Orpheum
Orpheum
Also known as: Orpheum Banjo, Orpheum Guitars
UnclaimedOrpheum is a historic American instrument brand, originally launched as a banjo line in 1897 by William Rettberg and William Lange after they acquired the assets of the Buckbee Banjo Company. Around 1903 the partners developed a simple tone ring that gave their banjos a brighter, more powerful voice, and Orpheum grew into one of the most popular banjo lines in the United States during the early...
Orpheum is a historic American instrument brand, originally launched as a banjo line in 1897 by William Rettberg and William Lange after they acquired the assets of the Buckbee Banjo Company. Around 1903 the partners developed a simple tone ring that gave their banjos a brighter, more powerful voice, and Orpheum grew into one of the most popular banjo lines in the United States during the early twentieth century, offered in five-string, plectrum, tenor, and banjo-mandolin configurations. Models such as the Orpheum No. 3 and No. 3 Special became staples of Jazz Age tenor banjo players. Lange took sole control in 1922 and eventually shifted his focus to the Paramount line, with the Orpheum name fading by 1942.
The trademark was acquired in 1944 by Maurice Lipsky Music of New York, which applied the Orpheum name to a wide range of beginner and intermediate fretted instruments — acoustic and electric guitars, basses, mandolins, and archtops — sourced from various builders and, by the late 1960s, manufactured in Japan. In 2001 Tacoma Guitars revived the brand for a line of bluegrass-oriented banjos, mandolins, and resonator guitars built in Indonesia, and the trademark passed to Fender when it bought Tacoma in 2005.
Orpheum instruments are encountered today primarily as vintage and used-market pieces rather than as new production. The pre-war Rettberg & Lange-era banjos are the most collected, prized for their tone and build quality, while the mid-century Lipsky-era guitars and the Tacoma-era bluegrass instruments have their own followings among players seeking affordable vintage character.
Orpheum has 3 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Mandolins, Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitars, and Combo Guitar Amplifiers. Their gear is featured by 3 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Blues, and Electronic. Notable users include Nigel Godrich, Duke Robillard, and Pops Staples.
Artists Who Use Orpheum
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