# 1945 Stella!!



## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

So I picked up another guitar locally at a thrift shop, same place I got my R.S. Williams & Sons parlor. It's a 1945 Stella Serenader H929. I notice the database doesn't have a varified H929 before '54, so this ones pretty darn early. Also never seen a Serenader (B&J rebrand name) Stella before either, so I thought that was cool.

It needs one side of black button tuners and ferrules. Cosmetically it has the wear where the pickguard would usually go and some wear on the edges of the headstock, otherwise near mint. As tight a neck joint as you can get, no cracks or dings for that matter. I paid $100, which is not a steal, but in this shape & locally, I was happy to pay it. Sounds really nice even with the dead strings on it, warmer, less tinny? than my Regal H929. Also it has a nice V-shaped neck, which is different and quite comfortable. 

Guitar #28 in the collection


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

nice score man!
i think you did real good on the price- im seeing mid sixties h929's going for $100 and up on ebay- saw one recently sell for $250
and yours is a far more desirable vintage.
what the hell kinda thrift stores you got out there anyway?
youre putting together a truly enviable collection-


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

Yeah, thanks. I know what you mean, I've seen those ones go too, for that type of money. There's also all the ones that go for under $50, but usually not playable and usually 60's ones like you say.

I got it at a Value Village. There are two of them here, one really near by my house, I go to a couple times a week to browse. They hardly ever have older stuff, let alone guitars, but there's one across the harbour I try to get to on occasion and they seem to get cooler old stuff in and the last few times I've been there I've got guitars. Still not too common, but I frequent these places enough to have been lucky.

Thanks!


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

You got that at....Value...village? 
All I ever see in there is broken plastic crap from the 70s and aluminium Alzheimer's cookware
Good score.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

devnulljp said:


> You got that at....Value...village?
> All I ever see in there is broken plastic crap from the 70s and aluminium Alzheimer's cookware
> Good score.


x 2 on that! 

I've seen guitars twice in VV, both "leftovers" from those $200 guitar-and-amp-in-a-box dealies and they were trying to unload them for $400 and would not budge a penny even when I showed them new for $200 in a flyer >.<


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Geek said:


> x 2 on that!
> 
> I've seen guitars twice in VV, both "leftovers" from those $200 guitar-and-amp-in-a-box dealies and they were trying to unload them for $400 and would not budge a penny even when I showed them new for $200 in a flyer >.<


...because now there were vintage maybe ???
My father in law volunteers in a thrift store, so he gets first pick too. Still all crap. Lots of old 33.6 modems and the odd pentium pro laptop with a 6" screen...So, this was a good find.


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

that guitar is identical to one I have except the "seranade" logo........beautiful sounding country/bluesy sound, mine has a dean markley sound hole pickup..........


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## Crossroads (Apr 23, 2006)

RIFF WRATH said:


> that guitar is identical to one I have except the "seranade" logo........beautiful sounding country/bluesy sound, mine has a dean markley sound hole pickup..........


I picked one up off ebay a while back as well.... no seranade logo, and it has the pick guard, I need to replace the tuners as 3 off them are bent.

got it with a chipboard case shipped from Hawaii for $71.00.

Harrison Kennedy has two of these that he plays..


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

nice...I love those oldies...when they`re playable.
I snagged this Kiso-Suzuki today in an antique shop, was filthy...label is dated 1950 and looked like it hadn`t been cleaned in that long, had to vacuum out the case too...but it cleaned up nicely, and plays very well, not as deep voiced as a thicker body guitar but has a unique sound, V-ish chunky neck. I love the bound, wooden pickguard too...adds a nice touch.


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

Jesus! that thing is beatiful. what a score!

I'm gonna have to take a look Kiso-Suzuki guitars, I just love that guitar!!!


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## Crossroads (Apr 23, 2006)

Wow that is a great looking guitar


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

thanks gents. Went and got some ferrules but they`re too big, I`ll go back...not like the posts are flopping around or anything, they`re quite tight in the holes but I`d just like to have a finished look on the headstock. Did take a few full body pics though...I like it more today than I did yesterday...


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

I LOVE that guitar! I've never seen a Suzuki archtop before. I'm jealous.


