BS: New Guitar Anyone?

Subject: New Guitar Anyone?
From: sian, west wales
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 07:40 AM

Just saw this in the Globe and Mail:

*Country-music musicians are offered a limited supply of guitars made partly from oak pews of the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Only 243 such guitars are being made by Ryman; they cost $6,250 (U.S.) each.*

sian

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 09:58 AM

Well, shut my mouth. Just let me get my bank draft...I'll take all of them...

But I wonder about the playability of oak...would that be a good wood to make guitars out of? Of course, those that buy one aren't really going to be worried about that. It's the historical and nostalgic significance that warrants the price, I imagine. If nothing else, it would probably be a good investment for a collector - the majority of musicians I know aren't going to have a spare $6,250.00 to blow on something that they wouldn't want to take to the local smoke-filled, beer drenched honky-tonk.

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: Willie-O
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 11:11 AM

"made by Ryman"--like in Ryman Auditorium where the Opry was held? And they make guitars? For six grand U.S. I'd at least want to know who the luthier was...

But here's another bargain you might want to snap up, say if you have successfully plundered the assets of a small oil-rich country, or found Bill Gates' PIN number and bank card....offered by Elderly Instruments:

MARTIN D-45 (1942) photos VG-EC except 2 repaired pickguard cracks and one hairline 2-1/2" crack repaired behind the bridge, this most rare and desirable prewar Martin was originally bought and played by hillbilly singing cowboy Smiley Maxedon, who can be heard to great advantage on the Columbia anthology "Hillbilly Boogie!" (our stock number COLU-CD53940, selling for $10.95) singing "Give Me a Red Hot Mama and an Ice Cold Beer", recorded on October 9, 1953, almost certainly using this as his rhythm guitar. The guitar features Brazilian rosewood sides and back, Adirondack spruce top, scalloped braces, tortoise plastic pickguard, original closed back nickel tuners with butterbean buttons, finest abalone on every border of the top, back and sides, as well as around the soundhole and the endpiece that surrounds the endpin, bound ebony fretboard with hexagonal abalone inlays, w-b-w-bound headstock with abalone block letter "C.F. MARTIN" logo, 45-style mosaic marquetry backstrip, no cracks except those mentioned above. Recent neck reset, refret, and new bridge, some finish touchup on the top and back of neck - all work professionally done. Also added is a set of fossil ivory bridge pins and endpin. Smiley was pretty lucky to get this guitar, since it was the first produced in the second of three batches of D-45s made in 1942, after which the model was discontinued! There were only 91 prewar D-45 guitars ever made, and we are confident that this is one of the best remaining - it sounds GREAT, with a very balanced (not over-bassy) sound, plays like a dream, and even includes the OHSC and a nice autographed photo of Smiley holding this guitar. On consignment. (SN:81578) 10U-2736.....$160,000.00

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 11:16 AM

Yes, a snip, you do get a photo thrown in as well!
RtS
:o)

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: Willie-O
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 11:24 AM

I wonder how much it would be without the photo...

(who the hell is Smiley Maxedon?)

Willie-O
Broke as usual

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 11:33 AM

I imagine that the Oak would be used more for decorative purposes as the tendency toward cracking is very high and it has never been a suitable wood for instrument construction.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 11:35 AM

Smiley Maxedon - wasn't he one of the singing dinosaurs?

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: Willie-O
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 12:06 PM

Actually I think we've probably never heard of Smiley Maxedon because some Martin collector paid a couple of thugs to knock him off his horse in some lonesome holler and steal his D-45.

Or I dunno, maybe they traded him six Colt 45's for one D-45, seemed like a good swap at the time.

WO

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 12:19 PM

Oak don't glue, and it's oily too

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: Lanfranc
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 06:55 PM

I've just decided on a new project. I will go to the Troubadour in Earls Court, London and buy a couple of their old oak pews (going price GBP 200 at most). At one time or other they must have been sat on by Bob Dylan, Martin Carthy, Paul Simon, Tom Paxton and virtually everyone who was everyone in the London folk scene of the 60's and 70's of the last century.

I will then commission Taylor (who made a guitar out of a pallet, so they have the technology) to make them into a limited edition of, say, twenty guitars, which can then be sold for USD 50,000 each.

Would any venture capitalist Mudcatter care to send me a certified cheque for, say, USD 500,000 as seed capital for this project?

Thought not. Oak would be the basis of a useless guitar, and even USD 5,000 is too much to pay for a guitar.

Now, for coffins (caskets) .......

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: gillymor
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 07:29 PM

I remember reading an article about that Taylor guitar made from an oak pallet and, according to Bob Taylor anyway, it was a viable instrument and judging by the picture quitely lovely, with a forklift inlaid on the headstock.

Subject: RE: BS: New Guitar Anyone?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 26 Jul 00 - 05:43 PM

No thanks, I'm trying to give them up! And I never could eat a whole one anyway! Quack!