electric guitars

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Electric_guitar

Hill (Custom Guitars)

Hill Guitar started by Jon R Hill in 1989 in Vermilion, Ohio. After working from his father’s garage for a year he moved to a new location in Cleveland on Union Ave. He rented the 3rd floor of a mostly empty building (2500 square feet and with no elevator) which meant that all lumber deliveries and machines had to all be carried up the stairs. After four years moved again to a more commercial location on 36th Street. At this time Hill was offered the opportunity to make guitars for Dean. The Dean brand had been bought by Tropical Music of Miami, and soon they decided to move production to Florida. This meant that Jon Hill had to close his Cleveland operation and relocat to Plant City, Florida. While working for Dean n Florida Jon Hill learned about CNC Machines as well as the export trade.

HERITAGE

Heritage Guitar Inc. was founded as a result of Gibson's decision to decided to close their historic 225 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo factory in 1984. Soon after some of the senior Gibson ex-employees decided to carry on the tradition of electric guitar manufacture in Kalamazoo. In 1985, they bought space at the former factory as well as a lot of the old guitar-making equipment. The original owners of Heritage were Jim Deurloo, Marv Lamb, and JP Moats. Later Bill Paige and Mike Korpak were also added co-owners. The first Heritage guitar was the H-140 solid body single cutaway electric guitar, launched at the 1985 NAMM show in New Orleans. Over the following years, Heritage has made various instruments, including banjos, mandolins, acoustic guitars and basses. Currently, however, Heritage only makes electric guitars.

Source: Heritage Guitar website

HARPER

Harper's Guitars is the Apple Valley, California based custom guitar maker run by Jon C. Harper since 1992. Harper started the business when he was laid off from his job as a quality assurance manager in the aerospace industry. Notable "Harpers Guitars" production models included the Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom signature models. Harper retired briefly in 2002 but was soon building custom guitars under the "J.C. Harper" brand.

HALLMARK

Hallmark was established in 1966 by Joe Hall, an ex-employee of Mosrite. Hall was joined by fellow Mosrite luthier Bill Gruggett and together they launched the Hallmark Swept-Wing guitar - with a modern looking arrow head shaped body based on a sketch by Bob Bogle of the Ventures. The company was not successful, however, and went bankrupt in 1968. The Hallmark brand was revived in the late 1990s by luthier Bob Shade. Shade had an interest in the early Hallmarks and had befriended both Hall and Grugett who both became involved in the new Hallmark company. Hallmark now produces the original 1960s designs like the Swept-Wing and Stradette as well as newer designs.

Source: Hallmark History

Guild

The Guild Guitar Company was founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge and George Mann. Dronge was a guitarist and music-store owner and George Mann had worked as an executive with the Epiphone Guitar Company. The Guild brand name is currently owned and used by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

GRUGGETT

Luthier Bill Gruggett started making guitars in the early 1960s, and spent some time working for Semie Moseley at Mosrite and for Hallmark before establishing his own brand in 1967. His designs included the Stradette  - inspired by thinline electric guitars and violins. The original Gruggett company folded in 1968 but Gruggett continued guitar making. At the time of his death in 2012 he was working as a builder for the modern Hallmark, who reissued his Stradette design.

GROSH

Don Grosh spent his formative years in his father’s workshop where he helped his father build sets for Hollywood films. Combining his practical skills with his interest in guitars, Don joined Valley Arts in North Hollywood in 1985. Don was part of the Valley Arts team that made guitars for top players like Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, and Lee Ritenour.

In 1993, Don started Don Grosh Custom Guitars in the garage at his parent’s house in Santa Clarita, California. By 2001, Don’s workshop had made over 1000 instruments and expanded into a new shop in a rented industrial space in Santa Clarita. That new workshop allowed for a bigger team and greater production capacity. In 2005, Don relocated the business to Broomfield Colorado, just outside of Denver.

Source: Don Grosh website (30th January 2017)

GRIMES

In the early 1970s Steve Grimes studied with a violin maker and worked in instrument repair before setting up his own workshop in Seattle to make arched top mandolins. After making mandolins exclusively for the first two years Grimes began to make arched top guitars in 1974. In 1982 he added flat-top acoustics and classical guitars to his product line up. He also relocated from Washington to Kula, Hawaii in 1982. Since moving to Hawaii Grimes now also makes slack key guitars and ukuleles. Grimes makes around 20 guitars a year,

Source: Grimes Guitars website (23 August 2017)

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