Vintage 1890's Clifford Parlour Guitar Restoration

Looks to have a solid spruce top. Solid mahogany? back. Mahogany? ply sides. 24 1/2" scale length. Nut width is 1 13/16". 18 frets (in good condition) on a rosewood fretboard. 'Pyramid style' rosewood bridge (in very bad shape). Neck has been previously broken and 'sloppily' repaired. The spruce top, especially on the body edges, is very worn. Back has several 'unrepaired' cracks. May have some other problems that have not been addressed or found yet.

Clifford guitars were made in Kansas Missouri by the music publishers J.W.Jenkins & Sons.  They also produced instruments under the 'Harwood' and 'Washington' brand. It may be that the guitar was actually built by the Regal / Harmony factory in Chicago.

They seem to be extremely rare now, though thousands must have been made.

  • Date: January 2014

I will be carrying out a sensitive restoration on this guitar. The tuners are in surprisingly good condition.