True, it’s not quite as
big a bargain as the previous Style 8 I sold for $14.5k…but that one had
a giant hole in it (though was soon restored to perfection and the owner
is now enjoying a fantastic instrument worth probably twenty-five grand).
This one needs different
restoration, mainly typical 100-year-old vintage guitar refurbishment (or
as much as the purchaser wishes to do).
More on this later.
This just-now-cataloged
specimen is a one-family Dyer, acquired new around 1915, according to
family lore. The original
label shows #749, which in my current theoretical timelines would put it
in 1911 or 1912. Jose Rio,
living in Vallejo, California (about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco)
may have bought it from a local music store, ordered it from the Dyer
store after seeing their monthly ads in The Cadenza, or even won it in one
of his frequent gambling sessions. We
will never know, but he obviously loved this instrument and derived income
from playing it for many long years.
He kept it in its original
tooled leather case, and no major damage appears to have occurred to it
over its lifetime…only Jose's own wear and tear.
Similarly, it appears to be all-original, other than someone having
replaced the outer row of neck tuners.
Only the last bridge pin and nut post are missing (I added
temporary replacements).
After removing the ancient
strings and cleaning it up a bit, I took a series of photos without
strings to show as much as I could (entire right column).
I then strung and tuned it up lightly, then moderately, to test
drive it. As predicted, one
can already play this “as is” in the lower positions, even with a
split bridge, uneven neck and some loose braces.
Tonally, it’s at least a solid 8, using a system where I’d rate
typical Dyers 7 to 9, with an occasional clunker, and very
rarely, a true 10 (sorry, I’m not like most dealers who simply call
every single Dyer “fantastic-sounding”).
It may be a bit louder than some.
As you can see, the cracked
bridge needs to be repaired or replaced.
The top deformation is surprisingly minimal, perhaps because the
top braces look a bit more robust than some.
Like all Dyers, the fingerboard dips down some after the 12th
fret. Treble side of the
fretboard is pretty straight, the bass side has a bit of roller coaster. There
is noticeable fretwear in the lower positions and some fingernail marks in
the ebony.
The top shows obvious
playing wear, including extensive small fingernail marks (how much Jello
did these guys eat back then, anyway?!). The
abalone seems intact (very minor thin or missing areas), appearing a more
muted color from the heavily yellowed varnish.
The pearl tree-of-life inlay is all there.
The headstock veneer is a nice color, with some typical cracking
some bass head areas.
Original finish is typical:
a tad cloudy here and there, minutely checked (subtly “alligatored”)
over some portions, with normal wear and tear.
It appears to be crack free (there is something by the small
soundhole that I can’t resolve). Tapping
reveals a couple subtle loose back braces.
How much work you decide to
have done on it is entirely up to you, but you of course have my standard
48 hour approval period if you wish to have it checked out after purchase.
Bottom line: The Style 8
Dyer remains the most coveted vintage harp guitar of all time (in my
experience, it’s also shown the most appreciation in “market
value”). This one brings the
known total with serial numbers to 15 (unknown if any others without label
or # are out there). Honestly, how
many more can possibly turn up?
-
–
Gregg "Sir
Gregory" Miner |