Cl-Con

made

    updated 3/12/2011

Frank Claise

Claise guitars are made in Lille, France

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Clangiton

1930s

Clangiton guitars were a brand name made by Levin. [Source: vintage-guitars.se]

Rob Clarke

Rob Clarke guitars are made in Adelaide, South Australia

Image Guitar Salon Korea

Clear Sound

Clear Tone guitar. This example made in 1960s Japan.

Images eBay:

Cleartone Musical Instruments (CMI)

Cleartone Musical instruments, a distribution company established by Jim Marshall of Marshall amps during the period 1966-1981.

Guitars made in Japan. See Amps for more info.

Image SteveShark, Guitarsite

Note different to Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI)

click to enlarge

1895 to 1930s

Clifford guitars were made in Kansas Missouri by the music publishers J.W.Jenkins & Sons.  They also produced instruments under the 'Harwood' and 'Washington' brand. It's probable that the guitars were actually built by the Regal / Harmony factory in Chicago.

Mugwumps say 1895-1902 for production, but Bob Jenkins, a descendant of JW Jenkins, sent me these catalogue scans from 1929.

They seem to be extremely rare now, though thousands must have been made.
Here's some pics of my Clifford parlor guitar. ... here's me on Youtube ...playing my Clifford:  [Source and images courtesy of Cliff Lee, email 28/11/2009]

Clifton Bass

1989 to present

 Mo Clifton makes basses and guitars in South East London

"I started making basses & guitars in 1989.

Dating Clifton Bass guitars

Date of manufacture is the first two digits of the serial number - on the back of the neck in the case of UEBs and under the end of the fingerboard on guitars (e.g. 018 is the 8th instrument made in 2001)
Mostly I write the name of the customer and serial number in the neck pocket." [Source: Mo Clifton, email 22/3/2008]

Cloud Nine Guitars

Cloud Nine Custom Guitars are built in Port Douglas, Tropical North Queensland, Australia.   Cloud Nine Guitars is owned and operated by Australian Luthiers Mark O'Brien & Lisa Sophocleous.

The business was founded almost 15 years ago by another local Luthier Stu "Sonny Boy" Forbes.

Cloud Nine Guitars will be holding guitar building/ luthiery workshops where you can learn to build custom guitars with a master Australian Luthier.

Steve Cloutier

1976-1998

Steve Cloutier made guitars from 1976 to 1998.

Clover Basses

1986 to present

"We started our business of building basses and guitars in 1982 as repair and custom shop and founded the Clover brand in 1986.

Dates of manufacture can be inquired per mail. Over the years, we have had different serial number types, but normally the two first digits stand for the year of manufacture.

All actual information on our basses and our company can be found on:  www.cloverbasses.com or www.myspace.com/cloverbassguitars 

We are a small 4 people company situated in Germany, building bass guitars in small series or custom.
In the 90ties we also built guitars, but now we concentrate on basses.
Milestones:
Own finishing department, finishing guitars for all popular brands in Europe since beginning of the nineties. The finishing department was split to a self-reliant company in 2006. Now: www.benthaus-guitarfinishing.com
Building own pickups since beginning of the nineties. Nowadays known as DELANO pickups ( www.delano.de). Clover and Delano were split into two self-reliant companies in 2005. Moving of the Clover workshop to Munich (in the south of Germany) in 2005.
[Source: Joerg, Clover Bass Guitars, email 24/3/2008]

C.M.’s Guitars

see Milan Ciz Guitars

CMI

see Cleartone Musical Instruments (Jim Marshall) and/or Chicago Musical Instruments  or Cariboo Musical Instruments

CNTarasi Guitars

Brian Cohen

1972 to present

Brian Cohen makes classical guitars, Guildford, Surrey, UK

Image: Guitar Salon 1991                                                                  Source: Sound Post 1998

W A Cole

Late 1800s to 1922

http://www.mugwumps.com/WACole.html

2001 to present

Brad Clark was employed by Maton in 1990 until 2001 where he oversaw improvements in production technology (CAD, CNC etc) and became CEO.  Cole Clark was established in 2001 and makes acoustic guitars with unique pick up systems as well as solid bodies and steel guitars.

Reviews are at Harmony Central

Images courtesy of nicovington 2008

Coleman

1976-1983

Harry Coleman made instruments in Homosassa, Florida. No headstock logo - Coleman logo on inside centre strip. [Source:Vintage guitar price guide]

College Pal

College Pal guitars by Slingerland, Chicago USA.

