Knutsen Harp Ukulele Comparison

Knutsen Hawaiian Guitar Variations
by Gregg Miner, as part of The Knutsen Archives

A comparison of all of Knutsen’s Hawaiian guitars could well serve as someone’s Thesis.
I’m merely showing some obvious points below.
If one were to examine Knutsen’s "Weissenborn-shaped" Hawaiians, they’d first have to compare the Convertibles, Hollownecks, and Harp Hawaiians. Then - within each of these categories, no two are exactly alike – with minor or major differences in:

One way to compare the instruments is via the main thumbnail galleries. Another is to scroll down the Inventory spreadsheet. Either will offer a fascinating variety of features, from subtle to striking.

This first row illustrates both the similarity and the differences between:

A Knutsen convertible
Two random Knutsen hollownecks
A Weissenborn
A National squareneck

click image to enlarge
(images copyright Gregg Miner, from the collection of Jonathan Kellerman)

A look at Knutsen’s teardrop style compared to Weissenborn’s teardrop style.

click image to enlarge

(images copyright Gregg Miner. Weissenborn from the collection of Jonathan Kellerman)

Hawaiian guitar bridges:
These are not in any specific order, and are only roughly to scale.
Represented are:

Knutsen HCW1
Knutsen HCW2
Knutsen HCW4
Knutsen HW6
Knutsen HHW13
Knutsen HW7
Knutsen HTD1
Knutsen HW13
Kona ca. 1912-1915
Early Weissenborn
Mid period Weissenborn
Late Teardrop Weissenborn
Shireson Lyric ca. 1918
Hilo ca. 1920s

click image to enlarge
(images copyright Tom Noe and Gregg Miner)

Like his harp ukes, Knutsen’s "Upper Treble Point" Harp Hawaiians, show a huge variety of one-of-a-kind hand-crafted headstocks and harp arms (left image).
His pointed flares (right image) fall into two main types: a simple silhouette (left column), and the protruding, carved extension (center column). A third variation, seen once, is an even sharper point, with a non-carved extension (right column).
Examining the Inventory sheet, one again sees every possible combination of woods and trim, plus various stringing combinations (3-4 bass strings, 0,3,4 or 5 trebles along with the 6 standard neck strings).

click image to enlarge
(images copyright Gregg Miner)

If you enjoyed this article, or found it useful for research, please consider supporting Harpguitars.net so that this information will be available for others like you and to future generations. Thanks!