Bj-Bo

made

updated 5/5/2013

Bjarton

1946-1990

Bjarton was a Swedish guitar company that existed between 1946-1990. Bjärton was also the manufacturer of acoustic guitars branded Hagström, Tarrega and España. [Source: Bjarton Tribute site ]

Bjarton guitar catalogs

http://www.bjarton.com/catalogues_and_articles.htm

http://www.hagstrom.org.uk/Catalogues2/bjarton_catalogue1.htm

http://www.hagstrom.org.uk/Catalogues2/67Unicordbrochure.htm

see Hagstrom

Bjurmark

-1977

Bjurmark guitars were made by Mr. Bill Bjurmark made these guitars in Babylon, L.I., N.Y [Source: Scott McCagg]

Images 1969 Bjurmark guitar eBay Feb 2010:

Black

Guitar & Bass Repairs
With over 25 years of experience in guitar repairs, Black Guitars was established in 2005 and soon managed the Guitar Repairs Workshop at Rose-Morris on Denmark Street, London WC1. Black Guitars currently provides specialist Guitar Repairs and Custom Work for Macari's Musical Instruments on Charing Cross Road, London, and for North London Music Centre in Enfield

Custom Guitars
BLACK ROSE ARCHTOPS are a small range of Painstakingly Rebuilt Vintage c.1950s Archtops, introduced in 2004.
These one-off Restored Vintage Beauties are built using a Handmade European Archtop from the 1950s as a chassis, which I then structurally re-engineer and electrify to rival or surpass classic Vintage Gretsch designs.

TIN-TONE Guitars are a range of innovative Metal-Bodied Resonator Guitars, launched 2009.
Hand-Made from Adapted Antique Parts, these were inspired by the ingenuity of the antique Cigar-Box Guitars which launched the careers of many early blues players. Each Tin-Tone is Unique, and has an evocative and timeless sound all of it's own!

Adam Black

Adam Black Guitar Company, Braintree, Essex, UK

Adam Black at myspace

Black Bear ukuleles (and some guitars) by Duane Heilman, Yakima, Washington USA.

Thanks to Paul Ferris, WAm, USA for tipping me off to this brand and that Duane used to make guitars.

Blackbird

2006 to present

Since 2006 Blackbird guitars are made in  San Francisco, California USA . Joseph Luttwak, Troy Stevens are the founders. All guitars feature carbon fiber, hollow neck and head construction for increased resonance and reduced weight.

Dating Blackbird guitars

Serial number starts with month then year e.g. 0809 would be September 2009.

[Source: Joe Luttwak, email 30/8/2009]

Black Diamond Strings

1890 to present

Black Diamond Strings have been made in Florida USA since 1890.  The idea for including strings in this collection came from a request from antique dealer who was seeking information about old instruments he had come across.  One guitar had these old strings in the case:

I referred them to Black Diamond and they were kind enough to provide the following comment: "It is hard to tell exactly the decade the vintage strings were made because they used the red envelope package for many, many years.  My wild guess would be 30's or 40's." [Source: Black Diamond, email  29/9/2008]

Black Dog

Current at 2009/10

Black Dog Guitars from Canada.

Image Sue Blow, Ontario, Canada

Blackhurst

Blackhurst Custom Guitars

Images ebay April 2012

Black Jack

1960s

Violin body guitars and basses made in Japan. [Source: Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide]

Black  Mountain

1972-

Black Mountain dulcimers since 1972

Blackshear

1958 to present

Tom Blackshear, San Antonio Texas, USA

Image courtesy of Guitar Salon:

Blackstone guitar - Brand made in Japan 1960/70s. [Source: Ben Van Dyk, Canada, email 1/2/2013]

Model 1247 Youtube

Blackwater Customs

Martin Blackwell

1991-

Martin Blackwell guitars, Roberts Creek, British Columbia, Canada

"Martin Blackwell started building guitars in 1991. He works from his shop on a forested acreage on the west coast of Canada. Blackwell builds traditional and double top classical guitars. The guitars are very light and powerful with a traditional tonality." [Source Martin Blackwell, email 25/10/2010]

Blade

1987 to present

Blade Advanced Concept by Gary Levinson, Made in Switzerland

http://www.bladeguitars.com/bladehistory.html

Blade catalog 2004

http://www.messiah.it/eng/blade/blademain.html

Images eBay:

James Blake

I first registered the domain name jamesblakeguitars.com about 4 years ago. This represented a "commercial offering" beyond word of mouth. As my instruments are handbuilt and thus I enjoy a relationship with the end user, I've never really got round to designing or applying a logo. So far there's one exception to this when I was asked specifically to state where the instrument was built. I attach the pro forma I used along with a photo of the back of the instrument showing the plate in situ. This is something I anticipate making a regular feature on future builds.