Collegiate

1930s-40s

Collegiate guitars were catalog instruments. Made in USA . PMI Corporation, New York. Progressive Musical Instrument Company. They started business in the early 1920s primarily as wholesalers and distributors for many different companies, but they also distributed many other name brand instruments, in addition to instruments like this parlor guitar baring their own brand label.

Images eBay:

Martin Coletti

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Guitar-General-649/Martin-Coletti-Guitar.htm

http://vintageguitarpro.com/mcoletti.shtml

Reviews are at Harmony Central

1998 to present

"First Guitars built in 1998/99 are undated
From 2000 on, Year construction started is the first 2 digits of the serial, ie. AJ-B06## built in 2006
Anyone wishing detailed info, woods, etc. on one of my guitars is welcome to contact me: vinnycolletti@netscape.net [Source: Vinny Colletti, email 30/3/2008]
http://www.vinnycollettiguitars.com

Collings

1973 to present

" Bill Collings started building guitars in 1973, although he was a small independent builder until the early 90's.  We started putting guitars out in greater numbers in 1991.  Some of the older guitars did not have serial numbers, but we started stamping serial numbers into the neck block in 1991." and in response to my next question: "No code unfortunately, nor do we have a list of serial numbers for given years.  Our serial numbers are stamped at the time the guitar starts into production, and build time can vary significantly by model, so there is always some overlap from year to year.  We simply started with #1 in 1991 and went up sequentially from there.  We are over 13,000 today. [source: Alex, Collings, email 2/2/2007]

http://www.promusicfind.com/new/dating.shtml#Collings

http://www.collingsguitars.com/home.htm

Reviews are at Harmony Central

Forum http://www.collingsforum.com/

Images eBay:

Michael Collins

1977 to present

Michael Collins Custom Guitars

"I started making guitars in 1977.

Classical ,Flamencos, & small steels !" [Michael E. Collins, email 16/4/2008]

Colonial

1920s

The Colonial is a catalog guitar from the 1920's. You can see a guitar like this in the movie Dust Bowl Blues with David Carradine. This one is not as ornamental. I bought it at Lark Street Guitars, in Albany, New York, USA about 1980 for $35. Lark St. Guitars is still in business, but they've moved down to Long Island, New York. The sound is not very good even though the soundboard looks like nicely grained vintage spruce. [Source and images courtesy of Sulger]

ColTone

ColTone guitars were sold in Australia in the 1960s.Made in Japan by Teisco.

A Harmony Brand

http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php

Columbus

Japan and Korea 60s and 70s

http://patchristmas.neuf.fr/index.html

http://www.vintaxe.com/catalogs_japanese_columbus_1970s.htm

Reviews are at Harmony Central

Combat

Combat guitars, Tokyo, Japan based custom guitars.

http://toguitars.com/gallery-japan/combat-guitars.html

http://www.guitarsmatrix.com/profiles/combatguitars.html

Combo

by Egmond

http://www.daisybelle.nl/nedgit.htm

?

A Harmony Brand

http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php

Comet

Comet guitar, 1960s Made in Italy Images Heritage Auctions Thanks to Ben van Dyk, Canada for passing on this brand 12/2011.

Comins

1993 to present 

Made by Bill Comins, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, USA

http://www.promusicfind.com/new/dating.shtml#Comins

http://www.cominsguitars.com/billcomins.htm

Comins pricelist 2001

Reviews are at Harmony Central

Commander

1950s

Commander was distributed by Aldens. May have been made by Harmony. [Source: Harmony]

Images H1325, 1954 Folkway Music, Leggot's Classic Gutiars

COMO

COMO guitars and mandolins made in Korea.

Image courtesy of Sue Blow, Ontario, Canada 2009

Concertone

1914-1930s

Concertone brand was made by Slingerland and distributed by Montgomery Ward. [Source: Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide ]

When I first published this entry all of the Lee Gibbs guitars I found had a Concertone label.  In Jan 2011 saw a Lee Gibbs branded guitar without the Concertone stamp on eBay.  Difficult to find any info on this brand.

http://concertone.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!D03DA396876D3B74!132.entry

? A Harmony Brand per http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php

According to Flikr there were Lee Gibbs branded amplifiers as well.

