Regal Trademark Application #51,372
Filed Aug 7, 1905 by Lyon and Healy
In use since 1895 by Wulschner & Son

Regal Musical Instrument Company

Regal as a brand name actually existed in two separate incarnations. One in Indianapolis, Indiana, and another in Chicago, Illinois. The former being known as the Regal Manufacturing Company. I will be focusing exclusively on Regal after it had ceased to exist in Indiana and was revived out of Lyon and Healy. For probably the best resource on all Regal instruments, I would highly recommend the book "Regal Musical Instruments: 1895-1955" by Bob Carlin. It's worth every penny.

"Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries of Chicago Vol. 2"  by Josiah Seymour Currey was published in 1918 and contained summaries of some of Chicago's manufacturing firms. This contemporary source begins the documented story of the Regal Musical Instrument Company.

Founded in 1908 by Frank Kordick and Anton Nelson, they purchased the "minor stringed instrument department of the great musical instrument manufactory of Lyon & Healy". Lyon and Healy already had at least three decades of experience in instrument manufacture with their award winning Washburn line of instruments as well as their large production of budget guitars such as the Lakeside and Jupiter lines. Lyon and Healy had evidently lost interest in this area of business and had returned their focus on building pianos, harps, and other "fine products" [1]. The first two years of business remained on Lyon & Healy's premises until the firm had grown enough to finance construction of a building of their own [4] 

1911 Advertisement [3]

Frank Kordick

Frank Kordick was born in Meuern in Bohemia on February 3rd, 1872 and immigrated to Chicago in 1880. Kordick attended public school until he was 14 and then he served a two year apprenticeship with the Joseph Bohmann Musical Instrument Company. By 1888 he was working for Lyon & Healy and was in charge of "contract work" with fifteen men under his supervision. Frank worked at Lyon and Healy for twenty years and at his peak was in charge of four different departments. He married Alma Smith in 1897 and had a daughter, Helen, born in 1899 [1]. Frank died on November 19th, 1940 at the age of 68 [2].

Regal Trademark Application #269,001
Filed July 2, 1928

Timeline

• 1908 - Regal is incorporated out of Lyon and Healy by Frank Kordick and Anton Nelson
• They were located on Lyon and Healy's premises at Randolph St and Ogden Avenue [8]
• The original building was at 1438-40 Bryan Place and is no longer standing
• The space was shared with the Wilson & Jacobs Drum Mfg Co [4]
• They employed twenty-five of the 'most skilled and expert' instrument makers at Lyon and Healy
• Their first year 'aggregated' $40,000 in sales [1]
• 1911-2
• Regal purchases a 50x152 plot of land from Charles F. Wolf located on Grand Avenue about 64 feet north west of Kedzie Avenue [9]
• Construction immediately began on a four-story structure, initially built to two stories, and would have 20,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space [1]

Regal Musical Instrument Co factory at 3215 W Grand Avenue (present-day)
The original painted logo is still visible on the brick

• 1916
• Regal aggregated $150,000 in sales and employed one hundred men
• Plans began for the completion of the two additional stories on the factory [1]
• 1918
• Ernest Schlemm, a night watchman, was found dead at the Regal factory by another watchman. No cause of death was made public [11].
• 1926
• Regal debuts a fingerboard-mounted tuner for the ukulele [14]

Ad for the Regal Ukulele Tuner
Image Credit: Music Trade Review

• 1928
• An orange and blank calendar for the 1928 year is distributed by Regal. It features a 'New Year cherub' in a hat playing a Regal guitar with a dog [13]
• 1929
• A large billboard is erected at the intersection of Kedzie and Grand sporting the slogan "The Richest Child is Poor Without a Musical Training" [10]
• 1947
• Regal begins advertising in the Chicago Tribune classifieds looking for workers [12]
• 1954
• Regal's operations cease in February [5]
• The Harmony Company purchases their trademarks but does not purchase their tooling or, reportedly, their materials [6]
• The auction began Friday, March 12 at 11am

1954 newspaper ad for the Regal factory auction
Image Credit: Newspapers.com

The Harmony Years (1954-)

Article in "The School Musician" Vol. 25 1954
Image Credit: Archive.org

The Harmony Musical Instrument Company purchased the rights to Regal's trademarks and began using the Regal name on instruments sold exclusively through Fender. 

Regal-branded guitars covered the entire spectrum of the Harmony lineup from the cheap birch parlors to the esteemed Sovereign line. Not much needs to be said about the low end Regals as they are pretty much identical to the Harmony models. The high end Regal instruments are delightful though. They have stylistic differences like the headstock, truss rod, pickguard, and bridge shapes and they used ebonized wood instead of rosewood to save on cost. But they are constructed identically to their Harmony counterparts and make great instruments.

