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Archtop Guitar
An archtop guitar is a hollow acoustic guitar, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar, semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with jazz guitar, jazz, blues, and rockabilly players. Typically, an archtop guitar has: * Six strings * An arched top and back, not a flat top and back * A hollow body * A moveable adjustable bridge (instrument), bridge * F-holes similar to members of the violin family * A rear-mounted tailpiece, stoptail bridge, or Bigsby vibrato tailpiece * A Set-in neck, set-in neck join at the 14th fret History The archtop guitar is often credited to Orville Gibson, whose innovative designs led to the formation of the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co, Ltd in 1902. His 1898 patent for a mandolin, which was also applicable to guitars according to the specifications, was intended to enhance "power and quality of tone." Among the features of this instrument were a violin-style arched top and back, each carved fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gibson Super 400
The Gibson Super 400 is an archtop guitar. It is a highly influential guitar model that inspired many other master guitar builders (including Elmer Stromberg and John D'Angelico). It was first sold in 1934 and named for its $400 price (), like many Gibson guitars of that era. The Super 400 features solid carved-wood construction, and at the time of its introduction was the largest guitar that the Gibson Guitar Corporation had produced. Until 1939, it had a hand-engraved tailpiece and a hand-engraved finger rest support. During the very early production stock the truss rod cover had engraved "L5 Super"; on later guitars this was changed to "Super 400". In 1939 the guitar was changed. The upper bout was enlarged, and the hand-engraved tailpiece was replaced with the one still fitted today on current Super 400s. The ''f''-holes were slightly enlarged and a cutaway option also became available. This was called the Super 400P (for Premiere), later changed to C for Cutaway. During t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1918 The Gibson Acoustic Guitar
The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people worldwide. In Russia, this year runs with only 352 days. As the result of Julian to Gregorian calendar switch, 13 days needed to be skipped. Wednesday, January 31 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was immediately followed by Thursday, February 14 ''(Gregorian Calendar)''. Events World War I will be abbreviated as "WWI" January * January – 1918 flu pandemic: The "Spanish flu" (influenza) is first observed in Haskell County, Kansas. * January 4 – The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia, Sweden, German Empire, Germany and France. * January 8 – American president Woodrow Wilson presents the Fourteen Points as a basis for peace negotiations to end the war. * January 9 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Höfner
Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG is a German (originally Austro-Bohemian) manufacturer of musical instruments, with one division that manufactures guitars and basses, and another that manufactures other string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, double basses and bows for stringed instruments. Much of Höfner's popularity is attributed to Paul McCartney's use of the Höfner 500/1 electric bass guitar throughout his career. This violin-shaped model is commonly referred to as the " Beatle bass". Company history A German luthier, Karl Höfner (1864–1955), founded the Höfner company in the town of Schönbach in Austria-Hungary (now Luby in the Czech Republic) in 1887. He soon became the largest string instrument manufacturer in the country. His sons, Josef and Walter, joined the company around 1920, and began spreading the brand's reputation worldwide. The company became involved in production for the German army in World War II producing wooden crates and soles for boots ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Framus
Framus is a German string instrument manufacturing company, that existed from 1946 until 1975. The Framus brand was revived in 1995 as part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG, in Markneukirchen, Germany. The company has offices located in Markneukirchen, Shanghai and Nashville. Timeline * 1946: The foundation of Fränkische Musikinstrumentenerzeugung ("Franconian Musical Instruments Fabrication") by Fred A. Wilfer KG in Erlangen, Germany, to help resettle luthiers displaced from Luby in the Sudetenland). * 1954: A larger factory was built in Bubenreuth, Germany, to house the 300-strong workforce. * 1967: Further expansion saw the building of a second facility in Pretzfeld, Germany. * 1975: The rapidly changing market forced the company to close. * 1995: Framus musical instruments resumed production under Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG. History Early years Framus originated in the town of Luby (now in the Czech Republic), until 1946 known as Schönbach, whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Stromberg And Son
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "free man". The Old English descendant of this word was '' Ċearl'' or ''Ċeorl'', as the name of King Cearl of Mercia, that disappeared after the Norman conquest of England. The name was notably borne by Charlemagne (Charles the Great), and was at the time Latinized as ''Karolus'' (as in ''Vita Karoli Magni''), later also as '' Carolus''. Etymology The name's etymology is a Common Germanic noun ''*karilaz'' meaning "free man", which survives in English as churl (James (< Latin ''-us'', see Spanish/ Portuguese ''Carlos''). According to Julius Pokorny, the historical linguist and Indo-European studies, Indo-Europeanist, the root meaning of Charles is "old man", from Proto-Indo-European language, Indo-European *wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilkanowski
Władysław William "Willy" Wilkanowski (November 15, 1886, in Działyń,U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Poland – December 8, 1954, Long Island, US) was a Polish-American violin-maker, guitar-maker and violinist. He was a very productive luthier, known for making over 5000 violins and 100 violas with his staff at his workshop.Fairfield, John H. (1942) ''Known Violin Makers'' He also created 30 unique, high-end archtop guitars, one of which, the Wilkanowski Airway W-4, was famously owned by Johnny Cash since the 1980s, when it also was featured as the centerfold in the Guitar World magazine. Wilkanowski was also known to be a family man, doting on his wife Amelia (1886 – May 6, 1952),New York, Death Index, 1852–1956 for Amelia Wilkanowski, 1954 with whom he had raised 9 surviving children. When Amelia got sick, in 1950 he moved his workshop to their Long Island home to be close to her and look after her. After she died of the illness in 1952, he became very de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy D'Aquisto
