The two main Czech instrument makers were Drevokov and CSHN, therefore my money is certainly on one of these two manufacturers as the makers of the original Egmond Hi Spots. In conclusion it begs the question that an associated factory possibly in Luby, Czechoslovakia may have been the makers of some the early Egmond Hi Spots especially when the comparison is made with some Lignatone parlour guitars of that era. There does appear to be some slight similarity to these older 1950’s Hi Spots and the later Tatra Hi Spots of the 1970’s which had classical head-stocks. One strong possibility is that the Egmond Hi Spot was made in Czechoslovakia as the brand was continued into the 1970’s by Tatra after Egmond’s production and dominance of the European market place began to falter in the mid 1970’s.Īs is often the case there is no definitive or comprehensive history of many of these cheaper banded guitars which adds to their allure as small musical gems. Egmond who were one of the largest instrument makers in Europe must have used outsourcing from other factories to keep up with demand for their multi label branded instruments. The Hi Spot brand was a subsidiary brand of the Egmond company in Holland (Netherlands) who produced (or subcontracted to other instrument makers) a multitude of other brands which included Alfesta, Alex, Caledonie, Estrada,Roderick Paesold, and Orpheum to name but a few.Īlthough the Egmond Hi Spot branded 3/4 sized parlour guitar was reputedly the export model equivalent to the all birch Egmond ‘Toledo 2’ the Hi Spot may well have been manufactured by a sub-contracted maker such was the demand for affordable guitars during that time.

via the distributor Rosetti and were ideal as entry level instruments for learners especially in the skiffle & rock & roll era. A great little six string survivor from the guitar boom of the 1950’s & 1960’s when these budget priced small portable guitars first appeared in large numbers in the U.K.

Egmond acoustic guitar serial numbers