Jan Burda's Guitars

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 10:04 AM

i have a dove made by jan and ann in april of 1980 when they were at hogeye music in evanston. believe its # 00092 cant make it out clearly. its a curly maple body, 3 piece hickory neck and cedar top with martin fret inlays and headpiece inlay by ann. has a very soft voice and may need new bridges.i cant play anymore due to a blown disc in my neck that effected my ability to hold things tightly {no strength in my hands} due to nerve damage so its been sitting for about 10 yrs. to nice a guitar to just give or sell to anyone that doesnt know what they have or are getting. I'm in dallas ga {nw of atlanta about 40 miles}. if anyone is interested in it contact me at jmonday375@ comcast.net

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,Jay Riley
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 09:36 PM

My dad was a buddy of Jan's. Unfortunately, I've never met him, nor have I had the pleasure of playing one of his guitars. I'd also love to hear some feedback on these. Cheers.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,tigger
Date: 18 Oct 11 - 08:07 AM

I gather that you knew Rick Curtis in Indiana;I knew him in Fort Wayne when he played at a coffee house there. Anyone know what happened to him or whether there are any recordings?Fantastic guitar with great selection of songs.Thanks.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,Jim Elrod, South Bend, IN
Date: 22 May 11 - 08:33 PM

I own a Berda guitar. #109. Cherry side, back and neck, spruce top. Great instrument.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,jeff
Date: 05 Feb 11 - 05:20 PM

Like the above poster Jan built me a guitar w/my name signed on the underside of the top along w/his. It was a Ditson(Martin) dreadnaught w/walnut sides and 3 piece back.

Red cedar top w/a rosewood pickguard and headstock veneer. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. Scalloped bracing and 'squared' headstock like the old time Martins not rounded off like the more modern ones. Would be referred to as an 'S' model.

Maple and herringbone binding. Standard Martin rosette. The most telling identification is the inlay. It's got the symbols for 'Man, Woman, Birth, Death and Infinity' down the fretboard. Don't know WHAT I was thinking at the time, but there you go.

It was completed in 1982 and I sold it at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago on consignment in 1989-90. The store's name was 'The Different Strummer'. It's reputed to have been purchased by Nate Herman a former writer of the play 'Great Jogging Liberals' and SNL fame. If anyone reading this thread recognizes the guitar described here, please be so kind as to post back.

I sold it at a time when I needed the money badly. Sure would like to have it back as it was made to my specs. Thank you. Jeff

PS: Outside of the "Eagle Headstock' the description of the guitar above at 'Front Porch Guitars' sounds very similar to the one Jan built for me. 'Jumbo, walnut sides and back, 'didn't like the inlay'. All of those statements ring true re the one I had. Thanks again.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,Phil F.
Date: 22 Oct 10 - 05:29 PM

Jan built me a guitar in 1969 in Toronto to my specs....Brazilian Rosewood, 3 piece back, ebony fingerboard with inlay and spruce top. It went missing at a gig in the early 1970's and I've been looking for it ever since. My name was on Jan's label inside. I'd pay a reward to see it again. Its been a lot of years...but between that and my 1967 Strat...sigh!

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From:
Date: 02 Feb 06 - 08:08 AM

I bought a beautiful 000 Burda guitar about 8 years ago from Jim Craig at Hogeye up in Evanston, IL. I hadn't seen Jan in about 10 years previous to that, but I remembered how great a luthier he was, so when I saw this guitar hanging on the wall, I grabbed it. It is almost exactly the same size as a rare 1961 Martin 00028c that I played for a long time, but sounds much better and louder too! I spoke to Jim Craig the other day and he said Jan is still up in Michigan and still building them!

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Big Mick
Date: 13 Nov 05 - 04:13 PM

Jan is easy to find. He is owns/runs a music shop in Berrien Springs, MI on W. Ferry St. When I was union organizing on a nursing home in the area I would stop and shoot the breeze with him quite often. I am sure he would be happy to hear from you.

