US Music

US Music counts Bob Dylan among buyers of its pricey custom-made guitars. For the less lofty, the company produces and imports mass-market acoustic and electric guitars at prices of up to $3,000. One of the US's top guitar makers (behind Fender, Gibson, and Martin), US Music also makes banjos, mandolins, and basses under the Washburn name. In addition, it manufactures Parker guitars and basses, Oscar Schmidt autoharps and ukuleles, Randall amplifiers and Eden bass amplifiers, Vinci guitar strings, and SoundTech professional audio equipment. Founded in 1883, the company was bought by president and CEO Rudy Schlacher in 1983. It changed its name from Washburn International to US Music in 2003.