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In March 2020, everything changed. An imminent global pandemic crashed the stock market and cast a dark shadow over the rest of the year. We were fearful for our lives and livelihoods. Small businesses across the country were forced to close indefinitely. The early days of the lockdown were some of the worst.  The ambiguity of the situation sent many of us into a … read more

In the early to mid 20th-century, America fell in love with the guitar. It started with the ukuleles and lap-steels that were built to capitalize on the Hawaiian music craze of the 1910s, and developed into a distinct culture of stringed instrument manufacturing. While companies like Gibson and Martin had deep roots and high price tags, other brands, many of them owned by … read more

Paul Reed Smith started out as a shop class whiz and part-time guitar slinger with a dream of creating a 6-string that boldly positioned itself between the two giants of the industry: Fender and Gibson.The History of PRS GuitarsDuring the 1980s, the two major guitar manufacturers in America were Fender and Gibson, each a household name and their own reputations. During the … read more

Established in Chicago in 1892, the Harmony musical brand produced consistent and affordable instruments of all kinds throughout the better part of the 20th century. The artists who learned to pick on Harmony guitars are legion, including Howlin Wolf, Elvis, Keith Richards, Syd Barrett, Big Joe Williams, and many others.In 1916, Harmony was acquired by Sears, Roebuck, an&n … read more

The Dickerson Musical Instrument Company was founded in the 1930s and largely catered to the still-burning Hawaiian steel guitar boom that started around the turn of the century. In 1946, it was acquired by Art Duhamell who changed the name to the Magna Electronics Company, and began building Magnatone guitar amplifiers. Magnatone bore witness to the birth of the solid- … read more