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Topic: What model Oahu squareneck do I have here? |
Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2022 1:47 pm |
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Hi,
I was hoping that someone here may be able to fill me in as to what model (and possibly what year) my Oahu squareneck is? Was it made by Harmony in Chicago?
Thanks in advance,
Ryan
Last edited by Ryan Matzen on 25 Dec 2022 7:28 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Michael Butler
From:
California, USA
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
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Posted 3 Nov 2022 4:05 pm
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The bridge on yours has a compensated/slanted saddle that you'd normally only see on a Spanish/round neck guitar. Maybe the bridge was replaced somewhere along the line?
I had a very similar Oahu, but with a wooden non-pyramid bridge but a straight saddle. Mine, I think, was from the late 30's.
Dave |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2022 4:16 pm
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You know what? I can’t believe it, but I didn’t even catch that the saddle was compensated!
The bridge seems original. But the compensation doesn’t make sense. So, maybe it had been replaced. Or, maybe it’s just what they had at the time at the factory.
I was told that it was from the 30’s.
Unfortunately, I found that the bridge plate was disintegrating badly. The ball ends of the strings looked as though they had eaten through it to the top. So, I just returned it.  |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 5:45 am
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| I just spent that last half hour looking at pictures of these checkerboard binding, mahogany square necks and I see at least 4 different body shapes. Most are either the jumbo shape with the pyramid bridge and the seemingly later (late 30's?) Harmony 000 body with the flat lighter bridge like you had. I have been wanting a flat top square neck since I started and this has given me some insight into what I might want to look for. I would love to find a deep bodied "Nick Lucas" inspired Oahu or a Smeck left unmolested, but those are becoming out of reach in the price territory. These checkerboard guitars really sound nice and are much more available. The bridge plate is a huge design flaw in old Harmony guitars. The one I replaced on my Sovereign was made of spruce. Not easy to replace! |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 5:55 am
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That is a model 66k and is surely from the '30s, I have one just like it, I also have it's smaller sibling, the 65k. These are very lightly built and should be treated just like an old Weissenborn as far as string tension goes. In my opinion these old Oahu professional models are some of the only bargains left in vintage guitars.
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 8:35 am
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I didn’t want to mess around with replacing the bridge plate. I am pretty bummed. I had to sell my Tricone and some other instruments to pay some unexpected medical bills a while back. I came across this guitar on accident. Once I strummed it, I became very excited. Once I got it home and stuck a mirror inside of it, disappointment set in.
Thanks for all of the information and insight. It will be of help to me when I come across another one at a decent price (which is getting more and more rare these days).
As far as string tension goes, would one these be able to be strung up to A C# E A C# E without imploding?
It was tuned to an open D at the shop. It sounded decent. But, I am pretty sure that it would sound fantastic tuned to A C# E A C# E. |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 8:47 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
That is a model 66k and is surely from the '30s, I have one just like it, I also have it's smaller sibling, the 65k. These are very lightly built and should be treated just like an old Weissenborn as far as string tension goes. In my opinion these old Oahu professional models are some of the only bargains left in vintage guitars.
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Those are some beautiful guitars.
So, they did put compensated saddles on some of them.
I really wish I would have been bitten by the Hawaiian bug when I was younger. I used to work in a guitar shop. We would have folks walk in wanting to sell their newly inherited squareneck guitars fairly often. I was told by the owner not to buy any because they would just sit around. After I’d let them know that we weren’t interested, many times they would ask if I would just give them $10-$20 for it. I wish I would snagged a few back then. Hindsight is 20/20! |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 9:44 am
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I have one like the one on the left...I'm a big fan of parlor-sized instruments (thus my custom Bonhams in my signature here).
And you can tune it to ANY tuning, if you manage the string gauges to limit the tension...
I tun mine to GBDGBD by adding a string and moving the others up a place, from a standard dobro set, keeping the treble side as usual but cutting the rest of the strings down a bit:
16-18-26-28-35-46
It sounds fine...these do have a lovely, rich sound.
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:50 am
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| Hmm, I guess you could do high A but they would need to be some real skinny strings. There's a string tension chart floating around here somewhere, always err to the light side. |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:57 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| Hmm, I guess you could do high A but they would need to be some real skinny strings. There's a string tension chart floating around here somewhere, always err to the light side. |
I would definitely look to the tension chart before doing anything. Weren’t these originally tuned to A? I thought that the Oahu books that I have seen referenced that tuning. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 11:06 am
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| Ryan Matzen wrote: |
| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| Hmm, I guess you could do high A but they would need to be some real skinny strings. There's a string tension chart floating around here somewhere, always err to the light side. |
I would definitely look to the tension chart before doing anything. Weren’t these originally tuned to A? I thought that the Oahu books that I have seen referenced that tuning. |
The old A tuning was low bass usually. Here is a gorgeous 65k on Reverb that's been haunting me, it's a v neck but looks like it's always been played Hawaiian style, nice case candy too. https://reverb.com/item/41527291-stomberg-voisinet-oahu-publishing-company |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 11:45 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| Ryan Matzen wrote: |
| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| Hmm, I guess you could do high A but they would need to be some real skinny strings. There's a string tension chart floating around here somewhere, always err to the light side. |
I would definitely look to the tension chart before doing anything. Weren’t these originally tuned to A? I thought that the Oahu books that I have seen referenced that tuning. |
The old A tuning was low bass usually. Here is a gorgeous 65k on Reverb that's been haunting me, it's a v neck but looks like it's always been played Hawaiian style, nice case candy too. https://reverb.com/item/41527291-stomberg-voisinet-oahu-publishing-company |
It is interesting that that guitar with a Spanish neck doesn’t have a compensated saddle. But, the squareneck that I had did! And, it is more than double what I had paid for the squareneck.
