Not your usual guitar hero

Subject: Not your usual guitar hero!
From: Mooh
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 11:50 PM

Several recent threads have inspired me to reflect on those unsung folks who make the guitar world go 'round. There are some major corporate folks who get their due, like Bob Taylor, or Mr.Martin the 32nd or whatever. There are some major recording folk who get their due, like any number of pickers but say...Bruce Cockburn or Tony Rice. And there are the late greats, like Django.

But what of those folks who make it all so much easier for the rest of us? Teachers? Repair folk? Innovators? Mentors?

There's a semi-retired local gentleman who charges ridiculously little for creative repairs, does so happily, is honoured to be your friend, and will share his expertise with anyone who asks. I've learned much from him over the years, including some lessons in humility. It's because of him that I am confident enough to do some smaller repairs myself. I owe Ernie much which I will never be able to repay. God bless him.

The repair guru with the highest international profile is likely Frank Ford. This guy's website (frets.com) saves guitars faster than the Asian factories can make them.

So how about it? Who's your unsung guitar hero?

Mooh.

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Amos
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:12 AM

A luthier here in Escondido who runs a small shop and does all his work by hand.

Forgot his name which means it has been too long since I went to see him!

A

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Amos
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:14 AM

Chris Camp Luthier, Escondido, CA, 92033-2094, 760-747-6835

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: DonMeixner
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:40 AM

My brother Gary.

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:40 AM

I greatly admire a fellow from south Georgia (US) named S.J. Hall. While I've met a few handicapped people who haven't let their handicaps get in the way of mastering musical instruments, S.J. is the only guitar player I've ever met who has overcome the handicap of totally losing his right arm. That's right folks, he plays the guitar with only one arm. How does he do it? Well, he uses an electric guitar (a Gibson ES-335) in open D tuning. He gets all of the sound by hammering on and pulling off, and by plucking open strings with his fingernails. And, no, his playing isn't just a "novelty" thing - he's really good.

Bruce

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Amos
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:48 AM

There's a guy who busks Balboa Park who does one better -- he has no arms, being one of that small group known as thalidomide babies. His arms are stumps. He plays a guitar with his bare feet and has trained his toes to be almost prehensile. The guitar lies flat on the ground in front of him, on a blanket.   He belts out songs while strumming chords made with his left foot, strumming with his right foot, with enthuisiasm and style. Not half bad!


A

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Ebbie
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 02:05 AM

Amos, that Balboa Park guy is one I'd like to meet! His spirit sounds amazing.

Incidently, my daughter and her family live in Escondido, over in the Hidden Hills section. Lots of HUGE boulders, some big enough that entire houses are built on them. A neighbor of theirs has a boulder in front of his house- he cut out steps in the boulder to the street. Interesting area.

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Greycap
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 04:00 AM

Two guys - Stefan Sobell & Dave Gregory, great guitar makers

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Steve-o
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 11:56 AM

A great teacher: Dave Ferguson, N. Hollywood, CA. A great luthier: Larry Brown, Santa Monica, CA.

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 04:11 PM

Guitar shop owner Ken Tobias in Downers Grove, Illinois. Changes strings for customers for free, does neck adjustments while you wait and really likes acoustic guitars. He also changes my cittern strings and only charges me for a set of mandolin strings (instead of by the gauge, which would cost a fortune). Of course while he's putting them on (and polishing the neck), I have tried out some of the new guitars that come in. That's how I wound up buying my last two guitars (a taylor K14-C and a Santa Cruz OM/PW).

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Mooh
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 04:35 PM

Phil...Is that the bass guitar guy, or was that someone else? Mooh.

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 05:44 PM

Mooh, no, this is someone else. Ken has run Tobias music for a long time. He now specializes in high end acoustics (though he still has a nice variety of lower priced guitars). He phased out electrics, figuring that the Guitar Centers would take care of that market. It's a small shop. He's an authorized Martin and Taylor repaid center. Like I said, he'll do minor things himself while you're at the shop, major things he farms out to a couple different guys and they work hard to get your guitar back to you as soon as possible. It took less than a week to get my old Santa Cruz model H a re-fret job and he only took a short time to get the highlander mics installed in all my instruments (and only charged $25.00 to do them).

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: Chris in Wheaton
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 04:32 PM

I've had work done by Chis Camp in Escondido and by Ken Tobias in Downers Grove, and they are both fair and excellent.
For great teachers, my experience is limited, but I would vote early and often for Walt Richards in San Diego.
Chris in Wheaton

Subject: RE: Not your usual guitar hero
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 10:09 PM

I'm getting a kick out of meeting some real grassroots guitar builders that are building fine instruments for the sheer love of it (and what $$ they can manage to keep their heads above water).

My bi-weekly fiddle tune jam takes place on the porch of the shop of just such a guy -- Jim Shenk.

Jim is building some very fine guitars, some of his own innovative designs. He's quick with a smile and he'll pull one of his dobros out and jam with you at the drop of the suggestion.

But his shop is also becoming the center of a budding music community -- all amature, all serious and seriously having fun.

We tend to think large scale in music -- talk about recording artists whose recordings are availible at all the outlets (amazon, CDbaby etc), and we think of instruments like Martin, Gibson and all the new boutique guitar makers...

...but it's so cool to see this parallel universe of music -- folk -- and an instrument maker working with the same sensibilities.

My friends keep ordering his mandolins and I hope to some day afford one myself.