(SOLD) Hawaiian Club Painted Parlour Acoustic c1938
Hawaiian Club parlour guitar, made in USA 1935-40, 'Hawaiian moon' scene finish. This is adorable! Hawaiian club was apparently a hire-purchase instrument store in Adelaide, and these were a 'house brand' they imported from USA. There's an identical model in the Harmony brand titled H1074: Hawaiian Moon that was sold on the USA and other markets at the same time. It seems to be made of all solid birch, although exact specs are hard to verify. The neck is a chunky V profile with a well a well worn ebonised maple board and a short scale. It's fairly easy to play with a friendly action and cute slinky feel. The tone is awesome: heaps of slap and spank balanced with a nice woody mellowness; great for standard or slide playing. I'm pretty tempted to keep this honestly, it'd look great on the wall and is an addictive little player. Everyone needs a guitar with a stencilled moonlit seascape, right?
Model: Hawaiian Club Parlour
Made: USA, Harmony factory, 1935-40
Finish: 'Hawaiian moon' scene; black with green and white stencil scene
Body: solid birch top/back/sides (best estimate)
Neck: birch, ebonised maple board, short scale, hard V profile, no truss rod
Weight: 1.380kg
Mods: bridge pins replaced
Pickup: none
Case: none
Cosmetic condition notes: moderate finish wear. Headstock has a bunch of scuffs and marks, plus the hanger on the end and a couple of tuners are bent. The neck is comprehensively played, so the finish has largely worn off as per pics, plus there's some wear on the board. The back and sides have scuffs and scratches all over but no major marks. The front has plenty of rub wear on the elbow area and on the horns, but the graphic on top has held up well. Overall: good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good. Frets are original and in decent shape with fairly minor wear, 6/10 for fret life left. Setup with fresh 11/52 John Pearse strings.