A Brief History of the Bay State Guitar

Bay State was the brand name of high end acoustic guitars created by the John C. Haynes Company, which was founded in 1865 in Boston, Massachusetts. The John C. Haynes Company manufactured and sold guitars under several brand names, one of which was Bay State, in honor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His chief luthier was Pehr A. Anderberg.

A Swedish immigrant, Pehr A. Anderberg came to America during the Civil War, worked in New York City, and later (circa 1880) moved to Somerville, near Boston, and and began making guitars exclusively for the John C. Haynes Company in a shop on Fremont Street. The shop on Fremont Street became a training ground for several extremely talented musical instrument makers, including Swedish born Julius Nelson, his brother Carl, and a group of associates including C.A. Sundberg, John Pahn and Johyn Swenson who ultimately founded the Vega Banjo Company. However, it was Anderberg who supervised the actual construction of all the Haynes brand instruments, including the Bay State brand. During this period Julius Nelson served as shop foreman of guitar and mandolin manufacturing at Anderberg’s shop. Together they created some of the finest early American guitars.

At some point before 1890, John C. Haynes & Co. bought Anderberg out and took charge of the guitar factory. At that time the factory employed about twenty five men, first on Sudbury St., opposite Court St., then at 72 Purchase St. and later on Stanhope St. Pehr Anderberg left the John C. Haynes Company in 1892 and continued to make guitars on his own which were called "Pullmann". Pehr Anderberg died February 9, 1932.

Bay State guitars from that era are known for their fine wood and intricate inlays and bridges although Bay State also constructed plain unadorned instruments. All guitars were gut string since, of course, steel strings were not widely known or used until the 1920’s. Of course, the guitars did not have truss rods or reinforcements of any kind in the neck.

The John C. Haynes Company, an original offshoot of the Oliver Ditson Company, Incorporated, was reunited with the Ditson Company in about 1900. At that time all manufacturing of Haynes guitars (including Bay State) were transferred for a very short time to a new facility in the rear of Boston’s Pope Bicycle Building.

This facility was sold to Vega Banjo when Haynes discontinued the business not long after the turn of the century. Haynes subsequently died on May 3, 1907. The first era of the Bay State guitar had come to an end.

Back to "About Us"