By those times, Schmidt expanded its range of products, also making banjo and guitars. By 1903, the production of mandolins outstripped production of zithers. In 1900, Schmidt bought out the company, taking total control. Schmidt established distributors in several cities of Europe and also in South Africa and Australia.

The success of the guitar zithers by Menzenhauer & Schmidt spread not only throughout the US but worldwide. Having realised the potential of Menzenhauer's invention, Schmidt partnered with him in 1896, forming together the Menzenhauer & Schmidt Company, therefore expanding the factory and enjoying commercial success. Menzenhauer, who had a factory in the same city and had developed a fretless guitar zither. History Īt the same time, he was buying guitar zithers from another German immigrant and manufacturer, W.F. Music Corp, a subsidiary of Canadian corporate group Exertis | JAM. Oscar Schmidt is currently a brand of U.S. Products currently sold under the Oscar Schmidt brand are electric, acoustic and classical guitars, autoharps, banjos, ukuleles and mandolins. Through its history, the company has changed its name several times, selling under the names 'Oscar Schmidt Inc.,' 'Oscar Schmidt Musical House,' 'Manufacturers Advertising Company,' 'Oscar Schmidt-International Corporation,' and 'Oscar Schmidt-International, Inc.'. During its long existence, Oscar Schmidt has produced a wide range of string instruments, not only guitars but also numerous models of parlour instruments such as autoharps, celtic harps, guitar zithers, the 'guitarophone' (a zither/metal-disc playing hybrid), marxophones and bowed psalterys (or 'ukelins'). Oscar Schmidt was a musical instrument manufacturing company established in 1871.

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