Vintage Oscar Schmidt Autoharp. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 3 x 21 x 11 in. 

An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term autoharp was once a trademark of the Oscar Schmidt company, but has become a generic designation for all such instruments, regardless of manufacturer. Charles F. Zimmermann, a German immigrant in Philadelphia, was awarded a patent in 1882 for a “Harp” fitted with a mechanism that muted strings selectively during play, and called the instrument the“autoharp” to capitalize on the ease of use. Unlike later designs, the instrument shown in the patent was symmetrical, and the damping mechanism engaged with the strings laterally instead of from above. Karl August Gütter of Markneukirchen, Germany, built a model that he called a Volkszither, which is more akin to the autoharp in its current form. He obtained a British patent for it in 1884, but in 1885, after returning from a visit to Germany, Zimmermann began production of instruments with the Gütter design. He labeled them autoharps and included his own name and patent number. As a result, Zimmermann is widely but incorrectly regarded as the inventor of the instrument in its now familiar form. The piece found its heyday during the folk music movement in the 1950s and 60s, and is still used today by various artists, particularly once an electric version was invented in the 1970s that made it easier to compete with the growing loudness of other instruments in rock and popular music.

Commensurate with age.