Oscar Schmidt Inc.
| Company type | Private (1871–1939?) Brand (1939–present) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1871 in Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Founder | Oscar & Otto Schmidt |
| Fate | Rights to name acquired by Harmony Company in 1939; then by Fretted Industries Inc. in 1978 |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | List |
| Parent | U.S. Music Corp. |
| Website | oscarschmidt.com |
Oscar Schmidt was a musical instrument manufacturing company established in 1871. During its long existence, Oscar Schmidt has produced a wide range of string instruments, not only guitars but also numerous models of parlour instruments such as autoharps, celtic harps, guitar zithers, the "guitarophone" (a zither/metal-disc playing hybrid), marxophones and bowed psalteries (or "ukelins").
Through its history, the company has changed its name several times, selling under the names "Oscar Schmidt Inc.," "Oscar Schmidt Musical House," "Manufacturers Advertising Company," "Oscar Schmidt-International Corporation," and "Oscar Schmidt-International, Inc.".
Products currently sold under the Oscar Schmidt brand are electric, acoustic and classical guitars, autoharps, banjos, ukuleles and mandolins. Oscar Schmidt is currently a brand of U.S. Music Corp, a subsidiary of Canadian corporate group Exertis | JAM.