No serial #. Few figures in the history of Canadian guitar making are as enigmatic and mysterious as Charles Brasher. A Toronto inventor and musician, Brasher patented his resonating guitar design in 1935, and hand-built cones and coverplates in small numbers before apparently partnering with Arthur Hansel and the RS Williams Company to manufacture wood-bodied resonator guitars in the WWII era.

This very early Brasher features the original hand-stamped cone, metal biscuit bridge, and nickel plated hand-cut coverplate typical of the earliest Brasher resos. The palm rest is engraved "South Sea College", which follows the theme of Brasher's other engravings. The body is a birch-ply design, not unlike those built by Regal for Dobro during the same era. Hand cut F holes, white bindings on the top and back, and black lacquer finish. The neck is large, with a rounded V carve, flat indian rosewood fingerboard and a width of 1-7/8" at the nut. Scale is 24.75".

The guitar has been set up and plays with a hybrid slide/fingerstyle set up. Action at the 12th fret is 4/32". There are a few coverplate rattles, some fret buzz up the neck if you dig in hard, but overall the guitar works fairly well -- particularly as compared to other Brashers and Hensels that we've encountered over the time. It has a sweet and compressed tone, somewhat akin to a Dobro without a soundwell.

With original chipboard case.

Shipping into the USA?

Sending this guitar to a US address is easy to do, and there are no import fees, taxes, or duties to pay when it arrives. We take care of everything involved in shipping -- all you have to do unpackage the instrument when it arrives and play!

Questions? Email us anytime, or call us toll-free at 1-855-772-0424.