It would be my gut feeling that the larger bodies would sound better. Do you find a big difference in the sound of the various body sizes that you own? Do you prefer one size/shape to the others. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 2:27 pm
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| My smaller 65k is my favorite of the two, it's got something extra going on, though I really like the 66k too, the 65k has big strings and is tuned to a big fat low Cmaj. I also have added a bridge doctor to it and think it's smaller size ( less top real estate) adds to it's strength. The 66 has some bellying and neck bowing but it's been stable since I've owned it (5 or6 years), it was under too much tension when I got it. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 3:46 pm
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You must have missed my previous post where I ask you “Is there anyway that you could measure the string spacing at that bridge pins on your 66k for me? I found that Stew Mac sells Plate Mates in two sizes. I am thinking that one may fit.”
Do you happen to know what size plate you ordered?
I called the shop and arranged to pick it back up. It does have a small crack in the top (which I can easily fix). And, one wrong replacement tuner button (which isn’t aesthetically pleasing. But, I can take my time in finding a replacement). |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 5:40 pm
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By the way, you might want to check this out...lots of tidbits that I didn't know...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oahu_Music_Company.
I really like my 65k...it sounds very rich for being parlor sized...also has a very small top crack, but it has been stable through a few owners, I believe, so I'm not touching it....there's a guy (Jack Norby) near Portland OR (where I live) who has a garage full of these things (Oahus)..he acquires, refurbs where needed, and mostly sells them...labor of love for him...
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 6:18 pm
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| Steve Lipsey wrote: |
By the way, you might want to check this out...lots of tidbits that I didn't know...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oahu_Music_Company.
I really like my 65k...it sounds very rich for being parlor sized...also has a very small top crack, but it has been stable through a few owners, I believe, so I'm not touching it....there's a guy (Jack Norby) near Portland OR (where I live) who has a garage full of these things (Oahus)..he acquires, refurbs where needed, and mostly sells them...labor of love for him...
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Thanks for the link.
Does the metal bridge change the tone much? |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 6:24 pm
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Seems like all that mass would dampen it, but it sounds quite lively and we’ll balanced…I hope a more knowledgeable person will weigh in here…
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 8:28 pm
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| Ryan Matzen wrote: |
You must have missed my previous post where I ask you “Is there anyway that you could measure the string spacing at that bridge pins on your 66k for me? I found that Stew Mac sells Plate Mates in two sizes. I am thinking that one may fit.”
Do you happen to know what size plate you ordered?
I called the shop and arranged to pick it back up. It does have a small crack in the top (which I can easily fix). And, one wrong replacement tuner button (which isn’t aesthetically pleasing. But, I can take my time in finding a replacement). |
I'll pull it out tomorrow and see if I can measure it, I'm here to help you man😉 |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 10:41 pm
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| Ryan Matzen wrote: |
You must have missed my previous post where I ask you “Is there anyway that you could measure the string spacing at that bridge pins on your 66k for me? I found that Stew Mac sells Plate Mates in two sizes. I am thinking that one may fit.”
Do you happen to know what size plate you ordered?
I called the shop and arranged to pick it back up. It does have a small crack in the top (which I can easily fix). And, one wrong replacement tuner button (which isn’t aesthetically pleasing. But, I can take my time in finding a replacement). |
I'll pull it out tomorrow and see if I can measure it, I'm here to help you man😉 |
Thanks. I was actually able to get someone at the store to measure it. I was told that it is 2 5/32”. Unfortunately, StewMac doesn’t make a Plate Mate in that size. I did find that Elderly Instruments sell some from another company (that look the same). Their’s are called Mitchel's Acoustic Guitar "Plate Mate“. Unfortunately, they did not have that size either. So, I Googled the manufacturer. And, they do have that size. So, I ordered one. |
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Ryan Matzen
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2022 11:01 pm
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I decided that I would like to tune the guitar to G-Tuning. That way I can still follow along with some instructional materials that I have. Would a standard light gauge (12-53) acoustic set be alright for this? Although, the trebles seem a bit light, I already have some of these sets on hand. Otherwise, it looks like John Pearse makes a High Bass "G" tuning set D B G D B G [to bass] - .015, .018, .027, .036, .042, .052.. Maybe those would be a better option? Would the John Pearse set be light enough?
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2022 6:52 am
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This is the Oahu I started on many eons ago.
Erv
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