Oscar Schmidt Inc. facts for kids
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| Private (1871–1939?) Brand (1939–present) |
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| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Fate | Rights to name acquired by Harmony Company in 1939; then by Fretted Industries Inc. in 1978 |
| Founded | 1871 in Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Founder | Oscar & Otto Schmidt |
| Headquarters | |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | |
| Parent | U.S. Music Corp. |
Oscar Schmidt was a company that made musical instruments. It started way back in 1871! Over the years, Oscar Schmidt created many different string instruments. These included not only guitars but also special instruments for playing music at home. Some of these were autoharps, celtic harps, guitar zithers, and marxophones. They even made instruments called "ukelins" (which are bowed psalteries).
The company changed its name a few times. It was known as "Oscar Schmidt Inc.," "Oscar Schmidt Musical House," and "Oscar Schmidt-International Inc." Today, Oscar Schmidt is a well-known brand of musical instruments. It is part of a bigger company called U.S. Music Corp.
The instruments you can buy under the Oscar Schmidt name today include electric, acoustic, and classical guitars. They also make autoharps, banjos, ukuleles, and mandolins.
Contents
The Story of Oscar Schmidt
How the Company Started
Oscar Schmidt (who lived from 1857 to 1929) came to the United States from Germany. He started selling musical instruments in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1871, Oscar and his brother Otto began their own company, "Otto Schmidt Co." They applied for many patents for musical instruments and related tools. A patent protects an invention, meaning others can't copy it without permission. The Oscar Schmidt Company officially became a business in 1911.
Growing the Business
Oscar Schmidt bought guitar zithers from another German inventor named W.F. Menzenhauer. Menzenhauer had a factory in the same city and had invented a special fretless guitar zither. Oscar Schmidt saw how popular Menzenhauer's invention could be. So, in 1896, they teamed up to form the Menzenhauer & Schmidt Company. This partnership helped them make more instruments and become very successful.
Their guitar zithers became popular not just in the US but all over the world! Schmidt set up places to sell his instruments in Europe, South Africa, and Australia. By 1900, Oscar Schmidt took full control of the company. A few years later, by 1903, they were making more mandolins than zithers. The company also started making banjos and guitars. By 1912, their factory had about 150 workers. In the early 1920s, the company was at its busiest, with factories in five different cities.
Selling the Instruments
For many years, from the 1880s until 1965, the instruments were mostly sold by traveling salesmen. These salesmen would go door-to-door to sell the instruments directly to people.
The company often used exciting current events to help sell their products. Each year, they would create new "special editions" of their instruments. These special editions were connected to important news stories. They hoped these would appeal to customers. These special instruments would have a small message about the event. They also came with sheet music written for that event. The salesmen kept detailed notes about what customers liked to buy. This helped the company decide which special editions to make each year. Their goal was to sell more instruments to people who already owned one.
The company kept growing and made many different string instruments. In 1926, they showed over 150 instruments at a music convention! Oscar Schmidt also owned many guitar brands. Some of these famous brands included Stella, Sovereign, La Scala, and Oahu. All these instruments were made by Schmidt.
Oscar Schmidt designed instruments that were easy for amateurs (people who play for fun) to learn. The instruments were small, portable, and strong. They were perfect for family entertainment at home. This was especially true before radio and television became popular.
Later Years
After Oscar Schmidt passed away in 1929, the company faced challenges in the early 1930s. The original company officially closed on May 18, 1937. However, a new company, Oscar Schmidt-International Inc., had already been formed in October 1936. This new company did well until 1978. At that time, it was bought by the owners of Fretted Industries Inc., which later became Washburn International.
