eBay item 300236539866 OSCAR SCHMIDT CENTURION OS100 21 E AUTOHARP 21 CHORD
This a US vintage Centurion Electric circa 1979-1983. The Centurion has a solid spruce top and usually light ash for back, sides, and frame. I have owned one in mahogany, so there is some variation. The rig would have sold new for about $350 in 1979. That was a lot for an autoharp. It was certainly the one to own at that time. Many of the solid tops didn't fare well, so that would put a red flag on any of these, definitely an important inquiry before any thought of bidding.
With only three bidders in a few days, the price is already $810. This will be interesting to watch.
This instrument is identical to what Karen Mueller plays. Hers has a built in electric pickup, and I know those as relatively rare. I have one and wouldn't take $810 for it, but mine has custom fine tuners, new strings, etc.
I don't favor it when there are other instruments wailing away around me. It is too civilized and gets drowned out. However, it is THE number one choice when playing alone. Without fine tuners, forget it. I can't deal with it. Close isn't good enough. That is more critical when in "diatonic" tuning and doubled strings need to be synchronized (with very little tolerance).
Although my OS10021E is not one of them, some of my US vintage 'harps with solid tops have splits of one degree or another at the 3 o'clock position of the soundhole. Some have warped (not flat) tops. All sound fine and can be ruined in tone if gluing in braces. I suggest just playing them and not worrying about cracks, until something comes apart, the frame bows too much, or the thing won't hold tuning.
The price is already well above what I have ever seen or heard of anyone paying for one of these. Since it still needs hundreds of dollars worth of refurbishing and enhancement, primarily fine tuners, possibly diatonic conversion, I don't see anyone ever recovering their investment. It has to be something someone wants to play rather than trade. In real value, I personally wouldn't balk if I needed another instrument. It is more valuable to me than most luthier offerings, so it can be a relatively good deal. The problem is that most people cannot imagine any Oscar Schmidt being worth this much, especially when notorious for top problems. Thus the luthier instrument can be the much better investment, the one having some resale value anywhere near your investment, the one with some demand when you put it up for sale.
Now, if someone were visiting from the UK or elsewhere, acquiring this instrument at this price might make a lot of sense.
Karen's (Mueller) is GD, but I don't recommend that tuning. These things typically provide the fattest tone on a Bb note and are going to favor F. To be grabbed and converted into just another GD to be played with dulcimers would be a shame. This thing is a professional grade instrument like the "vintage Martin guitar".
As always the question is, in how nice a condition is it? One can take some chances at a fortuitous price, but $810 is another matter completely. I have never paid anything like that much without first seeing the thing in person. I drove a whole day to examine a $700 OS200 Festival model that turned out to be mint and fairly priced. What I bought, in effect, was just a harp body, because it has since been restrung, has new chord bars, custom fine tuners, and a different case...easily worth over $1000. I don't have much hope of recovering half of that in resale, should I ever choose to sell it...not that I would.
Again, depending on the application, certainly as a chromatic configuration, I would rather play the one I have like this one than any luthier chromatic out there. The context though would be that I would still need a rowdier luthier instrument to play away from home. What should a preference over a luthier alternative be worth?
If I was going to buy one of this breed, I would rather have the original built in pickup than the add-on one with a different control and connector arrangement, although either one works fine. This connector is in the more favorable position.
What is so troubling is how high a percentage of these have problems with the spruce top, especially with age and with new homes that have significantly different climatic environments. They can come to you perfect and pristine, and if you make the slightest tweak, the top goes south on you...not necessarily ruined, but let's say they don't travel well.
They are more than 25 years old. It is not easy to be sure of what one is getting into with eBay purchases.
The real question at this point is whether one should even consider paying more than $810, if not planning to be content with it as is, no expensive enhancements. I can usually buy one with no competition at $500. I don't think I would add $310 to add a pickup, but it is very important.
Finally, this one sounds to be in mint condition, virtually never used. That would be cosmetic, because it could have been a better instrument, if someone had played it. The strings are surely shot because no one kept it in tune, if not playing it.
Bidding ends in 3 days.
Footnote:
When I get an OS harp with this type of built in pickup (US vintage), I always add a hole and screw in the cover plate corner near the jack. Then the jack is more solidly mounted, and pulling on the connector will not pull the trim plate away from the top. The jack is sandwiched onto the trim plate. Looking at the picture, that extra hole and screw would be right below the strap button and to the left of the jack. It takes a high grade drill bit to create the hole. It is not something to be done poorly, since similar parts to replace a mess could be hard to locate or you might have to buy a whole instrument just to cannibalize one part. Placement of the hole is critical, because there is only one spot where there is actually any wood underneath. The rest of the area is a cavity for the jack and wiring. The hole has to be right at the very edge of the trim plate. Take it all apart to be sure what you are doing.
