Jackson-Guldan: Columbus, Ohio’s Vintage Guitar and Violin Factory (1915–1971)

From 1915 to 1971, a factory on Columbus’s West Main Street built violins and guitars that reached players across the country, and by the end was the last violin manufacturer left in the United States. Edgewater Guitars (Valley City, OH) buys vintage instruments from across Ohio, including Jackson-Guldan guitars, with free expert appraisals. Call or text (440) 219-3607.

A Violin Factory on the Scioto River

In 1915, H. M. Jackson, Benjamin Jackson, and German immigrant George Guldan opened a factory at 165 West Main Street in Columbus, Ohio, near the Scioto River. Guldan left the company in 1925, but the Jackson-Guldan name stayed on the building for another 56 years. The company built violins, fiddles, and violas by the thousands, sold mostly by mail order and through jobbers to student-level players who could never afford a European-made instrument. It was among the first American companies to use machine fabrication for instrument parts like the front, back, and scroll, which is how a small Columbus factory could compete on price at all.

By the numbers, Jackson-Guldan was not a minor player. The company was the only violin manufacturer in the entire United States from 1930 to 1938, and again from 1940 to 1954. Post-World War II demand pushed annual production to 15,000–20,000 violins a year before it began sliding, down to around 6,000 by the mid-1950s as cheaper imports and changing tastes caught up with it.

From Violins to “Adjustomatic” Guitars

The original company dissolved in 1954 and was bought by Francis “Luke” Daniel of Chicago, who renamed it Jackson-Guldan, Inc. and modernized the operation, growing the workforce from five employees to 38. Guitars had actually appeared under the Jackson-Guldan name as early as the 1940s, and under Daniel’s ownership they carried a long list of brand stamps: Adjustomatic, Baron “Custom,” Champ, Chris, Dart, Go-Go, Hootenanny, Jay-G, Mercury, Norwood, and “Oahu Prince.” Most were student-grade parlor acoustics, around 36 inches long, sold through Montgomery Ward’s mail-order catalog rather than music stores.

The “Oahu Prince” name is its own piece of Ohio history: Jackson-Guldan built guitars for the Oahu Music Company, the Cleveland publisher famous for its Hawaiian steel-guitar songbooks and lessons. Two Ohio companies, one in Columbus and one in Cleveland, working together on the same instrument, is exactly the kind of local connection that gets lost once a factory closes.

In 1962, Daniel patented what became the company’s signature feature: the “Adjust-o-matic” neck, granted in 1965. A threaded bolt pressed against a small steel angle bracket in the neck heel, letting a player raise or lower the string action with a screwdriver instead of a truss rod adjustment or a shim job. On a $10-20 student guitar in 1960, that was a genuinely useful, patented idea, not a marketing gimmick.

The End of an Era

The violin side of the business, still Jackson-Guldan’s core, never recovered its postwar peak. Combined with a shrinking student-instrument market, the company folded for good in 1971. The factory building on West Main Street was demolished in 1973 to make way for new development, and Luke Daniel, the man who bought and modernized the company, died in 2010. Fifty-six years of Columbus instrument manufacturing ended with barely a marker left behind.

What a Jackson-Guldan Guitar Is Worth

These were never premium instruments, and they will never bring prewar Martin or Gibson money. What they are is a real, documented piece of Ohio manufacturing history, and that has value of its own to collectors and to anyone tracking down a piece of the state’s musical past. A few things move the number on any specific guitar:

• Brand stamp: the common “Chris” and “Adjustomatic” stamps turn up most often; rarer names like “Oahu Prince” or “Go-Go” draw more collector interest.

• Condition of the Adjust-o-matic mechanism: a working original neck adjuster is part of what makes these guitars interesting; a seized or missing one hurts value.

• Originality: original tuners, bridge, and finish, without a well-meaning repair that replaced the wrong parts.

• Structural soundness: top bracing and neck angle on a 70-plus year old student guitar are worth checking before assuming it is playable as-is.

We do not put a number on a guitar we have not seen, and we are not going to invent a market figure for a brand this obscure just to fill space. What we can do is look at yours and give you an honest answer, and we typically pay 30-40% more than a shop that has to mark an instrument up for resale.

Selling a Jackson-Guldan or Any Ohio-Made Vintage Guitar

Edgewater Guitars buys vintage instruments from across Ohio, not just the well-known names. If you have a Jackson-Guldan, an Adjustomatic, or any other Columbus, Cleveland, or Cincinnati-made guitar that’s been sitting in a case for a generation, we would like to see it. Start at edgewaterguitars.com/get-a-free-estimate or call or text (440) 219-3607 for a free appraisal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Jackson-Guldan guitar?

Jackson-Guldan was a Columbus, Ohio company, founded in 1915, best known for violins (it was the only U.S. violin manufacturer for parts of the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s). From the 1940s on, it also built student-grade acoustic guitars under names like Adjustomatic, Chris, and Champ, featuring a patented adjustable neck. The company closed in 1971.

How much is a Jackson-Guldan guitar worth?

These are student-grade instruments, not investment-grade vintage guitars, so value depends on brand stamp, condition, and whether the original Adjust-o-matic neck mechanism still works. We do not publish a blanket figure for a brand this rare. Call Edgewater at (440) 219-3607 for a free, honest appraisal of yours.

Where can I sell a vintage Jackson-Guldan or other Ohio-made guitar?

Edgewater Guitars buys vintage guitars from across Ohio, including lesser-known regional brands. Start at edgewaterguitars.com/get-a-free-estimate or call or text (440) 219-3607.

More Ohio Guitar History

Jackson-Guldan was not the only Ohio company with a real guitar story. Cleveland’s Grover Musical Products has been making the tuners on guitars worldwide since 1922, and unlike Jackson-Guldan, it is still running today.

About This Guide

Written by Stephen Pedone, co-owner of Edgewater Guitars, a vintage guitar buyer based in Valley City, Ohio. We buy vintage guitars from across Ohio and nationwide, including lesser-known regional brands like Jackson-Guldan. Last updated: August 2026.