Chicago, Illinois
Manufactured by the Larson Brothers for W. J. Dyer

Spruce face, Brazilian rosewood bridge, and bone bridge pins
ca. 1907
Length:  41.5 inches
Strings – Lutes – Guitars

Label inside reads:  Symphony Harp Guitar / Style 5  – Serial # 920 / Patented in U.S. & Canada / Manufactured by / W. J. Dyer and Bro / Saint Paul, Minn

This is a Dyer Symphony Style 5 Model Harp Guitar, made by the Larson Brothers, c. 1907, in Chicago, Illinois.  It has a natural varnish finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, and rosewood fingerboard. The Symphony Harp guitar feature a hollow upper body extension that serves to hold the banjo-style tuners for the sub-bass string array.  It is one of the most renowned of the Larson Brothers’ many fretted creations, made exclusively for W.J. Dyer & Bro of St. Paul in the first decades of the 20th century and are considered among most harp guitar enthusiasts as the best of their kind ever made.  It also serves as the de facto standard design for guitars with sub-bass strings.  

A whole family of both guitars and mandolin instruments were marketed by Dyer before World War I, based on the design patents of Chris Knutsen (also found in this collection).  Nevertheless, after the first few years these instruments were actually built by the Larson Brothers in Chicago. The guitars were first to be offered from around the early aught years of the last century, and by far the most successful.

Despite a production history spanning a couple of decades, there are only a limited number of these Symphony Harp guitars in existence.  Each one is a masterpiece of both style and sound.  This one is all original, in pristine condition with no repairs.