The Illustrated Encyclopedia of
Harp Guitar (and related instruments)
M
anufacturers, Distributors, Inventors, Builders and Brands

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The following are all known entries related to harp guitars, hollow-arm "pseudo" harp guitars, "harp guitars" only in name, and similar instruments.

NOTE TO RESEARCHERS:  Please understand that many of the instruments on this page were not originally referred to as "harp guitars," but may have been known by many other proper, "common," or colloquial names - and often no specific names at all.  Examples such as "bass-guitarre," "kontraguitarre," "bogenguitarre" are just some of many specific historical names.  This list will use the new terms of classification for all entries.  To understand why they are classified as such today, it is recommended that you first thoroughly read and comprehend the site author's thesis.

See bottom of page for image copyright information

Compiled by Gregg Miner
See bottom of the page for a partial list of contributors to this page.

 


Name (Date of birth-death)

Notes

Location during instrument production

Date of specific instrument (+/or patent) or years of production Instrument form(s) built (+/or patented) applicable to this study Instrument example(s)
  Abel, Roger Alain France 1979 harp guitar patent
Abelspies, John F.C. Glasgow, Scotland (U.S. Patent) 1893 harp guitar
Adams

Michael Holmes of Mugwumps Online lists 3 different Adams entries, spanning the timeframe at right: Adams & Loffmark, Adams Bros. & Co., and Adams, Loffmark & Wright.

Dwight, IL 1894-1903+ harp guitar
Adler, Johannes Markneukirchen c.1933 harp guitar
Akeson, Charles Minneapolis, MN 1893-? harp guitars Almcrantz_patent,1895.jpg (9077 bytes)
  Allison, S. O.

Two mandolinettos are known by this maker and this one harp guitar, of which the original neck is missing.  Curiously, the bridge shows that it had 5 sub-basses and 3 trebles! - likely a fascinating specimen if a complete one ever turns up. -GM

St. Louis, MO July 4, 1899 (stamped on back strip) harp guitar
Almcrantz, Gerhard
The label on the extant specimen reads "Manufacturers of and dealers in the Celebrated Almcrantz guitars and all kinds of musical instruments"
Chicago, IL pre-1895+ harp guitars Almcrantz_patent,1895.jpg (9077 bytes) ?
Altpeter, Franz W. Special Feature! Chicago, IL 1922-1928 harp guitars, harp ukes Almcrantz_patent,1895.jpg (9077 bytes)  
Amberger, Max München c.1900 harp guitars
American Conservatory (see Lyon & Healy)
Anderson, Carl C. San Francisco 1950-1960's hollow arm guitar
Anderson, Otto (builder for Chris Knutsen) Special Feature! Port Townsend, OR c.1895-1898 harp guitars, hollow arm guitars & violin American_Conservatory-washburncatalog.jpg (9872 bytes) American_Conservatory-washburncatalog.jpg (9872 bytes)
  Anfossi, Jean-Pierre Seine, France 1923 harp guitar patent
  Angerer, Franz II (1851-1924)

Angerer was a pupil of the Viennese makers Ferdinad and Leopold Feilnreiter.

Vienna .1881-1900 harp guitar
Arkhuzen / Arhuzen / Argusen / Archusen

Ivan F. Arkhuzen of St. Petersburg came second in Makaroff's competition. Unfortunately, there were only six guitars entered into the competition and so there was not much choice for the nine panelists. - Stephen Sedgwick

A whole family of luthiers, originally from Denmark.  Robert Arhuzen was arguably the best.  Spelling is an issue, since we get it back from the Cyrillics, but in the original tongue it would be (probably) Arhuzen. -Oleg Timofeyev

Moscow 1850s-1900s harp guitars
Arias, Vicente (1840-1913)

An important maker in Spanish guitar history. There are about 28 Arias guitars in existence. -Stephen Sedgwick

