Gold Tone Banjos was founded by Wayne and Robyn Rogers in 1993. Both were active folk musicians in the 70's and 80's, they opened Strings N' Things Music Center in 1978. In 1993 Wayne designed the original TB-100 Travel Banjo and began manufacturing and distributing the "Traveler" mail order.
The Romanian Hora brand has been around since communist times in 1951. As well as producing numerous orchestral stringed instruments Hora make classical, acoustic and electric guitars. Hora produce budget instruments, the top of the range electric sells for around $270 (in 2008).
Pendragon Guitars is the brandname of luthier Andy Evans. Andy is based in Penarth, South Wales and makes a range of hand made and custom made acoustic guitars and mandolins. He also provides repairs and set-ups.
Steve Wishnevsky has been an instrument maker for over thirty years. He concentrates on making simple cleanly constructed string instruments with locally harvested woods at very affordable prices. His instruments are stripped of non-essential ornamental flourishes, giving them a home-made, folk-art look.
The University of Rochester have made available online issues of S.S. Stewart’s banjo and guitar journal from the 1890s. S.S. Stewart was a banjo and mandolin manufacturer and this magazine was intended to promote his instruments though a network of dealers. Taking a closer look you find many interesting (and weird) stories from a time when there was nothing much on T.V.
Liutaio Mottola is the non-commercial enterprise of a former engineer, R.M. Mottola. Mottola started making stringed instruments in 1994 after an illness left him unable to work. Since then he has used a methodical approach to the investigatation of instrument design and construction.
Brian Eastwood Guitars was established in 1973. All Brian Eastwood guitars are custom built in the UK. Prices start at around £850. Brian Eastwood Guitars is not affiliated with Eastwood Guitars manufactured in the Far East, or any other guitar company.
One of the Harmony house-brands sold through Alden's catalogue.
The company was started in 1881 by Swedish-born Julius Nelson, his brother Carl. Quality declined in the 1940s and 1950s and in the 1970s the CF Martin company bought the Vega company but did not continue making the guitars under the Vega name .
Daion was a short-lived Japanese company. Daions were produced by the Matsumoku company in the early 1980s. The brand was known for its high quality and innovative features.
The MCI company of Waco Texas imported Daions into the USA.
This is a category for all items that have not yet been assigned a proper brand name.
VOX produced the MANDOGUITAR between 1964 and 1966. It was essentially a half scale 12 string electric guitar. By using regular guitar tuning it enabled guitarists to get a passable mandolin sound without learning mandolin fingering.
It had two single coil pickups, pickup selector, volume and tone controls (all mounted on the scratch plate)
