Being a patriotic Canadian, I have been on quite a journey with regards to Toronto based instrument manufacturers, R S Williams & Sons. Definitely the company made guitars from the 1930s until the 1950s but they also sold instruments made by other companies which is what I want to get into today, the other manufacturers of “R S Williams” guitars.
Bellevue/Stewart Guitars
The first “Williams” guitars I came to as I explored this hobby were the “Bellevue/Stewart” models that appear to have been made in the late 1920s to perhaps the early 1930s. They were sold out of the Bellevue music school in London Ontario which was owned by the Williams family and through their catalogue I would assume. If you have been following me and the site you will most likely have noticed that I did quite a bit of searching to find out what I could about these instruments. They have very similar headstock inlay work to instruments made with “S S Stewart” branding by Vega, Martin and Gibson, and to instruments made by Levin in Sweden. Most likely since these inlays were being used by different manufacturers, they were actually made by a third party company who I have not been able to identify yet.
The “S S Stewart” branded models had an interior label that was identical to labels used on other “Stewart” models made by other manufacturers around that time, but the “Bellevue” guitars that were obviously made by the same manufacturers had a label that read “This instrument especially constructed for tonal quality, and guaranteed by Canada’s largest guitar makers, THE R S WILLIAMS & SONS CO. LIMITED”. Kind of weird wording, it seems to indicate they made the guitars… but where they put that comma after the word “quality” also is a little strange. Add to that the fact that the “Stewart” branded models have “Made in USA” impressed into the back of the headstock and it gets even more nebulous. That kind of marking was normally used on instruments that were made for export so it would seem to indicate the instruments were made in the US and sent to Canada for sale.
After Arthur Hensel took over their luthier shop in the 1930s the instruments made by the Williams’ company are easy to recognize because all of their stock immediately incorporated the Hensel neck profile and any models with pin bridges began using the unique Williams bridge. There are even “Bellevue” branded guitars that were definitely made by the Williams’ shop. The aforementioned earlier models however have a completely different neck profile which I have not found elsewhere and do not have the Williams bridge.
Now does that mean they were definitely not made in Canada? Not necessarily I suppose but it is pretty convincing. I would infer that they were almost certainly sold by R S Williams & Sons, but I am definitely not convinced they were made in Canada. I don’t yet know who made them and it could end up eventually being the Williams’ company, but that is doubtful with the available evidence.
Lyon and Healy/Washburn Guitars
During my study and determinations regarding R S Williams I found photos of an interesting instrument that looks like it was made by Lyon and Healy or Washburn (Lyon in L&H stands for George Washburn Lyon) on jedistar’s website.
I later found a guitar for sale at auction that was obviously 100 years old or more and I was able to purchase it and get a good close look. It had markings inside that claimed it was made by R S Williams & Son, that called it “ARTIST” and that also stated it was a “Style 102”. The logo is on the spine brace in the back and is oval… similar to the Washburn marking of that time. The construction was very light and definitely different again from anything I could confidently say was made by Williams. Washburn made a small model like this one that was also labeled “STYLE 102”. This was made of very nice woods too, spruce top, oak back and sides, a beautiful instrument that was almost certainly a Washburn likely built in the 1890s or right around the turn of the century. The tuners are an older larger gear type.
Larson Brothers (No, Lyon and Healy) Tree of Life
Now this one is particularly special with all of that beautiful inlay on the fretboard. I found it through kijiji (Canadian ad site) and contacted the owner. I could tell from the photos that this was obviously around 100 years old as well but I didn’t know who made it. With closer inspection on it’s arrival I was able to find some details that suggest the Larson Brothers made it although I am not an expert nor have I seen their work up close so I have also taken it to Folkway in Waterloo Ontario to have it repaired. Mark Stutman was definitely impressed with it and suggests it is a Washburn/Lyon and Healy build. The instrument has a very clear “R S Williams” label inside but there is nothing about it that indicates their construction. It will be exquisite when completed, spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides.
ADDENDUM: My mistake, I enthusiastically thought it could be Larson Brothers but it is actually a Washburn/Lyon and Healy, possibly a style 150.
So there you have it… up to now. I will continue to record any interesting non-Williams instruments I find with their labeling and continue to post them as I find them.
There is a book titled, “Under the Sign of the Big Fiddle,” Written by, Ladislav Celeniy-yGranch which tells the complete history of the R.S. Williams instrument manufacturing and factory. You should be able to purchase it on line. Should you acquire this book and read it I believe you will find that the instruments labeled R S Williams were indeed made by the Williams company. At one point the Williams manufacturing company was the largest of its kind in North America. They did not ever put their names on any stringed instruments made by other manufactures. R. S. Williams actually imported and brought in the finest luthiers that he could import from Europe to hand build his instruments. It could actually be possible that some of the other manufactures may have taken ideas from him. The only exception to putting the Williams name on instruments his company did not build was various brass instruments.(this process is called “stenciling).” Hw.
Thank you for the reading suggestion! However, as can be seen in the photos on this page and as I have held in my hand many instruments that have the R. S. Williams name on them but were very definitely made elsewhere by other manufacturers… they did sell “stencil” instruments. Mr Stutman, who is a recognized expert operating the most prestigious guitar repair shop in Canada and an avid collector of R S Williams instruments, also held the two Wasburns and examined them closely. They are very definitely Washburn products. Now, did R S Williams produce their own instruments? Yes obviously and it was a very large company. They just had some stringed instruments made for them before they had their own guitar making facility and while making many other instruments. Look at the markings in the “Style 102” especially and compare them to an old Washburn, not made in Canada, sorry.