Benoît Meulle-Stef. "Chapter 2. The First Years of Production: Style U, U1, R and R1" in Gregg Miner , ed. THE GIBSON HARP GUITAR
"[image 1] At $265.96, this harp guitar which Gibson called the "18-string harp guitar" is a true monster with a total length of 48 inches, 21 inches width, guitar scale of 27 ¼ inches like a modern baritone guitar, and a maximum length of 35 ½ inches for the sub-bass strings. The rest of the guitar is very close to the STYLE R1 apart from a strange adjustable extension steel rubber-capped rod, eighteen inches long, enabling the performer to hold the instrument in an upright position (states the catalogue). The twelve sub-bass strings are tuned chromatically starting with the E flat just below the guitar Low E. The model was basically an 18 string giant. / [image 2] This is the only known image of an actual Style U specimen from the 1903 catalog! Rope binding, scroll on the headstock with no "The Gibson" logo, 6X2 bass tuners and banjo tuners for the guitar strings. Until I saw this, I wasn't even sure that they ever actually made the 'catalog model.' I wonder if this one had the stand spike? (Photo courtesy of Michael Wright)"
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Gibson Guitar Display -- Kalamazoo Valley Museum 030 (6926491433).jpg 1,944 × 2,896; 2.65 MB
Gibson Style U (c. 1902) illustration - 1902-1903 Gibson catalog.jpg 403 × 720; 64 KB
Gibson Style U harp guitar - Met Museum of Art, New York, NY.jpg 3,240 × 4,320; 2.62 MB
Guitare harpe.jpg 480 × 640; 118 KB
Harp Guitars, early 20th century, Museum of Making Music.jpg 2,448 × 3,264; 2.92 MB.jpg)
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