All instruments are built one at a time in my workshop in the midland village of Rothley, situated between Leicester and Loughborough.

How can someone tell the date of manufacture for your guitars?

They can ask! I photograph each build process. As with the logo question, you touch on something that I really ought to get around to.

Up until now I've used a Telecaster silhouette consistently for my builds. I've decided to move away from this by subtly re-designing the body and headstock shapes to mark them out as a unique design. Any traditional Tele design will have been made (or at least started) before January 2013.

Attached picture. I'm on the left with the scarf. (credit Claire Hubbard) [Source and images: Richard Blake, jamesblakeguitars.com, email 30/4/2013]

1994 to date

B L & F

circa 1925

Barth Lutchen and Feinberg New York circa 1925 [Source: Mugwumps]

Images ebay March 2012

Blast Cult guitars.

Blazer & Henkes

current

Rudolph Blazer and Wilhelm Henkes build guitars in their Tuebingen workshop, Germany.

Edmund Blochinger

Edmund Blochinger bio at Guitar Salon

Image: Guitar Salon

Blozen

Steve Blozen, classical guitarist and luthier. He made stringed instruments for Tamburitza music .  There wasn't enough money in that so he opened up a shop. [Source: eBay].

His shop was in Newark, NJ (Down Neck Section, Esther St).  He initially made Yugoslovian stringed folk instruments in about the 1960s. He expanded to making guitars as the market for his folk instruments was rather limited. [Source: Music Electronics Forum ]

Examples of his folk instruments

Images eBay:

Blue Bell

By Fuji Gen Japan in the 1970s - copies of Martin etc.

Blue Bell catalog

acoustic 1980 http://www.t-shiga.com/sub7-5-1.htm

Blueberry

current at 2009

Blueberry guitars, Bali, Indonesia. Some have quite ornate carvings.

Bluebird

1920s-1930s

Built by Oscar Schmidt. Blue Bird pained on headstock

http://www.solie.org/earlsguitars/bluebird1.html

1977 to present

"Labels include model number, serial number and date of completion." [Source: Robert & Janita Baker, Blue Lion Guitars & Dulcimers, email 23/3/2008]

Blueridge

1980s to present

Blueridge, a brand of Saga Music

Blue Roth

Blue Roth guitar found on Kijiji Ontario March 2012, thanks to Ben van Dyk

Bluesboy Jag

Bluesboy Jag, cigar box guitars by Bill Jagitsch, North Little Rock, USA

Blue Star Guitars

1991 to present

" Although I was building acoustic guitars and various and sometimes odd stringed instruments since 1978, the first Blue Star electric instrument, the Travelcaster, was designed in 1991 and went into production in 1992. All of the Blue Star Guitar CO. guitars, mandolins, banjos and ukes are stamped with a sequential serial number on the back of the peghead. In addition, the neck pocket and butt-end have the date (Mo/Yr) penciled on. Lapsteel guitars and dulcimers have the serial number and date written in either the pickup or control cavities on the body." [Source: Bruce Herron, Paw Paw, Michigan, Blue Star Guitars, email 24/3/2008]

Main distributor http://elderly.com/brand/BLUE%20STAR.html

Blue Suede

Blue Seede guitars by Jackson-Guldan:

Image and info http://www.solie.org/earlsguitars/bluesuede1.html

Blues Guitar Factory

2000 ish

Ong Corporation - web site existed in 2001.

Pictures from internet archive: Original Blues Model, Otis V, The Man

Blues Tone

current

Custom electric guitars made in Victoria, Australia by Stuart Eadie.

BM Espana

Made in Spain.

Image eBay:

BMS Guitars

1995 to present

Made since 1995. I have a shop in Brussels since 1997.