Harmony used a different model number system for the Regal instruments but the date codes are identical to Harmony

Image of 1966 Regal catalog removed after threat of legal action by VintAxe.com, 

claiming to be the owner of the copyright for this Regal guitar catalog

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Manufacturing_and_Wholesale_Industries_o/nS7PAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

[2] https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2542&h=2614221&tid=&pid=&queryId=d02b0bb4b399de2afa70bb26eea3dcd4&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ303&_phstart=successSource

[3] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Directory_of_Music_Industries/hMkwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Anton+Nelson%22+regal&pg=PA90&printsec=frontcover

[4] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Certified_List_of_Domestic_and_Foreign_C/wldJAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=1438%20%22bryan%20pl%22%20Chicago

[5] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Purchaser_s_Guide_to_the_Music_Indus/8YE5AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=discontinued%20business%20in%20february.

[6] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_School_Musician/2p09AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22regal+musical+instrument%22+1954&dq=%22regal+musical+instrument%22+1954&printsec=frontcover

[7] "Regal Musical Instruments: 1895-1955" (2011) by Bob Carlin

[8] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1908-46-9/27/

[9] https://www.newspapers.com/image/35017067/?terms=%22regal%20musical%20instrument%22&match=1

[10] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1929-88-16/19/

[11] https://www.newspapers.com/image/354938303/?terms=%22regal%20musical%20instrument%22&match=1

[12] https://www.newspapers.com/image/370094423/?terms=%22regal%20musical%20instrument%22&match=1

[13] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1928-86-2-SECTION-2/21/

[14] https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1926-83-12/42/

The Richter Manufacturing Company Factory in 1931
Image Credit: Music Trade Review

1922 Richter Advertisement
Image Credit: Music Trade Review

Check out Charles' existing research with more photos and illustrations of the Richter instruments

https://www.leavingthisworld.com/richter-mfg-co-guitars-c-1920-1943/

About

Carl Hugo Richter was born on May 17th, 1893 in Laramie, Wyoming to German parents Charles (b.1853) and Anna Richter (b. 1872). Harold Henry Joseph Richter was born on December 7th, 1894 in Chicago Illinois.

In 1910, Charles was the proprietor of a saloon and his sons remained in school [17].

By 1917, World War I was in full swing and both young Richter men had to register for the draft. Carl, 24, was a foreman at the Harmony Company and Harold was working in manufacturing at Harmony [8][10].

The 1920 census reveals that their father, Charles, was a president of a musical instrument company. Carl was listed as an "assistant superintendent" and Harold as a "book keeper" for a musical instrument company [9]. 

Obituary for Charles Richter - August 23rd, 1920
Image Credit: Newspapers.com

After the death of the family patriarch, Anna took up her husband's role as president of the new company and held it until 1922 [5]. In 1923, Carl became president of the company with his brother continuing his role as secretary [6].

In 1930, Carl and his wife Florence were living with her mother and he was still the president of a musical instrument manufacturing company [15]. Harold was living alone with their mother and was now a salesman for a security company [16].

World War II led to another round of the draft and both men were self employed with their company [11][12]. Carl was still president and Harold was secretary [4].

The factory folded during the war and by 1942 their factory was now housing the Masterform Tool Company [18].

Carl died in 1956 and Harold in 1970 [13][14]

The Factory

Work began on a single story 125'x125' factory building in 1920 at the northwest corner of Irving Park Boulevard and North Maplewood Avenue. The factory would cost $27,000 [1]. It was owned by architect Henry Sleks from 19 Dearborn Street. The masonry was done by A. F. Deffosse, carpentry by Aaron Miller, Heating and plumbing by Dywer and Co [3]. 

I attempted to find the Sanborn Fire Insurance map of the factory but unfortunately Sanborn and Co passed through the area in 1913 when the property was an empty lot [7].

Present Day

The factory was easy to find as the street names remain the same as they did nearly a hundred years ago. The building remained standing until 2014 until it was demolished to make way for condominiums.

