PingPongBob Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Just kidding pippy. This is a very cool blog on Knutsen Guitars. Gregg's Blog I've never seen anything like these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Lol,,, Indeed. Pippy is one of our omnipotent sources for sure. nope,, never heard of them. But have seen those harp thingys around... Our local luthier has an old Gibby harp in his shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug the Old Geezer Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Never heard of these things, before. How the heck do play the top harp part, I wonder. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 almost identical to the 1920s Dyer "Symphony" Harp style, also designed by Chris J. Knutsen and made by the Larsen Bros of Chicago Il. info from pg.8 of Dave Hunters' 365 guitars amps & effects you must play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Other than the bass,, I have never seen any other practical use for these guitars. So I don't really see the point But hey,, they look cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Just kidding pippy. :P Does that mean I CAN play? TBH I had never heard of them either until they were featured in an obscure book I picked up a couple of months ago. Here's a 1905 example on the left. Look at the shape of the bottom bout - also seen in a few of the images in the OP. Just to bolster my blossoming reputation as an insufferable know-it-all here's a snap (on the right) of a 1920's Dyer as mentioned by B4L in post #4. Gorgeous bit of craftsmanship. I strongly suspect both these instruments are the very ones shown in some of the pictures in the link in the OP. The Knutsen reminds me strongly of a particular Cubist-period Nude Study by Piccaso with the 'regular p'head as her head and the other as her upraised arm and hand..... Other than the bass,, I have never seen any other practical use for these guitars. I suppose the 'extra' strings work in the same way as the drone pipes of a set of bagpipes. If, say, you are playing the basic I, IV, V progression you would hit the appropriate string(s) and play fancy stuff over the top of the note? Somewhere I have a picture of John McGlaughlin with a variation of the idea made for him by Gibson where the (much shorter) supplementary strings crossed over the regular strings at an angle in an X-type layout. I'll try to stick a photo of it here later on... P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 For some reason the name sounded familiar... But I know nothing about harp guitars other than they don't interest me a bit... I'm not even an acoustic guy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Way to ugly to play in public... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Look like benchmarks of neck-heaviness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 :P Does that mean I CAN play? Gorgeous bit of craftsmanship. I strongly suspect both these instruments are the very ones shown in some of the pictures in the link in the OP. The Knutsen reminds me strongly of a particular Cubist-period Nude Study by Piccaso with the 'regular p'head as her head and the other as her upraised arm and hand..... I suppose the 'extra' strings work in the same way as the drone pipes of a set of bagpipes. If, say, you are playing the basic I, IV, V progression you would hit the appropriate string(s) and play fancy stuff over the top of the note? Somewhere I have a picture of John McGlaughlin with a variation of the idea made for him by Gibson where the (much shorter) supplementary strings crossed over the regular strings at an angle in an X-type layout. I'll try to stick a photo of it here later on... P. yet oddly the Dyer in your photo while the same identical Model 8, it isn't the one photo'd in Dave Hunters' book.....unless it's had a deep black "smudge" somehow removed from the 2:o'clock position from the main soundhole. as fascinating to me, are some of the Bohmann model Harpies, with the standard twisted harp necks, but of course no FB except for the 6 string side. almost like a predicessor of the modern 6-12 dbl neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 yet oddly the Dyer in your photo while the same identical Model 8, it isn't the one photo'd in Dave Hunters' book.....unless it's had a deep black "smudge" somehow removed from the 2:o'clock position from the main soundhole.as fascinating to me, are some of the Bohmann model Harpies, with the standard twisted harp necks, but of course no FB except for the 6 string side. almost like a predicessor of the modern 6-12 dbl neck. I've just had a look but my book, the frequently erroneous "The Guitar and Amp Sourcebook" by Mike Abbott, only credits 'Online Press' as the source for the images used in his book. The Dave Hunter book, interestingly, is published by Voyageur Press but the picture of the Dyer is credited on the page to.....Online Press Limited! So on closer inspection (thanks to Amazon for the M.A. book pictures!) the 'smudge' of which you speak IS seen in the original image in my book - as is the small circular blemish at the 7 o'clock position. Elementary, my Dear Watson Bender! And the Bohmann is a BEAST! I might have to get that book.... P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PingPongBob Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 :P Does that mean I CAN play? P. Of course, that's why I added your nick to the title. And of course you came through with flying colors along with quap & Bender. This forum amazes me with the knowledge on-board! That's why this is the only guitar forum I visit every day! Thanks guys, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I've just had a look but my book, the frequently erroneous "The Guitar and Amp Sourcebook" by Mike Abbott, only credits 'Online Press' as the source for the images used in his book. The Dave Hunter book, interestingly, is published by Voyageur Press but the picture of the Dyer is credited on the page to.....Online Press Limited! So on closer inspection (thanks to Amazon for the M.A. book pictures!) the 'smudge' of which you speak IS seen in the original image in my book - as is the small circular blemish at the 7 o'clock position. Elementary, my Dear Watson Bender! And the Bohmann is a BEAST! I might have to get that book.... P. you've just been promoted to "Super Sleuth" !! I had actually noticed in the pic in this thread, that it appeared to have had a spot CLEANED in the same exact spot, but thought "surely NOT" that's what I get for thinking ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 This forum amazes me with the knowledge on-board! That's why this is the only guitar forum I visit every day! Thanks guys, Mike THIS!!! Me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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