Conde Hermanos

1958 to present

Conde Hermanos bio

Conde Hermanos at Wikipedia

Images: eBay, ebay, Flamenco Shop, Guitar Salon,

see Domingo Esteso

According to the reviews at Harmony Central there are Condor brand guitars made in Japan in the 1970s/80s and a more recent brand circa 2008 made in Korea. http://www.wietsesguitars.nl/pagina9a.html

There is also a Condor model guitar made by Hagstrom in the 1966 catalog.

Probably the most significant guitar bearing this brand is the Condor Synth guitar by Ovation in the late 1960s/70s.  This guitar was connected to a Hammond made synthesizer.

Condor Guitar reviews are at Harmony Central

Images eBay:

Michael Cone

1968 to present

Short bio Michael Cone Guitars at Brazilian Guitar

Image Cone

Conklin

 1984 to present

Luthier Bill Conklin. Originally made in Lebanon, Missouri then moved to Springfield, Missouri in 1988.  Currently made in US and Asia

Dating Conklin Guitars

http://www.ducksdeluxe.com/conklin.html

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

Conklin guitars forum http://theguitarwall.com/forum/index.php?board=22.0

Images ebay:

Conn

1968-1978

History of Conn Company

Fantastic Conn acoustic guitars resource

Between 1968 and 1978, Conn guitars were manufactured in Japan by Aria and distributed by Conn/Continental Music Company [Source: MSN Group ]

According to Acoustic Guitar Forum The actual physical manufacturing of Aria and Conn guitars was done by the Matsumoku factory (Matsumoto, Japan).

Conn guitar reviews are at Harmony Central

Image eBay:

Connor Guitars

1994 to present

Made since "1994
The workshop is currently located in Cataumet on Cape Cod(an hour from Boston) , but was based in Boston for many years.
The date of construction is written on the label as well is in the interior of the guitar. I am currently working on #137

The sound portal system that I have pioneered for the last 10 years marks a distinct difference from my earlier instruments which were traditionally based: fan bracing, Hauser school of design.

The portal guitars are commanding the highest price because they are being played by some of the worlds best classical guitarists: Angel Romero, Eliot Fisk, the Amadeus Duo, etc...[Source: Steve, Connor Guitars, email 4/4/2008]

myspace

Image Connor Guitars:

Conqueror

Conqueror guitar ? by Bruno

Conrad

1972-1978

Conrad was a chain of hardware stores in Chicago. A brand of David Wexlar Co of Chicago. Made by Kasuga in Japan. [Source: Blue Book] Some forums suggest that Conrad guitars are similar to Aria.

http://www.vintaxe.com/guitars_japanese.htm

Forum http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/index.php

Reviews are at Harmony Central

made by Kasuga, Tokai

Images Conrad Bass eBay:

Contessa

1960s

Acoustic, archtop, banjos made in Italy in 1960s and imported to US by Hohner

http://www.fetishguitars.com/index/zerosette.html

http://www.eclectica.org/v3n1/farmer_contessa.html

example at myrareguitars

Reviews are at Harmony Central

Images eBay

Continental

According to a MSN Groups discussion Continental music Co was established in 1923 as a wholesale division of Conn's Chicago retail store. reference

? A Harmony Brand - http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php

Images eBay:

Manuel G Contreras

1962 to 1994

Manuel G Contreras, born Madrid 1928 became a cabinet maker and was invited to join the guitar workshop of Jose Ramirez III in 1959.  In 1962 he established his own shop in Madrid, producing guitars until his death 1994.  His son, Manueal Contreras II continues the tradition. [Source: Manuel Contreras II] 

Contreras' name is printed as "M.G. Contreras" on the earlier guitars but he usually signed his name "Manuel G. Contreras". The full first name is printed out on later labels. The second level guitars use the same labels but have no signature and occasionally a "No. 2" designation will be written in by hand. Both will have only the Calle Mayor, 80 street address on them and no second shop address. The differences between the top models and the next step down are usually cosmetic/aesthetic and the use of somewhat less costly woods, like Indian rosewood or cocobolo in place of Brazilian rosewood. Contreras also made the occasional extra fancy guitar. The Contreras shop has always had a reputation for using the finest quality woods. [Source: CF Vega at Acoustic Guitar ]

Labels circa 1987 and 1973 (2nd level guitar) vintage from eBay:                                                    

Manuel Contreras II

1986 to 2011

Pablo Manuel Contreras (Born 1957) started to run his father's (Manuel G Contreras) business in 1986. Died 2011.

Source: 2000 model eBay, 2006 Guitar Salon