Oscar Schmidt ‘Sovereign’ 3/4 c 1930
SOLD

This has got to be one of the cutest guitars one could hope to see .. a 3/4 scale Sovereign with top-of-the appointments!

Schmidt began making a 3/4 size guitar as early as 1912, and appeared in catalogs through 1932, at least. In fact, this guitar in ‘Standard Size’ is featured in the 1932 Oscar Schmidt ‘Holiday’ catalog as model 5077. Described as: “All mahogany body. Bound top and bottom with gold inlaid celluloid. Mahogany neck. White pearlette headpiece and fingerboard. Bone nut, silver frets, fancy stampied positions. Soundhole inlaid with pearl and gold celluloid. Inlaid pearl guard plate. Best quality strings. Ebony pin bridge. High class piano finish.” Our example offered here features those appointments except it is 3/4-size, and sports a jaunty ‘mustache’ bridge in Brazilian rosewood.

The body measured 11 1/2” across at the lower bout. Scale length is 22 1/8”. The neck is the usual 1 3/4” across at the nut, and string spacing is 2 1/4” at the saddle, not kiddie size, for sure. The mahogany neck is carved in a modern feeling ‘C’.

The guitar has had a number of repairs. A few thin top cracks were glued. There is a crack at the end pin. A piece of MOTS celluloid below the last fret was replaced. The original mustache bridge was cracked and unserviceable, but were lucky enough to have an exact new-old-stock replacement! The neck was reset, and the frets leveled and dressed. The finish is original, and shows lots of signs of use: nicks, scratches and scuffs abound, but the white pearlette juxtaposed against the dark finish give the guitar quite a presence.

With its full-size neck width, the guitar plays easily, and produces a surprisingly pleasing sound, considering its body size. It’s not a toy, nor necessarily meant for kids. This could be a fun ragtime guitar, or the ultimate travel guitar!

Comes with its original soft case in good condition.