Harp Guitar 1917

This Harp Guitar was made by the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Company, and just look at all those strings! The wood is coated in a glossy, amber finish, which makes me think about how materials can shape sound. Look closely and you will see that it has a pickguard with an unusual tortoise shell design, adding a touch of organic texture to the instrument. This guitar looks like it’s been buffed up to a lustrous sheen, and it makes you wonder what kind of music it was made to play. I love the way the guitar bridges different sonic worlds – like a surrealist collage for your ears. Does it have the twang of country, the lilt of folk, or something else? Like a Magritte painting, it presents something familiar in a new and unexpected way, leaving us with more questions than answers.