Larsen Brothers Dyer Harp Guitar Style 3

Dyer Symphony Style Five Harp Guitar, c.1910

This harp guitar was built by the Larson Brothers, Carl and August, of Chicago Ill. for J. Dyer & Bros. of St. Paul Minnesota. This is a Style Five, with relatively understated appointments for a Larsen built Dyer. The Adirondack spruce top is bound in white celluloid with a three-ply purfling of boxwood sandwiched by ebony. The larger soundhole has a multi-color inner ring bracketed by boxwood, ebony and red-dyed pearwood. The two outer rings are, like the purfling, a boxwood center with ebony outer layers. The smaller soundhole has a multicolor outer ring in between ebony rings and a thin inner ring of ebony and red dyed pearwood. The headstock overlays, both for the guitar and the harp are Brazilian rosewood. The harp overlay is separated from the top extension by a decorative flourish of the top purfling and it features carved decorative spirals emanating from the body contours. Five bass string banjo style tuning pegs, with five slotted celluloid pins, secure the harp strings. The guitar neck is mahogany with an ebony fingerboard. It features eighteen frets with pearl dot markers at the third, fifth, seventh and tenth frets. The tuners are nickel plated three-on-a-plate tuners with white celluloid buttons. 

The bridge is a thoughtfully made reproduction, made to emulate the contours of the original, in Brazilian rosewood. The original would have been ebony. The back and sides are mahogany with a multi-color center strip and no binding. 

The interior of the guitar is X-braced, with additional support bracing. The bridge plates have been replaced and a top crack ahead of the bridge has been soundly sealed and cleated. Additional cleats close three top cracks running from the bridge to the lower rim. Another top crack at the center of the harp arm has been similarly cleated. The top dips a bit ahead of the bridge and the larger soundhole is somewhat distorted. These distortions have proven to be stable under tension, though they can be addressed if the buyer so chooses. The finish is the original varnish throughout and it has held up well with superficial marks throughout. The back of the neck has numerous capo marks through the finish and into the wood, though they are sufficiently worn down so that the neck feels very comfortable. The nut width is 1 ⅞” with bridge string spacing at 2 5/16.” Neck depth at the first fret is ⅞” and 1 3/32” at the seventh.

This is a great sounding and carefully cared for instrument, even if it is not fully original. The tone of the guitar benefits from the large harp chamber, itself a hollow extension of the guitar body. This gives the guitar a deep rich tone. The harp strings are similarly sonorous.

It arrives in a hand built and custom fit later hard shell case.