Kluson Manufacturing Company

The Kluson Manufacturing Company, founded in 1925, was a prominent manufacturer of musical instrument tuners.

The company was founded as a machine shop by John Kluson in Chicago in 1925.[1] Kluson had previously run a machine shop for Harmony Company. It soon found a niche making tuners for musical instruments, most prominently for the Gibson Guitar Corporation, to whom they were a major supplier. They also supplied other major guitar makers such as Fender, Martin, and Rickenbacker, among others.

Kluson lost one of their most important customers in 1974 or 1975 when Gibson switched to Schaller tuners. The company continued until 1981, when it folded.[2]

Kluson brand today

The Kluson brand was acquired by Larry Davis of WD Music Products in 1994. Under his leadership the product was reconstructed with improvements and the brand was reestablished with some of its former customers, including Gibson (for some models). Kluson-branded tuners are now produced in North Fort Myers, Florida, where WD Music Products is based, and in South Korea. The Kluson brand is also licensed to TonePro Sound Labs Int'l, who also produce a traditional Kluson-brand tuner.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Kluson at 90," by Christian Wissmuller. Musical Merchandise Review, January 29, 2015http://mmrmagazine.com/80-all/current-issue/1978-kluson-at-90-iconic-tuner-and-replacement-parts-supplier-has-remained-a-go-to-brand-for-nearly-a-century.html
  2. ↑ "WD Music’s" by Dan Ferrisi. The Music and Sound Retailer. May 30, 2014
  3. ↑ "WD Music’s" by Dan Ferrisi. The Music and Sound Retailer. May 30, 2014

External links

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