~1918 Supertone The Yale Natural
Description
Harmony Supertone The Yale c 1918 | $1895 | (v2516) The reach of Sears & Roebuck into American households c 1900 was wide and deep. Their catalog was the eBay of the day. In the first two decades of the twentieth century some fine guitars were offered to customers in even the most remote areas of America. The offerings included a series of upscale instruments with such labels as The Vassar, The Columbia, and The Yale .. heady stuff! This particular guitar is labeled Supertone "The Yale" and dates to circa 1918. A quick perusal of the catalogs show The Yale with a profusely inlaid back in 1912, but by 1918 that feature had disappeared on that model. By 1922, The Yale nomenclature disappears altogether, although a very similar guitar is offered. Some suggest that Geo. Bauer, a builder of guitars and mandolins in Philadelphia, built instruments for the Sears & Roebuck catalog but his company was gone by the time this example was built. We attribute it to the Harmony company in Chicago, which, by 1916, was owned by Sears.
The back and sides are fine, straight-grained Brazilian rosewood. The back is bound in white celluloid and features a colorful marquetry strip down the center seam. The ladder-braced top is a choice piece of figured spruce, bound with profuse marquetry and pearl inlay. The same inlay is echoed around the sound hole. The neck is V-shaped, carved from mahogany and features a white celluloid heel cap. The fingerboard is ebonized maple with a slight radius and various star, diamond and dot inlays. The headstock is overlaid in Brazilian with several decorative pearl inlays. The pyramid-style bridge is Brazilian rosewood and retains its original pearl-dot pins. The tuners feature scalloped ends and a bit of engraving.
The body measures 12 5/8" across at the lower bout. Scale length is 24 1/8". The fingerboard measures 1 7/8" across at the nut and string spacing is 2 3/8" at the saddle.
Recent repairs include: neck reset; fret level/dress. Overall, the guitar really sparkles with only minimal play wear, and some finish blemish from its case. The original Supertone The Yale label is not attached to the guitar and the endpin is missing. There is one unglued 4" back crack in the lower bout that is not flush due to summertime humidity.
This guitar is a rare survivor of the tail end of the 'parlor era', and remains true to the aesthetics of a true parlor guitar. It's light weight, small size and wood combinations make for a guitar with unique tonal qualities. More refined that the later, so-called catalog guitars, but has plenty of bark when played with either bare fingers or a pick.
Comes with its likely original trapdoor case in pretty good condition!
Check out the sound clip!
The back and sides are fine, straight-grained Brazilian rosewood. The back is bound in white celluloid and features a colorful marquetry strip down the center seam. The ladder-braced top is a choice piece of figured spruce, bound with profuse marquetry and pearl inlay. The same inlay is echoed around the sound hole. The neck is V-shaped, carved from mahogany and features a white celluloid heel cap. The fingerboard is ebonized maple with a slight radius and various star, diamond and dot inlays. The headstock is overlaid in Brazilian with several decorative pearl inlays. The pyramid-style bridge is Brazilian rosewood and retains its original pearl-dot pins. The tuners feature scalloped ends and a bit of engraving.
The body measures 12 5/8" across at the lower bout. Scale length is 24 1/8". The fingerboard measures 1 7/8" across at the nut and string spacing is 2 3/8" at the saddle.
Recent repairs include: neck reset; fret level/dress. Overall, the guitar really sparkles with only minimal play wear, and some finish blemish from its case. The original Supertone The Yale label is not attached to the guitar and the endpin is missing. There is one unglued 4" back crack in the lower bout that is not flush due to summertime humidity.
This guitar is a rare survivor of the tail end of the 'parlor era', and remains true to the aesthetics of a true parlor guitar. It's light weight, small size and wood combinations make for a guitar with unique tonal qualities. More refined that the later, so-called catalog guitars, but has plenty of bark when played with either bare fingers or a pick.
Comes with its likely original trapdoor case in pretty good condition!
Check out the sound clip!