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Ukulele

Artinger Guitars

Matt Artinger started experimenting with guitars at the age 12. He went on to an apprenticeship under a master-cabinetmaker and then founded Artinger Custom Guitars in 1997 at the age of 19. Two years later with demand steadily growing, he teamed up with Rick Dorfman to form Artinger Custom Guitars, Limited.

Artinger is known as one of the top contemporary makers of electric guitars with orginal design solid body, semi-hollow and archtop models. He also offers lap-steels, mandolins and ukuleles.

Source: Artinger website (10 Febraury 2017)

APC

APC Musical Instruments was founded in 1976 by Antonio Pinto Carvalho to manufacture stringed instruments and by 2016 it employed 45 craftsmen and other employees. Antonio Pinto Carvalho came from a family of luthiers and since 1961 had learned the craft from his grandfather. APC offers acoustic guitars and a wide range of traditional Portugese instruments as well as all sorts of folk & world stringed instruments.

Anahola Stringed Instruments

Michael Sussman, a Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Master Folk Artist Tradition Bearer, has been building and restoring stringed instruments on the island of Kauai, Hawaii for 40 years. Mickey builds only Koa instruments and uses only Kauai Koa, much of it from fallen trees following Hurricanes Iniki and Ewa. Mickey also grows Koa trees on his homestead in Anahola.
 

Aloha

The Aloha brand name has been used on various instruments over the years - most likely by different companies. For example in the early 1900s Aloha brand ukuleles were made in Honolulu. From the 1935 onwards there was an Aloha Musical Instrument Company in Chicago distributing Aloha branded amplifiers and guitars made by other companies like Magnatone, Kay, Regal and Harmony.

Source Jedistar Aloha resource

ZEN-ON

Zen-On Music Company Ltd was a Japanese distributor of guitars and other instruments from the 1960s and 1970s. There are Zen-On branded instruments from the early 1960s but later in the 1960s Zen-On distributed acoustic guitars under the Morales brand.

Source: Zen-On catalogs

Abbott

The Abbott brand was initially founded by Englishman JG Abbott who worked for Barnes and Mullins in banjo production, and later began making  banjos both under his own name and as an OEM maker. His son also went into the business and both worked together to make guitars, banjos and banjo ukuleles in their London factory.

Abbot & Co used various other trade names including: Abbott-Victor,  Amboyna, Aristone, Mirabile and Monarch.

LAG

Lâg Guitars is a French company established by luthier Michel Lâg-Chavarria in around 1980. Lâg is best known for its reasonably priced guitars (designed in France and made in China). Renknowed Lâg players include Phil Campbell of Motörhead and Charles Hedger of Cradle of filth. The Lâg Master series of electric guitars is made in France.

HERALD

Herald is a musical instrument brand distributed in the UK by John Hornby Skewes. Herald instruments are probably made in the Far East, and include classical and electric guitars.

John Hornby Skewes (JHS)

JOHN HORNBY SKEWES & Company Limited is a UK musical instrument distributor. It was founded in the 1960s by John Hornby Skewes in Garforth, Leeds, England. Skewes had learned the musical instrument distribution business as a sales rep with Hohner, and British guitar company Fenton-Weill. As the business began to take off Skewes aquired various local storage premises including the old Garforth cinema and car park, the old Victorian Police Station and two Methodist chapels.

JHS was one of the first companies to appreciate the profitability of manufacturing in the Far East. Imported merchandise forms the bulk of the JHS catalogue, with the Far East and the USA playing a prominent role in providing JHS with instruments.

BRUNO (& SONS)

An instrument importer and dealer, Charles Bruno immigrated from Germany to Macon, Georgia in 1832. In 1834, Bruno moved to New York where he probably worked as a clerk or salesman for several years before being listed as a book seller in 1837. In 1838 Bruno formed a partnership with Christian F. Martin. His book shop on Fulton Street most likely served as a retail outlet for Martin's guitars. When Bruno & Martin dissolved their partnership in 1839, Bruno left New York for several years.