Vicente Arias made guitars around 1870. He lived and worked in Ciudad Real, and at the end of his career he had a workshop in Madrid. His instruments display a remarkable mastery, comparable to those of Antonio Torres and Manuel Ramirez. Some famous guitarists like Francisco Tarrega played the guitars of Vicente Arias. In the course of his career Arias received various prestigious prizes at exhibitions in Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels and Buenos Aires. According to an up-to-date census, there are 24 guitars by Vicente Arias in existence. -from site of Raphaella Smits

Spain 1890 harp guitar
Arkhuzen, Robert I. (1844-1920) Moscow . harp guitar
Bauer, Matthäus Vienna 1836-? harp guitar
Bay State (John C. Haynes Co. brand name) Boston c.1894 harp guitar
Behee, Joseph H. Kansas City, MO c.1907-1917 hollow arm guitars (lyre form)hollow arm guitar
Berardi, Angelo Missoula, Montana 1922 harp guitar
Biancato, A.

114 rue de la marlière

Mouscron, Belgium

1900 harp guitar
Biehl, Tony Davenport, IA 1894-1904 harp guitars
Birrer, John B. Newton, KS 1894 hollow arm guitar
  Bittner, David

1821-1887

Studied violinmaking under Wilhelm Rupprecht. His single extant harp guitar is based on a Scherzer 10-string.

Vienna 1846-1887 harp guitar
Bohmann, Joseph 

Special Feature!

Chicago, IL 1876-1930 harp guitars, sympathetic string instruments bohmann-form4b-ebay.jpg (12213 bytes) bohmann-1-ford.jpg (8693 bytes) Bohmann1-chinery.jpg (44094 bytes) American_Conservatory-washburncatalog.jpg (9872 bytes)
Boothe, Albert Colfax, IA 1928 harp guitar-zither hybrid
Brawer, Anton . 1863 harp guitar
  Brock, Alfred Stockholm, Sweden 1910 false Swedish lutes
Bruno (Bruno & Sons)
This company offered unique harp guitars with doubled courses on the neck - most commonly standard "12-string guitar" configuration, but also with 10 strings-on-the-neck (just 4 lower courses doubled). -GM
. . harp guitars Bohmann1-chinery.jpg (44094 bytes)
Buchsteiner, Helmut . 1985 harp guitars
Calace . . hollow arm mandolins (harp and lyre forms)
Candi, Cesare

Cesare Candi was an important  musical instrument maker who worked in the last quarter of the 19th century up to well in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century. Besides instruments of the violin family he made excellent mandolins and guitars (6-string and models with additional bass strings) in the Italian style and tradition.
Cesare Candi was born in 1869 in Bologna and was trained there as a musical instrument maker in the atelier (workshop) of Raffaele Fiorini. Giovanni Antonioni states further in his reference  book ‘Dizionario dei costruttori di strumenti a pizzico in Italia’, (published by Turris, 1996) that Cesara Candi moved to Genoa in 1888, where he first had a workshop in the ‘Piazza Sarzano No. 26’ that later moved to the ‘Via Porta Soprana No. 9’ address.
Cesare Candi was awarded several honorable prizes, like the 1st prizes in 1892 at the exhibitions in Genoa and Bologna, and the 1st prize in Cremona in 1937. It is believed that the Candi atelier manufactured about 100 guitars, 29 lutes and 100 mandolins.
Cesare Candi died in Genoa in 1947.
-Alex Timmerman

Genoa, Italy c.1910 harp guitar
Candi, Oreste

Born Nov. 27, 1865, Oreste was the brother of Cesare, above.

Genoa, Italy ? harp guitar
Carmelo, Catania

This instrument appears on a Carmelo label. Unknown if an instrument like it was actually built.

Italy unknown harp guitar design
College Line (see Lyon & Healy)
Crafton (brand) Gothenburg, Sweden c.1950 false Swedish lute
Dabiero, P Milan . piccolo lyre mandolin
Dahlmann Manufacturing Co., Henry   Minneapolis, MN 1893-1899+ harp guitar Dahlman_patent,1892.jpg (9948 bytes)
Deleplanque, Gerard J.

