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1929 Maurer Style 593 Tree of Life
The Maurer Style 593 was the largest and most ornate of the Larson-built Maurers. A 12-fret flat top with a 15” lower bout and long 25.5” scale, the Maurer 593 was dimensionally similar to Martin’s 12 fret 000-sized guitars, but significantly fancier than a Style 45 from the front. With bold pearl inlays around the top, fretboard extension and around the soundhole, an ornate “Tree of Life” fretboard inlay, floral-pattern inlays on the headstock, and engraved star inlays on the bridge wings, this guitar is about fancy as could have been imagined in 1929. The body, soundhole, fretboard, and headstock are all bound in white celluloid, the tuning machines are heavily nickel-plated Waverly’s with solid pearl buttons, and the bridge pins are bone with inlaid abalone dots.
This Maurer Style 593 is built of Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a white spruce top. The top’s X bracing employs Larson’s patented three-section spruce/rosewood/spruce lamination for stiffness, volume, and projection; it was designed specifically for the use of steel strings, which were a fairly new thing for flat-top guitars in 1929.
Purchased from the family of its original local owner, this guitar has been in our area since it was new. Apart from some minor repairs it remains completely original but for a new bone saddle. With a fresh reset, fret dressing and set-up by our shop, this guitar plays beautifully with comfortable action.
Larson-built guitars are famous for how loud they can be, particularly given how shallow their bodies often are. This Maurer 593 is no exception here, and the guitar is incredibly loud and focussed. Its 000-sized body was huge for 1929, but with a depth of only 3-1/4” at the endpin the guitar feels smaller than it measures. The guitar’s strong midrange is balanced very well by its full-bodied trebles and articulated low end. It’s a clean and dry guitar that rewards a practiced right hand whether played fingerstyle or with a flat pick, and it offers a huge amount of headroom and touch-sensitivity that any dynamic player will love.
The neck has a full feeling rounded carve that’s somewhere between a C and D profile. The nut width is 1-7/8”, and the neck depth at the 1st fret measures .953”. String spread at the saddle is 2-5/16”. The original frets are in near-new condition as the guitar was used with a nut-riser for most of its life. Playability is excellent after our reset and fret dress, and we have the guitar set up with 12-54 strings and 5-7 64ths action.
There is one cleanly glued top crack below the bridge, beginning at the high E pin. The bridge was reglued many years ago and there is a small section of spruce grain-tear visible in front of it. That repair person installed upholstery tacks in the bridge wings which we’ve left as found as they add to the beauty of the guitar. There is a small assortment of minor repaired back cracks, but no side cracks. The original finish remains in excellent condition, although there is ancient greenish staining on the sides near the bottom of the guitar caused by the interaction of the case felt and moisture. Overall, this guitar presents beautifully and remains in remarkably fine condition.
With original hardshell case
