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This very rare May Bell guitar (made by Slingerland) parlor guitar with slotted head stock likely dates to 1930's. Could it be a very limited production instrument? Closest I've found is a style 75, which is all mahogany, although this one has a spruce top that has naturally aged and darkened some.
I have not been able to find any info or exact example of this particular guitar. It has a smaller body, and has a pressed arch top and a round sound hole. It's hard to depict the arch top in a photo; pic #8 shows it below the sound hole and it's also raised (arched) on each side where the top of the body (upper bout) meets the neck. The back is flat, not arched. It has 14 frets clear of the body. Frets and fret markers show virtually no wear at all!
It has one open crack on the side (upper bout), and a hairline crack on the other side that does not go through the wood. One pic shows the crack squeezed slightly with hands to show that it should be able to be glued and clamped with no problem. It also has a hairline crack on the back that does not go through the wood (neither hairline crack shows light through it with a flashlight in a dark room). It's missing the bridge, has one replacement tuner button (for 6th/low E string), and a replacement nut that is not attached but is included. The heel seems pretty tight to the body with only slight separation, it may or may not need a neck reset.
Here are some specifications (feel free to chime in if you have any info about this exact model):
Spruce top Mahogany back, sides and neck Rosewood fingerboard Total length: 38 3/4"
Body length: 18 3/4" lower bout: 13 1/2" upper bout: 9 1/2" nut width: 1 3/4" Slingerland tailpiece ladder braced (4 braces on both top and bottom) 14 frets to the body, 21 total frets with pearloid inlays on frets 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15 slightly rounded head stock white binding on top and bottom and sound hole 3 on a strip tuners Scale length is 24.875
With a little restoration work, this rare bird can be quite a player and unique addition to your collection.
| Listed | a year ago |
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| Right / Left Handed |
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| Number of Strings |
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This very rare May Bell guitar (made by Slingerland) parlor guitar with slotted head stock likely dates to 1930's. Could it be a very limited production instrument? Closest I've found is a style 75, which is all mahogany, although this one has a spruce top that has naturally aged and darkened some.
I have not been able to find any info or exact example of this particular guitar. It has a smaller body, and has a pressed arch top and a round sound hole. It's hard to depict the arch top in a photo; pic #8 shows it below the sound hole and it's also raised (arched) on each side where the top of the body (upper bout) meets the neck. The back is flat, not arched. It has 14 frets clear of the body. Frets and fret markers show virtually no wear at all!
It has one open crack on the side (upper bout), and a hairline crack on the other side that does not go through the wood. One pic shows the crack squeezed slightly with hands to show that it should be able to be glued and clamped with no problem. It also has a hairline crack on the back that does not go through the wood (neither hairline crack shows light through it with a flashlight in a dark room). It's missing the bridge, has one replacement tuner button (for 6th/low E string), and a replacement nut that is not attached but is included. The heel seems pretty tight to the body with only slight separation, it may or may not need a neck reset.
Here are some specifications (feel free to chime in if you have any info about this exact model):
Spruce top Mahogany back, sides and neck Rosewood fingerboard Total length: 38 3/4"
Body length: 18 3/4" lower bout: 13 1/2" upper bout: 9 1/2" nut width: 1 3/4" Slingerland tailpiece ladder braced (4 braces on both top and bottom) 14 frets to the body, 21 total frets with pearloid inlays on frets 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15 slightly rounded head stock white binding on top and bottom and sound hole 3 on a strip tuners Scale length is 24.875
With a little restoration work, this rare bird can be quite a player and unique addition to your collection.
| Listed | a year ago |
| Condition | |
| Brand | |
| Model |
|
| Finish |
|
| Categories | |
| Year |
|
| Made In |
|
| Body Shape |
|
| Right / Left Handed |
|
| Number of Strings |
|
