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13 Nov 99 - 04:56 PM (#135629) Subject: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Metchosin I initially couldn't decide if this should be on a BS or Help thread but after due consideration, I chose the latter. It doesn't pertain to music and lyrics, it does pertain to a beloved instrument upon which music is played. If anyone disagrees with my choice, forgive me. My husband has a parlor guitar, made by J. Berwind of Philadelphia, that his mother found for him in a pawn shop, in 1952. It is similar, if not identical, to an 1881 Martin 1-21 and of equally of superb tone and craftmanship. A friend of my brother has a Berwind as well. We have gone the usual route of guitar collectors, including George Gruhn and antique dealers to find information about J. Berwind, to no avail. If anyone who has any information on J. Berwind guitars, we would love to know the history. |
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14 Nov 99 - 04:56 PM (#136042) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Mudjack Hello Metchosin, It sounds like a fine old instument just dating it. You need to see it's origins, label insde and see where it was built. New York, Chicago, etc. The name itself could be made by a larger company and labeled Berwind Parlor Guitar. Many names have appeared and some have been buit either by Martin, Washburn or other large guitar builders. Since it is a parlor guitar, you may have to go on quality of workmanship and materials of the guitar and make some educated guesses.It is a name I have never crossed paths with but I can only express I'm not an expert, merely someone who has seen a great many instruments. Mudjack |
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14 Nov 99 - 10:08 PM (#136132) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Metchosin The guitar is stamped inside, J. Berwind, Phila. so we assume it was made in Philadelphia. As Martin was in Philadelphia for about eleven years after the fire in Nazareth and prior to moving back to Nazareth around 1918 or 1919, we wondered if it was made by an employee of Martin, as it is indistinghable from the 1-21. |
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14 Nov 99 - 10:35 PM (#136145) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Rick Fielding Ahh good guess! Keep in mind that there was also a lot of "moonlighting" by company employees. I'm familiar with most names, but at least once a year, a new one comes up. |
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14 Nov 99 - 10:49 PM (#136157) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Metchosin It seems weird that there are two here in the same town on the west coast of Canada, so we just assumed that whoever J. Berwind was he must have been reasonably prolific. |
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15 Nov 99 - 12:31 AM (#136215) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Mudjack Ah... that was the educated guess I spoke of. It sounds like you have put the guitar in it's most likely history and is most apt to be a Martin builder or moonlighter. I have to think that in those days, guitars were still built by a luthier from start to finish, unlike todays modern assembly line methods. Mudjack |
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15 Nov 99 - 04:53 AM (#136249) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: murray@mpce.mq.edu.au You might try the newsgroup rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic There are a lot of collectors hanging around there. If you are not equiped to, or don't know how to use newsgroups, send me an email and I will post it on your behalf. Murray |
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15 Nov 99 - 06:02 PM (#136495) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Metchosin Thanks, will do. |
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16 Nov 99 - 04:41 PM (#136970) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Songster Bob Martin may have made it -- not as a "moonlight guitar," but as a "trade guitar." The Martin factory did, in its history, make some instruments for other companies, much like Kay, Harmony, and even Gibson did. I'll try to check my American Guitars book to see what I can find out, but it seems to me that it could be just that kind of instrument. Many of the "moonlight" Martins have no label, and one labeled with a firm's name, as this sounds like, is more likely a trade instrument, in my opinion. Now, if Gruhn and the others who have been queried found nothing, I'm not likely to find "Berwind" in my book, but I can find reference to making trade instruments, which is what I meant. Bob Clayton |
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17 Nov 99 - 12:21 PM (#137401) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Songster Bob Confirmation. Martin did indeed make trade guitars for stores, teachers, and other companies. Many of the better ukuleles sold by other companies were Martins, for example. (My Weymann may be one such, I don't know). However, my source didn't mention Berwind as one of the better-known trade names martin made. BTW, what's this about a Martin fire and moving production? According to "American Guitars," the 1858 factory, at least, is still part of the Martin complex, and no mention is made about any other location for production, or a fire, or any such event. Bob Clayton
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18 Nov 99 - 11:07 AM (#137893) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Metchosin Hi Songster Bob, thought I'd better check my sources here and spoke to my husband, as it is his guitar and he was the one that passed the information on to me regarding the Martin factory fire in Nazareth and the move, for a time, to Philadephia. He said he read about it years ago but does not remember the publication. He doesn't think he dreamed it up and the eleven years sticks in his mind, which it is an odd fact to retain. Although his memory isn't infalible, he is usually pretty reliable when it comes to recalling facts and information, particularly in fields that are his passion ie. guitars and audio reproduction. It would be interesting to see if anyone else can find reference to the temporary Martin relocation in other publications. As he is computer phobic and more inept than I at keyboarding, I have on two occasions taken dictation for him to post in the forum. Any posting that I send, that ends with "end of rant" has been his words verbatum. |
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18 Nov 99 - 12:22 PM (#137932) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Metchosin Songster Bob, Jim just checked personally with the Martin Factory, talked to Lon in the Artists division and apparently the article he read, was in no way accurate. Martin was established in Nazareth in 1833 as you no doubt already know and the only change of location was the move to the new building in 1964. Thanks for helping dispel one more false story about Martin. |
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19 Nov 99 - 05:06 AM (#138281) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: murray@mpce.mq.edu.au Actually, I thought Martin originally established in New York and then moved to Nazareth where they stayed (except perhaps for that fire) Murray |
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19 Nov 99 - 09:23 AM (#138318) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Roger the skiffler According tho their insurance company the fire is next week. |
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16 Jun 12 - 11:17 PM (#3364421) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: GUEST Are you still interested in knowing about the history of Berwind guitars? I worked for the Berwind Corporation of Philadelphia, PA for over 38 years and I'm certain I can help you. You can email me at ronelliott@hotmail.com |
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16 Jun 12 - 11:50 PM (#3364427) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: Ebbie Sadly, Metch is no longer with us, nor is Rick Fielding. Perhaps someone else - Songster Bob or Mudjack? - will see this. |
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15 May 16 - 09:55 PM (#3790521) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: GUEST,Christopher I realize this is an older post, but I was wondering if anyone ever followed up on history of the J. Berwind parlor guitar. I ask because I have the same model guitar and it is indeed a dead ringer for a Martin 1-26 down to the last detail. It was originally my great grandfather's guitar and he passed it on to my grandad. My grandmother fell for him when she met him at a dance where Grandad was playing it in a ragtime band in the early 1920's. He gave it to me when I was a kid in the late 1950's when my hands got big enough to play. Its a sweet little guitar and I've played it ever since. Grandad wrote inside the wooden coffin case "fine rosewood guitar, father bought in 1871 from professor Schubert at Miss Bayard's music school Phila. for $75.00" Seventyfive bucks was a lot of money for a guitar back then, so it could be he was fuzzy on remembering the price. It was my understanding that J.Berwind was a luthier who made guitars in Philadelphia in the mid to late 1800's, but I've never been able to verify that. In fact this forum is the only place I've come accross any mention of J.Berwind the luthier. I'd be curious to know if anyone else has knowledge about the origins of this guitar. |
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16 May 16 - 10:14 AM (#3790605) Subject: RE: Help: Berwind Parlor Guitar From: leeneia Christopher, look two posts above for the post from a Berwind employee. |