No serial number, sometime the date, if I don't forget! [Source: BMS Guitars, email]

Boaz Elkayam

see E for Elkayam

Joe Bochar, JBG guitars.

JBG is located in Santa Clarita, California

John Bogdanovich Guitars

1996 to present

"I began building guitars in 1996. The early labels had the date and a serial number. I stopped putting a serial number on the label after a few years but all labels still have the year the guitar was built. At about the same time I also began to burn my signature and the year into the fingerboard patch under the top for authentication which can be seen by inserting a small mirror in through the soundhole." [Source: John, J.S. Bogdanovich Guitars, email 26/3/2008]

http://vintageguitarpro.com/bohmann.shtml

Boeing

Chuan Yin Musical Instruments Co. Ltd.

At least some guitars with the Boeing Guitar label had another name on the headstock including Clayborn.

According to an eBay auction for a Marina brand guitar also made by this company -

THE CHUAN YIN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CO LTD

IN TAIWAN THE FACTORY ONLY PRODUCED GUITARS FROM 1971-1996.

Images ebay and Bruunari:

JS Bogdanovich

1997-

Guitar building career began in 1997 on the northern coast of California in Fort Bragg. Completed woodworking program at the Fine Woodworking Program at the College of the Redwoods then J.S. Bogdanovich Guitars was launched in a small storefront shop off of Main Street.

The shop was later moved from Fort Bragg to Albion where it was located on a llama farm owned by Pat and Jerry Thomas. The shop was built in the hayloft above the barn. Part of the rental agreement included caring for the animals one week out of every month.

In 2004 the shop was moved to Asheville, North Carolina and in 2007 a move just down the road to Swannanoa.

Bolero

Bolero brand guitar - found this one on ebay - Made in Japan.  Nylon string bridge - steel string style tuning.

Georg Bolin

Georg Bolin, Swedish luthier, piano and furniture maker,  developed the  "Altgitarr", which means Alto Guitar in the 1960s. It usually has 11 strings, but some models have up to 13.  [Source: Alto Guitar ]

Wikipedia

Image ebay

John Bolin, Boise, Idaho

http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A214697

Boluda

1985 to present

Marc Boluda, France

Bombshell Guitars

John Mayes, builds acoustics, ukuleles and electric guitars.  John started building from a book then worked with Dana Bourgeois for a while before setting out on his own. [Source: The Gear Page]

Alberto Bonafini

Italy

Bond

1984-85

The Bond Electraglide was a carbon fiber electric guitar manufactured by Bond Guitars between 1984 and 1985. Mick Jagger bankrolled the company that made this guitar and his brother ran the company. The guitar was innovative, with a unique stepped fingerboard instead of frets, but rather sterile sounding. It had LED indicators for volume controls and a unique molded fingerboard. They allegedly spent over $150.000 in tooling just to make the molded cases that came with the guitar! Mick Jones of the Clash played one for a while.

The Bond Electraglide was matte-black, 3-pickup, with a unique stepped aluminum fingerboard (anodized black) instead of traditional frets. Pickup switching, volume and tone controls were completely digital, powered by a large internal motherboard.
The player selected pickups via five pushbuttons; volume, treble and bass were incremented numerically via digital rocker switches, confirmed by a three-colour LED readout.
The guitar required an external power supply pack and given the state of engineering at the time, was relatively bulky; it never really caught on in the marketplace and only about 1400 units were ever manufactured. [Source: wikipedia]

http://anstratdubh.tripod.com/id29.html

http://guitars.net/elgitgal.htm

http://www.organology.org/research_-_bond_guitars.htm

Images eBay:

Bond Guitars

1987 to present

Hand made guitars since 1987 by Mike Bond, Austin Texas, USA.

"1987 is the year I built my first guitar.

I split my time each year between my house in Austin Texas USA, and a cabin in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Denver, Colorado USA. I build them with hand tools so I can get all my shop into my Volvo wagon along with any guitar bodies I am currently building. My work space is a 24 inch by 40 inch surface that also goes with me to both homes. As the website shows, I try to most of the building process outside as I like the open air more than an indoor shop setup. This is allowed due to the Colorado June ? October and Austin TX October thru May arrangements. I can also pick up and to Tennessee or any
other location and do exactly the same thing.

