Harp Guitar 1917

This harp guitar was made sometime around 1902 by the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Company. Imagine them in their workshop, surrounded by wood shavings, carefully bending and shaping the sides, attaching the neck, and meticulously placing each string. I can almost feel the maker's hands, can't you? The careful selection of wood with its warm, reddish-brown hues, polished to a high gloss. The contrast of the dark headstock against the light strings. I imagine they considered what kind of sound they were seeking, coaxing it out, tuning it. It's a hybrid instrument, a guitar with an added harp section, creating this fascinating dialogue between familiar and new sounds. It makes me wonder what inspired this fusion and how it might relate to other experimental instruments being developed at the time. Artists are always riffing off of each other and trying new things, right? This piece is about pushing boundaries. Isn't it great when we think outside the box, or maybe outside the guitar case?