J. Burda Guitars
105 W Ferry St
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
[phone]

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,K M Moreland
Date: 13 Nov 05 - 01:41 PM

Haven't thought about this for a long time. I was a 17 year old high school senior in Goshen, Indiana, about to head out for college when I sold the well played Harmony Sovereign I had banged on for eight years, got my best friend Steve Harris, who played great guitar and bass, and we drove up into the wilds of Michigan on a road-trip to find the guy we had heard (from Rick Curtis, a fine guitarist and folk singer from our area who went on to pen the Steven Stills classic "Southern Cross") was making great Dreadnaught style guitars in a geodesic dome somewhere up there. This guy was named Jan Burda, and we had his number scrawled on the back of a napkin. Needless to say, I was inspired.

Seeing as how it was 1971, and we were good, practicing hippie-boys, you can imagine the road trip became an epic road "trip", leaving town after a "mental adjustment", becoming helplessly lost, gorging at a local Dog & Suds drive-in somewhere around St. Joe Harbor, Mich, finding our way, losing it again, night falls, we call the dome, nice woman gives us directions for the third time, numerous stops to "clear our heads", finally arriving late and addled up a rural drive in Steve's flat-black 1969 Plymouth Fury with the cop-car Eliminator package roaring. The gentle woman greeted us, served us something. A somewhat skeptical (of us?!) man named Jan showed us a number of guitars that were in the process of being built. Steve and I played his for an hour, I gave him half the money up front in cash to finish a big Dreadnaught for me, and left to find our confused but happy way back to Goshen.

One month later I made the return trip to the dome with the lovely (and famously leggy) Carol Mayse, paid the balance, drank the beer we had brought, shared some of the local "inspiration" we had brought along, and eventually came home with the biggest acoustic guitar I had ever seen, let alone played! He even threw in the Martin hard case!

Many years and much playing and knocking around later, the beautiful DOVE guitar Jan Burda made for me is sadly gathering dust in the beat up free case in which Jan sent it off with me. I wish I could say it was in mint condition, but it really could use some work. Have played a fine guitar made in 1978 by Tom Rein, luthier formerly of Lexington, KY, now thought to be in Virginia somewhere. But, lately, I've wished I could find Jan Burda and have him repair and refurbish the old DOVE again. It had a huge sound that I miss, plus all the years from '71 to '81 associated with it.

Thought I'd share this, to add to the "stories" mentioned earlier.

KMM

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Candyman(inactive)
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 03:17 PM

Jan and Anne Hills-Burda made an album (LP) on Hogeye Records.

That LP was called "The Panic Is On." It was combined with an Anne Hills' LP, "Don't Explain," as a CD called "Don't Panic," on Flying Fish and now available through Rounder.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Art Thieme
Date: 07 Aug 03 - 09:07 PM

Chris,

I don't have any info on the politics of the mix. But they were equal partners then----musical and matrimonial. The mix was possibly decided with those realities in mind.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Chris in Wheaton
Date: 07 Aug 03 - 12:26 PM

Art - I've always wondered about the mix for some of the recorded Anne and Jan duets. Anne obviously has the stonger voice, but were there any thoughts on balancing the voices more?
I've heard Anne singing Sylvia's part on Wild Geese so many times that I have difficulty switching to Ian's part. But it is still one of my favorite songs.
Anyhow, they did some great songs and I think have seen a cd reissue.
Speaking of great Chicago recordings- I have most of my scratchy Redhead lp on mp3 and sure wish they could have made more recordings.
Chris

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Art Thieme
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 06:42 PM

Mick,

Go right ahead and tell 'em. If I can add to the tales, I will. I've not heard from or of Jan in many moons. I ought to remedy that pretty quick.----- But what did he say about my records and Satanic messages when played backwards??????? That's an episode I have no recollections of.

There's a photo of me and the group on the back of a Hills-Burda record. I think I'm holding a musical saw and a stuffed "jack-a-lope" !!! But I only sang backup on one song and never played the saw on that record. BUT one review, when it first came out, said what a great job of saw playing I did on it. I suspect I could tell a few Burda tales too.

Art

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 10:59 PM

Andrew Calhoun used to play one of Jan's guitars as well. I recall it sounding pretty good. I played on it once and liked it.

