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 EUPHONON |
| Instruments previously produced by the Larson Brothers between circa 1934 and 1944. |
| The Euphonon brand of guitars and mandolins was made by the Larson brothers of Maurer & Co. in Chicago from circa 1934 till the demise of the company in 1944. In 1934, there were a number of Euphonon guitars in different combinations of the old style twelve-fret to the body necks, slotted pegheads, with elevated pickguards, or without pickguards. This was a transition year which probably saw the beginning of the fourteen-fret to the body sizes also. They all had the new purfling consisting of a series of black and white stripes side-by-side around the body edges, and soundhole that was to remain the style for the Euphonon brand except when the abalone trim was used on the top-of-the-line guitars. By 1935, the larger bodies with narrower necks were the norm. The Larsons made Euphonon guitars in two main types: the traditional round-hole and the dreadnought. The round-hole guitar sizes range from 15 in. student grade to 16 in., 17 in., 19 in., and a very rare 21 in. in the better and best grades. Many of the better and all of the best grades have laminated top braces and laminated necks. Euphonons have backs and sides made of oak, maple, mahogany, or rosewood. Some of the fret markers used on the Euphonons and the larger Prairie State guitars are the same as the ones used on the earlier Maurers and Prairie States of the smaller body sizes. The fancier trimmed instruments often have engraved pearl fret markers along with a similar inlay on each end of the bridge. The Euphonon guitars are quite rare, of very high quality, and are sought by players and collectors. For more information regarding other Larson-made brands, see Maurer, Prairie State, Wm. C. Stahl, W.J. Dyer, and The Larson Brothers. Source: Hartman, Robert Carl, The Larsons' Creations: Guitars and Mandolins. |
| ACOUSTIC |