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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 7:00:35 GMT
I’m staying in a B and B in Southampton this weekend, and the land lady is a folk musician, who runs a local folk club. Well, I found her last night practicing on a rather wonderful sounding guitar which turned out to be an 18 year old Vince Hockey that she commissioned from him (he only lives round the corner) 18 years ago for £1000. Really thick chiming trebles, some of the best I have heard in a long while. Really balanced too.
It had had certainly been through the wars a bit- lots of pits on the top, three repaired cracks, but honestly, it just looked the business. OM shape, with cutaway. Extremely wide neck, almost as wide as a classical. Interestingly she plays in dadagad, and had three banjo tuners fitted so that she could get from standard to dadgad in an instant.
Anyway, always a nice surprise when you come across an English handmade guitar when you least expect it. Just wondered who else has played a Hockey? Unfortunately I believe he has retired now, and information about him is pretty elusive, but if you find a second hand one, well worth a look.
Robbie
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jul 1, 2018 8:31:04 GMT
- some years ago Frets in Cleveleys had a few of his guitars - maybe he he lived oop North before S'hampton?
K
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 8:36:12 GMT
I see that TNAG have a second hand one in stock. The video,of Michael Watts playing it here gives a good idea of those thick trebles
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Post by dreadnought28 on Jul 1, 2018 15:49:22 GMT
Owned a Hockey 00 for a while. It was a nice Martinesque guitar. Neck too narrow for me
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andrewjw
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Post by andrewjw on Jul 1, 2018 20:20:55 GMT
Owned a Hockey 00 for a while. It was a nice Martinesque guitar. Neck too narrow for me Erm..presumably the neck dimensions changed post purchase?
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Post by dreadnought28 on Jul 2, 2018 0:08:55 GMT
Owned a Hockey 00 for a while. It was a nice Martinesque guitar. Neck too narrow for me Erm..presumably the neck dimensions changed post purchase? Taken in part exchange actually.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 8:43:24 GMT
Owned a Hockey 00 for a while. It was a nice Martinesque guitar. Neck too narrow for me Erm..presumably the neck dimensions changed post purchase? Though this is a slightly different topic, neck width isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. I think sometimes it is easy to get used to the width of a neck- the current Brook that I am borrowing (not for much longer though) has a 44mm wide neck, that normally would be far too narrow for me, but I’ve kind of got used to it. The trouble comes when you have guitars with different neck widths. At one time I owned a Fylde Eric Bibb with a width of 43mm, and a Brook with 44mm. You wouldn’t think that 1mm would make much of a difference, but it certainly did, and I’m the end I wasn’t too sorry to see the Fylde go. The reason I bought it in the first place? It sounded great, and I didn’t have the Brook to compare it to. Having multiple guitars can be a curse! Robbie
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Post by andyhowell on Jul 2, 2018 12:54:14 GMT
Come on! I thought everybody knew that the only Lusia worth their salt in the UK today was Ralph Bown (According to some great old USA luminary)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 14:16:18 GMT
Oh dear, is it me or is there a bit of sniping/ banter going on here?
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on Jul 2, 2018 19:07:02 GMT
Oh dear, is it me or is there a bit of sniping/ banter going on here? I shouldn’t think so Robbie. I’m assuming that andyhowell is ironically referencing a quote by Stefan Grossman which I mentioned in my recent podcast interview with him...namely that, in SG’s opinion (a good twenty-five years ago, mind) Ralph Bown was the only decent guitar maker (or Lusia in Andyspeak!) in the UK. I hasten to add that I was disagreeing with the quote! As I’m sure does Andy, given that he’s found his muse in his Lucas guitar.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Jul 2, 2018 21:21:06 GMT
Stefan Sobell might just have something to say about that, and others we all know. Ralph would be the first to say that.
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Post by andyhowell on Jul 2, 2018 21:37:16 GMT
Grossman’s quote would have been Made when Vince was building! Ron Armstrong - there’ another. Jonathan Weir - Greta guitar builders.
They just didn’t set out to sound like Martin!
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on Jul 2, 2018 22:09:36 GMT
If you’ve met Stefan Grossman, you’ll know that he’s not shy about voicing his opinions! I seem to remember him referring to himself, the first time I encountered him in person, as “an obnoxious New Yorker”.
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Post by andyhowell on Jul 3, 2018 6:28:28 GMT
If you’ve met Stefan Grossman, you’ll know that he’s not shy about voicing his opinions! I seem to remember him referring to himself, the first time I encountered him in person, as “an obnoxious New Yorker”. I've chatted to him a few times over the years. I think he enjoys the stereotype a little :-) However, he is a man of very strong opinions. How about using the pinky finger on the fingerboard — the only way you can get the blues rhythm apparently!
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Post by dreadnought28 on Jul 3, 2018 14:27:25 GMT
If you’ve met Stefan Grossman, you’ll know that he’s not shy about voicing his opinions! I seem to remember him referring to himself, the first time I encountered him in person, as “an obnoxious New Yorker”. m Rob Armstrong plus Nigel Thornbory, Fylde, Lowden, Andy Manson etc etc (Not necessarily disagreeing with SG, who’s played my 1988 Brazilian OM?)
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