Sam Koontz began making guitars in 1959, and through the sixties became known for his idiosyncratic guitar designs. He made guitars with built-in effects and one of his guitars had a built in battery powered amp, speaker and tape recorder. He also made more conventional instruments: working for worked for Philadelphia Music Company (the US importer of Framus) and also designed guitars for Harptone and Standel. He started his own business in the 1970s making guitars (mainly archtops) in his Linden, New Jersey workshop. His business was not successful and following the death of his wife, Koontz took his own life in 1981.

Source: Family seeks to sell off set of 31 vintage guitars. Kathy Chang. Jan 13 2011. GM-News

Source: Eric Schulte Custom Guitars. By Michael Wright. Vintage Guitar Magazine