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## whammybar (May 7, 2008)

I don't want to be the spoiler here but my personal experience is getting the better of me. I had the incredible misfortune of learning to play on one of those old 'Stella' guitars and even from the first picture I can see the strings are a foot and a half off the fretboard and a shudder goes up my spine as I remember back. (No I don't still have it). All these years later I am still trying to overcome my 'grip-of-death' hold on the neck of whatever current guitar I'm playing. I can wear the frets to the wood in 6 months so find myself having fight to lighten my grip and it's a lifetime later. Kind of cool to have a collection of them I guess, but they are, and were, incredibly hard to play.


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

Actually the action is decent as is now. I'll likely take the bridge down a bit, but not much, once my new side of tuners arrive and I put new strings on her. The neck is straight as an arrow and the neck joint is perfect. (or I wouldn't have bought it)

Also my other Regal Stella (60s), its action is low, too low really, it frets out after the 15th fret......but who's playing up there on a Stella. It's neck and neck joint are great too, but it has a much different & shorter bridge, so I'm sure with this one a quick tweak this Stella will play fantastic.

Still to each his own & I do know what you mean, they are what they are, but I don't need them to be incredibly versatile or play like a Martins, they play fine for me and fill a sound need I like to have. I've been lucky to get two Stella's I consider to be good one's, I'm sure if the action was an inch off, the neck needed a reset and the top was warped I be singing a different song.


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

theres a nice old Stella on line in Japan now...

http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f66990728


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## Phatchrisrules (Sep 25, 2008)

I am looking at a Stella on eBay that I may get for Christmas from my sister. It has the serial# 389OH929. I know it is an H929 model, but anybody know the year? I have looked on google and didn't find any relevant information.


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

Hey man, the serial/model number won't tell you the year. Harmony's have a separate date stamp, ask the seller to take a look.

If you want send me a link to the auction on ebay, I'll take a look and see if I can pick up any clues to help narrow down the year if the seller can't find the date stamp.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

whammybar said:


> I don't want to be the spoiler here but my personal experience is getting the better of me. I had the incredible misfortune of learning to play on one of those old 'Stella' guitars and even from the first picture I can see the strings are a foot and a half off the fretboard and a shudder goes up my spine as I remember back. (No I don't still have it). All these years later I am still trying to overcome my 'grip-of-death' hold on the neck of whatever current guitar I'm playing. I can wear the frets to the wood in 6 months so find myself having fight to lighten my grip and it's a lifetime later. Kind of cool to have a collection of them I guess, but they are, and were, incredibly hard to play.


actually, these are the simplest of instruments, getting the action low is easy.
and for some of us, high action is what we want. i have a 61 stella, and the action on it is so low and easy that i cant slide on it- had to carve a higher saddle for it so the strings dont feel like rubber bands



> I am looking at a Stella on eBay that I may get for Christmas from my sister. It has the serial# 389OH929. I know it is an H929 model, but anybody know the year? I have looked on google and didn't find any relevant information


there should be another number stamp- with a letter prefix, most commonly an H- followed by the year
garretrevels's stella has an F prefix for example










not always so if the guitar was made by harmony for another brand- ive got an oahu lap slide that is just a stella with a square neck- its got a harmony serial number, but no date stamp- harmony made these from 38 to 41 for oahu, so no more research necessary lol


damn sneakypete- nice fekking guitar!


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## Crossroads (Apr 23, 2006)

*picked up at Value Village tonight*

Stopped by the local value village tonight and found a Sigma GCS-4. Small repairable crack in the headstock. Got it for $39.99..

Wil do the repair job and post pictures on the weekend....

It seems to be a nice small bodied guitar.


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

Hey, it's been a while since I last posted a video clip of one of my guitars. So I thought I'd make a video for my 1945 Harmony Stella Serenader and share with you. I picked this up at a local thrift store, I needed a side of black button tuners a friend of mine was nice enough to send me. It's a great playing and sounding birch blues box.

I'm not much of a player, let alone a blues player, but I figured out this cool sounding lick and it suits this guitar great.

Thanks for listening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66RSe7bcyPc


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## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

Now that's what I'm talking bout!!

Awesome tone and playing. I would give anything to be able to play like that.


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

rhh7 said:


> Now that's what I'm talking bout!!
> 
> Awesome tone and playing. I would give anything to be able to play like that.


:smile: thanks :smile:


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