Post by scorpiodog on Sept 16, 2016 12:40:29 GMT
Gardiner Houlgate (auctioneers) holds a quarterly musical instrument sale in Corsham near Bath. The guitar bit is right at the beginning and I always look, because the catalogue is full of interesting guitar porn.
This time, though, I was interested in bidding on something.
When I was a young man (many years ago) I had a great friend who owned a Hofner President, and I always liked the sound (he was a much better player than me, so it always sounded better in his hands than mine), and I have held a latent desire to own a Hofner archtop ever since (I did for a while own a Hofner Senator Bass Guitar, but that had to go when I was an impoverished trainee). I am trying to make some headway (very slowly) into learning a bit of jazz.
So, when I saw they had 3 Hofner Committees and a Hofner President in their sale, I counted up the pennies and decided that if I don't buy one now, I never would, so I thought I'd bid on one.
However, being a cautious soul, I decided I would go to the viewing day first. I went there with tonywoods an Wednesday. In fact we made a bit of a day out of it.
Gardiner Houlgate is in a small industrial estate on the outskirts of Corsham and the viewing room is pretty big. In fact they had over 300 lots, most of which were guitars. They're all placed on stands, and on the day we went there were very few people viewing. They don't seem to have any problem with people picking up the instruments to try them out, in fact there are a few chairs you can sit on to do just that. The lots with the highest estimates are behind a counter and you have to ask to play them, but they seem to set the threshold at estimates of about £2,000 so there's still a fair bit of quality hanging about just waiting to be played at a whim.
Well, I had planned only to look at the Hofners, but you know how it is, so I had a little go on all the jazz guitars I could lay my hands on. I was a bit intimidated by another punter who was doing the same - only he could really play jazz, and I can't.
I don't know what Tonywoods was doing, I was trying to ignore him.
The Hofners all had issues. The President had an action so high you couldn't get beyond 3rd fret without the intonation becoming a problem, not to mention the difficulty of holding down the strings. The first Committee I tried was the best, but the nut width was so narrow, the string spacing so close to the edge of the fingerboard and the frets so sloping towards their ends that I was unable to play it without my fingers sliding off the edge of the fingerboard. The other two Committees were obviously so profoundly damaged that the fingerboard extension was in contact with the soundboard in both cases (and it's not supposed to be!).
I tried a Peerless, an Aria, a Fylde (strange beast, that - a Selmer influenced design, but without the banjoesque qualities I'd expected), a Gitane, and I forget what else.
We had a great time. here's the catalogue
I bid online yesterday on a couple, didn't make it with the Peerless which would have been my first choice, but I've managed to secure an Aria Pro II FA70 for £280, which, with the buyer's commission ends up at a smidge more than £350. I pick it up on Monday.
The Hofners all went for more than I was prepared to pay and, I think I'm right in saying, more than the auctioneers estimates.
This is the first time I've bought a guitar at an auction, though I have bought other things before, and I can recommend it, but you really do have to view before you buy, and you have to factor in the commission which is a bit more than 25% of the hammer price if you bid online.
Francis, I may be coming to you soon, with a request!
This time, though, I was interested in bidding on something.
When I was a young man (many years ago) I had a great friend who owned a Hofner President, and I always liked the sound (he was a much better player than me, so it always sounded better in his hands than mine), and I have held a latent desire to own a Hofner archtop ever since (I did for a while own a Hofner Senator Bass Guitar, but that had to go when I was an impoverished trainee). I am trying to make some headway (very slowly) into learning a bit of jazz.
So, when I saw they had 3 Hofner Committees and a Hofner President in their sale, I counted up the pennies and decided that if I don't buy one now, I never would, so I thought I'd bid on one.
However, being a cautious soul, I decided I would go to the viewing day first. I went there with tonywoods an Wednesday. In fact we made a bit of a day out of it.
Gardiner Houlgate is in a small industrial estate on the outskirts of Corsham and the viewing room is pretty big. In fact they had over 300 lots, most of which were guitars. They're all placed on stands, and on the day we went there were very few people viewing. They don't seem to have any problem with people picking up the instruments to try them out, in fact there are a few chairs you can sit on to do just that. The lots with the highest estimates are behind a counter and you have to ask to play them, but they seem to set the threshold at estimates of about £2,000 so there's still a fair bit of quality hanging about just waiting to be played at a whim.
Well, I had planned only to look at the Hofners, but you know how it is, so I had a little go on all the jazz guitars I could lay my hands on. I was a bit intimidated by another punter who was doing the same - only he could really play jazz, and I can't.
I don't know what Tonywoods was doing, I was trying to ignore him.
The Hofners all had issues. The President had an action so high you couldn't get beyond 3rd fret without the intonation becoming a problem, not to mention the difficulty of holding down the strings. The first Committee I tried was the best, but the nut width was so narrow, the string spacing so close to the edge of the fingerboard and the frets so sloping towards their ends that I was unable to play it without my fingers sliding off the edge of the fingerboard. The other two Committees were obviously so profoundly damaged that the fingerboard extension was in contact with the soundboard in both cases (and it's not supposed to be!).
I tried a Peerless, an Aria, a Fylde (strange beast, that - a Selmer influenced design, but without the banjoesque qualities I'd expected), a Gitane, and I forget what else.
We had a great time. here's the catalogue
I bid online yesterday on a couple, didn't make it with the Peerless which would have been my first choice, but I've managed to secure an Aria Pro II FA70 for £280, which, with the buyer's commission ends up at a smidge more than £350. I pick it up on Monday.
The Hofners all went for more than I was prepared to pay and, I think I'm right in saying, more than the auctioneers estimates.
This is the first time I've bought a guitar at an auction, though I have bought other things before, and I can recommend it, but you really do have to view before you buy, and you have to factor in the commission which is a bit more than 25% of the hammer price if you bid online.
Francis, I may be coming to you soon, with a request!