revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 18 May 09 - 02:53 AM

Someone broke into Bill Monroe's house, very likely a rejected lover, and trashed two Gibson mandolins with a poker, it took Gibsons best repairman the late Charlie Derrington six months to repair Bill's Lloyd Loar.

Dave H

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Peace
Date: 17 May 09 - 10:13 PM

Way way back a fellow from Switzerland was playing the fenorten--an archaic instrument--and you must blow into both ends at the same time. His fenorten partner was sick that night, so Ernie decided to go it alone--well, just him and the harp player. Anyway, in a particularly frenzied piece of the music, Ernie tripped, fell and went through the harp.

For any concerned souls, Ernie can be visited in the Montreal General Hospital, rooms 17 through 60. Get well soon, Ernie.

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: JennieG
Date: 17 May 09 - 09:55 PM

I haven't heard the Bill Monroe story?

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 17 May 09 - 11:50 AM

Reminiscent of the story I heard from another banjo picker back in the 50s—apocryphal or not? dunno—maybe just an urban legend—

Seems a "wife" (more likely girlfriend?) of Woody Guthrie's back in Oklahoma in the 1930s before Woody took off for California hated his pickin' around on a banjo he had in the house so much that she cut all the strings.

Hmm, those strings.

Yeah, kind of scary, huh? I'd have taken off for California too. Maybe not stopped there, just kept on goin'. That'd give anybody the wanderlust, especially knowing more intimate strings, some dark moonless night, might be next.

But like I say, I've no idea whether the story was true. Haven't seen it in any of the Guthrie bio material I've happened across. Did Woody ever even have a banjo?

Could just be somebody's terrorized fever dream. Or a version of the Bill Monroe story. Any picker, banjo or not, is bound to vibrate to it, though.

Bob

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 17 May 09 - 02:50 AM

It's a bit of a joke really if you see what was done to Bill Monroe's mandolins by a supposedly vengeful lover, I'd settle for losing the strings.

A friend of mine and his wife had a row and in revenge she went to break his fishing rods, the first one she grabbed was a 6 foot solid fibreglass boat rod, try as she might she couldn't break it, she gave up after 15 minutes.

Dave H

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 17 May 09 - 01:17 AM

This thread title really gives me the heebie-jeebis.

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Willie-O
Date: 16 May 09 - 03:40 PM

"The accused said to the complainer that the guitars were more important to him than any relationship."

I don't get it. Of course they were... What's the story here?

I guess she couldn't find any lighter fluid!

W-O

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Melissa
Date: 16 May 09 - 02:09 PM

My first guitar came from a household where the man had a guitar and a gun--which the woman thought he was too fond of--so when I got the guitar, it had a big crack...where she had poked it with the barrel.

On the other hand, I've been offered $50 (and the loan of a clipper) to walk over and cut someone's strings.
It's tempting!

Subject: RE: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Jeri
Date: 16 May 09 - 10:50 AM

Yeah, Jack. It could have been worse! There might have been a hammer involved.

Subject: revenge is cutting his Ernie Balls off
From: Jack Campin
Date: 16 May 09 - 10:45 AM

Jealous woman takes a pair of cutters to her boyfriend's treasures:

BBC story on the guitar-snipper from Aberdeen