James L. D'Aquisto (Brooklyn, November 9, 1935 – California, April 17, 1995) was an American luthier who concentrated on building and repairing archtop guitars. He served as an apprentice to John D'Angelico beginning in 1952 and later developed his own distinctive style. Career James D'Aquisto was born on November 9, 1935, into a musical Italian family. An aspiring jazz guitarist he visited luthier John D'Angelico's shop in 1951 which lead to him in 1952 becoming his apprentice. About his routine, D'Aquisto said: Later, he learned the "rough work" of the D'Angelico style. D'Angelico had a heart attack in 1959 and also parted ways with his long time employee Vincent "Jimmy" DiSerio. As a result he closed the business but soon reopened it after D'Aquisto who was unable to find work, convinced him to do so. After several more heart attacks and having also suffered from pneumonia John D'Angelico died on September 1, 1964, at the age of 59. Following D'Angelico's death the last ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John D'Angelico
John D'Angelico (1905 in Little Italy, Manhattan – September 1, 1964 in Manhattan) was a luthier from New York City, noted for his handmade archtop guitars and mandolins. He founded the D'Angelico Guitars company, where other notable luthiers like Jimmy D'Aquisto served as apprentices. Luthiery John D'Angelico was born in 1905 in New York to an Italian-American family, and was apprenticed in 1914 to his great-uncle, Raphael Ciani, who made violins, mandolins, and flat top guitars. This apprenticeship would become the basis for construction principles he later incorporated into his archtop guitars. After Ciani died D'Angelico took over the management of the business, but he didn't like having to supervise the 15 employees. As a result, he left and founded in 1932 D'Angelico Guitars at 40 Kenmare Street in Manhattan's Little Italy. Here he began making guitars initially based on the 16 inch Gibson L-5 and subsequently working on his own designs. Instrument designs and output In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gibson L5
The Gibson L-5 is a hollow body guitar first produced in 1923 by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, then of Kalamazoo, Michigan. One of the first guitars to feature F-holes, the L-5 was designed under the direction of acoustical engineer and designer Lloyd Loar, and has been in production ever since. It was considered Gibson's premier guitar during the big band era. It was originally offered as an acoustic instrument; semi-acoustic models became available in the 1940s. Design and construction The carving, bracing and tap-tuning processes involved in building the L-5 are similar to those used for a cello, and they share general aspects of construction. Both the cello and the L-5 amplify and project the acoustic vibration of strings through carved and tuned woods, using f-holes as the projection points. From 1922 to 1934 the L-5 was produced with a 16" lower bout width. In 1934 that width was increased to 17", which has remained the standard size. Also released in 1934 was a large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lloyd Loar
Lloyd Allayre Loar (1886–1943) was an American musician, instrument designer and sound engineer. He is best known for his design work with the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd. in the early 20th century, including the F-5 model mandolin and L-5 guitar. In his later years he worked on electric amplification of stringed instruments, and demonstrated them around the country. One example, played in public in 1938 was an electric viola that used electric coils beneath the bridge, with no back, able to "drown out the loudest trumpet." In 1898 Orville Gibson had patented a new kind of mandolin that followed violin design, with its curved top and bottom carved into shape, rather than pressed. The sides too were carved out of a single block of wood, rather than being made of bent wood strips. The instruments were already unique before Lloyd Loar came to work for Gibson. However, it is the Loar-designed instruments that became especially desirable. First made famous by Bill Monroe, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harmony Company
The Harmony Company is a former guitar manufacturing company that is currently a brand owned by Singapore-based BandLab Technologies. Harmony was, in its heyday, the largest musical instrument manufacturer in the United States. It made many types of string instruments, including ukuleles, acoustic and electric guitars and violins. The company ceased in 1975, with the "Harmony" brand being relaunched by BandLab in 2018 to produce electric guitars and amplifiers. History Harmony was founded in 1892 by Wilhelm Schultz. In 1916, Sears, Roebuck and Co. purchased it, in part to corner the ukulele market. At the time Harmony was led by Joe Kraus, who was chairman until 1940. In 1928, Harmony introduced the first of many Roy Smeck models, and went on to become the largest producer in the U.S. They sold 250,000 pieces in 1923 and 500,000 in 1930, including various models of guitars, banjos, and mandolins. In the late 1930s, the firm began making violins again after a 19-year hiatus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stella (guitar)
Stella was an American guitar brand owned by the Oscar Schmidt Company. It was founded around 1899. The Stella brand consists of low and mid-level stringed instruments. Stella guitars were played by notable artists, including Elizabeth Cotten, Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, Charley Patton, Doc Watson and Willie Nelson who learned to play on one. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana played an acoustic Stella on the recording of the songs "Polly" and " Something In The Way" from the ''Nevermind'' album, and Mason Williams with Classical Gas. Stella was acquired by the Harmony Company in 1939. The brand was dissolved in 1974, and was later reintroduced by M.B.T. International, which is the corporate parent of the Harmony Company. History Stella was one of several musical instrument brands made in Jersey City, New Jersey, by the Oscar Schmidt Company. Other Schmidt brands included "Sovereign" and "La Scala". The company produced low and mid-level stringed instruments such as guitars, mandoli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