The Richter Factory in 2011

The Richter Factory was demolished in 2014

Condos have replaced the factory

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Domestic_Engineering_and_the_Journal_of/66PmAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=2532+Irving+Park+boulevard,+Chicago&pg=PA208&printsec=frontcover\

[2] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Certified_List_of_Domestic_and_Foreign_C/CjFHAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=richter+mfg+company+chicago&pg=PA950&printsec=frontcover

[3] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_American_Contractor/5jRYAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%222532%20Irving%20Park%20Blvd%22%20

[4] https://books.google.com/books?id=EHUbAQAAIAAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=carl+h.+richter+harold+h+richter&q=carl+h.+richter+harold+h+richter&hl=en&source=newbks_fb

[5] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Certified_List_of_Domestic_and_Foreign_C/CjFHAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=richter+mfg+company+chicago&pg=PA950&printsec=frontcover

[6] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Certified_List_of_Domestic_and_Foreign_C/iXZZ_sYB_osC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22richter+mfg+co%22+irving+park+blvd+chicago&pg=PA1037&printsec=frontcover

[7] https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4104cm.g01790191319/?sp=79&r=0.393,1.07,0.683,0.394,0

[8]  Carl's WWI card - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6482/images/005248466_01835?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=c50245f909a38656d23e74864371eab8&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ286&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=23286973

[9] 1920 Census - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4300485_00912?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ289&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=89436551

[10] Harolds WWI card - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6482/images/005248466_01836?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=1f2192a7f1a920e89f245e8729e2c75f&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ291&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=23286974

[11] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1002/images/30955_165937-05816?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ291&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=10100188

[12] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1002/images/30955_165937-05691?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ287&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=10100127

[13] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/197849849:60525?tid=&pid=&queryId=17f86aa453dc72dc787ae0810f023f3e&_phsrc=OTJ289&_phstart=successSource

[14] https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=3693&h=51977416&tid=&pid=&queryId=1f2192a7f1a920e89f245e8729e2c75f&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ291&_phstart=successSource

[15] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4584289_00906?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ289&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=84767037

[16] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4584289_00248?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ291&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=84743106

[17] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/31111_4328154-00482?pId=112740820

[18] https://www.newspapers.com/image/370232493/?terms=2532%20irving%20park&match=1

1922 Rivola Advertisement
Image Source

Angelo Mannello & Sons

Angelo Mannello was born October 11th, 1859 in Italy where he undoubtedly studied joinery or musical instrument construction. He arrived in the United States on April 8th, 1885 and began the manufacture of instruments under his name in 1888. He lived at 680 Eagle Avenue in Chicago [1]. He won numerous awards at fairs and expositions across the United States including the 1904 St Louis Worlds Fair. He was noted for spending four months making a mandolin with intricate pearl inlay detailing the figure of a woman surrounded by flying butterflies. His mandolin won first prize at the 1900 Paris Fair [2].

He married Filomena (b. 1868) in 1888 and had seven children: Filomina, Anna, Martin, Ida, Fiori, Antoinette, and Jennie [3]. In 1910, George, aged 15, began working at the instrument factory as an office boy [4]. Angelo's occupation was listed as being a "mandolin manufacturer". By 1920, Martin, aged 20, was also working in the factory as an apprentice [5]. Their youngest son, Fiora, did not appear to join the trade.

In 1894, Angelo's factory was located at 260 Bowery and employed 3 men working 66 hours a week. By 1898, he employed 38 employees [8][9]. The staffing went up to 45 in 1899 [10]. 

Angelo Mannello filed for bankruptcy in 1905 which gives an incredible insight into his life. His factory at 553 East 140th Street in New York manufactured "mandolins, guitars, etc". He had been in the business of instrument manufacture for 17 years prior to the bankruptcy. In February of 1905, his factory at 476 Eagle Avenue was destroyed by fire. He also owned a "liquor saloon" for 7 years prior at 550 Courtland Avenue. He had $90,773 in liabilities and $9,078 in assets. He was listed as being the treasurer of the Bell Piano Company and owed $33,941 to the company. He also owed money to tuning machine manufacturer Louis Handel, Grubb-Rosegarten Brothers, and the Strouch brothers [7].

[6]

In 1921, Angelo passed his business onto his sons George and Martin who turned their eyes onto expansion of the business and incorporated the Rivola Manufacturing Corporation. They had developed a reputation for their Rivola brand instruments under their father and decided to embrace the brand for their company. They expanded their instrument lineup to include banjos, banjo mandolins, banjo guitars, tenor banjos, bowlback and flat back mandolins, ukuleles, and guitars. All carried the "Rivola" brand. Their factory, office, and show rooms were located at 565 Courtlandt Street in New York City [6]. 

[6]

Sources

[1] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1629/images/31194_121022-00418?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=66e52141710f5c44cb24d04db87f307a&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ279&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=6460101

[2] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Purchaser_s_Guide_to_the_Music_Indus/N5NDAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=rivola

[3] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7364/images/004518333_00588?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=23b751f47468d59470afd62bc4eca8c0&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ280&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=3370098

[4] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449352_00287?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ280&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=18405927

[5] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4313480-00185?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ280&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=9065926

[6] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Music_Trades/5ZRQAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=rivola%20

[7] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Piano_Organ_Musical_Instrument_Workers_O/b7QqAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=mannello+manufacturing&pg=RA19-PA8&printsec=frontcover

[8] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Factory_Inspectors/G2hKAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=mannello+manufacturing&pg=PA284&printsec=frontcover

[9] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Factory_Inspectors/FP5ZAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=mannello+angelo&pg=PA351&printsec=frontcover

[10] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Factory_Inspectors/6GhKAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=mannello+angelo&pg=PA297&printsec=frontcover

About

The Special Services was founded in 1940 as a branch of the military dedicated to entertaining and boosting morale amongst soldiers [1].

