The original Oscar Schmidt company was based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was established in the late 1800s by Oscar Schmidt and his son, Walter. The Oscar Schmidt company produced a wide range of stringed instruments and some of the trade names utilized were Stella, Sovereign, and LaScala among others. The company later changed its name to Oscar Schmidt International, and in 1935 or 1936 followed with the Fretted Instrument Manufacturers. After the company went bankrupt, the Harmony Company of Chicago, IL purchased rights to use Oscar Schmidt's trademarks in 1939.
In the late 1970s, the Oscar Schmidt trademark was revived by the Washburn International Company of Illinois. Oscar Schmidt currently offers acoustic, electric, and bass guitars as well as other instruments such as ukuleles and banjos for the beginning student up to the intermediate player In 1999, Oscar Schmidt released a semi-hollow body electric model, the OE30. In 2007, Oscar Schmidt discontinued all production of solidbody electric and hollowbody electrics to focus strictly on acoustic and bluegrass instruments. Source for early information: Tom Wheeler, American Guitars.
Instruments currently built in China. Previously produced in Korea betwee the 1970s and early 2000s. Distributed by U.S. Music Corp. in Buffalo Grove, IL. Oscar Schmidt originally produced guitars in the U.S. between the late 1800s to circa 1939.

OSCAR SCHMIDT Electric Guitars Models

OSCAR SCHMIDT OE30 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OE30

- double cutaway hollow body, maple top/back/sides, two f-holes, rosewood fingerboard, three-per-side tuners, black pickguard, two humbucker pickups, four knobs, chrome hardware, available in Black, Blue Burst, Cherry, or Tobacco Sunburst f...

OSCAR SCHMIDT OB20 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OB20

- double cutaway semi-hollow maple body, two f-holes, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, standard bridge and stop tailpiece, two passive soapbar pickups, four knobs, three-way switch, chrome hardware, available in Black or Blue Burst fini...

OSCAR SCHMIDT OE30DL Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OE30DL

- similar to the OE30, except has a flamed maple top and gold hardware, available in Blue Burst or Tobacco Sunburst finish, mfg. 2004-06.

OSCAR SCHMIDT OB30/OB44 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OB30/OB44

- offset double cutaway hardwood body, maple neck, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, matching headstock, fixed bridge, single split pickup, two knobs, chrome hardware, available in Black, Metallic Blue, Natural Satin, Trans. Blue, or Trans. Red...

OSCAR SCHMIDT OE40 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OE40

- single cutaway full-bodied jazz hollow body, maple top/back/sides, two f-holes, rosewood fingerboard with split block inlays, three-per-side tuners, black pickguard, fancy tailpiece, two humbucker pickups, four knobs, gold hardware, avail...

OSCAR SCHMIDT OB50 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OB50

- offset double cutaway Bantam-style hardwood body, bolt-on maple neck, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, matching finish headstock overlay, two-per-side tuners, adj. bridge, single split P-style pickup, three knobs, chrom...

OSCAR SCHMIDT OX10 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OX10

- offset double cutaway Strat-style hardwood body, bolt-on maple neck, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, six-on-one-side tuners, Fulcrum tremolo bridge, SSH pickups, two knobs, five-way switch, chrome hardware, available in Black, Blue (2004-06...

OSCAR SCHMIDT OI40 Image

OSCAR SCHMIDT OI40

- single sharp cutaway Idol-style hardwood body, bolt-on maple neck, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, black headstock overlay, three-per-side tuners, hardtail bridge, two exposed humbucker pickups, four knobs (two v, two tone),...