My maternal grandfather built violins in a small Appalachian mountain town in Virginia by the name of Wise, VA.

Dating Bond guitars

Each guitar has a signed and dated label inside that is visible from the sound hole. The first two characters of the serial number (which is stamped in visible spots on the neck block and tail block) indicate the model
(ie: DB ? dreadnaught bluegrass model
DF ? dreadnaught fingerpicker model
DC ? Dreadnaught cutaway
EL- electric six string
The numbers that follow these indicators are the serial numbers.
Example? DC ? 1024

[Source & images: Michael Bond, email 13/4/2010]

Boogie Body Guitars

Boogie Bodies was the original parts company started by Warmoth and Ellsworth, who were responsible for making the parts for the famous striped guitar EVH built for himself out of maple. [Source: Harmony Central]

Boogie Body Guitars is a licensed trademark of Lynn Ellsworth

Image Used Guitar Sales:

Images left and below eBay:

Martyn Booth

2002-

Handcrafted guitars, Suffolk, UK

Bootleg Guitars

2011-

Bootleg guitars was founded by Jon Hill, former owner of Hill Custom guitars. Bootleg launch July 2011 NAMM.

Bootleg guitars catalog 2011 [Source; Alan, Bootleg guitars, email 15/6/2011]

Boreal Guitars

Philip Ramer, luthier. Custom-built guitars. Winnipeg  Canada

2001 to present

http://www.audiomastermind.com/detail-julius_borges_guitars-12467.html

See Schoenberg

Born to Rock aluminum guitars. "Born to Rock Guitars and basses have serial numbers stamped on them. We have a data base of serial numbers. You would have to make an inquiry about a particular number." [Source: Rob, www.BornToRock.com, email 20/3/2008]

Roger Borys

1974-

Roger Borys began building guitars in 1974. Doing guitar repair and making custom flattops paved the way for the first carved archtop made in the 1978. By 1982 there were 33 Borys Guitars, including seven archtops, some with suspended pickups and some with built in pickups.

Between 1980 and 1983 Roger Borys worked in collaboration with jazz great Barry Galbraith and luthier James D'Aquisto to develop a professional quality jazz electric. The Barry Galbraith BG100 with laminated top and builit-in pickup was made for performance and playability.

While making the BG 100 for many top players, other Borys models evolved. In 1985 the Barry Galbraith BH100 was named the DELUXE and two more JAZZ ELECTRICS were introduced, the JAZZ SOLID and the CUSTOM. From the DELUXE they go in a more electric direction with two pickups and more sustain.

The JAZZ SOLID looks like a solidbody, but plays like an archtop. The resonant body gives the amplified sound its voice. The CUSTOM is a thinner hollowbody with great sustain. With jazz style tailpiece and ebony bridge, they are true JAZZ ELECTRICS. Stud-mounted bridge and tailpiece take them in a blues direction. In 1985 the first seven string DELUXE was finished and a seven string JAZZ SOLID followed in 1987.  [Source:  Wayback Machine ]

Made Burlington Vermont USA

Roger Borys catalog

Borys guitar brochures 12MB pdf

Images Folkway Music

Botar

The Botar® was developed by Thomas Dramm - guitar and bow.

Boucher Guitars

2005 to present

From the Boucher web site - There's a long tradition of quality behind Boucher Guitars. Noted musician and Cabinetmaker Norman Boucher founded Canada's first acoustic guitar manufacturing company (Norman Guitars Inc.) in the tiny Quebec village of La Patrie in 1968.

Together with his son Claude, Norman began to make and sell a guitar inspired by the CF Martin design, featuring a Dreadnought-type body and an X-shaped bracing under the soundboard.

In 1988, the family closed its store, selling the company and its trademarks; Claude continued to make some acoustic guitars, but not commercially. In December 1997, Norman Boucher passed away, leaving his son Claude the legacy of a master luthier.

In 2000, after more than ten years of research and improvement, Claude decided to craft high-quality acoustic guitars using only the best components, such famed Adirondack red spruce. He began to stock raw material and share is passion with his son Nicolas.

