1950 ALOSA by Alois Sandner

1950 ALOSA by Alois Sandner (brother of Ignaz Sandner who made Isana) between 1947 and 1958.Missing pick guard. The condition is remarkable. Well playable low action. Comes with hard case.Those Germans...Here's a super stout classy arch top Solid spruce top Solid maple B&S Rosewood fingerbord Original open tunersAdjustable bridge Zero-fret Plays Code AC50

„ALOSA“ Archtop Guitars are highly demanded curiosities amongst today's guitar collectors. These guitars have been produced by the company „Alois Sandner“ in years 1947 to 1958.
The trade mark „ALOSA“ is a combination of the initial letters of the words „Alois“ and „Sandner“. Such combinations of letters to form a trade mark were very common in those times. Similar examples can be found at the companies Franz Sandner (FASAN) and Ignatz Sandner (ISANA). Nevertheless, despite of these affinities any family relationships between the business “Alois Sandner” and these two companies can be ruled out. The most famous guitar models have been No.18 „Black Queen“ and No.21a „Black King“. The well known artists Vico Torriani and René Carol have been playing on ALOSA guitars in the 1950s. Vico Torriani has presented an ALOSA guitar in the movie „Gitarren der Liebe“ and „Ein Herz voll Musik“ (both produced by NF company).
There was not much to read about ALOSA guitars and their builder Alois Sandner except that collectors and players of these guitars consistently confirmed that the more noble ALOSA guitars (like Black King & Soloist) are very high quality instruments and that the high-quality Alois Sandner guitars are to be classified in the top ranks of the German guitars.The name Sandner and the name equality with the two other guitar makers Franz Sandner (FASAN) and Josef Sandner (ISANA) left much freedom to speculate whether the three were from the same family and were perhaps brothers. Thanks to a statement from the company Alois Sandner, however, finally some light has come into the darkness and it can be ruled out that Mr. Alois Sandner was related to Franz & Josef.the company Alois Sandner:
"The brand name ALOSA was used by the company Alois Sandner in Bubenreuth. There were no family ties to the brands FASAN or ISANA. In the Egerland many companies with the name Sandner were active in the field of musical instruments. This was a common name there. We can not say anything about the relationship between the brands pheasant and Isana, but it should be similar. "Alois Sandner (born 24.05.1909) was the son of Josef Sandner, who had bought the "Teichmühle" on the outskirts of Schönbach in the Egerland in 1908 and built it into a sawmill for the cutting and sale of tonewoods for musical instrument making. Alois Sandner completed his apprenticeship in this company and in the course of the expulsion from the Czech Republic after the 2nd WW the family moved to Bavaria. In Kalchreuth he maintained a warehouse for the trade in musical instruments and made guitars with the help of homeworkers. The company traded under the name "Alois Sandner". In 1953 he moved to Bubenreuth, where many other sold instrument makers had settled. In the newly built residential building were next to the living rooms and workshop rooms in which the instruments, mostly guitars, were built. The collaboration with national artists, such as René Carol or Vico Torriani, promoted the sale of the guitars and made for a wide publicity. In 1956, the workshop was closed and Alois Sandner focused on the trade in musical instruments. On 13.11.1984 Alois Sandner died at the age of 75. This picture shows the famous singer and entertainer Vicco Torrianibei visiting the ALOSA workshop. Vicco Torriani has e.g. played an ALOSA Classical Guitar in his movie "Guitars of Love". The Lord left
is again Alois Sandner. Parts of the text and the image of the "pond mill" is a summary of the website ALOIS SANDNER.
According to Alois Sandner, more detailed information about the ALOSA guitars will be available on the company website in the future!.

After the statement of Mr. Friedrich (Gima / Voss) Alois Sandner also bought at GIMA and also acted with Höfner guitars. There is an old catalog from the time of Schönbach, from which it is clear that Alois Sandner had already traded with guitars back then. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for this catalog. Mr. Karl Gerold Hannach (formerly at Hoyer) told me that one of ALOSA's master luthiers was a Mr. Weidner. Mr. Weidner married the daughter of KLIRA boss Otto-Josef-Klier. He then moved to Klira, where he led the guitar production. From this time on Klira built more guitars and the traditional violin production went back. As a merchant, who used to trade with tonewoods and guitars, Alois Sandner was a skilled businessman who, like many others, had good relationships with supplier companies and homeworkers and, on the other hand, addressed his customers early on with advertising and trade fairs.

The picture with the exhibition stand shows the product range of the company Alois Sandner in the 50s.He drove a wide range of guitar models. From the simple laminated guitar, with pressed blankets and bottoms, to extremely high-quality percussion guitar models made from solid wood. The entire spectrum rounded off stringed instruments such as mandolins, zithers and basses. A series of the highest quality guitar models has a significant feature: In addition to the two usual sound holes in F or sickle shape they have a third, diamond-shaped, soundhole at the end of the neck.