This a US vintage Centurion Electric circa 1979-1983. The Centurion has a solid spruce top and usually light ash for back, sides, and frame. I have owned one in mahogany, so there is some variation. The rig would have sold new for about $350 in 1979. That was a lot for an autoharp. It was certainly the one to own at that time. Many of the solid tops didn't fare well, so that would put a red flag on any of these, definitely an important inquiry before any thought of bidding.
With only three bidders in a few days, the price is already $810. This will be interesting to watch.
This instrument is identical to what Karen Mueller plays. Hers has a built in electric pickup, and I know those as relatively rare. I have one and wouldn't take $810 for it, but mine has custom fine tuners, new strings, etc.
I don't favor it when there are other instruments wailing away around me. It is too civilized and gets drowned out. However, it is THE number one choice when playing alone. Without fine tuners, forget it. I can't deal with it. Close isn't good enough. That is more critical when in "diatonic" tuning and doubled strings need to be synchronized (with very little tolerance).
Although my OS10021E is not one of them, some of my US vintage 'harps with solid tops have splits of one degree or another at the 3 o'clock position of the soundhole. Some have warped (not flat) tops. All sound fine and can be ruined in tone if gluing in braces. I suggest just playing them and not worrying about cracks, until something comes apart, the frame bows too much, or the thing won't hold tuning.
The price is already well above what I have ever seen or heard of anyone paying for one of these. Since it still needs hundreds of dollars worth of refurbishing and enhancement, primarily fine tuners, possibly diatonic conversion, I don't see anyone ever recovering their investment. It has to be something someone wants to play rather than trade. In real value, I personally wouldn't balk if I needed another instrument. It is more valuable to me than most luthier offerings, so it can be a relatively good deal. The problem is that most people cannot imagine any Oscar Schmidt being worth this much, especially when notorious for top problems. Thus the luthier instrument can be the much better investment, the one having some resale value anywhere near your investment, the one with some demand when you put it up for sale.
Now, if someone were visiting from the UK or elsewhere, acquiring this instrument at this price might make a lot of sense.
Karen's (Mueller) is GD, but I don't recommend that tuning. These things typically provide the fattest tone on a Bb note and are going to favor F. To be grabbed and converted into just another GD to be played with dulcimers would be a shame. This thing is a professional grade instrument like the "vintage Martin guitar".
As always the question is, in how nice a condition is it? One can take some chances at a fortuitous price, but $810 is another matter completely. I have never paid anything like that much without first seeing the thing in person. I drove a whole day to examine a $700 OS200 Festival model that turned out to be mint and fairly priced. What I bought, in effect, was just a harp body, because it has since been restrung, has new chord bars, custom fine tuners, and a different case...easily worth over $1000. I don't have much hope of recovering half of that in resale, should I ever choose to sell it...not that I would.
Again, depending on the application, certainly as a chromatic configuration, I would rather play the one I have like this one than any luthier chromatic out there. The context though would be that I would still need a rowdier luthier instrument to play away from home. What should a preference over a luthier alternative be worth?
If I was going to buy one of this breed, I would rather have the original built in pickup than the add-on one with a different control and connector arrangement, although either one works fine. This connector is in the more favorable position.
What is so troubling is how high a percentage of these have problems with the spruce top, especially with age and with new homes that have significantly different climatic environments. They can come to you perfect and pristine, and if you make the slightest tweak, the top goes south on you...not necessarily ruined, but let's say they don't travel well.
They are more than 25 years old. It is not easy to be sure of what one is getting into with eBay purchases.
The real question at this point is whether one should even consider paying more than $810, if not planning to be content with it as is, no expensive enhancements. I can usually buy one with no competition at $500. I don't think I would add $310 to add a pickup, but it is very important.
Finally, this one sounds to be in mint condition, virtually never used. That would be cosmetic, because it could have been a better instrument, if someone had played it. The strings are surely shot because no one kept it in tune, if not playing it.
Bidding ends in 3 days.
Footnote:
When I get an OS harp with this type of built in pickup (US vintage), I always add a hole and screw in the cover plate corner near the jack. Then the jack is more solidly mounted, and pulling on the connector will not pull the trim plate away from the top. The jack is sandwiched onto the trim plate. Looking at the picture, that extra hole and screw would be right below the strap button and to the left of the jack. It takes a high grade drill bit to create the hole. It is not something to be done poorly, since similar parts to replace a mess could be hard to locate or you might have to buy a whole instrument just to cannibalize one part. Placement of the hole is critical, because there is only one spot where there is actually any wood underneath. The rest of the area is a cavity for the jack and wiring. The hole has to be right at the very edge of the trim plate. Take it all apart to be sure what you are doing.
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