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Collection

2005/131/1 Acoustic guitar, and case, wood / metal, made by Pacific, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 3, 2005/131/1 Acoustic guitar, and case, wood / metal, made by Pacific, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 3, 2005/131/1 Acoustic guitar, and case, wood / metal, made by Pacific, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 3, 2005/131/1 Acoustic guitar, and case, wood / metal, made by Pacific, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955. Click to enlarge

Pacific acoustic guitar

Made by Pacific in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955.

The Pacific company was formed in the 1940s by Hec McLennan, a mandolin and banjo player working in Australia from the 1920s. Instruments were originally put out under his name, as a banjo mandolin in the museum’s collection suggests. The name was later changed to Pacific. The guitars produced by Pacific seem to have been marketed with a Hawaiian theme in mind and sometimes bore images of palm trees or else cowboy themes which were often spray painted stencils on the bodies. Fret markers were al...

Summary

Object No.

2005/131/1

Object Statement

Acoustic guitar, and case, wood / metal, made by Pacific, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955

Physical Description

Acoustic guitar, and case, wood / metal, made by Pacific, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1945-1955

Acoustic steel string guitar with variation of tobacco sunburst finish on body fading from dark brown near centre to a lighter brown towards edge to black at the edge. Soundboard is of grained pine. Neck with black fingerboard with inverted triangular fret markers. Black back and sides that are possibly pine or plywood. White edging along upper edge of body and around edge of sound hole. Coloured label inside guitar featuring Hula dancer sitting flanked by two musicians either side in white suits holding a variety of instruments including a guitar. Musicians are sitting on a bench in front of a painted backdrop of a tropical scene.

Black covered hard case with dark brown lining.

Marks

Brand name stencilled on top of head stock, in grey 'PACIFIC'

Coloured label inside guitar, '(Hula girl flanked by men in white suits holding musical instruments) / GENUINE WIKARA GUITAR'

Handwritten underneath label, in blue pen 'H59'

Short URL

https://ma.as/350304

Production

Made

Pacific Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1945-1955

Notes

Pacific guitars were produced in large numbers as a cheaper alternative to more expensive brands. They not only manufactured guitars but also banjo mandolins. Actual production numbers are not known but they manufactured guitars with a range of finishes and stencils applied to them. Some of these had model names such as "Chord", stencilled vertically down the head stock underneath the horizontal Pacific name.

History

Used

Hawaiian Club

Notes

The specific history of this instrument is unknown but it is thought to date from the period spanning the popularity of the Hawaiian Club in Australia and Hawaiian-style music from about 1940 through to the 1950s.

Source

Credit Line

Purchased 2005

Acquisition Date

23 May 2005

Cite this Object

Harvard

Pacific acoustic guitar 2019, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 22 November 2019, <https://ma.as/350304>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/350304 |title=Pacific acoustic guitar |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=22 November 2019 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}
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