History
Stella was one of several musical instrument brands made in Jersey City, New Jersey by the Oscar Schmidt Company. Other Schmidt brands include Sovereign and La Scala. The Oscar Schmidt Company produced low and mid level stringed instruments such as guitars, mandolins, banjos and Autoharps.
The Company thrived during the first quarter of the 20th Century, producing many thousands of Stella guitars, mandolins and banjos. In 1920, the Oscar Schmidt Company was said to be the largest manufacturer of stringed instrument in the world. Stellas were noted for both their good tone and their relatively low price. The fanciest Stella and Sovereign guitars carried a price tag that was just a fraction of the price of even the cheapest Gibson or C. F. Martin instrument.
Although they continued making Autoharps, after struggling through the Great Depression, the Oscar Schmidt Company finally had to sell off their fretted instrument division in the late 1930s. Schmidt's Stella, Sovereign and La Scala brands were acquired by the Harmony Company of Chicago, Illinois in 1939. Harmony went on to produce student grade Stella instruments as well as mid-level Sovereign guitars and banjos.
Read more about this topic: Stella (guitar)
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