The Birth of the American 12-string Guitar (2013)
The Genesis of the American 12-String Guitar (2013)
Author: Gregg Miner
Original Publication: July 2013 | Latest Revision: August 2025
🚩 Quick Navigation
If you are only interested in the final conclusion, feel free to skip directly to the end of this piece.
However, for those who appreciate the "detective work," I recommend reading through the provenance and analysis. What began as a casual blog post—sparked by some old notes in my harp guitar To-Do folders—morphed into a comprehensive research project. While I've hosted it here, I acknowledge that this is strictly about harp guitars actually a bit of a detour into standard guitar history.
🎸 Defining the Scope
To be clear, I am discussing the instrument the modern world recognizes as the Standard 12-String Guitar.
Technical Specifications:
- Configuration: 6 double courses.
- Tuning: The 4 lowest courses are tuned in octaves; the top 2 are in unison.
- Math:
This is distinct from a 12-string harp guitar (like a Dyer), which typically features 6 strings on the neck and 6 sub-bass strings.
The Central Hypothesis
I suggest that the popular 12-string guitar—championed by legends like Leo Kottke and Leadbelly—did not appear in a vacuum. Instead, it likely evolved from two specific, often ignored ancestors:
- An early "harp-guitar" (non-floating strings).
- The authentic harp guitar featuring floating strings.
🔍 Competing Theories of Origin
Before presenting my findings, it is important to note the existing narratives regarding the 12-string's birth:
| Theory | Source/Influence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Latin Influence | Baja Sexto | Double-course guitars from Mexico/South of the border. |
| Industrial Origin | Oscar Schmidt | Developed within American factory workshops. |
| European Roots | Holzapfel | Early, esoteric 12-strings known to specialized collectors. |
| Regional Craft | NY Italian Makers | Ongoing studies of obscure luthiers in New York. |
| The "Key" Link | Rene Grunewald | A specific instrument that serves as the missing puzzle piece. |
🛠️ The Brown Connection
A pivotal figure in this evolution is Carl Brown of Columbus, Ohio. Brown filed a patent for his own version of a "harp-guitar" (noting that in his era, the term harp guitar was used loosely and didn't necessarily imply floating strings).
The Patent Details:
- Patent Number:
#568,108 - Crucial Detail: This instrument had 10 strings, not 12.
I contend that the modern 12-string variant could not have emerged without this 10-string precursor. This instrument was designed for a very specific aesthetic and functional effect typical of its era. The labels on Grunewald instruments (specifically the 10-string models) explicitly reference Brown's patent number, providing a tangible link to the 12-string's ancestry.
Evidence Gathering Process
To verify this, I utilized a multi-pronged research approach:
- Analyze weekly Music Trade Review (TMTR) archives.
- Study the "BMG" (Banjo, Mandolin, and Guitar) community.
- Review The Cadenza and Crescendo magazines.
- Scour the Chronicling America online archives.
👥 Part One: The Cast of Characters
1. Carl Brown
An eccentric inventor from Ohio. While some of his work touched on pianos, he is best known for:
- The groundbreaking 10-string guitar (though its shape was considered a "novelty").
- The Harp-o-chord: A bizarre hybrid of a zither and a harmonica.
- Various "Harp-Zithers": Fretless zithers and other minimal-string body shapes (often mistaken for toys on eBay today).
2. Hamilton Gordon
A prominent New York-based musical instrument entrepreneur who had achieved significant success by 1895.
3. The Grunewald Family
A powerhouse musical enterprise based in New Orleans, led by Louis Grunewald and his three sons.
- Rene Grunewald: Head of manufacturing by 1895.
- Evolution: By 1897, they ran a successful mandolin factory and began adding guitars. By 1904, they were major distributors of banjo and drum heads.
- The Controversy: They are remembered for a macabre marketing campaign to acquire animal hides:
"WE WANT YOUR SKIN" (or "Give us your skin")
4. The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company
Specifically Howard Eugene Wurlitzer, who took the reins around 1900. The company maintained a specific brand name from 1896 through the 1920s.
📉 Evolutionary Flow
The following diagram illustrates the proposed influence path:
🖼️ Visual Documentation
Below are the referenced images from the original research:
By synthesizing the prose of the Music Trade Review and the context of the BMG world, we can finally establish a coherent timeline for Brown's invention and its subsequent commercialization.