According to FM 28-105, a field manual for the branch, they shipped out 2 guitars, 2 mandolins, 2 violins, 144 ukuleles, tonettes, song flutes, and ocarinas per kit. Kit D contained the instruments and supplies needed to maintain them in Europe where obtaining replacement parts might be impossible [2].

Sources

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Services_(entertainment)

[2] https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QacEo_rWBpPXrI8hHb99vCyuuzzPPMSCod4A8ZLQT9oEt0N8_ZlSWpS3xTL57G61YS3_-6Ztjeh_VQ6CKNvPa5Jdmcr83qPFNK-P4Nx4Elq4iYjOpNT5sAL6QzZvS74agZhnz4EFxgD-XuXphQ3zVcVkPr3kpgrCuUA6DN8OS5_kLYZkZvMMWovxKYMrOh6_Gchnh4zSvA3rnHkp7VUeCp89obhyVn-0ftXFnefLQpGXu3xeTHBc4nPJ5LQ8cIN5-lGBEyBj_GXM5GTgkAOMGaLwPDYnkg

 

Image Credit: Newspapers.com

Staffelbach & Duffy were the original owners of the Lark brand name that appeared on mandolins, banjos, and guitars in the 1930s-40s. 

In 1948, Charles L. Staffelbach registered the company name again as sole owner

https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/BusinessEntityDetail.aspx?page=beSearch&ID=762406

 

About

Gustav A. Ernst was born on April 18th, 1844 in Kauern, Germany. He married Emilie and had two children: Hugo (b. 1872) and Martha (b. 1876). He worked as a tischler or carpenter. Gustav moved his family to the United States in May of 1882 aboard the Hamburg where they finally settled in Camden, New Jersey. He became a US citizen in 1887 [2][3].

In 1887, Gustav went into the business of manufacturing musical instruments with his son Hugo and an initial capital of $3,000. By 1895 they were employing 15 men and one women and a worker could expect to work 59 hours for around $18 per week. The raw materials that were brought into the factory included "sawed lumber, veneers, imported fretwire, machine heads, strings, and varnishes" [1]. Of the materials listed, they paid a 14% duty on the imported lumber and a 45% duty on the "strings, fretwire, machine heads, etc." [1]

Luckily for us, the Sanborn Map Company passed through Ernst's factory and gave us a brief look into what the building looked like. The building was originally a two story brick home but Gustav built on a wood frame extension that would've tripled the amount of space. 

The Factory on the South-West corner of Mechanic and Norris Streets
Sanborn Map Company, 1906 Vol. 2
Image Credit: Library of Congress

The first floor had three rooms of which the first was for 'bench work' which would've been the assembly and fitting of the parts. The second room was denoted 'sawing' and would've housed their bandsaw and other machinery powered by a 10 horse power motor sitting right outside. The southernmost addition was only a single story and was marked as 'storage' which would hold raw materials and instruments waiting on glue to dry. Hopping up to the second floor one would find a room dedicated to 'finishing' where varnishes would be hand rubbed onto the instruments and left to cure. The room behind that was designated storage and likely would've housed the drying instruments. 

Image Credit: Google Maps

The factory appears to still be standing at 1401 Norris Street but there have been further additions and renovations so its unclear whether the original structure still remains under there. Public property data that can be found on realtor websites for this address say that it was built in 1908. Whether that means a new structure was put here or the building was changed from an industrial to a residential zoning is unclear to me.

Production Totals

• 1887 
• Guitars - 150
• Zithers - 40
• 1888
• Guitars - 250
• Zithers - 50
• 1889
• Guitars - 500
• Zithers - 20
• 1890
• Guitars - 750
• Zithers - 20
• 1891
• Guitars - 900
• Zithers - 25
• 1892
• Guitars - 1200
• Zithers - 50
• 1893
• Guitars - 2000
• Zithers - 100
• 1894-?
• ?

At the turn of the century, Gustav and Hugo were continuing to produce musical instruments but in 1906, Gustav passed away months before his 62nd birthday [4]. Hugo sold the old factory in 1908 and moved a stone's throw away to 1327 Haddon Avenue (his building is no longer there) [6]. He continued to produce mandolins and guitars under such names as "The Ernst" until he passed away in the late 1920s. 

