World's best fiance? (1920's Stromberg-Voisinet!)

[Michael Ambrose]

My fiance couldn't wait until Christmas Day to give me my gift... and I couldn't wait to post it!



In the eight years we've been together, I've trained her well. hahaha... In fact, I've turned her into a gear nerd herself! (Being the drummer in my band, she's taken quite a liking to vintage Gretsch Kits! But I digress...)

Oh, god, she knows me too well... I was on the hunt for an acoustic, something quirky and old with a big beefy neck and a parlor-size body... and she found me this late-1920's Stromberg-Voisinet (Kay) Parlour acoustic. Palm tree stencil, Mother of Pearl fretboard and pickguard, asymmetrical slotted headstock with (supposedly) original black-button Klusons, and a bone rosette and binding.

God, I love this woman.

[VintAxe]

Very Nice Michael

My wife doesn't know the difference between a solid body and hollow body, much less where to find a nice antique guitar like this.

Now that you've had it awhile, how does it sound. Is it just beautiful eye candy or does it have a place in your arsenal?

[Michael Ambrose]

Its quite incredible, actually.

Once I get a proper parlor-sized HSC for it, its definitely going to be a regular stage axe.

A while back I turned a "cheese grater" DeArmond into a floating soundhole pickup... and the sound is unreal. I also fitted my dust-covered Barcus Berry, and that worked nicely as well... but you know me. Old-school, dirty and gritty to the core. I'll undoubtedly be sticking with the cheese grater... That is, of course, until I can find a Monkey Stick at an affordable price hahaha...

Definitely a regular piece now.

[Guitar]

I'm rehabbing essentially that exact guitar right now.
Same everything, but smaller decal variant.

Those old Gumbi-head Stroms are really underrated.
Some day, I don't know when, American roots instruments from this era are going to catch hard. In the meantime, I'm quietly acquiring select examples and stacking them up like cordwood, one at a time