Gerard J. Deleplanque from Lille, France, was a maker of citterns; he has a surviving arch-cittern with a keyed box system from 1792. But some ten years before that, in 1782 he built a ten stringed guitar. - Stephen Sedgwick

Lille, France . harp guitar dyer-miner.jpg (30108 bytes)
  Detmering, J.Ch. (established in 1858) Hamburg . harp guitar
  Dietrich, Horst . . harp guitar
DiMauro . . harp guitar
Dyer & Bro., W.J. Special Features (also see Iconography: Larsons and A Dyer Detective Story) St. Paul, MN 1871-1939 harp guitars and hollow arm mandolin family dyer-miner.jpg (30108 bytes)
Egildo, Emanuele . 1926 harp guitar
Enzensperger (Enzensberger, Enzersberger), Bernard I (1788-1865)

Bernard I was taught by Georg Thir in Vienna. In 1812 he opened a workshop of his own. He was preoccupied with acoustic studies. In 1831 he had the so-called acoustic guitar patented, after which he chiefly made guitars and zithers.

Vienna 1819-1865 harp guitar
  Enzensperger (Enzensberger, Enzersberger), Bernard II (1829-1896)

Bernard II also built harp guitars, resulting in some confusion about dates.

Vienna 1865-1896 harp guitar
Espana Finland 1970s hollow-arm guitars
Fievez, F.

This instrument is an 18th century 10-string guitar, with 10 single string courses. It pre-dates the Carulli-era 10-string guitar and must have co-existed with the very earliest 6-course guitars invented. - Len Verrett
Only two archi-guitars on this type are reported, and no other instruments by  Fieviz are known in private or public collections. - Jean Michel Renard
Note it's similarity to the Deleplanque instrument above, from the same city and period. - GM

Lille, France 18th century harp guitar
Fisher, Carl New York, NY c.1902 harp guitar
Forg, Josef  Munich c.1930 harp guitar
Fuchs, Heinrich Munich c.1924 harp guitar, theorboed guitar-lute
Fürst, Hans Mittenwald . harp guitar
Gallegos, Don Jose

This is the "Guitarpa" displayed at the Great Exposition in London in 1851, which scholars have speculated might have influenced the designs of the mandolins and harp guitars of Orville Gibson. - GM

. 1851 harp guitar
Galimberti, Luigi

His instruments are labeled "Antonio Monzino & Figli"or "Monzino e Garlandini Milano" (sold through the Monzino & Sons shop)

Milan 1910-1930 harp guitar, harp mandolins
Gallesi, G. Rome . harp guitar
Gamberini, Claudio

Gamberini ran the plucked stringed area of Mozzani's School-Workshop around 1930, then later joined Mozzani privately when the school closed. -GM

Bologna 1950 harp guitar
Gardelli, Federico (see Longobardi) Naples . hollow-arm mandolin
Garganese, Vito Monopoli, Italy 1915 harp guitar
Gaskins, Claude H.

Only one instrument similar to this patent drawing is known - made by Martin (see Martin). - GM

Shamokin, PA 1895 hollow arm mandolin (harp form)
Gazzo, Settimo (Genoa, 1851-1923)
Special Feature!

(fanciful Italian guitars-on-a-stand which Pasquale Taraffo played)
Genoa, Italy 1900's - 1923 harp guitars
Geipel, Reinhold Fleissen, Bohemia . harp guitars  
Gelas . . harp guitar
Gelmini, Giovanni Italy 1844 harp guitar
GEWA Mittenwald c.1960 harp guitars
Giacinti, Adolfo

The label reads: Fabbrica di Chitarre-mandolini, Mandole-luiti 
Strumenti ad Arco, Corde Armoniche Ed Accessori – Specialità in Mandolini Lombardi sistema napoletano
Strumenti per Solisti
-cambi e riparazioni-
MILANO - Via Bernardino Corio,1 -MILANO
-Benoît Meulle-Stef

Milan c.1930 harp guitar

Gibson Special Feature!
  (also see the Gibson section of Iconography)

Kalamazoo, MI 1890-present harp guitars, hollow arm mandolin (lyre form) Gibson1-gruhn.jpg (10140 bytes) gibson_trio-miner.jpg (31001 bytes)
Gindlesperger, John W. Kansas City, MO 1898-1926+ harp guitar gindlesberger-ebay.jpg (20755 bytes)
  Giulietti, Tullio (father)
Giulietti, Armando
(son: 1903-1990)

Their instruments were usually sold through the shop of Monzino & Sons.  Some instruments were built in collaboration with his father, Tullio. (thanks to Roger Belloni for information)

Milan c.1918-1938 harp guitars
Glaesel, Oscar Markneukirchen c.1920  harp guitar
Godone, Carlo . . hollow arm guitar 
Goldklang . . false Swedish lute
Gottsmann, Max Markneukirchen . harp guitar
Götz?

