Bj-Bo

made

B-BC Rich | Be-Bi  | Br-    updated 20/12/2009

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

Adam Black

Adam Black Guitar Company, Braintree, Essex, UK

Adam Black at myspace

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/brand/Adam+Black+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]

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/brand/Blackbird+Guitars

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

Black Dog Guitars.

Image Sue Blow, Ontario, Canada

Black Jack

1960s

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

Blackshear

1958 to present

Tom Blackshear, San Antonio Texas, USA

Image courtesy of Guitar Salon:

Blade

1987 to present

Gary Levinson

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

Blade catalog 2004

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

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Blade+Guitars

1994 to date

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Blanchard+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

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

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

by Jackson-Guldan: Image and info http://www.solie.org/earlsguitars/bluesuede1.html

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

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

http://www.harpguitars.net/history/bohmann/bohmann2.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrabass_guitar

http://www.marksimonguitars.com/albumpg/Bohmann%20Harp%20Guitar%20Restoration/index.html

http://harpguitars.net/history/bohmann/bohmann1.htm

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Museum/museum.html

Bohmann catalog

1899 http://www.harpguitars.net/history/bohmann/bohmann2.htm

Image 1900 Bohmann Parlor Guitar label Vintage Instruments:

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:

John Bolin, Boise, Idaho

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

http://www.audiomastermind.com/detail-bolin-663.html

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Bolin+Guitars

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Electraglide
http://anstratdubh.tripod.com/id29.html

http://guitars.net/elgitgal.htm

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

review http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Bond/Electraglide/10/1

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:

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]

Boucher Guitars

2005 to present

It works with the 4 following steps: Series, Prefix, Suffix & Digits

4 Series are available: Genuine, Studio, Artist & AVT

Prefix: To determinate the guitar model.

Example: WT for Walnut Goose or CY for Cherry Goose (always 2 letters)

Suffix: To determinate the guitar size

Example: D for Dreadnought, J for Jumbo, OM for Orchestra Model & 000

Digits: The first guitar built of a series & a particular model begin by # 1001

Example #2: (AVT) MY 1005-D

Example# 3: (Studio) MY 1005-OM

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Boucher

Robert Bouchet

Just over 150 guitars made.

Image: Guitar Salon

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.

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

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

Bourgeois pricelist

2000 Bourgeois pricelist

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/brand/Bourgeois

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

Ralph Bown

1981 to present

Ralph Bown, Walmgate, 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.

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

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Bozo+Podunanvac

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

1979 label and head eBay:

Bruno Boutin

Magog, Quebec, Canada

Ralph Bown

Boyce

1967 to present

Date is written on signed label of each instrument.  http://www.schoonerflagpoles.com/jcboyceguitar.html