Hanburt electric guitars were made by Harvey Hansen in Seattle, USA. In 1937 Harvey Hansen opened the Hansen Lamp and Shade shop on 6244 Woodlawn Avenue, Seattle - which included a lamp-making and electrical workshop and retail store. Inspired by local musician and inventor Paul Tutmarc (of Audiovox) Hansen set out to make an electric guitar for his wife Emily with the help of Barney Egerer - an electrician and mechanic. Their early attempts were only partly successful and in the end they had to reverse-engineer an Audiovox instrument to learn how it worked. Emily proved adept at the electric guitar and eventually became a guitar teacher while Harvey developed a line of guitars and amplifiers to sell to her students, under the Hanburt brand name. Tutmarc was not happy about the way Hansen copied his designs, although there was never any legal action. Hansen made around 20 guitars in total, concentrating instead on the lamp and shade business until his retirement in 1952.

Source: Hanburt Guitars. Rarities from the Pacific Northwest. Peter Blecha, Vintage Guitar Magazine. June 2008