May Bell Tenor Guitar

May Bell Tenor Guitar
Click a pic to view it full size in a new page. -- Created 06 Nov 03 --

Nice May Bell Tenor Guitar, spruce top, birch back and sides, ebony fingerboard. Note dot at 10th fret, rather than the 9th, an inlay position more common to the banjo than the guitar. The frets on this guitar are not brass, like all other May Bell instruments, but are nickel. They might be replacements? The frets protrude past the edge of the fingerboard, but the fingerboard has also shrunk over the years, so they could be original. There is no chipping of the ebony to indicate that the frets were ever pulled.
A view of the back. The same black line down the center that was used on various models.
Close-up of the head of the ukulele, showing the banjo head shape.
The back of the head, showing the metal tuners. These were originally painted black, and most of the paint has worn off from many years of tuning!
Side view of the head, showing the angle and volute, very much like their banjos.
Inside the guitar is the stamped the "May Bell" name. There appears to have been no other marking on this instrument.
The bridge of the tenor guitar -- the curve of the back is the same shape as the faux reso and Cathedranola coverplate behind the bridge.

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