Non PRS but interesting doubleneck acoustic from the '30's

Mixstar

Just too tired . . .
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A friend of mine recently uncovered this in a house clearance in Nottingham (my place of birth) where it was first manufactured.

It's a "Ricardo Duo" from circa 1930

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Personally I've never seen anything like it before and was totally unaware there was a luthier in my hometown hand building guitars in the early 30's or any other time for that matter.

There's one in much better condition on eBay UK for £1,498.00 so the above may be worth a little something especially as there were only about twenty made.
 
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Not at all, I think it's cool!

And being out of production and not conflicting with the PRS catalog at all, it gives me absolutely no heartburn to see it here, 'cuz I think that's what you were wondering about.

Made for skinny hands for that top fretboard...
 
Any ideas as to the purpose of the two necks? maybe just two different tunings?

I was wondering too, it's really cool, maybe one was meant for steel string strumming while the other is meant for more nylon string classical? Or someone just wanted to try building a double neck acoustic?

I've been dabbling in the ways of the luthier lately, learning what I can before I start building my first guitar. As of now I've been working on repairing junk guitars, refinishing them to learn staining, and setting them up to play decent. I saw this and instantly thought "what a fun project that would be!".
 
I was wondering too, it's really cool, maybe one was meant for steel string strumming while the other is meant for more nylon string classical? Or someone just wanted to try building a double neck acoustic?

I've been dabbling in the ways of the luthier lately, learning what I can before I start building my first guitar. As of now I've been working on repairing junk guitars, refinishing them to learn staining, and setting them up to play decent. I saw this and instantly thought "what a fun project that would be!".

The nut does look a bit wider on the bottom neck, maybe that one is the "classical"?
 
A picture of a better one for anyone interested + a bit of a write-up
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Rare Ricardo Duo double neck acoustic guitar

"Considering its age, this rare double neck Ricardo Duo is in remarkable condition. The top of the body has a narrow split at the base (in the images). I have only ever seen one other Ricardo Duo for sale and it was not in such good order.

The patent issue date was January 4th 1934, so I guess it’s dated from about then. Apparently only about 20 of these were ever made. The maker, Edward Richardson, was a music teacher and cabinet maker. I believe he made most of the guitars for students or family members. Edward Richardson’s great grandson has stated that he believes that the first 20-30 numbered labels were never used. This model is numbered 49, so it’s probably the 19th of 20 made.

The upper neck is a different shape. It has a raised bridge and a metal nut, allowing this neck to be comfortably used for slide / steel use. The lower neck is more conventionally shaped and has a much lower action.

A rare and very collectible guitar."
 
Pretty darn cool, and note the use of banjo-style tuners so he could join the headstocks! I'd love to hear how it sounds.
 
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