Dyer Style 3 Harp Guitar

A super-rare Larson Brothers in fantastic condition!

For the complete scoop on this unusual Dyer, you'll want to see my recent complete re-write on the Dyer harp guitars here.  If you really want to know the date of it, you'll have to wade through my rather wordy treatise on the subject here.  In a nutshell: In the books, #608 (the second lowest number found in the 600 series) would be dated c.1912.  Bob is now leaning towards my new hypothesis of it being 1906-1908.

For those of you new to this model, in this case, the "Style 3" refers not to level of appointments, as in the common Dyer harp guitars, but to the physical design and dimensions.

Specifically, this is a "short-scale" harp guitar, with a 22-5/16" scale.  Perfect for those with smaller hands!  Undoubtedly, that's why it was created, and almost certainly inspired by Knutsen's own 3/4 size harp guitars of 19-20" scale.  The Larsons also duplicated Knutsen's 1906-introduced "Lower Bass Point" Seattle instruments design, with the distinctive flare (which adds its own flair, don't you think?).  The Larsons gave theirs a bit more of a "cutaway" (15 frets clear of the body) by bringing down the portion of the upper bout next to the neck - almost as if they were splitting the difference between Knutsen's standard Lower Bass Point and his Double Point model (also 1906).  Sorry, I'm just geeking out as I always do about this stuff.

Regardless of all the history and conjecture, what we can probably all agree on is that the Dyer is a substantially better instrument than a comparable Knutsen.  We all got to play and hear this one at HGG6 in Portland, and I can safely say you'll love it.  As far as condition and other details, I'll let Bob speak:

"The woods used comply with the standard styles 4-8 and the craftsmanship and quality is comparable. The body size is smaller than its counterpart Dyer styles, which have a 15-1/2”+ lower bout.  The neck has been beautifully reset. The joint looks original. The spruce top has three repaired small hairline cracks and the back has many small to medium old hairline repaired cracks, while the sides are crack free.  It appears that the top has been partially over-sprayed.  This little gem was found with aluminum nuts below the sub-bass tuners. They did not work well so I had ebony ones installed to better hold the tuning of the bass strings. Now the strings wind better also. These are the only un-original parts on this beautiful, fine sounding Larson Creation.  It plays like a dream.  The bracing pattern is different from the standard styles, not an X pattern and not ladder or Z patterns either. It looks more like a complicated H. The fingerboard is radiused for steel strings.  It includes a new custom wood case"

This was appraised by George Gruhn in September, 2008 for $12,500 (appraisal letter included).  While that may be a realistic market value, Bob and I think that's low - as in "try and find another."  There are just five confirmed specimens known, and this one may well be in the nicest condition.  Nevertheless, I never list anything at "appraisal value," and Bob wants this to find a good home.

It obviously belongs in my collection (or so I am telling Bob and my wife both), but I can't buy them all.  Don't you let this rare opportunity pass!

- Gregg Miner, the "harp guitar pope"

Specifications:

• Original Label
• Spruce Top
• Mahogany Back & Sides
• Mahogany Neck
• Appointments roughly those of a Style 5.
• 5 sub-basses
• 22-5/16" scale
• Longest bass string: 30-1/2"
• Dimensions: 14-3/8" lower bout, 4" depth @ tail block, 38" total length
• New custom wood case included
• Price: $11,000 (additional 3-4% fee if paying via CC or Paypal)
  Shipping: Request quote

Consignment listing, not on premises

CDs & DVDs by Stephen Bennett, John Doan, Muriel Anderson, Andy McKee, Stacy Hobbs, Tom Shinness, Dan LaVoie, James Kline, Larry Berwald, Bill Dutcher, Gregg Miner, Pasquale Taraffo
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