Hugo also received a patent for a double back guitar in 1916

Hugo's 1912 patent for a double back guitar
US 1,180,991
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1180991

Extant Instruments

Identifying Ernst instruments relies primarily on any existing labels or stamps due to their relative rarity on the market. I will add photos of Ernst instruments here in order to better help others identify theirs

Image Credit: Guernsey's Auctions - July 2021

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/United_States_Congressional_Serial_Set/CiFHAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=gustave+a+ernst+guitar&pg=PA109&printsec=frontcover

[2] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1174/images/USM1372_468-0075?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=feb529ce7f07015bf70f3763a1bcf498&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ254&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1255221

[3] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61557/images/48181_548678-00523?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=df63a140845a333f1fa755c036acd543&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ253&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1632416

[4] https://www.newspapers.com/image/480124732/?article=47853d33-2d67-40fa-86b1-bbbc6f00b48b&focus=0.25862873,0.3150493,0.39697376,0.37084702&xid=3355

[5] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4313315-01028?usePUB=true&_phsrc=OTJ261&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=75303571

[6] http://www.dvrbs.com/people/CamdenPeople-GustavErnst.htm

 

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3f7bdc10-c3b0-0133-d73a-00505686d14e/book#page/29/mode/2up

Joseph Zorzi is credited in modern literature with inventing the adjustable neck joint that appeared on the famed Kay Kraft line of instruments. The purpose of many of my writings is to shine light on forgotten or misunderstood topics and the creation of an iconic instrument is one that I found to be intriguing.

The first half of this article discusses the patent and how it works. The second discusses findings on Joseph Zorzi.

Henry Kuhrmeyer's Patent (S-V Era)

US1932975 [3]
Filed on April 7th, 1930
Renewed March 2nd, 1933
Patent Granted October 31st, 1933

This 1930 patent from Henry 'Kay' Kuhrmeyer during his time at Stromberg-Voisinet shows the early version of the adjustable neck joint as seen on a banjo. The core features are visible including the countersunk screw that passes through a hole in a mounting rod that connects to the body. 

Surprisingly there isn't any mention of a Joseph Zorzi in the patent documents. 

Stromberg-Voisinet Co. banjo label [2]
Image Credit: BanjoHangout - beezaboy

The Patent (Kay Era)

1930s Kay Deluxe with the "Zorzi" neck joint

Stromberg-Voisinet eventually became Kay and was headed by Kuhrmeyer and the neck joint began appearing on more instruments including the famed Kay Kraft line of 'venetian style' instruments.

The new joint featured a radiused, dyed wood block with a raised center rail that was secured to the body of the instrument with three small finishing nails. The end of the neck is radiused to match the body block and has a channel which slides along the rail on the block. A bolt protruding from the neck fits through a hole drilled in the neck block and is secured with a wing nut. That bolt is held in place by a wood screw driven through the heel of the instrument.

Instruction Sticker
Image Credit: Facebook - Thom R

The mounting hardware used in the Zorzi neck joint seen above

Who is Joseph Zorzi?

Joseph Zorzi has been the name for Kay Kraft enthusiasts for over twenty years and in my quest for providing publicly accessible research I attempted to follow Zorzi's life story and establish a biography. This has turned out to be a very difficult subject and one I've spent two years working off and on. For a man of his reputation and achievements, he has dodged appearing in any contemporary news or literature during his life time and even managed to elude what I can find in census records. 

So lets start at the beginning....

How do we know Zorzi?

Nearly everything we know about Joseph Zorzi can be traced to Michael Wright's incredible book, The Histories of Cool Guitars - Guitar Stories Volume 2 from 2000.

Timeline of Zorzi's Life according to Michael Wright's book

• 1878
• Born in Messina
• 1894
• Began apprenticeship with Milanese luthier Leandro Bisiach
• 1898
• Recruited by Lyon & Healy and moved to Chicago
• 1899
• Promoted to production chief of Washburn instruments with L&H
• 1924
• First meeting of the American Guild of Luthiers of which Zorzi was one of the founders
• 1926 
• Zorzi advertised a Guild meeting at L&H and was fired
• Zorzi was then hired at Stromberg-Voisinet
• 1929
• There exists, according to Wright, a 14 fret Kay Kraft guitar with Zorzi's signature and dated 12/29 
• 1934
• Joseph Zorzi leaves Kay to start his own private shop

Michael Wright's book has been a great resource but he was recently (February 2024) informed of the existence of my website and decided that I had violated his copyright (I hadn't, Fair Use) and threatened to sue me. I respected his work greatly and that hurt to read the email so I have trimmed back references to his work because I will no longer support him.

