Josh White guitar

Subject: Josh White guitar
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 18 Aug 11 - 04:21 PM

There was a segment on the PBS show HISTORY DETECTIVES
about a guitar made for Josh White.
Josh White guitar


There is an extended interview with his son, Josh White Jr.
Josh White Jr interview

Best wishes, Thomas.

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 04 Jan 25 - 11:55 PM

Josh White (Sr.) had some influence on me. His guitar was the classical style, because the usual steel stringed guitar has a narrow neck that didn't fit his fingers; but he strung it with steel strings for that sound.

I was intrigued when Ovation started making guitars with a plastic body. One of their models was the Josh White, with a wide neck and steel strings.

I was too cheap to afford an Ovation or any other real quality ax, but I found one at the store which had possibilities. It was a made-in-China classic style guitar with the wide neck, so I could try out Josh's organization - if the higher tension of steel strings busted it, not much lost.

It turns out that the guitar is not a traditional Chinese instrument, and this particular one would give somebody the idea that they did not know what it was supposed to do. It was unplayable. The neck was fastened on leaning back a few degrees so that the strings were laying flat on the frets! The folks at the guitar store were probly amazed that somebody bought it.

After some thinks, I ran it thru the table saw and cut the neck loose from the body. I kept the saw blade low so it only cut the heel, not the fretboard. This rendered the neck so it was pretty much floppy. I put a bolt thru the heel into the body. I figured after I got it adjusted to the good angle and all, I could fill the cut with epoxy or something.

Then I put the strings on and tuned it up. I was a little worried at this point, for the higher tension was pulling the bridge so it was actually leaning over and the top was curled pretty severely, but it didn't break. And it sounded really good. And my fat fingers could get the shapes.

I call it my "rescue guitar". You can hear and see it at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUrtuVD72l4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TqskPGARo

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: GUEST,PHJim
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 06:25 AM

Pappy Fiddle,
While Josh Sr.'s guitar did have a slotted peg-head and a 12 fret neck, it was not a classical guitar. His 1943 Martin 00-21 was X braced with a pin bridge and was made for steel strings.
Josh did own an Ovation Josh White model, but he preferred the Martin and seldom played the Ovation.

I never saw Josh Sr. live, but I did see Josh Jr. a few times during the Great Folk Scare of the Sixties, when he was still playing without a strap and with his right foot up on a chair so his guitar could rest on his lap, the way his dad did.

I was sorry to hear that Josh Jr. passed last week. RIP Josh.

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: GUEST,Mike Yates
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 09:15 AM

I saw Josh White perform at Manchester's Free Trad Hall many, many years ago. At one point, while he was playing and singing, his top E string broke, He didn't stop, but simply reached into his pocket, pulled out a new string, and rethreaded it onto the guitar. And all whilst he was still singing and playing the guitar. Needless to say I was pretty impressed. Years later I mentioned this to a friend who had known White, only to be told that it was all part of his act and he did the same at every performance! What a performer.

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 10:08 PM

Well, they say a good way to get info is to put out some false info and people correct it. I honestly thought it was a classical guitar.

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 06 Jan 25 - 06:14 PM

Yup, I saw Josh White do that same trick in Glasgow in about 1959. He had filed a notch in the string so it would break when he put the right kind of tension on it.
My memory is that he did not keep playing, but said he would have to do an unaccompanied song now while restringing.

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: GUEST,PHJim
Date: 06 Jan 25 - 11:14 PM

That's not an easy thing to do with a slotted headstock.

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 07 Jan 25 - 04:24 AM

Impressive possibly but, a few years ago, I was sitting on the second row at a John Jorgenson concert. He and his band launched into their final number, a tune which is mainly played on the top E string. About four bars in, it snapped. Did he stop, no. Did he replace it, no. He simply carried on by transposing the whole piece one string down and five frets up and I think I might have been the only person who noticed!

Subject: RE: Josh White guitar
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 08 Jan 25 - 11:53 PM

Its funny. Guitars can be such bastard little instruments to tune.I spend fruitless hours buggering about trying to get agreement between the six little monsters.

Actually making problems for yourself!!!!!
Some people live in another universe.