Knutsen Stringed Instruments: Categories, Styles & Terminology

by Gregg Miner, as part of

Category/Style Reference Chart

We now address the tedious, but necessary, explanations of instrument Main Groups, Categories, Body Styles, Codes, and Terminology. I started working on this organizational system in the early 90’s, when Dan Most and I (and others to some extent) were just starting our joint research and organization of Knutsen instruments. I couldn’t figure it out then, and, now that the Noe/Most book is out, and things are falling into place, I still can’t quite figure out how to organize it! I’ve sweated this out several different ways, and believe that the chart below is as logical and straight-forward as I can make it. As more instruments are found, things may perhaps become clearer, but knowing Knutsen, they’ll probably just become more complex!

First – Main Groups:

Simple - "Harp Guitars," "Hawaiian Guitars," "Mandolins," "Ukuleles" and "Violins."

One confusing example could conceivably be the "Upper treble point, long hollow armed, convertible Harp Hawaiian guitars" (that was just for effect – I’ll make it simpler below). While, at a glance, they look like harp guitars, they are actually "convertible" guitars for either "Spanish" or "Hawaiian" style set-up. However, as they were produced in the Hawaiian music era, and many/most were originally set up with a permanent high nut solely for Hawaiian playing (and the "Spanish" set-up is not a comfortable guitar to play by any means), they are placed in the Hawaiian Guitar category.

Second – Categories:

I’ve broken harp guitars up into three main categories by city – Port Townsend, Tacoma, and Seattle – as major style changes coincide with each of these locations. Note: we’ve recently come to realize that the Tacoma "Symphony" style harp guitars were definitely introduced during the last year or two of the Port Townsend period. However, I’m leaving them in the "Tacoma" category for simpler organization.. As far as we know so far, no harp guitars were built, or at least introduced, in Los Angeles.

I’ve separated the Hawaiian guitars into two main categories: "Convertible Guitars" and "Hollow Neck Hawaiian Guitars." The "convertibles" have various forms of brackets to either adjust and set the neck angle, or to convert it as desired for either "Spanish" or "Hawaiian" style playing (i.e: fretted or slide). The "hollow necks" include those with the typical "Weissenborn" shape, plus other, rarer forms. Note that the "hollow necks" of this group terminate at many different points – from the nut to about the seventh fret – so some may appear to have "square necks" (and perhaps, technically, do). Until I see a need to draw a line (say, at the 10^th or 12^th fret), they will remain in the "hollow neck" category.

Mandolins are either "Harp Mandolins" of various styles (discussed next), "Harp Mandolas" (one so far!), "Harp Bandurrias" (newly discovered in February, 2003!), or just "Mandolins" (to cover the instrument pictured in the famous family photo, and anything similar that might come up).

Ukuleles are either "Harp Ukuleles" or "Harp Taropatches" (not that the latter term particularly rolls off the tongue!).

Violins are a brand new category featuring a single "One Armed Violin" and possible standard violins.

Third – Body Styles:

Harp Guitars: Refer to the chart below for the various strange new names I’ve chosen (albeit with a lot of thought and deliberation) to describe the different body styles. I’m using "1896 Patent" and "1898 Patent" rather than Knutsen’s "One-armed guitar" to differentiate between the two basic body types of the Port Townsend period. I then use Knutsen’s own "Symphony" name for the next group, but list certain models as "Evolving Symphony" because they differ in several ways from the relatively uniform (for Knutsen) "Symphony" shape and features. There is also a newly discovered style I've labeled "Pre-Symphony" Harp Guitars - these are a "missing link" between the "Patent-style" guitars and the "Symphonys", and were built in Port Townsend. For the endless and wild Seattle instruments, I eschew Knutsen’s own "11-string Harp Guitar", as many - even some with the "11-string" label - have many more than 11 strings or courses. Instead, I try to use a descriptive term for the main body shapes – which, while having tremendous variation, seem to so far fall into the three general styles listed in the chart below.

Hawaiian Guitars: Again, by necessity, some strange new names: "Weissenborn-shaped" is used because it’s the most familiar term to the majority of us and the easiest way to describe the famous narrow, sloped upper shoulder shape we all know and love. The rest should be self-explanatory (refer to photos if unsure). I may have been the first (in my 1995 CD booklets) to coin the admittedly awkward term, "Harp Hawaiian Guitar." Luckily, others seem to be following suit (such as Brozman in the Tone Poems booklet). I’m not a linguist, just using common sense. For example, using the more eloquent "Hawaiian harp guitar" would incorrectly imply a standard harp guitar made in Hawaii . Thus, "Harp Hawaiian Guitar" best designates a Hawaiian guitar, or "steel guitar", with additional "harp" strings. I add "Harp" to distinguish those instruments from the six-string versions. I used to hyphenate all these names (as the makers themselves often did originally), but have dropped the practice after failing to observe any similar use by other writers!

Mandolins: Fairly simple – three body styles for harp mandolins: "Lower Bass Point," "Lower Treble Point," and "Guitar-shaped." The latter also has a point on the lower bass side, but has a completely distinct, guitar-like shape. As in the harp guitars, I chose the terms "treble" and "bass" to refer to which side the pointed flare is on (rather than "right or left") to cover both right- and left-handed instruments.

Ukuleles: "Standard" is the only body style so far for harp ukes, as all are the same general shape.

Fourth – Codes:

I kept the code letters as few and as simple as I could make them. These codes, followed by consecutive numbers, will serve as "serial #s" – to build and maintain a permanent inventory record of Knutsen’s instruments. As instruments change hands, or "lost" specimens" are found, the specs listed and any photographs will serve to back up and identify the Code-numbered instrument.

Last – Terminology:

I’ll add clarification here to any terms that prove confusing or new to any readers/researchers.

For instance, I’m keen on using "course" in place of "string" – it’s more accurate and clear in certain cases (e.g: a 12-string bowl-back mandolin and a 12-string Knutsen harp mandolin are two completely different animals. The first is a common four-course instrument (with triple courses instead of the usual double of the mandolin), while the Knutsen is an unusual eight-course instrument (the standard doubled four "notes" of the neck, and four single bass strings). "Course" has always been the only term used when referring to lutes, for this very reason. It’s time we started applying it to similar, modern instruments (in my non-passive opinion).

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