- Mark Valentine
- Jan 9, 2025
- 1 min read
For me, this story started when I held the rare 1967 Standel guitar built by Sam Koontz. The beauty and craftsmanship was more than a “rare vintage guitar.” You could see the references to who had been a part of this luthier’s journey.
As I looked deeper into his history, I was amazed.
Koontz had worked as a shop forman and designer for Framus guitar factory in the Philadelphia Music Company as well as doing design work for The Martin Company.
In the 1960s, he not only designed guitars for Standel and Harptone, he set manufacturing procedures and built the machines required.
Let’s talk about innovations. One of his prototypes was an acoustic double-neck with six and 12 strings. Many think that was the first of that genre. Another was a amp/tape recorder unit so the solo act could play along with what was just recorded. Another was an arch top jazz guitar with on-board effects so the player could take a studio sound to live performance. He also built synth guitars so very far ahead of his time. He made sure that every innovation did not detract from the beauty of his guitars.
He made custom guitars and repairs in his shop in Linden, N.J.
Pat Martino, Howard Krive, Wayne Wesley Johnson, Vic Cenicola and Harry Leahey were all his loyal clients.
George Harrison and David Bowie both played Koontz-designed acoustic 12-string Harptones.
The tortured genius, Sam Koontz committed suicide in 1981.
