[Editor’s note: Harmony is part of Vista Musical Instruments, which like Guitar.com, is part of the Caldecott Music Group.]
Boasting a storied list of players – including BB King, Elvis Presley, and Kurt Cobain – Stella was a guitar brand which remains instrumental in the pages of guitar history.
First founded all the way back in 1899 – 127 years ago – by Oscar Schmidt, and later acquired by Harmony in 1939, it’s a brand which has helped shape the landscape of rock music and beyond.
Credit: Harmony
Now, Harmony has announced it is bringing back Stella, with a new range of parlor-sized acoustic guitars at very-much affordable price points, starting at just $349.
Reinterpreting the compact, travel-friendly format for the next generation of songwriters and creators, the new Stella Parlor acoustics boast mahogany backs and sides paired with a solid spruce top, along with a modern X-bracing for durability without sacrificing tone.
Credit: Harmony
There’s a raft of vintage-inspired details, too, like a slotted headstock, off-white binding and a beautifully delicate soundhole rosette. They also feature bone nuts and saddles for “enhanced resonance and sustain”, and come fitted with D’Addario coated strings.
In terms of colourways, the new Harmony Stella acoustics come in Sunburst, Moonstone Blue, Backwoods Green and Ivory.
Credit: Harmony
“B.B. King’s first guitar was a red Stella acoustic,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO of Vista Musical Instruments. “That’s the kind of impact we want this brand to continue to have, being the guitar that starts someone’s story.”
Harmony Stella Parlor acoustics start at $349, and are available in limited quantities, exclusively via harmony.co.
Sam is the Associate News Editor for Guitar.com and MusicTech. Thoroughly immersed in music culture for the majority of his life, Sam has played guitar for 20 years, studied music technology and production at university, and also written for the likes of Guitar World, Total Guitar, Metal Hammer and MusicRadar.