Norton's other new baby....

Subject: Norton's other new baby....
From: Ferrara
Date: 12 May 02 - 01:44 AM

Well, the sbarj ranch has two new arrivals right now, the colt that arrived this week and the Gurian guitar that will arrive next Tuesday or so.

Steve played my Gurian for a couple of hours while he was here and I told him -- as I tell everybody -- that I was trying to sell it. Well. It's a lovely guitar and it's on its way to Mountain Home, Idaho right now.

Bill put up some pics of the guitar. I can't find my copy of HTML for Dummies, and Bill is asleep, so can't turn this into a blue clicky thing, but the photos are here:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=822408&uid=511156

There's also a nice website about Gurian Guitars:

http://www.guitarre.com/gurian/

I thought I'd say a little about what is a Gurian guitar, because they're not terribly well known.

All Gurians were hand made in a small workshop in New Hampshire. Michael Gurian was the designer. He had his own philosophy about how he wanted his guitars to sound. Only about a thousand of them were made. A workshop fire closed him down eventually.

My Gurian (whoops, Steve's Gurian) is Number JR-C1562. The JR stands for "Jumbo Rosewood." It was handpicked, and possibly specially ordered, for a friend of the owners of the Guitar Shop in Washington DC. They said they asked for a lot of extra set-up work on it that helped account for its good sound.

A few years after Pam bought it, she offered it to me because she knew I loved it and she was ready to sell it. I sold the Gurian I already had, and bought this one.

The top is gorgeous. It's fine grained spruce (?) with lots of cross grain, sort of like curly maple, very resonant. The sound should get better and better as Steve plays it, I haven't played it nearly enough in the past 10 years.

The back is gorgeous too. Rosewood. What else do I need to say?

But it's really not eye candy. It's a unique guitar that sounds great. Not flashy, but real nice.

The label says "Gurian workshops, Earth, Third Planet from the Sun." I remember a Gurian poster with a photo of the entire workshop staff, including Gurian's wife and kids, and I seem to remember some chickens and a goat or two in the picture. The folks in the photo were wearing a nice collection of musical instruments, and as far as you could see, absolutely nothing else.

I don't now what that says about Michael Gurian, but it does give you the picture that maybe both he and his guitars were a bit unconventional....

I heard that Gurian was not interested in building guitars with a heavy, booming bass. He was more interested in a good balance across the entire range: bass, midrange and treble. The Jumbos are a bit deeper front to back than a lot of guitars. The neck is a bit narrow and has a deep curve underneath.

I also heard that part of his philosophy, was to try to build a steel string guitar that sounded good with classical music. May be fakelore, though.

I think it has a beautiful, bell-like sound. The high end rings, but it's not at all shrill. Hard to describe the sound of a guitar.

I'm going to be nervous until Steve and Jan have it safe in their home. Let's just hope he still likes it as well as he remembers....

Rita

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Bill D
Date: 12 May 02 - 11:09 AM

for those who are jes' too blamed lazy to copy & paste, *grin*...here is a blue clicky thing directly to the page

(I sure hope that foal likes guitar music...)

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 May 02 - 12:36 PM

Happy days out there huh? I'm so glad steve got the guitar (and the foal) as you get a lot better feeling giving it up to someone you know huh?

You should have shipped it by 'Catter Slowgo Express..........Kath was heading this way, passes off to me and I take it to Wyowoman who carries it to Leej who passes of to kat and.............Ought to arrive about 2005.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Bill D
Date: 12 May 02 - 04:10 PM

shoot...if everyone got to play it, maybe we coulda doubled the price with extra bids..*grin*,,,,but 'ol Norton was too smart and the money ahead. (And is having fun following the progress thru UPS tracking #...it ought be about to Wyoming by now...Mudcat tracking might a bit more ummmm...interesting

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 13 May 02 - 09:47 AM

Well the Gurian left Denver a couple of days ago - "In Transit" to Boise. It's scheduled to deliver on Tuesday so the latest I should see it will be this Wednesday. I have no doubt that it will play and sound just as I remember it. I just hope that Rita doesn't go into withdrawals over her not having it anymore.

