Vintage acoustic guitar ID

Merry Christmas!
If anyone could tell me something about this guitar, I would be really gratefull.
This guitar I bought for my little niece that started to learn how to play recently and I would like to know to tell her what type at least it is. It looks full of history that the seller didnt know and it sounds beautifull.
Thanks

 

Whats that written inside ?

 

Its a name that has been painted over.
There is also an ink stamp that says "18" and another smudge of paint in lower right corner

 

All I know is it's an older guitar.

 

Thanks Evelyb30

 

What little I know about guitars....I'm thinking this may be home made !

 

It crossed my mind, but it is so well crafted

 

yes.....but no where near a Gibson , Martin or Ibanez, or other high end guitar.




The nut looks broken.
The hard wear for the tuning pegs looks average store bought.
The pick guard looks....weird....& hand made.
The diamond design around the body is at best ...sloppy .

It does look to have some age , & it does look loved.....but that's all I got !

There's a guy , Arthur , on the eBay Part time sellers board.....he'd know better !

 

I know zero about instruments.
I agree with you on design done by hand rather sloppy, very hillbilly.
I dont think it has been assembled by hand though, not that it would matter much.
I would like to at least know to what type of guitars it belongs, because I understand there are several basic.
I would also like to know what is the hole on the side for and what is the metal thing beside the base of the neck for

 

the metal thing is for a guitar strap....the hole on the side......i see no hole ?

 

I dont know if I should remove this brown paint that was obviously used to cover original writing on the inside?

 

it's nice that the top is lit .....

 

I tried to lighten the photo a bit, to see if the "hole" showed up - this was the best I could do -

 

I do know something about guitars, have been playing them for 50 years plus....
You'd call this a steel-string acoustic guitar, with a trapeze tailpiece; and I'd guess it was made around 1950, by any one of a number of small companies. Very similar to a Stella guitar from that period, though I'd think it is not made by Stella. Probably American-made though.
Top and sides have been "decorated," stained or spray-painted by a previous owner (Bill?). The hole in the side was likely added by the same owner, in order to run a cord for an electric pick-up.
DeArmond and others made an add-on electric pickup that could be clipped into the sound-hole of an acoustic guitar in order to get an electric sound. It was always awkward figuring out what to do with the cord, so putting a hole in the side of an inexpensive guitar might have seemed a reasonable solution; the hole would be on the bottom side when in playing position. If it was a DeArmond pickup you'd likely see some scratches on the inside of the sound-hole if viewed with an inspection mirror; the DeArmond had a toothed support bracket on one side that tended to tear up the wood inside.
By the 1980s the DeArmond pickup would have been worth more than the guitar, which is why it is no longer there, assuming it was once present.
You are not likely to find much information through online research. There were a lot of companies making guitars like this, and they are not particularly collectible. The pickguard does look like an add-on.
If the neck is straight, and the string-action low, it could be a playable instrument for a beginner. Might need the nut replaced, though if the nut was reglued it may work OK. Probably not going to sound very good; most guitars in that price-range had plywood tops.
One consideration in getting a guitar for a beginner is that you don't want the instrument to be so hard to play that it is discouraging, or to sound so bad that they lose interest. If you know anyone who can play you might get their opinion on that aspect, or to help you select a better beginner's instrument.
Children often do better with a small nylon-string instrument, because if the steel strings hurt their fingers they are not likely to stick with it.

 

Steve,

This is the most insightfull opinnion I got so far. I thank you so very much for taking time to share this with me. The "Bill" and other decoration looks like stained by original owner. I think it had another long term owner after that, because original hand writting on the inside has been deliberately covered by grease brown paint. What do you think about me trying to clean it in order to see original writing?

 

Oh yes, this one sounds heavenly. I don't play, but it produces sound that reminds me of Paco De Lucia instantly...

 

Would these be scratches...?

 

In the last photo, I'd think it is crazing in the finish rather than scratches. Cleaning or not cleaning the painted-over writing is not going to affect value, but might provide some information. It is possible the original owner wrote his name and social security number there.
That used to be considered a good idea, in case the item was lost - until people realized it could lead to ID theft if the item was sold.