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The Koll Guitar Company is an American
guitar manufacturing Guitar manufacturing is the use of machines, tools, and labor in the production of electric and acoustic guitars. This phrase may be in reference to handcrafting guitars using traditional methods or assembly line production in large quantities usi ...
company based in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. The company, established in 1986 by Saul Koll, produces electric and
semi-acoustic A semi-acoustic guitar, hollow-body electric, or thinline is a type of electric guitar that was first created in the 1930s. It has a sound box and at least one electric pickup. The semi-acoustic guitar is different to an acoustic-electric guita ...
guitars. The company is known for its "Glide" series (which has had improvements such as the "Superior"),Koll Guitar: the Superior
on Premier Guitar, July 10, 2008 and for its experimental designs for musicians such as
David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...
, Elliott Sharp,
Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of ...
and Lee Ranaldo of
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
. Other models by Koll are the Troubadour and the Super Cub, designed in the 1950s style.


History

Koll began playing guitar at the age of 12, and discovered Irving Sloan's book, ''Classic Guitar Construction'', at a Southern California library. While attending college at San Diego State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sculpture, Koll began experimenting with guitar construction. After college he began his professional luthier career at instrument repair shop The World of Strings in Long Beach, California, where was tutored by Jon Peterson and Glen Mers. In 1986, Koll founded the "Koll Guitar Company" and subsequently relocated from Los Angeles to
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, where the company is currently based. Since 2015, most of all of Koll's guitars have been hand-built in-house by Saul Koll himself.5 Outstanding Boutique Guitar Companies at NAMM 2018
by Casey Hopkins on Reverb.com, January 29, 2018


Further reading


Bench Press: Saul Koll
Interview with Saul Koll in the publication ''Fretboard Journal'' (2013)
Koll Company News
Forum post by Saul Koll on ''The Gear Page'' (2015)


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koll Guitar Company Guitar manufacturing companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Portland, Oregon American companies established in 1986 1986 establishments in Oregon