Skau was the brand name of Oscar Skau (1904 - 1980) a Norwegian musician and businessman. Skau played the banjo, in 1928 he played on the first record recording Columbia made in Norway. He was also a well known guitarist who played and recorded with Norway's most famous musicians of the era. In the 1930s he had his own band called Skau's quintet. Oscar Skau started his own music business in Wilhelm Thranesgate in Oslo, and was involved in the development of electrified guitars and amplifiers. In addition to various musical instruments, Skau sold both the Telrad amplifier that bore his name and self-designed Skau guitars.

The first Skau guitars were made in the 1940s in Fredrikstad by the Johansen & Kristiansen Stringed Instrument Factory. These were flat-top acoustic guitars as well as a more elaborate orchestral model. From the beginning of the 1950s, the production of the Skau guitars moved to the newly established Hasle and Heder guitar factory in Sørum. Skau electric guitars appeared around 1956. Skau guitars enjoyed market dominance in Norway for a while - at least until Hofner and Framus came onto the scene.

Source: Norske Guitarer - Skau (10 September 2020)