Nowadays, the term "Parlor Guitar" is too often misused as a blanket term for any small-body guitar. True parlor guitars were designed for and used to play parlor music. It was an era when guitars played a different role in music, and these 12-fret neck, slotted headstock axes supplied rich sound for fancy sitting rooms. Many are ladder-braced, and most have a small body that sounds great in smaller settings (e.g. a parlor room, whereas bigger bodies were designed for the "Auditorium"). This highly-ornate parlor guitar was made by Stromberg-Voisonet in Chicago in the late '20s. It is an excellent example of a true parlor guitar: 12-fret design, slotted headstock, only 13-1/4" across on the lower bout, and ladder braced. The top is also adorned by authentic late-'20s decalcomania. After all, these guitars were intended to be played in the fancy front room of someone's house, so it had to fit in with the gaudy decor. The design on this one is an intricate encapsulation of '20s opulence, and the colors have faded beautifully over time. The decal is matched by elaborate purfling around the top and rosette. This 1920s Stromberg Voisonet is constructed from a Solid Spruce top and what appears to be Walnut back and sides. It's hard to say for sure—many comparable Stromberg-Voisonet parlors have mahogany, Brazilian Rosewood, or even birch back and sides. But on this one, the color and grain pattern looks most like Walnut to us. Great care has been taken to ensure that this old Stromberg-Voisonet plays and sounds like it should. The Brazilian Rosewood bridge is not original, and it features an angled saddle that is compensated for proper intonation with steel strings. The neck has been reset and the fingerboard refretted as well, and it looks like the fingerboard was likely re-planed when it was refretted. It also features a new nut. Because of that, it accommodates a low, inviting setup that is not often found on these old guitars. Nevertheless, we recommend stringing it with Extra Light gauge (.010-.048) strings because these old guitars are brittle, and the ladder-braced top can suffer under a lot of string tension. There are signs of some past repairs, but everything on this 1920s Stromberg-Voisonet parlor is stable and structurally sound. Most obvious are four back cracks, and it looks like the back separated slightly from the side along the edge of the lower bout (all repaired and 100% now). Some of the braces look to have been reglued somewhere along the way, too. This 1920s Stromberg Voisonet Decalcomania Parlor packs nice mid-range bark and authentic parlor-guitar growl. It's a fantastic fingerpicker and an obvious choice for the blues (Charley Patton was known for playing a Stromberg Voisonet, incidentally). The ornate decoration provides true '20s vibe, and the strong V neck profile connects you with the bygone era of parlor music. This guitar has a lot of charm, and the decalcomania will match your grandmother's antique china set, too.