The extant "basslaute" has a faded "Gotz" inscribed on the soundboard, but is not the Johann Götz of Viennese, ca. 1814-1827.

? . theorboed guitar-lute
Gould, H.Y. Tennessee 1911 harp guitar
Grosjean, J. F.  . ca. 1840 "harp guitar" in name only (double harp-guitar)
Grunewald, Rene
(from 1896 Brown patent # 568,108)
New Orleans, LA c. 1896 "harp-guitar" in name only
Guadagnini, Gaetano Torino, Italy 1834 harp guitar
Güttler, Franz Xav. Vienna 1908 harp guitar No image. 

7 sub-bass Viennese kontragitarre

Hagberg, John Tacoma, WA 1898 hollow arm guitar
  Haid, Georg

1/20/1864-6/16/1851. Studied violinmaking under Ignaz J. Bucher.

Vienna 1896-1925+ harp guitar
Halbmeyer, F. (also spelled Halbmaier)

 

Munich . harp guitars, quintbass, theorboed guitar-lute
  Hansel, Carl Dresden 1842? harp guitar
Hansen, Hans J. Chicago, IL 1891 harp guitar
Harmony Chicago, IL 1892-1979 harp guitar Harmony-artnet3.jpg (12589 bytes)
Harwood ( J.W. Jenkins brand) Special Feature! Kansas/New York? from 1885? harp guitars harwood-miner.jpg (31086 bytes)
  Hartmann Bros. & Reinhard New York 1880-1901+ harp guitar
Hauser, Hermann I Munich 1900s harp guitars, theorboed guitar-lutes
Heerbeck, Hubert . . harp guitar
Hess, Ernst Klingenthal . harp guitars
Hilanj, Franz

Hilanj made violins, zither and guitars. A schlagzither in the Leipzig museum is attributed to c.1845. Date of this harp guitar is unknown.

Wels, Austria c.1845-? harp guitar
Hinz, Richard . . harp guitar
Höllinger, A. Kiel, Germany . theorboed guitar-lute
Hornsteiner, A. . c.1950 harp guitars
House of Stathopoulo

In 1917 Epi Stathopoulo began labeling instruments with the House of Stathopoulo brand.  In 1924 he introduced the Epiphone brand, and in 1928 the Epiphone company was born.

New York 1910 harp guitar
Howard ( Wurlitzer brand) . . harp guitar harwood-miner.jpg (31086 bytes)
Hoyer, Walter . . harp guitar
Hüller, Anton

Graslitz was a town in former "Boehmen" which belonged to Austria till 1918; then belonged to the new founded state of "Czecheslovakia" from 1918), Czech Republic (the actual name after splitting Czechia and Slovakia into two separate states in 1993). -Martin Albert