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Mudlark
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 02:09 AM

I've never personally played a Dove guitar, but I saw Anne Hills in concert playing hers...a wonderful instument with a voice as rich as hers...she was very fond of this guitar and credited the maker....

Subject: RE: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Big Mick
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 10:27 PM

How are you, John? It has been too long since we have talked. Let me know when you are in Michigan again, OK?

No, I didn't make the Shady Grove Festival, but Jan did. He said it was mostly Old Timey this year and that they had some great fiddlin' going on. I will make this one next year, absolutely.   I think they need some Uilleann pipin' to round things out.

Drop me a line at [e-mail] and let me know when you are headed this way. Lunch is on me.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: John Hardly
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 10:12 PM

HEy Mick,

Were you at the Shady Grove Music Festival this past weekend? I just heard about it from a banjo player I jam with regularly -- he said that Gellert would prolly be there and he was hoping to get up there and sit in for a while. Also said Burda would be there (hence my question).

Front Porch Music had a real nice Martin style jumbo Burda -- Walnut back and sides and an eagle inlay headstock. It played well and seemed to be nicely constructed (didn't care for the inlay workmanship).

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Big Mick
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:54 PM

I spent a wonderful couple of hours with Jan today. Chicago stories flyin' around like no tomorrow. Saw a beaut of an old Martin hangin' on the wall. 'Cept some damn fool (who also happens to be one of most illustrious 'Catters, and a terrible punster........hint, hint) painted the damn thing black with flames. But Jan, great luthier that he is, rescued it and put it all back together and got MOST of the paint off it. We swapped a lot of stories, some of which I will repeat if a certain someone gives me any shit...................hahahahahahahaha. This certain someone is a Big Joe Williams fan, who can also tell you every stop on the El between the No Exit Cafe and the Howard Theater.

By the way, mystery man, are you limping because your foot hurts.................or have you got rocks in your Goldblatt boots????

Love ya,

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 10:48 PM

Wow, that brings back memories Art..."Dove" guitars. I remember he made one for local blues guy Dave Wilcox that was sixteen frets clear of the body...so he must have had a willingness to experiment.

It's funny but when you haven't seen somebody for thirty years, your mind's image is so different from the reality. I can't picture him as being more than about 25 years old.

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Art Thieme
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 09:39 PM

105 W. Ferry St.
Berian Springs, Michigan 49103

That's the address of Jan Burda's shop. Phone last I heard is 616-471-4111

Hours are sporadic. Not much else to tell except that years ago Jan and Anne Hills-Burda made an album (LP) on Hogeye Records. Don't know if it's on a CD or not. (I sang backup on a song or two. HOGEYE MUSIC, a store in Evanston, Illinois at 1920 Central St. (60201) was started by Jan and Anne. It's now owned and operated by the fine singer, Jim Craig.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: 53
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 08:00 PM

I haven't heard of that brand. More info please.

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: bigchuck
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 07:51 PM

I've played Cindy Mangson's Burda a couple of times. It is a great guitar both from an auditory and a visual standpoint. Cindy said she thought that he was going to retire from building, but I don't know if that's so or not.
Sandy

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Art Thieme
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 06:11 PM

Jan lives in Berian Springs, Michigan. He builds and repairs guitars there. He used to be a good friend when he was in Chicago and married to Anne Hills. He repaired my Martin D-76 (9-string) when I had it in a soft case and it was crushed by the lid of a storage compartment on the steamboat Julia Belle Swain. Jan did a wonderful job of restoration on the top, sides and back. His own guitars are beautiful. Annie Hills still plays them most of the time. For years Jan made them with the name DOVE. These days Jan is a very private person.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: BS: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 04:36 PM

Knew him well when he lived in Toronto and worked at the Folklore Centre. Played a couple of his guitars...good stuff.

Rick

Subject: Jan Burda's Guitars
From: GUEST,jonesey
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 04:23 PM

Responding to a thread got me to thinking...There's several independent builders out there. Do any of you 'catters own a Jan Burda guitar? Expand a little if you do...