Musical Instrument Museum

This rare 1852 Ashborn guitar is one of only six known Style 6 instruments made by the United States’ first mass manufacturer of guitars. Powered by waterwheel-driven machinery along the Naugatuck River in Connecticut, the Ashborn Factory produced 12,000 guitars between 1842 and 1864 and greatly contributed to the popularity of the parlor guitar in the United States. See this guitar and more in our special exhibition Acoustic America: Iconic Guitars, Mandolins, and Banjos! Learn more at the link in our bio. Image description: The 1852 Ashborn guitar with elaborate ribbon-like inlays on top of the soundboard and surrounding the sound hole.