Finding Joseph Zorzi

The earliest reference to Joseph Zorzi that I am able to find is in a 1987 book from the Illinois State Museum entitled "Tuning the Wood" which documented contemporary Illinois luthiers and an exhibition at the Illinois Art Gallery. Hidden in the references at the back of the book is a single citation for "Mandolin Making in the Classic Italian Style" which is attributed to Joseph Zorzi and noted Rome, 1935. I reached out to the museum who had no records of such a book and were not able to locate anyone who was still around who may have remembered it. I don't doubt the existence of such a book but I would absolutely love to find a copy.

The second reference to Zorzi is an article in The Southtown Star, a newspaper in Tinley Park, Illinois. The article contains an interview with luthier George Manno, owner of Manno's Violin Shop, in Chicago Heights and but one singular paragraph mentions Zorzi [4].

Manno mentions his purchase of a 1927 guitar built by Joseph Zorzi
c. 1988 [4]

In March of 1993, George Manno wrote a two-page article for Guitar Maker Issue #19 where he described the life and accomplishments of Joseph Zorzi. At the end of the article, Manno mentions that he met Zorzi in 1972 when he was 92 and the author was 19.  

Timeline of Zorzi's Life according to George Manno in Guitar Maker Issue 19 from 1993

• 1878
• Born in Messina, Sicily
• 1894
• Left for Milan to study lutherie with Leandro Bisiach
• 1897
• Zorzi had completed eleven violins and two violas
• 1898
• Jobbers from Lyon and Healy arrived at Bisiach's shop to purchase instruments to take back to the states
• They decided to take Joseph Zorzi with them
• 1899
• Joseph Zorzi was made production chief of the factory
• Few years later
• Zorzi was promoted to the head repairman position for L&H's Old Violin department
• 1924
• Joseph Zorzi founds the first lutherie guild in the United States
• 1927
• Zorzi was fired from Lyon and Healy for advertising his guild
• Joined Kay Musical Instrument Company and was tasked with building arch-top guitars in the basement
• 1924
• Zorzi left Kay and opened his own business as a violin maker
• 1935
• Joseph Zorzi and Angelico Boselli opened their own repairshop
• 1947
• Luthiers guild was revived and named "The Midwest Guild of Guitar and Violin Makers"
• Zorzi and Boselli would both be elected president of the guild
• 1972
• Manno meets Joseph Zorzi while apprenticing with Boselli
• January 1977
• Joseph Zorzi died
• His collection was sold to an English businessman and all proceeds went to charity

What doesn't add up?

Joseph Zorzi does not appear in any public records

I used Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org to extensively browse census records searching for Joseph Zorzi as well as a variety of names (Giuseppe Zorzi, Joe Zorzi, Joe Zorzie, etc). I also searched Italian-American genealogical articles, cemetery records, and newspapers. I investigated a dozen individuals with similar names as well as numerous people whose names weren't close but birth dates were similar. 

I've found grocers and coal miners and laborers but no one who could have possibly been Zorzi. These records are digitized using AI and volunteers and I realize that the searchable census data isn't 100% complete but this is the first individual who I have not been able to find any trace of.

Joseph Zorzi does not appear in a 1916 Lyon and Healy Employee List

I purchased an original 1916 copy of Everything Known in Music which was published by Lyon and Healy. There is a page dedicated to their employees and mentions every employee, by name, who had been with the firm for 10 years or more. Joseph Zorzi does not appear in this list.

Also missing from the list are: Philip Gabriel, Fritz Brunner, John Abbott, Angelico Boselli. The only name from Manno's article that appears is Jay C. Freeman, sales manager and the man who supposedly brought Zorzi to America.

Of course, the list is available on Archive.org which I did not know until after I purchased my copy
Image Credit: Archive.org

Zorzi does not appear on the neck joint Patent (US1932975) 

An oddity considering his name is so closely attached to the invention but Kuhrmeyer is the only name that appears. One opinion that arose when I discussed this was that perhaps the credit was given to the founder of the company and presumably the man bankrolling the patent but I've never seen a musical instrument patent leave out the actual inventor and Kuhrmeyer, himself, was a prolific inventor. It wouldn't be outrageous to claim that Kuhrmeyer invented the neck joint.

The "Zorzi signed and dated" guitar has never been photographed or corroborated

Anyone who is familiar with Stromberg-Voisinet and the Kay Musical Instrument Company knows that they never date stamped or wrote the date of manufacture inside their instruments. S-V never stamped their guitars with any identifying information and Kay only stamped a batch number and occasionally a model number. 