Graslitz  . harp guitar
Iucci, Michael 
A well known maker of banjos
New York c. 1910-1930 harp guitar
Jacob, Richard Leipzig c.1933-1948 harp guitars
Jenkins Sons, J.W. (see Harwood, Washington) Kansas City, MO 1878-1902+ . .
Jerusalem, J.P. Germany c.1900 harp guitar
Jocomoni, Achille
("Achillo JOCOMO" on label)
Patent for this harp guitar taken out in 1897. Inst at left marked 5/1900. Inst at right suspected instrument by this maker.
Marseille, France est 1887-1940 harp guitars
Julve, Telesforo Valencia,  Spain,  c.1900 lyre guitar
Kaltenbacher, E. . . harp guitar
Kerschensteiner, Franz Xaver (1839-1935) Regensburg 1935? harp guitar
Klein, Max
Researcher Andreas Stevens identified this maker as the likely builder of the instrument at right.
Koblenz c.1930 harp guitar
Klingberg, C. H. Sweden 1886 harp guitar
Knudsen, Carl (c.1818-1869) Copenhagen, Denmark 1846-1869 harp guitar
Knutsen, Chris Special Site! Port Townsend, WA > Tacoma, WA > Seattle, WA > ? > Los Angeles, CA 1895-1930 harp guitars - Hawaiian guitars - mandolins, hollow arm guitars - mandolins - ukes (harp form)
Kochendörfer, Paul Stuttgard 1914-1923 harp guitar, theorboed guitar-lute
Konigs . . harp guitar
Kriner, Lorenz Stuttgart, Germany c.1870 harp guitar
Kruse, Wilhelm  Markneunkirchen . harp guitar
Lacôte, René François
Special Feature!
Paris, France  1785-1855(?) harp guitars
Lagler, Johann Vienna 1852 harp guitar
Lakeside (see Lyon & Healy) . . . .
  Langecker, L. Munich . harp guitar
Larson, August & Carl 
(See Dyer, Leland, Mauer, Meyers, Stahl, Truax)
Chicago, IL 1901-1944 harp guitars larson-hartman.jpg (12579 bytes) larson2-chinery-bacon.jpg (27098 bytes)
  Lederer, Horst . . harp guitar
Leland, L. S. (Washburn brand. Possibly Larson built) Chicago, IL c.1912 harp guitar
Lemböck, Gabriel (1814-1892) Vienna 1840-1890 harp guitar
Levin, Herman C.

First based in New York, Levin patented a guitar & mandolin double-neck on Dec 21, 1897 (see Patents). He then relocated to Sweden where his company produced "Scholander-lutes" and harp guitars (information provided by Paul Holland).

New York > Sweden 1896-1930s harp guitars, false Swedish lutes
Light, Edward London, England 1798-c.1820 "harp-guitar" in name only, harp-lute family
Livermore, Ernest N. (see also The Knutsen Archives) Port Townsend, WA 1896 hollow arm mandolin & violin (harp form)
Longobardi, Catello Schenectady, NY 1914 hollow arm mandolin (harp form)
Lotz, Robert Leipzig c.1820 harp guitar
Luis, Harry G. San Quentin, CA 1917 harp guitar-mandolin
Lund, Lundfred (c.1800-c.1875) Copenhagen, Denmark 1844-1875 harp guitar
Lund, Thorvald (1876-1930) Copenhagen, Denmark 1917-1930 false Swedish lutes
Lyon & Healy

(American Conservatory, College Line, Lakeside, Washburn brands)

(See also Washburn)
See Featured Harp Guitar of the Month

Chicago, IL 1864-present harp guitars American_Conservatory1-dover.jpg (10191 bytes) American_Conservatory-washburncatalog.jpg (9872 bytes)
Maccaferri, Mario Italy > London > France > New York . harp guitars
Majestic - Puntolillo brandname . c.1920 harp guitar
Mannello, Angelo New York, NY 1886-1906 harp guitar Angello_Mandello,NY-mugwumps.jpg (11739 bytes)
Marchetti, Enrico  

An Italian violin builder from Milan, 1855-1930 - Peter Smolders

Turin, Italy 1884 harp guitar
Martin, Christian F. Nazareth, PA 1833-present harp guitars, hollow arm mandolin (harp form) martinharp10-frank ford.jpg (35732 bytes) Martin3-Claggett-Washburn&Johnston.jpg (12230 bytes) Martin2-Washburn&Johnston-b.jpg (25812 bytes) Martin1-longworth3.jpg (14887 bytes)
Martin, Jos. Würzburg . harp guitar
Mast, Joseph . 1827 "harp guitar" in name only (harp guitar or guitar-harp)
  Mattei, Bruno

Bruno built the "chitarpas" designed by Italo Meschi

Spezia, Italy 1911-1920s harp guitars
Maurer (harp guitars built by the Larsons) 

Special Feature!

