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out-of-the-closet-antiques · ‎07-24-2022

My grandfather has passed away and he left his old guitar to my mom who is now in a nursing home so she can't have it there. I now have custody of it. I am trying to identify it and see if it is worth reconditioning it. My neighbor thinks it's a Kay or Harmony from the 40's or there abouts but he is not certain. It is totally unmarked meaning, there are no names or labels anywhere on or in it. It has 2 F holes and it is an acoustic guitar. I am including some photos I took of the thing. If anyone wishes to share their knowledge or direct me to a place that may know, I will thank you in advance since, I can't thank people the way I like too. 😉 (is this even the right place to ask about guitars?

ulfesharpe · ‎07-25-2022

everybody seems off topic...

it is worth id-ing your guitar no matter how bad or altered it is now, bc you could always restore it to original components if you can find them . So you need to find them. You need to follow a pattern to id the guitar, taking a good look at its key components and id-ing bit by bit and trying to make exclusions (it could be easier to find what guitar brand it is not to get to what brand it actually is.)

e.g. try to find via google how many brands used truss rods in the 40s, since the bridge points to an instrument made in the 40s. Probably Gibson (they invented it) and Kay and one or two more. Likely, not all brands from the 40s used them. Every little connection and exclusion you make narrows it down and you progress a little in your search.

You'll find it. GL

out-of-the-closet-antiques · ‎07-25-2022

Yes, I have been trying to do that. I didn't know where to exactly begin but I started with trying to identify and date the tuning knobs and their date. Never thought of the metal rod until you mentioned it and I saw something about it whilst searching for the tuning knob info. Thx!