Wm. Stahl Solo Style # 8 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, made by Larson Brothers (1930), ser. #36405, black tolex hard shell case.

Wm. Stahl Solo Style # 8 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, made by Larson Brothers (1930), made in Chicago, serial # 36405, natural varnish finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case. Any discussion of the finest flat-top guitars ever made will come around to the work of Carl and August Larson. From the very beginning of the 20th century up until WWII, the Larsons' small Chicago workshop turned out a dizzying assortment of well-crafted fretted instruments -- guitars, mandolins, the occasional ukulele, and even harp guitars. The catch is, the Larsons never put their name on the instruments. Much of their output was contracted to sell under other brands, with guitars labeled "Maurer" sold by themselves. The brothers' instruments have become more widely recognized in recent years, with the better grade flat-top guitars the most sought-after. One of their most prominent resale accounts was William C. Stahl of Milwaukee, a virtuoso mandolin player who turned to teaching. Around 1906 the Larsons began supplying mandolins and guitars to Stahl, who claimed himself as the maker, a deception common in this "patent medicine" era. Wm. C. Stahl remained one of the Larson's biggest accounts right up into the 1930s. If Carl and August seemed reticent to promote themselves, William Stahl was the opposite: garrulous, confident, and endlessly chatty.Stahl's 1910s ads scoff at "machine-made" instruments, insisting his are strictly "handmade ... reasonable in price and perfect as human hands can make them" and built under his "personal supervision". This would have been quite a trick, as the Larsons were building in Chicago while Stahl's offices were in Milwaukee! While Stahl primarily promoted mandolins, he also sold a decent proportion of guitars.This particular instrument is a lovely example, labeled Stahl but in every way a Larson product. It appears to be a Stahl "Solo #8, although the catalogs are often not exactly representative of the actual instruments. Whatever its designation this is a beautiful guitar featuring many of the Larson's high grade appointments. It is dated internally Jan. 10, 1930 so is a fairly late example of an older style 12-fret instrument; soon enough the Larsons would dramatically modernize their designs. The back and sides are high-grade Brazilian rosewood with a lovely straight grain figure. The spruce top is built with the Larsons' non-laminated spruce X-brace pattern, as were most Stahls.The top edge is bordered with a wide beveled celluloid strip, two half-herringbone bands, and gleaming abalone inlay around the circumference and the sound hole rim. The neck is one piece of mahogany and features a rounder profile than most period instruments, giving a surprisingly modern feel on a 90+ year old guitar. The thick ebony fingerboard is bound and inlaid with shaped pearl pieces. The headstock is overlaid with Brazilian rosewood, bound and inlaid with a delicate pearl floral pattern running down the face. This guitar has had some re-working but remains a fine example of the Larson's artistry.Overall length is 38 1/4 in. (97.2 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.). This guitar is in excellent playing condition showing some fairly minor wear and some well-executed repairs. The bridgeplate has been replaced with a fairly thin rosewood piece that is not overly large but is a bit bigger than the original. The bridge itself is a dark rosewood repro of the original ebony piece with correct engraved pearl stars inlaid on each end. The original finish has some general wear overall, with mostly small dings, dents and scrape; there is some typical pick wear to the top in the usual spot below the strings. The guitar has been refretted with wire somewhat larger than Larson's spec (which was very small) and the fingerboard was rebound. A non-adjustable metal rod has been added to the neck, which is quite straight; the fingerboard was removed for this procedure. There are a couple of very tight grain splits to the top behind the bridge that never went through to the inside. There is a small grain split to the rosewood back/side join along the binding just below the heel and one small back crack well sealed but with some plainly visible touch up. The neck has been neatly reset. The engraved-plate tuners are original. This is a very fine playing guitar with the Larsons' trademark sound; brighter than the typical Martin but still full with a singin