Wisconsin 1880-1944 harp guitars maurer_pikasso-eguitars.jpg (8424 bytes) Maurer-silber3.jpg (10561 bytes) Maurer1-hartman.jpg (14122 bytes) maurer-anon.jpg (10575 bytes)
Mayflower Special Feature!

This brand name has a very convoluted history. Regardless, this harp guitar is believed to be Larson-built. 

Chicago 1904-? harp guitar
McVey, George J. Lincoln, NE 1918 hollow arm mandolin (harp form)
Meinel, Adolph;

Meinel & Herold 

The M & H catalog pages are dated 1940.

. ?-1940 harp guitars
Meinel-Bartfritz, 1900

Unknown how this Meinel relates to the other.

. 1900 false Swedish lute
Meyers, H.F. (some or all believed to be Larson built) Chicago, IL c.1910 harp guitars meyers-momi.jpg (9537 bytes)
Moller, Johannes (1888-1963) Copenhagen, Denmark 1921-1963 false Swedish lutes
Monzino, A. & Sons
Special Feature!

Information needed!

Milan . harp guitars, hollow arm mandolin (harp form) meyers-momi.jpg (9537 bytes) meyers-momi.jpg (9537 bytes)
  Mouroux, Louis Seine, France 1959 harp guitar patent
Moutron Paris 1785 harp guitar .
Mozzani, Luigi (1869-1943)

Special Feature!

A celebrated Italian guitar virtuoso who some consider the Italian equivalent of Tarrega. Though he borrowed his basic designs from Schenck, I consider him the Italian Knutsen - a wild imagination with seemingly no two harp guitars alike!

Italy c.1910-1943 harp guitars, hollow-arm guitars and mandolins nordwall_patent,1901.jpg (9617 bytes)
  Müller, Josef     harp guitar
Müller, Karl Augsburg, Bavaria 1904 harp guitars
Naderman, Jean-Henri
The well-known harp maker created what some historians consider the oldest surviving "harp guitar," but I consider it a lute-guitar hybrid.
Paris 1773 Bissex
Nordwall, Aron Chicago, IL 1901 harp guitar nordwall_patent,1901.jpg (9617 bytes)
Novy, Franz . ? harp guitar
Obrecht, Josef Vienna 1936 harp guitar
Olry

Like many of the Lacote instruments, this instrument was modified by Coste.

harp guitar
Otwin (see Windisch, Otto) . . . .
Paesold

Founded in 1848, the "k&"k" on the front of their catalog is denotes the "Hungarian-Austrian monarchy" that ended at the close of WW1 in 1918. -Christian Steinbrecher

Bohemia pre-1918 harp guitars, false Swedish lutes
Paquet  Marseille c.1784 "harp guitar" in name only (arpi-guitare)
Paulus, Adolf Koln 1924 theorboed guitar-lute
Perlgold (a division of Kurt Gropp Musical Instrument Company) Leipzig 1954 harp guitar
Prenosil, Otto Jihlava (now Czech Republic) 1943 harp guitar
Prisner, Josef Vienna 19-- harp guitar
Puntolillo, Gaetano F. (see Majestic brand) Naples/New York c.1920 harp guitar
Raab, Hans Munich c.1900 harp guitars, false Swedish lute
Ramirez, Manuel

According to scholar Stephen Sedgwick, Ramirez built at least one 9-string and one 11-string harp guitar (the latter barely discernible in the pictured shop window on the right). He adds that Segovia's famous Ramirez was originally an 11-string.

Spain c.1912 harp guitars
  Ramqvist, A Söderbärke, Sweden 1897 harp guitar
Rapisarda, V. Italy 1936 harp guitar
Rastelli, Lodovico
(appears to be the remains of a double-neck with 3 sub-basses)
Genova, Italy 1866 harp guitar
Raymond . . harp guitar nordwall_patent,1901.jpg (9617 bytes)
Regal (Wulshner brand) . c.1900-1904 harp guitars nordwall_patent,1901.jpg (9617 bytes)
Regal Manufacturing Co.

A split-off