Antoria

Antoria is a UK guitar brand dating back to the 1950s, which has changed hands three times. Originally the brand consisted of guitars made in Japan (first by Guyatone and then by FujiGen); contemporary Antorias come from South Korea and China.

Antoria Guitars
OwnerTim Gentle Music [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1950s
MarketsWorldwide
Previous owners
Websiteantoriaguitars.com

Current products commercialised under the Antoria brand are electric, acoustic guitars and basses.

History

The Antoria brand consisted of Guyatone-made guitars exported to the UK from Japan. One of the models was a copy of the Fender Stratocaster, played by Hank Marvin[2] (until Cliff Richard gave him "the real thing"). Jeff Beck played one,[3] as did Big Jim Sullivan when he was playing with Marty Wilde.[4] They were imported by James T. Coppock (Leeds) Ltd and Charles Summerfield Ltd.[5] Some Antoria guitars may have been manufactured in Bavaria, Germany, by Framus.[6]

In the 1970s, Antoria imported guitars made in the FujiGen factory, which also manufactured Ibanez guitars. Later, production shifted to Korea, where, among other models, an imitation Gibson ES-335 was made (a model also sold under the Harmony brand).[2]

James T. Coppock ceased trading in the early 1980s and Antoria guitar production ceased. Then, probably in the 1980s, John Lawson acquired the brand and distributed guitars using the name until 2006. In January 2007, the Antoria brand was purchased by Adam Hall Limited, and then in 2010 by Tim Gentle Music of Stockton-on-Tees. The new Antoria electric guitars are manufactured in South Korea, and their acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars in China.[5]

References
  1. Contact on Antonia website, retrieved 23 Oct 2019
  2. Bacon, Tony (2012). The Ultimate Guitar Sourcebook. MBI Publishing. pp. 154, 229. ISBN 9781610588423.
  3. Martin, Power (2014). Hot Wired Guitar: The Life of Jeff Beck. Music Sales. p. 31. ISBN 9781783233861.
  4. Marten, Neville; Giltrap, Gordon (2009). The Hofner Guitar: A History. Hal Leonard. p. 25. ISBN 9781423462743.
  5. "About". Antoria Guitars. 2010.
  6. September 2018 – A Potted History of the Guitar Part VII on Crave Guitars
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