Isana - Isana - - Archtop guitar

Vintage archtop / Schlag guitar – Isana / Josef Sandner attributed – approx. late 1950s to 1960s – Musikhaus Härtel, Liezen, Austria
For sale is an extraordinary and characterful vintage archtop or Schlag guitar from the postwar era, presumably of German manufacture and attributed to the Isana / Josef Sandner milieu based on various constructional and design features.
The exact manufacturer attribution is not conclusively secured. There is no manufacturer logo on the headstock today, and internally no clearly legible manufacturer or date stamp could be found so far. However, various features of the guitar show clear parallels to preserved Isana/Sandner archtops from this period.
A particularly interesting detail is the still-present historical dealer sticker from Musikhaus Härtel in Liezen, Styria, Austria. It documents the Austrian commercial history of this instrument and is a nicely preserved testament to its former distribution path.
Whether the guitar was ordered or sold at the time by the Austrian dealer without a manufacturer logo on purpose or whether an originally present logo disappeared over the decades cannot be determined with certainty today.
Construction and characteristic details
The guitar has a large archtop body with a cutaway and an attractive red-black sunburst finish. The body is bound with a light binding.
Especially noticeable are the gracefully curved, scythe-shaped f-holes that give the instrument its unmistakable appearance.
The dark fingerboard has round dot inlays. Notably, there is an unusual triple-dot marking at the 12th fret.
The fingerboard extends relatively long over the body. Under this area there is a wedge-shaped wooden support.
At the end of the fingerboard or on the top just beneath it are clearly visible traces of an earlier pickup or mounting attachment. The guitar was apparently equipped at an earlier time with a floating pickup mounted to the neck area. The pickup itself is no longer present.
The open tuners with their white plastic buttons are present and functional.
Condition and playability
The guitar is in an authentic vintage condition appropriate to its considerable age.
The neck has, due to aging, somewhat worn over the decades and shows corresponding changes and signs of use. Despite its age, the guitar still offers a good string action and is easily playable.
It is explicitly not claimed that the neck is in like-new or perfectly straight condition. For an instrument of this age, the current playability is nonetheless surprisingly good.
The original old finish shows clearly visible signs of aging and use, including craquelure or finish cracks, scratches, wear, and other traces of decades of use. This patina has deliberately not been cosmetically removed and gives the instrument its authentic vintage character.
There is a visible hairline crack in the top near a soundhole. This does not affect the current playability. Given the instrument’s age, it would nevertheless be advisable for an experienced luthier to check it.
The guitar is offered in its existing historic condition by design and has not been restored to an optically near-new state.
Missing or no longer present parts
Earlier present pickup including its full mounting is no longer present. The corresponding traces of the former mounting are clearly visible.
A possibly originally present pickguard is also no longer present.
There is currently no manufacturer logo on the headstock. Whether there was originally an Isana inscription or another mark cannot be determined with certainty.
Possible Isana / Josef Sandner origin
Several features of the instrument show interesting similarities to historic guitars by Isana / Josef Sandner. These include, among other things, the overall archtop construction, the cutaway, certain details of the fretboard and its overhang, the dot markings, the open tuners, and indications of a previously mounted floating pickup.
Comparable historic Isana instruments are also known with different fretboard markings and pickup configurations.
Since this guitar has neither a clearly identifiable manufacturer stamp nor an existing Isana logo, it is expressly offered only as “Isana / Josef Sandner attributed” and not as clearly authenticated Isana.
This open attribution is part of the instrument’s history and typical for many European guitars of this era that were distributed through regional music dealers.
Austrian dealer provenance
Particularly appealing is the preserved historic note on Austrian distribution.
The instrument still bears the old dealer sticker from Musikhaus Härtel in Liezen, Styria. This creates a direct link between the instrument and the Austrian music trade and is a nice historical detail.
Thus the guitar not only has the character of an old European archtop, but also a plausible connection to its Austrian use/distribution history.
Accessories
Included with the guitar is an old blue fabric bag with light trim, which matches the instrument in shape and size very well.
The bag is also prominently aged and has corresponding vintage character. It cannot be proven whether it was included at the original sale of the guitar through Musikhaus Härtel, and this is not claimed.
Summary
An extraordinary, visibly played and authentically aged European archtop with a lot of character and interesting Austrian dealer history.
The red-black sunburst, the unusual scythe-shaped sound openings, the fretboard with the triple-dot marking at the 12th fret, the traces of the earlier pickup, and the preserved Härtel dealer note make this guitar an interesting piece for collectors of historic German and Austrian instruments.
Manufacturer: not clearly labeled; Isana / Josef Sandner attributed
Origin: presumably Germany
Historic distribution: Musikhaus Härtel, Liezen, Styria, Austria
Dating: presumably late 1950s to 1960s
Instrument type: archtop / Schlag guitar with cutaway
Finish: red-black sunburst
Fretboard: dark wood with dot markers and three dots at the 12th fret
Tuning pegs: open tuners with white plastic buttons
Electrics: earlier pickup no longer present; mounting traces visible
Condition: authentic vintage condition with clear signs of aging and use
Playability: good string action, currently playable; neck somewhat worn due to aging
Damage: visible hairline crack on the top
Accessories: old matching blue fabric bag
The guitar is offered in the described and shown condition. Due to its age, the photographs are an important part of the condition description.