I purchased this concert size 1930 Oscar Schmidt Stella guitar on ebay. It had no tuners. No nut. The original bridge was there, but the saddle was broken. The back was coming off, and reglued very poorly. Inside, the crack to the side was repaired, and cleated shut using Popsicle sticks and wooden clothes pins. Fortunately, it was remarkably well done and solid! No label inside, but it has Stella written on the headstock. My friend, Jimmy, a professional guitar builder, repaired all these issues, and restored this guitar back into a wonderful playable condition. These ladder braced guitars have amazing tone. Especially, in open tuning played with a Bottleneck.

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17 thoughts on “Charlie Patton and Stella Guitars Bottleneck Slide Blues”

  1. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you for your kind words. Glad to hear you enjoyed my rendition.

  3. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you for your encouragement. Glad you liked my rendition. Enjoy.

  4. Leo O
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    Congratulations! It’s just like the original guitar sound! Amazing! Excellent playing!

  5. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you Wesley. I appreciate your generous comment. Enjoy.

  7. PinkOld
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    I haven’t taken the incredible time and effort to even learn to play the first 13 notes of "Yankee Doodle" on guitar, but I greatly appreciate people who do, especially anyone who keeps the delta blues alive, as you expertly do here.

  8. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you for your reply. A little risky, but there are a lot of nice old Stella guitars that come to market on ebay all the time. Depending on how well you want to restore it in regards to playability and aesthetics depends on how deep your pockets are and your access to a gifted guitar builder. Just like adopting a pound puppy, the work may be worth the effort in the long run. Enjoy.

  9. PinkOld
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    Thank, Keni, for having this old Stella restored, and double thanks for lifting my heart by playing it and singing so beautifully.

  10. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you for your comment. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Enjoy.

  11. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Neil Harpe owns a site called stellaguitars. He posted some information about these instruments and the past artists who played them. To the best of my knowledge, no one knows the exact model of his guitar, although there has been mentions of a pearloid fingerboard. I hope this helps. Enjoy.

  12. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you Bob for sharing that factoid. An interesting piece of information. Enjoy.

  13. Bob Frank
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    According to blues historian Gayle Dean Wardlow, H.C. Speir, who owned a music store in Jackson, MS and was the talent scout for Paramount, often gave new Stella guitars, the brand he sold in his store, to the bluesmen he was sending north to record because their own instruments were often in terrible condition. He also says that almost all the Paramount recordings were made on new Stella guitars.

  14. Keni Lee Burgess
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    Thank you for your question. No one fully knows, but if you do some research you will come across accounts that Patton played Stella guitars. I believe it was Son House who said, Patton owned a high end Stella that had a "tree of life" inlay in the fingerboard. Oscar Schmidt Stella guitar were available through mail order down South and were very affordable. Regardless, no truss rod, open headstock, ladder braced, concert size is the typical 1930 guitar. Enjoy.

  15. Andreas Sitompul
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    hello Mr. Lee, just wanna ask another question…
    do you know what kind of stella charlie patton was using, or it’s the one that you were playin’ ? i really crazy about patton, maybe i’ll buy that stella someday, haha…
    thanks btw for always answers all of my silly questions…

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