The Larson Brothers Story
Carl and August Larson were Swedish immigrant craftsmen whose work helped shape the American steel-string acoustic guitar. Though their own surname rarely appeared on the instruments they built, their craftsmanship became legendary under names such as Maurer, Prairie State, Euphonon, Stahl, Dyer, Stetson, and others.
Their story began in Sweden. Carl Larson was born in 1867 in Kalmar Län, where his family worked as tenant farmers on the estate of Locknevi. As a young man, Carl learned practical carpentry while helping his father work the land and build the family home. In 1885, at the age of eighteen, he left Sweden for America.
Around the same period, Milda Ruden of Ånimskog, Sweden, also emigrated to the United States. Both she and Carl made their way to Chicago, where they found work at the Edwin J. Cubley Drum factory in Ravenswood, Illinois. Carl’s younger brother August soon followed him to Chicago and also worked at Cubley. The factory introduced the brothers to American manufacturing, woodworking production, and Chicago’s thriving commercial world.
In 1893, the Cubley factory was destroyed by fire. The loss forced Carl and August to seek new work, and soon afterward they joined Robert Maurer & Company, an established Chicago maker of guitars and mandolins. Maurer had been producing instruments since 1886 and had developed a strong reputation for quality. It was there that the Larson brothers entered the world of lutherie.
Carl married Milda Ruden on October 27, 1896. Together they raised six children. August, by contrast, devoted most of his life to work, study, and the craft of instrument making. He attended Lane Technical High School part-time for many years and lived simply, often placing the needs of the shop above all else.
In 1900, Robert Maurer retired. August Larson, then only twenty-seven, gathered investors and purchased the Maurer firm. Carl, already an experienced employee, later acquired the other investors’ shares. The brothers now controlled an established instrument-making company with a respected name and a valuable distribution network.
From their workshop on Elm Street in Chicago, Carl and August built instruments with extraordinary consistency and care. For much of their history, the Larson operation functioned as a small, highly productive shop. Because the brothers were directly involved in the work, quality control remained exceptionally high. Their scale also allowed them to refine designs quickly and respond closely to the needs of musicians.
Chicago played a major role in their success. As the nation’s rail and mail-order hub, the city allowed manufacturers to distribute goods across the country. Many companies wanted to sell guitars and mandolins but did not have their own workshops. The Larsons supplied these firms with finely made instruments, often sold under other brand names. This approach allowed their work to reach a national audience while the brothers remained focused on design and craftsmanship.
Between 1900 and the 1920s, the Larson brothers produced guitars, mandolins, mandolas, mando-cellos, mando-basses, taro-patches, and harp guitars. They built for several respected brands while continuing to use the Maurer name. Later, they introduced and developed the Prairie State and Euphonon lines, now among the most admired Larson-built instruments.
The Larsons were not only skilled craftsmen; they were innovators. Their guitars were among the early American instruments built specifically to withstand the demands of steel strings. August Larson’s 1904 patent for laminated X-bracing strengthened the soundboard without adding unnecessary weight. This helped preserve resonance while improving durability.
Another defining feature of Larson construction was the “built under tension” design. Their instruments often used subtly arched tops and backs, contributing to strength, projection, and tonal clarity. The result was a powerful, focused sound with strong bass, clear midrange, and remarkable sustain.
The brothers offered instruments in several grades, from student models to highly ornamented professional instruments. Lower-grade models often used simpler bracing, while intermediate and higher-grade instruments featured laminated X-bracing and finer materials. Many Larson-built guitars also carried the flattened pyramid bridge style now associated with their work.
By the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Prairie State name became linked with some of the Larsons’ most ambitious structural ideas. In 1930, August patented a system of internal metal reinforcing bars designed to stabilise the guitar body and help manage string tension. These rods also allowed for neck-angle adjustment, making the instruments easier to maintain. Prairie State guitars remain some of the most technically distinctive acoustic guitars of their era.
As musical styles changed, the Larsons adapted. Larger-bodied guitars became increasingly popular, and in 1934 the brothers introduced the Euphonon brand. Euphonon instruments reflected the demand for bigger, louder guitars suited to professional performance and modern musical settings.
During the 1930s, Larson-built instruments were used by many working musicians, including country and western performers associated with Chicago radio. Their guitars were valued for power, reliability, and tone. In 1934, Les Paul commissioned a special Larson-made maple guitar with a solid maple top and no soundholes. After adding pickups, Paul used the instrument in his early electric guitar experiments, connecting the Larson workshop indirectly to the development of amplified guitar design.
From 1932 to 1944, August Larson worked with Adolph Waech, and later Waldemar Waech, through Wack Sales Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to sell the Maurer and Prairie State lines. Adolph Waech was a musician, teacher, and mandolin orchestra leader, making him a strong advocate for Larson instruments.
The Great Depression placed enormous pressure on the musical instrument industry, but the Larson shop survived. Its small size, modest overheads, and reputation for quality helped carry it through difficult years.
The final chapter began in 1940, when Carl was struck by a car while crossing the street. He was seventy-three, and the injury made it difficult for him to continue travelling to the Elm Street shop. He retired soon afterward. Carl and Milda moved to St. Charles, Illinois, in 1941. Milda died in 1943, and Carl died on September 4, 1946.
August continued working after Carl’s retirement, though the shop was no longer as active as it had once been. He remained committed to the craft until his death in 1944 at the age of seventy-one. With no succession plan in place, the Maurer company came to an end. The contents and tooling of the shop were sold, and the company records were eventually lost.
What remains are the instruments themselves.
Today, Larson Brothers guitars are highly sought after by players, collectors, historians, and luthiers. They are admired for their strength, projection, elegant workmanship, and innovative construction. Modern builders continue to study Larson designs, especially Maurer, Prairie State, and Euphonon models, because their principles remain relevant more than a century later.
Carl and August Larson were not celebrity manufacturers. They were disciplined craftsmen, inventive builders, and quiet pioneers. Their work bridged old-world handcraft and modern American steel-string guitar design. Their legacy continues every time one of their instruments is played.