neck, different interior bracing & construction. They're really not the same guitars.

[TheAllioli]

Can you tell me how you know that this is an Oscar Schmidt's and not a Harmony's Marcia? i'm looking for a Marcia and I'm not sure if is it an O.S. or not.

Thanks!

good playing!