Multi-neck guitars

Organology: Harp Guitar "Relatives"

Note to the casual reader or researcher: This Reference Gallery features historical instruments that are not harp guitars, but “relatives” or distant “cousins” – presented on Harpguitars.net for historical and organological comparison.

Multi-neck Guitars
by Gregg Miner

Not to be confused with harp guitars, as there are no unstopped strings. Includes double or multi-neck guitars, where each neck is fully fretted and capable of standard playing.

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Alexandre Voboam, 1690	This interesting instrument (French?), once listed as a "harpolyre" in the Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments (formerly in the Belle Skinner Collection at left, with non-original base), is an unrelated triple-neck guitar. Center neck is standard, left neck is likely terz, and right neck shorter scale (quart, quint, octave?). © Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments Photo credit: Alex Contreras		Unknown


Ward "Harpo-Guitaret," 1898, Pat #613,540	Levin, 1897, guitar-mandolin dbl-neck, Pat #D28,061	Levin guitar-mandolin	Englund, 1899, guitar-mandolin dbl-neck (with sympathetic strings), Pat #616,908


Lindemann, 1891, Pat #8918 3 of the 8 strings are underneath the fingerboard on a second fretted (with the thumb!) "neck."	Pribyl, Prague, 1923, Patent # 1,472,991 Almost identical to Lindemann's; 4 of the 8 strings run over a fingerboard on the back of the neck.	This was a standard Washburn guitar that mechanical genius Demain Woods turned into a multi-stringed, multi-fretted, mechanically-actuated one-man-band, ca. 1906. Even more astounding - the instrument survived, and sold on eBay on June, 2004! All the various strings appear to have been mechanically fretted - it's hard to tell from the pile of spare parts that came with it! I think that the strings beneath that long decorative cover have their own reverse fretboard, rather like the two previous patents - so I believe it qualifies as a "multi-neck" rather than as a true harp guitar. (see the tuxedoed Mr. Woods with the instrument in Iconography).


*Nonfri "Improved Combined Guitar and Mandolin,"* 1916, Pat #1,188,983**	Montfort, 1927, U.S. Pat #D72,433 octave mandola- guitar-mandolin	Köthe, Bayreuth, 1927 Patent # 445,860	Cavicchioli, New York, 1931 Patent # 1,828,315


Dawson electric guitar & mandolin double-neck, 1971, Pat #D224,841	Ezaki, Japan, 1972 Patent # 3,636,809	Pelensky, Philadelphia, 1972 Patent # 3,392,618	Salomao, Brazil, 1986, Pat # BR8501179A	Artru, 1990, Patent# 2,643,182


Andy Manson Triple-neck instrument he made for Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones.	Fred Carlson Todd Green, who commissioned this piece, usually plays the long neck basses open. Thus, he plays it in the manner of a harp guitar, though it is technically (and can be used as) a multi-neck guitar.	Steve Klein All strings are fully fretted.	Hamer An example that there is no limit to the number of necks a guitar can have.

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Nova Scotia, c.1930 (?)	Richardson, U.K., 1934 Patent # 403,822	Rosler, Germany, 1956 Patent # 945,899	Cogdell electric triple-neck guitar-mandolin, 1959, Pat #D186,688