In 2005, Robin Boucher the nephew of Norman Boucher, joined his cousin Claude to start the (Boucher Guitar Products Inc.) & (Boucher Adirondack Collection Inc.) companies. The tradition continues
"Name : Boucher Guitar Products Inc.

Robert Bouchet

Robert Bouchet (1898-1986) was an artist/teacher who began playing guitar in 1932 and made his first one in 1946. Just over 150 guitars made in Paris, France.

Image: Guitar Salon

Dominique Bouges

DB Guitars

Dominique Bouges (DB Guitars) are made in France.

Boulder Creek

Boulder Creek Guitars was the born from an idea that was developed over 15 years ago by Mike Shellhammer. Mike, having spent his life in the music industry as a musician, store owner and product developer felt that there was a better way to brace a guitar than what was considered standard.

Mike’s idea was based on the theory that, if he was able to develop a suspended bracing system that would support the string tension of an acoustic instrument while leaving the soundboard intact, and moving the sound hole to the side of the guitar, it should sound better and create better tone and sustain. This idea was the birth of Boulder Creek Guitars.

Through trial and error- testing of prototypes and materials, the idea and the realization came together. Aluminum rods became the key component, as they provided the needed strength.

“The aluminum rods transmit the strings vibration and energy throughout the body of the instrument creating a tone balance and sustain that have made Boulder Creek Acoustic instruments the award winning instruments that they are today” said Shellhammer.

Boulder Creek has developed an instrument that does not experience the same feedback issues associated with the “standard” acoustic guitar.

Bourgeois

Dana Bourgeois

1974-1999 &  since then with Pantheon.

Dana Bourgeois produced more than 1,000 guitars in his own right and in October 2000 investors joined him to form Pantheon. Still made under Bourgeois name. Made in Mayne, USA

Dana Bourgeois history compiled by David Gansz of the Rockbridge Regional Library, Lexington VA sourced from the Internet Archive

Dating Bourgeois Guitars

http://www.pantheonguitars.com/faq/year.htm

Bourgeois pricelist

2000 Bourgeois pricelist and specifictions

2006 Bourgeois pricelist and specifications

2009 Bourgeois pricelist and specifications

2013 Bourgeois pricelist

I'm a fan of Bourgeois Guitars - here's the label from my Vintage D 2005:

Bouvier

1996-

Bouvier Guitars and Basses, Hand Made in the USA, Ocean Gate, New Jersey

January of 1996 Dennis Bourke was asked by world renowned bass luthier Michael Tobias if he could procure a few pieces of Corian® for use as neck nuts in his custom bass guitar line, Michael Tobias Design®.

Dennis was able to locate a piece of Corian® (actually a scrap piece of bone-colored counter top) for Tobias, and also some promotional material from the company. The brochure included pictures of a Fender Stratocaster made entirely of Corian®. Fred Stuart at the Fender Custom Shop was quoted as saying "the tone was surprisingly rich and consistent from instrument to instrument, unlike wood."

Bouvier Guitars™ was formed to make the incredible tonal properties, durability, and compelling good looks of Corian® available to the discriminating musician. [Source & images: Wayback Machine}

Ralph Bown

1981 to present

Ralph Bown, Walmgate, York England.

Images courtesy of Nicolas Dussart, France 2008

Box Guitars

1991 to present

Stu Box developed prototypes in the late 1980s, with the first SR-648 production guitars made in LA in 1991.  In mid 1992 Stu returned to Australia and focussed on 12 strings which have evolved into today's models.

Boyce

1967 to present

James C Joyce makes guitars in North Falmouth, MA, USA since 1967

Dating Boyce guitars

Date is written on signed label of each instrument.  [Source: Boyce ]

Bozo Podunavac

1960s to ? current

Bozo Podunavac is a Serbian born master luthier raised in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and served his apprenticeship with master luthier Milutin Mladenovic . He emigrated to US in 1959, moved to Chicago in 1964 and began building guitars with his name "Bozo" on the peg-head. [Source: ebay]

Japanese production run for a year or so in the 1970s by Kazuo Yairi.

http://guitars.net/Bozo.htm

Bozo guitars pricelist

Bozo guitars price list 2000

Bozo Guitars price list 2004

Image (1975) eBay: From this image and the purported date the first 2 numbers of serial = year of manufacture.

1979 label and 1972 neck block ebay: