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I've owned a Larrivee Pete Anderson signature model for a couple years, it's a 12-fret maple OM with a tobacco sunburst. It's supposed to be reminiscent of some old flat-top plywood guitars of the 20's-40's or something along those lines.



Is there a definitive brand/model that is considered the "classic" original for that type of guitar, and when were they first made? I think it'd be fun to have the Larrivee hanging next to the original type that inspired it. I find a lot of Harmony's on eBay that fit the description, but most of what I find are from the 60's, many of them little Stella's with the fake flamed maple. I just need a little guidance on the brands/models for which I should be searching.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Anyone?

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Wish I could help Jon. That sure is a sweet looking guitar though! Reminds me of the Stellas that were made back in the 30s or 40s. I went to a jam and this guy had one that he had tweaked to make it playable again. That was the sweetest sounding guitar I've heard in a while.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Yep, I'd say Stella. John Hall's our Stella expert.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Oops, forgot to mention that John How (at least I think it was John) built a copy of an old Stella a while back. Might want to PM John and see if he can provide any further info.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

IIRC, it was inspired by Stella, but it's not a direct copy.

Right, I knew it wasn't a direct copy. I guess Stella is it, then. Now to figure out which one.

From my limited research, Oscar Schmidt made the Stella until 1939 when Harmony bought the name. I wonder if the tobacco sunburst finish originated with Oscar Schmidt or Harmony. I'm guessing Harmony because I someone commented that the sunburst finish was rare on the old Oscar Schmidt ones. Now I need to start figuring out some clues on how to tell the age of the Harmony Stellas. I did read that the Harmony Stella used to be made of solid birch and can sound quite good when tweaked right.

Thanks for the help and comments everyone.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR