Instruments of war: The impact of World War II on the American musical instrument industry

The war effort of the United States and the subsequent restrictions and laws enforced by the federal government during the WWII time period had a tremendous impact on the manufacture of musical instruments. The skilled work force, factories, and abundance of raw materials previously used to produce musical instruments became integral to the war effort, while production of non-necessities and luxury items, such as musical instruments, was limited. After the passing of Restrictive Measure L-37 and L-37-a, instruments could no longer contain more than 10-percent metal. Consequently, most instrument making ground to a halt. Many manufacturers converted to war production while others were forced to find creative ways to redesign instruments in compliance with the new laws.;This thesis is the first extensive study of musical instrument production during the WWII time period. Through an examination of the laws and regulations passed by the federal government before and during WWII, a better understanding of its affect on the entire industry will be established and a timeline of the various restrictions placed on instrument manufacturing will be presented. This timeline highlights (1) the government's desire to maintain the musical instrument industry while encouraging the industry to convert to war work, (2) the struggle of the industry to maintain production throughout the war period, and (3) the impact of WWII in the post-war years. Extant musical instruments, period war production items, and archival sources document the instrument manufacturers' conversion to war-time production and the incorporation of new designs in order to fit within government regulations.