On his return to New York Bruno established the partnership Bruno & Cargill from 1851 to 1853, and then Bruno, Weissenborn and Company with Herman W. Weissenborn (this was not  the designer of the Weissenborn lap steel guitar - that was Hermann C. Weissenborn) 1854 to 1857.

Dickert Guitars

Harold Dickert is a guitar builder in Kilbride, Ontario, Canada, building  acoustic steel string guitars including 7-string, made of all kinds of classic and alternative tone woods.  Also solid and chambered electric guitars. All his guitars are custom built so there are no actual models.  The idea is a custom guitar for exploring and producing your own sound. A Dickert "CuttingBoard" will have you Rocking or Jazzing out Your Way.  And the Finger Style guys love his acoustics.

Orion

Orion was a stringed instrument brand distributed by Vega Music International, Brea, California and by Galaxy Trading Corporation of Sante Fe Springs, California. There was a full range of Orion electric, acoustic and bass guitars as well as folk intruments. These instruments were imported into the USA, most likely from Japan or Korea.

Source: Orion catalog 1982

STENTOR MUSIC

Stentor is a distributer of orchestral stringed instruments, sold under their Stentor Brand. They also distribute guitars and other stringed instruments under the Ozark brand, a full range of musical instrument  accessories and own the Touchstone Tonewoods business.

The Stentor logo - a shouting Trojan - depicts the Trojan Stentor reknowned for his loud voice. From Homer's Illiad:

[His] voice was as powerful as fifty voices of other men.

He died after his defeat by Hermes in a shouting contest.

 

Barnes and Mullins

Barnes & Mullins are a UK musical instrument distributor. Established in Bournemouth, UK in 1894 by Albert Mullins and S. Bowley Barnes first as a musical instrument journal specialising in banjos, they soon began making banjos and importing other instruments.

Original Barnes and Mullins banjos are well regarded. 1914  Albert Mullins drowned when the ‘Empress of Ireland’ sank on the St Lawrence River. Mr Barnes continued the business thereafter moving it to Rathbone Place, London.The business remained in the Barnes family until a management buy-out in 2009 by Bruce Perrin and  Brian Cleary

Lichty Guitars

Jay Lichty started hand building acoustic guitars when his career as a home-builder was affected by the recent economic downturn. He combined his experience in building things with his lifelong passion for music to build high quality acoustic guitars and ukuleles.

From a small workshop in Tyron, North Carolina he makes around 25 instruments a year to order.

Several well known musicians are already playing Lichty guitars, including: Geoff Achison, Mike & Tom Gossin (Gloriana), Doug Lancio (John Hiatt and Patty Griffin bands), Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne), Haley Dreis and Jonathan Gray.

Acoustic guitars are currently available in dreadnought, OM and parlour sizes. Cutaways are possible in all cases. Guitars range from $2800 to over $8000.

Ukuleles are available in soprano, tenor and baritone sizes. Ukuleles start at around $1600.

DALLAS

Dallas was a UK musical instrument manufacturing and distribution company, founded by John E. Dallas. Dallas began making banjos in 1873, eventually moving to premises at 415 Strand. In 1905-1906 Dallas' three sons were given directorships and the firm's title changed to John E. Dallas and Sons.

By the late 1920s, Dallas instruments were being mass produced under the brand name "Jedson." derived from Dallas' initials, "J.E.D", and "Sons". When John Dallas died in 1921 the form became a private limited company

In 1926 The firm moved to larger premises, at 6-10 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2, and became a wholesale importer and distributer of musical instruments. They moved again to Dallas moved to Ridgmount Street in 1937 (concinding with the introduction of the Ridgmount brand), before eventuallu settling in Clifton Street, EC2.

Kuun

Murray Kuun is a music enthusiast, furniture designer and luthier with a preference for natural musical texture, unusual organic shapes & natural finishes over artificial materials and ornamentation. His guitar designs are both original and beautiful: quite unlike anything that has gone before.

All Murray's instruments are individually handmade using fine materials and hardware and he can customise any of the models to suit specific client requirements.

Murray describes how he got started and his design philosophy:

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