No, not that Carlson (sorry, Fred, you just had your turn)
This Carlson is a hitherto unknown maker from Chicago – a name I’ve not come across, nor found in Mugwumps or any other Maker Encyclopedia.
According to the owner, the label reads “G. A. Carlson, Guitars and Mandolins.”
The owner, like I, is looking for any info on this builder. I’ve usually found that the best way is to simply get the name up on the Internet asap – and hope for a family member to Google-find us. Of course, I hope that any Chicago area guitar researchers would let me know if this name has ever come up as well.
It’s hard to tell from the photos where Carlson’s 8-sub-bass harp guitar lies between “homemade” and “finely hand-built”). The design, with its offset soundhole, and second sub-bass support neck with custom-shaped headstock overlapping the main head, looks like it could have been influenced by another obscure builder, one Henry Tabbert of Cincinnati, Ohio (below).
Regardless, it seems I have another name to add to the Encyclopedia of Harp Guitar Makers. That little project will one day expand by another hundred names when I finally find time to catch up on all the additions constantly queuing up.
And when I do complete it, I’m sure that the very next day another new harp guitar builder much like our Mr. Carlson will pop up out of the blue!
