I have played Oscar Schmidt-made guitars for alot of years and still own a rare Schmidt-made 14 fret jumbo. But the seemingly ever rising price tags on these instruments has tended to dampen my chances of snagging them as easily as I once could. I have, however, finally broken my fast and picked up another Schmidt-made guitar. It is a standard Stella. This one is a bit more uptown though with a red spruce top and real binding. It ain't much in the looks department and shows every mile put on it but it is structurally sound and perfectly playable.