This guitar is a real piece of history.
Made in Boston Massachusetts circa 1880.
John C. Haynes & Co. was a significant American maker of a wide variety of musical instruments in the late 19th century. The company manufactured guitars sold under the Bay State, William B. Tilton, and Haynes Excelsior brand names.
Tilton ‘Improvement’ Guitars were made from 1856 and were an innovative design with a tailpiece and floating bridge with an internal reinforcement bar that runs the length of the instrument's body under, but not connected to, the top. This construction allowed for the top to be very lightly braced