Saul Koll
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The Koll Guitar Company is an American
guitar manufacturing Guitar manufacturing is the use of machines, tools, and labor in the production of electric and acoustic guitars. This phrase may be in reference to handcrafting guitars using traditional methods or assembly line production in large quantities usi ...
company based in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
. The company, established in 1986 by Saul Koll, produces electric and semi-acoustic guitars. The company is known for its "Glide" series (which has had improvements such as the "Superior"),Koll Guitar: the Superior
on Premier Guitar, July 10, 2008 and for its experimental designs for musicians such as
David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...
,
Elliott Sharp Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical music, contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, performer, author, and visual artist. A central figure in the Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimenta ...
,
Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care. Prior to World War II, ...
and
Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as a co-founder of the rock band Sonic Youth. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Ranaldo at number 33 on its "Greatest Guitarists of All Time" li ...
of
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...
. Other models by Koll are the Troubadour and the Super Cub, designed in the 1950s style.


History

Koll began playing guitar at the age of 12, and discovered Irving Sloan's book, ''Classic Guitar Construction'', at a Southern California library. While attending college at
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sculpture, Koll began experimenting with guitar construction. After college, he began his professional luthier career at instrument repair shop, The World of Strings in Long Beach, California, where he was tutored by Jon Peterson and Glen Mers. In 1986, Koll founded the "Koll Guitar Company" and subsequently relocated from Los Angeles to
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, where the company is currently based. Since 2015, most of Koll's guitars have been hand-built in-house by Saul Koll himself.5 Outstanding Boutique Guitar Companies at NAMM 2018
by Casey Hopkins on Reverb.com, January 29, 2018


Further reading


Bench Press: Saul Koll
Interview with Saul Koll in the publication ''Fretboard Journal'' (2013)
Koll Company News
Forum post by Saul Koll on ''The Gear Page'' (2015)


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koll Guitar Company Guitar manufacturing companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Portland, Oregon American companies established in 1986 1986 establishments in Oregon