Books › Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937 › scan 300
Scan 300
Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937
16 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 274. See the scan on archive.org.
1IV. F. Banjo, Guitar and Mandolin Makers—Period Around 1850-1915
3Addresses from Boston Business Directories
5Names of Firms and Information About the Firms
71880—[address hidden], Somerville
81892—[address hidden], Chelsea
10PEHR A. ANDERBERG 44
11Was born in Sweden and learned his trade at Malmö. He came to this country at the time of the Civil War, worked first for C. F. Bruno in New York City and then started making guitars for himself about 1870 in Mount Vernon, N. Y. He returned to Sweden for a few years after selling this business to his brother and had a retail music store. Then he came to Boston about 1880 and began making guitars exclusively for John C. Haynes & Co. in a shop on [address hidden], Somerville. This shop was the training school for a number of guitar makers, including C. A. Sundberg and Mr. Swenson, two of the founders of the business which has become 'The Vega Company. When John C. Haynes & Co. bought him out he took charge of their guitar factory, which employed about 25 men, first on [address hidden], opposite [address hidden], then at [address hidden] and later on [address hidden]
13Pehr A. Anderberg left John C. Haynes & Co. in 1892 to start making guitars for himself again and also mandolins, this time at [address hidden], Chelsea. Pullmann & Son of New York City absorbed the entire product of this factory employing from 15 to 20 men, and called the guitars "Pullmann." This was burned down in the Chelsea fire, but Mr. Anderberg continued to manufacture for himself in Chelsea until he went to take charge of the guitar making of Stewart & Bauer in Philadelphia. Mr. Stewart died and Mr. Bauer became ill, so the firm was dissolved. Then Mr. Anderberg returned to Boston and became a repairer for John C. Haynes & Co. until his death.
15Mr. Anderberg made several grades of instruments ranging in price from about $8 or $10 to $50 apiece. His better instruments were of rosewood and some of the cheaper guitars were made of mahogany. When the popular demand for inexpensive guitars arose he used maple also. All his instruments were plain as he strove for good tone quality in preference to decorations. The guitars he made in his Somerville shop and those whose making he supervised in the John C. Haynes & Co. factory were sold under the names "Haynes Excelsior" and "Bay State" guitars. Mr. Anderberg also made the "Tilton" guitar as the patent on that popular instrument had run out. This was originated by an American maker named William B. Tilton who was in business around 1850. These guitars had two special features. One was that the grain of the wood ran slantwise instead of up and down as is usual. The other was a circular metal disc, attached to the sound bar at the sound hole, which bore the name Tilton.
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