Old Stewart Archtops?

Does anybody know anything about Stewart Archtops? Are they any good? Solid woods or Lam? Just curious. I want an acoustic archtop for cheap with decent tone! Lollayful:

Your guess is as good as mine, but the Stewart amplifier I have is pretty cheaply built. Stewart was an inexpensive brand. You might do better with a used Godin, but try it first or have a good return policy.

Are we talking about aGuild "Stuart" X-500 / X-550 by any chance here?
Or a "Stewart" guitar that has nothing to do with Guild?

Ralf

No, I'm not talking about a Guild (I wish). I'm talking about an acoustic archtop from the 50's? Maybe.
This:
http://modesto.craigslist.org/msg/4338273960.html

friendofjaco said:

No, I'm not talking about a Guild (I wish). I'm talking about an acoustic archtop from the 50's? Maybe.
This: http://modesto.craigslist.org/msg/4338273960.html

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I see, you see how easy it is to confuse matters...


What you look at is a S.S. Stewart!





Usually they should have had a paper label inside, with the SS Stewart model number and serial, next to the usual Harmony stamps, (with a different Harmony model number). Many of them were made by Harmony I read.
Ask the seller if there is a paper label inside and ask him to send a picture of it.

Ralf

Thanks Ralf,

He said there are no markings or serial number of any kind anywhere on the instrument. If it was paper probably long gone I imagine. He said he took it to Guitar Center to see if they could determine the year. Probably mid 50's. Said it sounds and plays nice.

I might look at The Loar LH 300 too

Some more general info:
"S.S. Stewart was established in the 1870s by Samuel Swain Stewart in Philadelphia, PA.
Stewart initially sold banjos and was one of the first to apply mass production techniques to instrument building with good consequences.
Stewart banjos were sold directly to the public while Acme-branded banjos also built by Stewart were sold by Sears, Roebuck, & Co. Stewart became partners with well-known guitar builder George Bauer and issued guitars under the Stewart & Bauer trademark from Philadelphia. Stewart passed away in 1898.
In 1915, distributor Buegeleisen & Jacobson purchased the S.S. Stewart trademark and used it intermittently.
Between circa 1923 and 1925, Buegeleisen & Jacobson ordered ukuleles and other stringed instruments from Martin guitars in Nazareth, PA.
In circa 1931, Buegeleisen & Jacobson contracted Gibson to build a guitar and banjo under the S.S. Stewart brand. The guitar was built in the style of a Gibson L-2 while the banjo was built in the style of a Gibson TB-11.
The Stewart name also appears on a series of entry level to medium grade guitars built by Harmony in the 1950s and 1960s and others for Weymann.
S.S. Stewart-branded guitars from this era are very similar in design to Harmony guitars from the same era.
Source: Tom Wheeler, American Guitars, Mike Longworth, Martin Guitars: A History, and Paul Fox, The Other Brands of Gibson."

Just curious, does your user name refer to Mr. Pastorius?

Sort of...Been a fan of the late bassist since I first heard him on Bright Size Life in the late 70's. Friendofjaco refers to my Labrador Retriever named Jaco who passed a few years ago.

davismanLV said:

Just curious, does your user name refer to Mr. Pastorius?

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