Albert Shutt was a musician and inventor living in Topeka, Kansas, in the early 20th century. Several of his patented inventions are seen here, on this mandolin ca. 1920. He had little, if any, commercial success, and finding a Shutt is rare, although they are out there. Sometime around the late teens, he trained the top builders at Harmony in Chicago to build copies of his design.
What we have here is a Sterling “Shutt” made by Harmony in perfect playing order, despite heavy wear. Just like Albert’s own hand-made mandolins (with patents granted in 1911, 1912, 1914, and 1915), this Sterling “Shutt” PRE-DATES Gibson’s introduction of the same features by several years.
Most of the Harmony-built Shutts were of low quality, featuring pressed birch with airbrushed flame, but not this one, which features solid woods throughout, including carved flame maple for the back.
Some Shutt patents that predate Gibson include:
- Carved top mandolin with two “f” holes.
- Longer neck (joins body further up for better access to high frets)
- Elevated fingerboard.
The Hart/Loar Gibson is clearly the better design, both commercially and tone-wise, but should they get all the credit for these now common improvements?
Let’s give some credit where it is deserved to my fellow Kansan, Mr. Shutt.
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