Knutsen Harp Hawaiian Guitar
This is as good as it gets!
A Knutsen Harp Hawaiian with a walnut top! (and it sounds great)
One of only two instruments known so far with the McDuff St. label.
The seller, Knutsen aficionado Dan'l, provided the following story with the instrument. If true,
this may have indeed been Knutsen's last instrument! Either way, he was
certainly working very well right up to the end.
"I acquired this guitar from the son of the woman to whom it was
given by Chris Knutsen. Both Chris and his wife were in very poor health in
their last years. It's suspected that Chris's poor health was at least partially
due to the years of exposure to solvent fumes, and sawdust from his work.
After their move to Los Angeles and to the McDuff Street address on the label
inside this instrument, Chris began attending church at the nearby Swedish
Lutheran Church. And at that church Chris met the woman who for the next several
years befriended the family and nursed the ailing couple. The woman, a Swedish
immigrant was a registered nurse, and according to her son, it's not likely she
would have charged the Knutsen's for her kindness or nursing care.
So as Chris was able he would work on this instrument. And before he died, this
instrument was passed to the woman who played it "with wild abandon"
until she too passed on, and handed it down to her son."
Click on a picture to
enlarge
(images copyright Gregg Miner)
Knutsen Archives Inventory Number |
HHW7 |
|
Category |
Hollow Neck Hawaiian Guitars |
|
Body Style |
"'Weissenborn-shaped' Harp Hawaiian" |
|
Current or last known owner |
Jonathan Kellerman |
|
Year (approx) |
1930 |
|
Label |
"C. KNUTSEN, Musical Instruments Made and Repaired, 1306 McDuff St., (Cor.Sunset) Los Angeles, Cal. Phone MUtual 1678" with picture of harp ukulele |
|
Label Code | LA11 | |
Courses / Strings |
12 course: 6 strings on neck, 2 bass, 4 treble |
|
Frets |
inlaid wood |
|
Scale length | 24-3/4" | |
Neck Joint | hollow, square, taper begins at the second fret | |
Woods |
Top |
walnut with pearwood inlays |
Back & Sides |
koa |
|
Neck |
? |
|
Fingerboard |
walnut? |
|
Bridge |
koa or mahogany |
|
Headstock veneer |
none |
|
Binding, trim |
Top |
rope |
Back |
rope |
|
Fingerboard |
rope |
|
Headstock(s) |
rope |
|
Soundhole |
rope, assorted wood |
|
Inlay |
fancy pearl fret markers, pearl flower inlays on top and headstock |
|
Pickguard |
pearwood |
|
Dimensions | Upper Bout | 9-3/4" |
Lower Bout | 15" | |
Body at endpin | 3-3/8" | |
Comments |
|
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All Site Contents Copyright © Gregg Miner, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,2006. All Rights Reserved.
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