mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Jun 11, 2017 13:27:17 GMT
I just heard the sad news that David Oddy has passed away.
The last picture of David on the Oddy & Son website shows David and Nick with the instrument they built together as a charity raffle prize for the recent Show of Hands gig at the Albert Hall, something that David has done for every one of the Albert Hall gigs as well as for other charities supported by the band. I think that's as fitting a tribute to him as any.
David was a master craftsman and a true gentleman. He will be missed.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jun 11, 2017 13:44:41 GMT
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leoroberts
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My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Jun 11, 2017 18:00:59 GMT
Aye, just saw that. Sad news.
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Post by martinrowe on Jun 11, 2017 19:10:54 GMT
I took my mandolin to him in Exeter about 18 months ago. His wife answered the door and said 'I keep him out the back'. He put a new nut on and adjusted the action in his workshop which was a shed in his back garden. He told me that at one time he was running very well attended guitar making evening classes in local schools for 3 evenings a week until there were Education cuts and schools stopped running evening classes. He wasn't protective about the skills, I think he just wanted to share. He was very down to earth - no side and a bit spiky. I think he was 84 then and I assumed he'd got to the age when he wasn't bothered what anyone else thought. I don't think he valued the famous luthier thing. The initial steps in our conversation seemed to involve him looking to see if I was approaching things with any bull. We got talking and when he found out that I was a lecturer we were fine - he used to be a Training Officer for BT. Before my time he used to come to the College where I work and recruit students for BT. We had a good conversation about education and Computing/Electronics. He said the best pick ups made were by someone in Cornwall about 20/30 years ago. He'd tried to get the plans but they'd been lost somewhere. He adjusted the nut on his little sander and I got the impression he'd probably done the process a 1000 times. He had a 1946 Martin in the corner that he was working on for someone. Making Folk instruments, Evening classes, Education. I was glad I met him - it was refreshing.
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Jun 11, 2017 20:16:52 GMT
I can't remember where I heard this, but he managed to put his BT connection to good use in his "other" job. When they closed (or refurbished) one of the old telephone exchanges, he salvaged a lot of mahogany that I think was going to be thrown away. He built quite a few instruments out of that old exchange!
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Post by dreadnought28 on Jun 11, 2017 21:45:37 GMT
Very sad news
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Post by sweyne1 on Jun 12, 2017 6:28:11 GMT
I never met David but read a lot. Everything was positive.
Very sad. RIP.
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