1930s Supertone No. 13411 “Palm Beach” Hawaiian Stencil Guitar – “Palmer”

If guitars could talk, this one would probably ask for a mai tai.

Straight out of the Great Depression comes this wonderful little Sears mail-order survivor, complete with a tropical island scene that makes you feel warmer just looking at it. Nearly a century later, this little Supertone is still wearing its original “Palm Beach” artwork, original bridge, hardwood nut, wooden bridge pins, tuners and the Supertone label. Factory inspection stamp reads P33. 

This guitar is approaching 100 years old, and it wears its age well. Some long-forgotten student penciled fret numbers onto the fingerboard, and some are still just faintly visible today. One tuner button sits slightly off-axis on its shaft, but functions as it should. 

Found loose inside the body was a vintage Bell Brand No. 033 Guitar B (2nd) Steel string, still wrapped in its original blue wax paper and accompanied by the original Bell Brand envelope from the National Musical String Co. of New Brunswick, New Jersey. At some point in this guitar's long life, the replacement string was dropped into the sound hole and was forgotten. It’s a charming little piece of the guitar's history, and the string and its original packaging are included with the instrument. 

The guitar has a beautiful sound, feels lovely in the hands. Fresh Martin Silk & Steel strings have been fitted, and the action measures approx. 5mm at the 12th fret on the bass side. 

This is a genuine survivor from another era, and nearly a century later it’s still doing exactly what it was built for – making music.

SPECS 

Make: Supertone No. 13411 Parlor Guitar 

Nickname: “Palmer” 

Year: 1933 

Color: Natural w/ Palm Beach Graphics 

Serial No.: None 

Made: The Harmony Company, Chicago, IL 

Scale: 24" 

Frets: 18 

Body: Birch 

Neck: Maple 

Fingerboard: Rosewood 

Markers: Dots 

Nut: Hardwood 

Nut width: 1-3/4" 

Tuners: Classical 3-on-a-plate 

Bridge: Black rosewood 

Overall length: 36" 

Body length: 17-1/2" 

Depth: 3-5/8" 

Upper bout: 9-3/8" 

Lower bout: 13"  

Strings: Martin MA130S Silk & Steel Custom – .011, .014, .023, .028, .038, .047 

Case: None 

Note: Information provided is to the best of our knowledge. This is a vintage instrument and shows normal wear consistent with age. Please refer to the listing photos for the cosmetic condition of each individual item prior to clicking the “Gimme!” button. Items are sold “as is”, no returns. Thank you for respecting that. Feel free to reach out with any questions, and have a Fun Time kinda day.