 I have some history with this little guitar. Back in 2010, my friend Liz sent me a link with a message: "Have you seen this cool old guitar on eBay?" I wrote back, "Yeah, I just bought it." It wasn't in great shape when it arrived:  Along with the back coming off and the finish damaged, there were pieces rattling around inside it and other parts were missing. With the help of the legendary Frank Ford and the fine folks at his repair forum I learned that this instrument was made in the 1920's, and that this meant it was put together with hide glue and finished with shellac. Hide glue holds wood together very well and releases with heat and moisture. So, it was easy to take it apart and glue it back together:  Shellac protects wood really well and dissolves in alcohol, so it is easy to repair a shellac finish by wiping some new shellac over it:  So, after some glue, some shellac, and replacing a few missing parts, I had a nice playable guitar -- so nice that my friend Liz offered to buy it from me, and I sold it to her. She has enjoyed it and been a faithful custodian for the past five years.
Lately, she has become a fan of the ukulele and pony banjo, which made me suspect that this old guitar was not getting much playing time. So, I offered to buy it back from her. This week, we sealed the deal when I handed her a check and we sat down and played and sang "Milwaukee Blues" and "Blue Mountain Lake," she with her little, nylon-string banjo, and I with my guitar.
3 Comments
Liz Williams
5/19/2015 02:36:33 pm
Ah, Cincinnatus, I'm glad you are back with your savior, Rick. P.S. He was right about my not playing you much.
Bryan
4/26/2016 04:38:49 pm
You guitar looks very similar to the one I just bought today. Mine is in pretty good shape, missing a tuning peg head and the strap knob on the bottom. No marking on the guitar other than the label inside. "Cincinnatus". I am guessing it is around 1900 plus or minus a few years. I does have nice sound. Does this sound like yours? If so can you tell me the age you believe it is. Thanks. 4/28/2016 09:01:47 am
I think the age of these is on the plus side of 1900, because the bridge takes steel strings which became popular in the early 1900's. I think the neutral-tension bridge is the most interesting feature of these guitars. It doesn't torque like a pin bridge nor press down like an archtop bridge. I use silk-and-steel strings by the way. I found out that "Cincinnatus" was one of several brand names used by the Chicago manufacturer Wurlitzer. Congrats on your new old guitar! And thanks for writing. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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