The Harp Guitars of Chris Knutsen |
by Gregg Miner, as part of |
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Knutsen
Harp Guitars now known! *
(* = known to have been built.
Only 123 survive)
The Knutsen harp guitars in the gallery below are separated into
the categories referenced in the
Category/Style
Reference Chart.
Knutsen’s harp guitars are separated into three main categories by city – Port Townsend, Tacoma, and Seattle – as major style changes coincide with each of these locations. Note: we’ve recently come to realize that the Tacoma "Symphony" style harp guitars were definitely introduced during the last year or two of the Port Townsend period. However, I’m leaving them in the "Tacoma" category for simpler organization. As far as we know so far, no harp guitars were built, or at least introduced, in Los Angeles.
The harp guitars in the first category, "Port Townsend Harp Guitars," come in two basic forms. The "1896 Patent" style matches the body shape of Knutsen’s first patent (a short arm extension without bass strings). The "1898 Patent" style matches the body shape of Knutsen’s second patent (a long arm extension with two, three, five, or no bass strings). Knutsen originally marketed both types as the "One-armed guitar," but I’m using the aforementioned terms to differentiate the two basic styles. As noted above, Knutsen introduced his "Symphony" harp guitars (with some initial experimentation) while in Port Townsend.
The second category, "Tacoma Harp Guitars," begins with "Pre-Symphony Harp Guitars," which were actually built in Port Townsend. These are a "missing link" between the "Patent-style" guitars and the next type - the fairly standardized "Symphony Harp Guitars" (Knutsen’s own term). Some of these were built in Port Townsend as well. These then segue into the "Evolving Symphony" style, which share certain features, most notably the new bridge shape and the evolving bass headstock.
Knutsen’s imagination runs rampant in the final category, "Seattle Harp Guitars." Fortunately, we can boil down all the variations into three basic body styles. "Lower Bass Point" harp guitars all feature a downward-pointing flare on the bass-side lower bout. "Lower Bass Point, Short Arm" instruments are similar, but with the arm extension terminating near the nut. These have either three or no bass strings (except for the 2003-discovered "zither harp guitar"). "Double Point" harp guitars have the same lower bass point, plus an additional point on the opposite upper treble bout. Again, we're able to see the bass headstocks continue to evolve.
Knutsen Harp Guitar Evolutionary Tree
Note: I have attempted to arrange all the harp guitars below in a roughly chronological, evolutionary order (within their categories).
"1896 Patent" (1895-1900) |
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HGP11 | HGP1 | HGP15 | HGP18 | HGP19 | HGP20 | |
HGP10 | HGP23 | HGP2 | HGP3 | HGP24 | HGP29 | HGP30 |
|
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"1898 Patent" (1896-1900) | |||||
11-course |
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HGP4 |
HGP8 | HGP9 | HGP14 | HGP17 | |
9-course |
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HGP7 | HGP12 | HGP21 | HGP22 | HGP27 | HGP28 |
8-course |
6-course |
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HGP13 | HGP5 | HGP6 | HGP26 |
Tacoma Harp Guitars (first models built in Port Townsend)
I've organized the Seattle harp guitars to show the
probable evolution and chronology of the bass headstocks (see the Evolution
graphic at page bottom). I've moved up some of the dates for the earlier instruments
based on a dated photo. I've also done body proportion calculations to try and
identify the full size and 3/4 size instruments.
Early Seattle instruments still resemble the final "Evolving
Symphony" shape. I've labeled this bass headstock Type 1a (HGS3, 33, 29,
16, 35, 13, 25).
Then the concave tip becomes convex and the headstock more
vertical: Type
1b (HGS38). Next, the extra point in the middle disappeared, smoothing out the top:
Type 1c (HGS5,14).
In the Mid Seattle instruments, the extra point is back and more pronounced:
Type 2a (HGS6, 23, 30, 28, 15, 37, 12, 9, 7). Most of the 3/4 size instruments have this
headstock,
so are presumably all from the same 2-3 year period.
In the Late Seattle period, this same headstock appears on the first of
the black finish harp guitars (HGS8, 18, 36), then starts becoming more
vertical. Next, an extra point is added on the left at the arm/head junction,
and the head becomes more bulbous: Type
3a (HGS21,17,24,54). After a brief foray into a very fat round tip: Type 3b (HGS22, 24),
Knutsen continues with the very vertical headstocks of the final "Harp Guitar
Factory" address: Type 3c (HGS1, 34, 32). Still not done, he now
moves the uppermost point on the right further up, which further increases the
length of the bass strings: Type 3d (HGS19 and Double Points HGS26 &
39). Finally, he concludes with
Type 3e (HGS31), wherein the upper right point is moved all the way up into
the corner, while rounding out the old left point.
Interesting how the Double Point style instruments at the bottom also have
examples from the first and last Seattle periods, suggesting that this alternate body style was
produced from 1906-1914 also (2005: which the labels now verify
started by at least 1906 in Tacoma!)
The Seattle short arm harp guitars also went through a change in the bass arm
from 1908 through 1913, including the 2003-discovered zither harp guitar!
NOTE: Many of actual sizes and scale lengths are unknown on these instruments. They fall generally into two categories: full scale and 3/4 scale. I say "size" though this is not really accurate, as Knutsen's scales can fit on bodies of many sizes. Determining the scale length from the proportions has also proved to be misleading, as Knutsen uses shapes and sizes of every description. Nevertheless, I have placed these in the applicable row that, if not verified, is my best guess. Many may be in error! Each of the two main scale lengths can vary by a couple of inches. There is at least one roughly half-scale instrument known and a suspected long-scale instrument.
"Lower Bass Point"
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"Double Point" (1906-1914) | |||||||||
Type 3d bass headstock |
Type 1a bass
headstock 3/4 size |
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HGS26 |
HGS39 |
HGS70 |
HGS13 | HGS25 | HGS47 | HGS53 | HGS64 | HGS72 |
At this time, we have no evidence that Knutsen built any true harp guitars
after he left Seattle. This is strange for several reasons. One, he pictures a
1912-1913 black-top Seattle harp guitar on his "New Hawaiian Family"
labels - suggesting that the instrument was available and desirable for this
music and period (I believe the label to have been in use from around 1914 into
the 'twenties). Two, he pictures a (presumably) early-Seattle "Double
Point" harp guitar on his Los Angeles Temple Street flyer/business cards
(usable from 1920 to 1927 or 1928 [and perhaps earlier]). Three, many Hawaiian
and other musicians were clearly using Knutsen harp guitars well past 1914 - so
why wouldn't there be a demand for them? Was he intending for his "Upper
Treble Point"-style convertible Hawaiian guitars to take the harp guitar's
place? Did it? Were Dyer and other brands of harp guitar making his obsolete?
Another unsolved mystery...
Additional harp guitars without images are listed in the Inventory.
Knutsen Harp Guitar Evolution |
The Knutsen-Anderson Connection
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