Knutsen Harp Guitar
NOTE: Read what I wrote below in 2002, then go to the next instrument and see more support of my "evolution" theory - I'm getting good at this!
Here's a bizarre, fascinating instrument!
The owners, Leonard Coulson and Kennard Machol of Intermountain Guitar and Banjo
in Salt Lake City, confirm that the guitar is all original, including the
strange bass headstock - the only one like it known (until the next specimen
turned up in Dec, 2004!).
But why this strange headstock - since all the other Symphony models were
so uniform? Was it an early Symphony model experiment?
Actually, I believe it was the Symphony model prototype! - a true Missing Link
between the patent-style models and the final Symphony model.
Several clues:
It's definitely from the same early period as Knutsen's personal instruments -
strings, tuners, inlay, trim, bridge are all similar. But note how the bridge runs very straight for the bass strings, not yet
sloping downwards - a leftover from the straight bridge of the patent-style
model?
And the bass headstock itself - it seems to me that Knutsen was emulating the
same general shape of the original patent-style bass headstock, but altering it
in a way to better contain the tuners. We know how poor the original bass nut
design was.
And two more subtle points in the bass arm. I believe that the next two
instruments (HGT28 & 15) have that slight kink in the bass headstock as a
holdover from this instrument. The kink occurs at the same spot as the bend in
this one. We know that Anna's HGT28 is the earliest confirmed dated instrument,
so the chronology/evolution makes sense.
And finally, the upside-down "V" of the bass arm to headstock
transition. This feature remains on the next six instruments - all of which are
known to be among the earliest instruments. After this, Knutsen uses a simple
curved border at this junction. Interestingly, the Larsons duplicated this later
feature, but then revisited the "V", using it - now pointed in the
opposite direction - on their own famous Symphony models.
Click on a
picture to enlarge
(images copyright Leo Coulson)
Knutsen Archives Inventory Number |
HGT31 |
|
Category |
Tacoma Harp Guitars (Port Townsend built) |
|
Body Style |
"Pre-Symphony" |
|
Current or last known owner |
Intermountain Guitar & Banjo |
|
Year (approx) |
1898-1899 |
|
Label |
none |
|
Courses / Strings |
18 course: 6 strings on neck, 5 bass, 7 treble |
|
Frets |
straight |
|
Scale length | unknown | |
Neck Joint | no heel | |
Woods |
Top |
unknown |
Back & Sides |
unknown |
|
Neck |
unknown |
|
Fingerboard |
unknown |
|
Bridge |
unknown |
|
Headstock veneer | unknown | |
Binding, trim |
Top |
multi-colored wood, ivoroid? |
Back |
ivoroid? | |
Fingerboard |
none |
|
Headstock(s) |
none |
|
Soundhole | 3 wood rings (1 multi-colored) | |
Inlay |
fancy pearl fret markers and headstock inlay |
|
Pickguard |
none |
|
Comments |
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All Site Contents Copyright © Gregg Miner, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,2006. All Rights Reserved.
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