An instrument signed by an employee or designer of Kay or S-V is unheard of and a guitar signed by Joseph Zorzi, supposed inventor of the neck joint, and dated would be the pinnacle of any Kay Kraft collection. Nobody else, to my knowledge, has ever claimed to have a signed or dated Stromberg-Voisinet instrument besides Manno.

Manno has expressed his disinterest in revisiting the subject

I first reached out to George via Facebook Messenger and excitedly told him what I do and that I would love to learn more about Zorzi's story. At the time I had zero doubts in my mind that he existed but was looking for more leads. He very shortly told me "stop!" and "I don't know what to tell you". 

I posted an article asking "Who was Joseph Zorzi" on MandolinCafe.com and passed the link to Manno, finally he responded

At the time Michael was working on his Kay story I spoke to several old times who gave me information on Zorzi. I trusted what I was being told what accurate. Over the years I have learned that the musical instrument making business was filled with many characters. A few years ago I came across the name Agustino[sic] Nesteri in a violin. A well-know deal in Chicago told me that Zorzi's name was attached to that maker as well.

Augustino or Agustino Nestaro is another individual who I was unable to find any information about

Hubert Pleijsier was unable to corroborate Manno's story 

My post on MandolinCafe did yield an interesting conversation. The author of the absolute best pre-war Washburn book commented on my thread with an incredible breakdown, "the purpose of which is to end the 'Zorzi myth'.'" His book is the bible for Washburn fans and is incredibly well researched.

Pleijsier, completely independently, came to the same conclusions that I did and even raised a few more points that I believe solidify the point. Here are some of the excerpts:

• It would seem inconceivable that one year after allegedly joining L&H (more on this later), a 21 year old violin maker would become ‘production chief’ of such a big operation, also in view of [George] Durkee’s and [Walter] Kirk’s existing roles, their technical background etc.
• In regards to the 1916 employee list:  why would L&H deliberately leave out an 18-year workforce veteran from this list drawn up for the purpose to publicly praise their longtime workers?
• but also note that no mention of any made to order presentation guitars in L&H literature was made after 1900. If anyone can show L&H made presentation guitars from the 1920s, please do come forward. Any suggestion in the article that Zorzi was behind the design of L&H carved top mandolins is also untrue, since these were created by Walter Kirk and evidenced by the patent documents regarding the headstock/tuner, tailpiece and body shape designs.
•  There is no proof that I could find of an American Guild of Luthiers, let alone in 1924. A ‘Guild of American Luthiers’ was established in 1972. I also understand that a ‘luthier’ around the 1920s merely meant a violin maker (as opposed to the wider interpretation used nowadays), so the title of this alleged organization would not seem to make sense for people like CF Martin III. CF III was not leading the Martin company until 1945 by the way, and why would he even want to be involved in an organization ‘aiming to promote employee’s rights and salaries’? It makes your head spin (I further leave Loar out of this..).

The original post can be found here: Mandolin Cafe - Who Was Joseph Zorzi

His final conclusion was:

So who really was Joseph Zorzi? He was born in Messina, Italy, in 1878, trained as a violin maker with Leandro Bisiach in Milan until his 19th year, and then came to the US. He worked with Angelo Boselli (not ‘Angelico’ as the author writes) in the periods 1946-1956, and 1962-1964 (Boselli also worked for L&H during 1920-1924). Zorzi died in Chicago Heights, IL in 1967 (which also contradicts the author’s claim in the article that he met Zorzi in 1972). Zorzi apparently built over 100 violins, based on the 1737 ‘King Joseph’ Guarneri model, using his own golden amber oil varnish. Early labels give his name as ‘de Zorzzi’ (sources: amati.com / wenberg).

Either the ‘Zorzi myth’ was invented by old Joe himself, who fooled the author of the Guitarmaker article in believing it, or is a product of that author’s imagination. Why anyone would want to concoct an elaborate story about the role and importance of a third person (Zorzi) and publish this in a serious magazine, is beyond me. But I do have a theory supported by two other strange events, which I hope you will forgive me for not describing here - at least for the time being... I hope that somebody can chime in here and make some sense out of this confusing mess.

Conclusion

Owing to the lack of tangible evidence in support of and due to the existence of verifiable evidence against, I believe the claims of Joseph Zorzi's life have been largely overstated if even fabricated.

Whether these stories and accolades originated from 'old timers' spinning yarns or the imagination of Mr. Manno may forever be a mystery. I believe that Manno's 1993 article was the culmination of anecdotes and folklore and not of ill-intent but that it was irresponsible to present them as fact. Including direct quotes or attributing claims to individuals would've changed the perception of the article and given us a clear origin for each statement. Michael Wright republished what Manno had written without verifying his claims and thus, owing to the popularity of the book, it had become fact. 