I kinda liked Spaw's idea about having it delivered from person to person. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! NOT! Nice idea Ol' Friend but I think a three year wait would be a killer.

Well - back to work on this end - BTW - Our other little guy is doing great. Bouncing around and giving his mother fits.

Steve

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 13 May 02 - 09:57 AM

Three year wait? I just had a look at the photo and believe me I think it'd be a much better guitar for having travelled overseas and seen a bit of the world. Still, England's not so far away these days...should only add a year or two!

Pete

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 May 02 - 10:04 AM

Sure, I'd be glad to pass it on, after the mandatory purchasing background check and waiting period.


Looks and sounds as though it's a real gem and I love the description of the poster, Rita! Congrats, Steve...have fun!

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 13 May 02 - 05:58 PM

UPS - OOPS - Well my Gurian sat in Denver for two bleeping days. Finally left there for Boise and ended up in Salt Lake City this morning. Left there today for Boise - but I have no idea what is between here and there. Wahhhh wahhhhh wahhhhhh - dial 1-800-$#%-(&^% - but other than that I am fine and hopefully my new sweetie is also -

Steve

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 May 02 - 06:34 PM

Like I said Steve, next time consider the 'Catter Slowgo Express.....another fine service offered by the Mudcat. (and the fine folks at LFPS)

Spaw

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 13 May 02 - 08:07 PM

Left Boise and went to Salt Lake City and now you think it's on its way back to Boise?

You'd better let me know what your address is...!

LOL

Pete Bromham, Bedfordshire, England

PS. Strings are a bit heavy for me, so I'm gonnna put some 11s on it. PPS. This is much more fun than Dionne's way out. PPPS. I was going to say 12s, but I think 11s will cause more controversy!

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 14 May 02 - 02:29 PM

The Gurian is sitting in my living room. Arrived about 2 hours after I left for work this morning. Go figure. So as soon as work is where I can split I'm going home -

Steve

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Ferrara
Date: 14 May 02 - 04:39 PM

YAAAAAAAYYYYY!

PLEASE tell me it arrived safely, unchipped and uncracked!!! Oh it is so scary to send a guitar off like that -- like putting your 10 year old on a plane by herself. You know the nice people have promised to take care of her, but still you worry!

Rita

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Bill D
Date: 14 May 02 - 05:57 PM

well, **I** packed it, they would have had to turn the truck over to hurt it!...(still...it's always nice to KNOW..)

have a nice evening, Steve...don't ferget yer chores, now...

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 15 May 02 - 03:10 PM

The Gurian is just as you shipped it. I played it a bunch last night. I put new strings on it and adjusted the saddle a bit (I think it may have been put in backwards at some time) and it is so loud! Janet told me it hurt her ears when I really laid into it! What a dreamboat of a guitar!

And I think my guitars are getting renamed - it would be Mr. G and Ms. Mose. Both guitars were built in the same year. Ms. Mose is definetely the feminine of the two. My friend was over and fell in love with Mr. G also - offered to give me my money back on the spot - NOT!

So Bill D gets an "A" in packing and UPS gets an "A" in delivery. The cardboard box you put around it didn't have a mark on it - everyone who put their hands on this instrument did so carefully. And Rita gets an "A+" from me for being willing to part with Mr. G after so many years of ownership.

So onward and upwards - What a trip - and JenEllen and the crew at the July gathering will be the first Catters to actually see and hear Mr. G in all his prime -

Steve *MHGOF*

Subject: RE: Norton's other new baby....
From: Bill D
Date: 15 May 02 - 06:51 PM

"it hurt her ears when I really laid into it"

...well, you can play out behind the barn in warm weather..*grin*

glad it is still what you thought and doing well. I guess it is where it belongs---that is always a good thing!

*feeling a bit smug for going downstairs and bringing it up when you were here*