USED Andrew Groehsl / HAWAIIAN GUITAR [03]

One of the Tony Khoo Collection.

One of the collection of the late Isami Uchizaki, a Hawaiian researcher who also performed under the name of Tony Ku. The book "THE HAWAIIAN GUITAR -A Celebration of Early Acoustic Steel Guitars- The Tony Ku Collection", published overseas, lists on page 90 this Andrew Groehsl's Hawaiian It appears to be a product of the 1920s.

Andrew Groehsl was born in Australia. The company he founded in Chicago, the Andrew Groehsl Company, later to become Kay Musical Instruments, is well known.

There is no information on Andrew Groehs' Hawaiian guitars other than Uchizaki's book mentioned above, so the details are unknown. The top wood seems to be spruce, but the sides and back are unknown. There is some tiger grain showing through under the paint film, but if you look at the inside of the sound hole, it looks like mahogany. The bridge and fingerboard may be ebony. The body and neck are integrated in a hollow neck construction, but it is thicker than the Weissenborn. There are shell inlays on the top edge and around the sound hole, but the craftsmanship is a little rough, and it has a more "by-the-book" feel than a high-end feel.

There are some dings, scratches, abrasions, and some paint cloudiness and deterioration, but considering the age of the instrument, it retains a good appearance. There are no cracks or crack repair marks. The bridge currently has a metal rod on it as a saddle, like a wizen bone, and the slot has been filled in and can be seen near the pledge pin. There is no significant deformation or distortion of the body, which is typical of Hawaiian guitars with hollow neck construction. The end pins are slightly distorted, but this may be an afterthought, as they are not necessary for Hawaiian guitars. Since we do not know the specifications at the time of shipment, we are not sure if the rest of the body is original or not, but it does not appear to have been tampered with significantly.

The sound is excellent. It has a vintage withered flavor, sweet resonance typical of Hawaiian guitars, and just enough reverb to keep the sound from becoming stagnant. It has volume and sustain, and is practical enough with no loss of sound in the upper register. The enchanting tone makes you forget about the time you spend playing it. Although it may not be easy to install pickups due to its structure, it is a valuable item just to enjoy the live sound. Although it is a collector's item, the price is reasonable. Recommended for beginners.

Year of production: 1920s
Accessories: non-genuine hard case
Serial: 46875