It is unlikely that Joseph Zorzi's name will ever be separated from the Venetian body shape and the adjustable neck attachment of those guitars. But I am satisfied that publishing this article may spark further discussion and perhaps lead to the reveal of more information. This is up-to-date as of June 2022

Questions still unanswered

• Who has Zorzi's 1935 book on mandolin construction?
• Where is the guitar signed by Joseph Zorzi?
• If the real Zorzi died in '67, who did Manno speak to?
• Who actually designed the Venetian body shape?

Sources

[1] https://patents.google.com/patent/US542788A

[2] https://www.banjohangout.org/archive/368246

[3] https://patents.google.com/patent/US1932975A

[4] https://www.newspapers.com/image/537618444/?terms=%22joseph%20zorzi%22&match=1

 

Photograph from August's obituary [7]

About

August Gemünder (b. 1814, d.1895) was born in Würtemberg, Germany to violin maker Johann George Heinrich Gemünder and his wife [2]. August was born into the trade with his father having an established reputation for manufacturing and repairing (including the repair of four Stradivari violins in 1828). When August was around 11 years old, his father began teaching him the tools of the trade which would carry him for the rest of his life. This education was furthered by August and his two brothers (Johann George Jr and Albert) being apprenticed under Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume in Paris where they developed techniques in construction, finishing, and violin shop operation [8]. August was noted to have built a replica of Pablo de Sarasate's Amati violin and Sarasate publicly declared the instrument to be as good as the original [7]. 

In 1846 August and Albert immigrated to the United States and settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where they would remain August decided to move to New York to take advantage of a wider market for his instruments. He also began trading in old violins which supplemented his catalog of shop-made instruments. This included the "Art" line of violins which were imported 'in the white' from Germany then modified and finished in the Gemünder workshop with their touches and label [8]. 

In his personal life, he married a younger German immigrant named Henerietta and had four sons, August Martin Jr (b.1864), Rudolph (b.1865), Charles (b.1870), Oscar (b.1872), and one daughter Lena (b. 1867) [2]. August Jr, Rudolph, and Oscar would all work in the shop constructing and finishing musical instruments. In January of 1891, August Jr and Rudolph would join their father as partners to the business while Oscar maintained their publications such as The Violin World periodical [5].

August Sr died in 1895 but the firm continued operation due to August Jr's ambition. In 1917, the firm was ordered to liquidate due to the requests of Rudolph's widow [10]. August Jr died in 1928 and Oscar continued to run the business until his death in 1946 when it ceased entirely [8].

Gemünder Instrument Catalog

Only one extant catalog has been documented and it remains in the possession of the Library of Congress. I requested an excerpt from this 1895 catalog and have provided photos of the guitars and mandolins here. There is another section on violins which can be found here:

1895 August Gemünder Catalog Excerpt

Explanation of Gemünder's process of aging their violins

The storefront was described as being "heavily stocked with violins and guitars (a large proportion of which are imported from Germany, France, and England) with a full assortment of bows and strings from Italy, and with a number of very fine instruments of the firm's own manufacture..." [6]. 

They produced instruments with solid Brazilian Rosewood, bird's eye maple, and mahogany backs

Sources

[1] https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W6K-MRF

[2] https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYB4-949X?i=22&cc=1417683&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZ6N-4D7

[3] https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR6R-N4Z?i=38&cc=1488411&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMJB4-Z1W

[4] https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RZ7-7W6?i=28&cc=1810731&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX7DD-4FL

[5] https://books.google.com/books?id=sFVGAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA27&dq=August+Gem%C3%BCnder&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwip-uWL4ODxAhWHPM0KHfJ6DbMQ6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=August%20Gem%C3%BCnder&f=false

[6] https://books.google.com/books?id=zmgoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA221&dq=August+Gem%C3%BCnder&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmypi-4eDxAhUTCM0KHf8LA-k4ChDoAXoECAMQAg

[7] https://books.google.com/books?id=JRtMAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA23-PA27&dq=August+Gem%C3%BCnder&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmypi-4eDxAhUTCM0KHf8LA-k4ChDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=August%20Gem%C3%BCnder&f=false

[8] https://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entries/george-gemunder/#_edn55

[9] https://books.google.com/books?id=RAhJAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA553&dq=August+Gem%C3%BCnder&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjG6qeQ7uDxAhWJGs0KHYEcAbI4FBDoAXoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=August%20Gem%C3%BCnder&f=false

[10] https://books.google.com/books?id=IpgyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA275&dq=August+Gem%C3%BCnder&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjG6qeQ7uDxAhWJGs0KHYEcAbI4FBDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=August%20Gem%C3%BCnder&f=false