Jazzgitarren - vintage German made archtop guitars

INTRODUCTION -- ROGER -- NEUBAUER -- LANG -- HOFNER -- HOYER -- MUSIMA -- HERRNSDORF -- OTWIN -- PERLGOLD -- HUTTL
SHADOW -- HOPF -- OTHERS-WG -- OTHERS-DDR -- KROCKER -- DYNACORD -- FRAMUS -- BOOKS -- BIANKA2005 -- LINKS -- FOR SALE -- TOP


PERLGOLD - Kurt Gropp 1954 katalog

Recentry I got the very rare Perlgold (a division of KURT Gropp musical instrument company) catalogue issued in 1954.
I guess this would be the very interesting and unique data for knowing the history of guitar-manufacturing behind the Iron Curtain.
The catalogue is written in the languages of German, English and French. More than 100 pictures, more than 200 instruments.
I'd like to show them with focusing the Jazzgitarren (archtop guitars). Enjoy'em all.



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The Hard cover (with Felt-covering) catalogue, 230mm x 160mm. 188 pages. Most of all are printed in monochrome but only 4 pages are in full color.

The Kurt Gropp is the Manufacturer of Musical instruments, Cases and accesaries. Also they do the wholesale and export-trade in all kinds of music instruments. The 3 Languages catalogue seems to be needed for the export.

this contains guitar family (from nylon guitar to balalaika!), string family (violin, cello, contrabass...), (lots of ) mandlins, acordions, Zitar, trumpet, harmonika, and every parts for their instrument, cases string, and so on.








This picture has the explanation texts, " During the big fairs at Leipzig: PETERSHOF - 5th floor". but the room looks like the show-room of the manufacturer, I'm not sure.

On the Catalogue, they call the jazzgitarren (arctop guitars) with the name of "Plectrum guitars". I don't know why they call it so, but I know, In Japan, Any acoustick Archtop guitars called "Pickguitar".
It is some kind of interesting similarity between East Germany And Japan.

This book issued in 1954 (as I mentioned), but I know Later the Perlgold issued also the Kind of Electric guitar (solid and Semi-hollow body). If you serch the word of "perlgold" in google, you will find some pics of them.



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w OK, let's go to the guitars...... the texts below is the translation from the catalogue.

Two models of the excellent tone quarity.
Extra High swell back, ply wood necks, high borders. (from left) 1314a - Master Instruments of my workshop.
1319b - see illustrations.
1314 - Model, very popular and marketable.
All three instruments beautifully vernished an shaded.

(The catseye holes on the left model seems to be similer with the one of the Rickenbacker archtops. and you know the tailpies of these guitars are similer to the Epiphone archtops.)








Two Plectrum (pick) guitars, Made by the master's hand.

Very Marketable and cheap instruments.
1315/Z - Inlayed celluloid veins, neck can be screwed off.
1315/II - Celluloid edge, Finely shaded.
5314 - Soloi's guitar (means guitar for Solist, right?????), Yellowish red-brown shade, excuisite interior workmanship.

(You can find the same parts of the tailpiece in Musima, Astro, otwin and otherwhere, this design seems to be one of the charactor of DDR made guitars. I guess the left and center 2 guitars would have the secret - installed into the neckboard - pickup.)






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w Plectrum guitars
Excellent quarity! with regard to the numbers
1320/GII
1320/GI
1318Z

The soundboards of them are elaborated like those of Violins and Cello. It provided with PICKUP etc...

(you can find the floating pickup on the floor of center. it made by RELLOG - electric parts manufacturer in East Germany. I guess most of Pickup on the DDR archtops would be made by RELLOG. And, the right AMAZING guitars have to be the copy model of legendary LEVIN / DeLuxe archtop made in Sweden. the Levin archtop are wellknown for using by Django Rheinhardt in his late years.)







Plectrum guitars:
As to the numbers
1319/II
1319/I
Their necks can be screwed off. These instruments, tested and tried by real experts, produce a wonderful sound. Price as per price-list!

Nr. 1314Z is a very cheap and marketable instrument. Very much demand!

(The middle and right guitars of them has the characteristic positionmark, similer with the NEUBAUER guitars.
The words of "Screwed off" would means the bolt on -with a square rod- construction system like as seen on my MUSIMA guitars.)





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w LUTES Flat Lute
Celluloid perfflings, fine soundhole rosette. primal quarity. Same, Better excution, celluloid edging.
Round Lute
border and celluoid purfings, better soundhole rosette, single shaded machine-head. Dull gold-brown, a little flamed, fine instrument. underlaid soundhole.

(There's no explanation with the Harp guitar -seen on right-. but on picture, there's a line of "12 order 13 seitig" means 12 or 13 strings. I guess they made the Harpguitar with custom order only. and the catalogue sais "BASS LUTE - maple 10 strings without bar, maple 12 strings with bar". I guess this means they called the harpguitar with the name of "basslute".)



(the second from left)
the amazing Electric Upright bass made by Perlgold. the catalogue sais "Electro stringed and Fretted bass are made in two models. The second model (not being pictured) is very fit for seated players and owns a new PICKUP of particular refinement and very high effically". The Bridge covered with the engraved metal cover. Also the tailpiece cover engraved the words of "ELECTRO-ARTIST". I guess this one would be the one of the most fastest model in the Solid Electric upright bass history, Right?

and I couldn't find any explanation with the archtop (the third from the left) guitar. on the picture, GANGBORDERS MODEL, unsymmetrisch (unsymetrically). That's all.




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INTRODUCTION -- ROGER -- NEUBAUER -- LANG -- HOFNER -- HOYER -- MUSIMA -- HERRNSDORF -- OTWIN -- PERLGOLD -- HUTTL
SHADOW -- HOPF -- OTHERS-WG -- OTHERS-DDR -- KROCKER -- DYNACORD -- FRAMUS -- BOOKS -- BIANKA2005 -- LINKS -- FOR SALE -- TOP

Jazzgitarren - vintage German made archtop guitars


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