A further bit of history . . .
Steve Carlson made his 1st musical instruments in early 1980, when he founded The Flatiron Mandolin Company, 45 years ago. Ironically, the same year Keith McMillen was working on his 1st electric violin.
In late 1981, following the production of over 1,300 mandolins, he tooled up the first Flatiron mandola and octave mandolins.
By 1984 Steve had finished tooling the carved top A5 and F5 mandolins, and the Flatiron company found a firm footing and broad acceptance in the marketplace.
In 1985 he finished tooling Flatiron Banjos and the company was renamed Flatiron Mandolin and Banjo Company.
In 1987 Steve sold Flatiron to the Gibson Guitar Company and from 1987 to the end of 1993 he worked for Gibson in various capacities.
Initially Steve tooled and put into production Gibson F5 and A5 Mandolins . . . then Gibson Banjo necks, resonators and pots.
In late 1988 he took over the Gibson acoustic guitar production and moved that entire operation to Montana, building the Gibson acoustic guitar plant in Bozeman, where he began retooling the J-200 and other historic Gibson models.
He left Gibson in late 1993 and founded an engineering and manufacturing firm which produced musical instrument parts and components for O.E.M. manufacturers in the music industry. This company, NC Solutions flourished until it’s closure in 2024.
On April 12, 2012, Steve Carlson and Dennis Balian purchased all assets of ZETA Music Systems Corporation. The move to ZETA’s new home . . . Belgrade, Montana . . . was accomplished by June 1st of that same year. The next year was spent retooling all aspects of ZETA instrument production, including the flagship ‘Fusion’ and ‘Modern’ violin bodies and necks.
Bridge construction was also retooled with numerous prototypes built and tested . . . perfecting and improving the process . . . while at the same time assuring the ZETA sound was not lost or compromised. And so . . . a new chapter for ZETA Violins began.
The next dozen years saw steady production of ZETA's standard models as well as countless custom models with fancy top and back woods, trans-colors, fretted, inlay, etc. Studio pictures taken of all . . . anticipating a new ZETA website someday . . . showcasing these options.
Fast forward to 2025 . . . 13 years and 1,200 violins later . . . ZETA remains the leader in high quality electric violins.
Carlson often muses the cyclic nature of all things embodied in . . . ‘The Journey’ . . . ending, but beginning, while continuing.
Enjoy if you will our recently built ZETA #1,000 . . . featuring Spalted Flame Maple top, Ebony Trim and Parts . . . with Red Abalone and Mother of Pearl inlay, hand cut and inset in a classical motif.
ZETA Violins, LLC
116 High K Street, Belgrade, MT 59714
406-600-7510
scarlson@zetaviolins.com
