c1860 Johann Gottfried Scherzer Harp Guitar

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This week’s unusual instrument is a circa 1860 Johann Gottfried Scherzer contraguitar (also called a harp guitar). Most of the videos I’ve been posting feature mandolin family instruments, but someone saw this guitar in the background of one of videos and asked about it. Scherzer worked in the Stauffer shop in Vienna for years and later on his own. His version of the contraguitar, a refinement of Stauffer’s original contraguitar, was considered perhaps the quintessential design and was widely copied across Europe in the late 1800s. Nowadays it seems most harp guitarists prefer the powerful Larson made Dyer harp guitars of the 1910s and 1920s that were built for steel strings. I'm still a novice on contraguitar, but the video should give you an idea of how it sounds.

https://youtu.be/_LySaIcqArM

www.vintagefrettedinstruments.com

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Also some photos of the bolt on neck and internal metal support rod

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I've been posting a series of rare "vintage instruments of the week" video links in this vintage forum. However, this week's unusual instrument is a 2008 Randy Wood Resonator Mandocello which I posted in the "videos, pictures and sound files" forum since it will be a good while still before 2008 is considered vintage! Also the "videos, pictures and sound files" forum is probably the better place for video links (duh).

www.vintagefrettedinstruments.com