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Post by michaelwatts on Dec 16, 2020 8:56:52 GMT
Hello everyone The YouTube version will be up this week I think we did manage to squeeze in more than 3 luthiers... Thanks Michael I enjoyed the YouTube interview. Will there be a part two? Part 2 will take the form of me interviewing Martin for The Guitar Magazine and spending some time going through his wonderful collection of instruments with a photographer.
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Post by martinrowe on Dec 16, 2020 10:55:22 GMT
Enjoyed that. Part way through I thought 'I'm not a guitar nerd, these two are', then I realised I knew 95% of the names they were mentioning. hmmn. I think they planted a GAS seed related to Bown, I keep hearing the name and have heard a lot of Clive Carroll as well. I think I have now discovered how GAS begins. Be wary, methinks, be very wary.
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Post by michaelwatts on Dec 16, 2020 10:59:00 GMT
Thanks for posting that up. As well as being a fine guitarist, I have a feeling that Mr Simpson could write a substantial book just about his interactions with luthiers and guitar builders around the world. It was certainly very interesting hearing both of your views on the differences between some of the 'pioneer' luthiers and those who have striven to adapt, modify and improve on the template designs of Martin and Gibson. Only problem with listening to this is that it gives one a rather bad case of impending GAS.... (PS - I didn't know you were from Durham michaelwatts ) Oh yes! Well, I was very fortunate to grow up there, I was actually born in Ecuador
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Dec 16, 2020 12:38:10 GMT
A fascinating and enjoyable interview. I am very much looking forward to the next instalment.
Brian
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Post by jonnymosco on Dec 17, 2020 11:37:47 GMT
A great listen - the UK has some great makers and a new generation continuing to break the boundaries. Not much mention of the Somogyi school (perhaps understandable) apart from Taku Sakashta, Ervin Somogyi wrote of his tragic murder. Lots of talk of impressive woodworking skills, but interestingly, not much on the tonal characteristics. He played a Steve Fischer for a while, but I don't recall him mentioning his guitars, he uses a version of fan braces, not common in the steel world. Jonny
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Post by ocarolan on Dec 17, 2020 20:33:00 GMT
Enjoyed listening to that very much! Classic hour of guitar geekery. Interesting to hear MS taking about how Rory would send a guitar out to be passed from person to person for opinions. This was, of course, one of our Forum Road Trips, and I well remember it being interrupted when MS "butted in". Can't blame him, it was a great guitar! Keith
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Post by andyhowell on Dec 18, 2020 9:15:26 GMT
It was good stuff michaelwatts — even I understood the grown up language. I'm quite intersted in the school of Nick Benjamin, Richard Osborne, etc. Might be an interssting route?
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Post by Phil Taylor on Dec 18, 2020 9:48:41 GMT
Interesting to hear MS taking about how Rory would send a guitar out to be passed from person to person for opinions. This was, of course, one of our Forum Road Trips, and I well remember it being interrupted when MS "butted in". Can't blame him, it was a great guitar! Keith Similar circumstances happened with the Kitty guitar as well I recall but builders have to think about what's best for their business I guess. Can't remember why I wasn't involved in the Taran guitar road trip
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Post by K Tresp on Dec 19, 2020 15:43:45 GMT
What a great hour. Thanks michaelwatts. Lots of other paths which could be followed
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 20, 2020 17:23:37 GMT
Enjoyed listening to that very much! Classic hour of guitar geekery. Interesting to hear MS taking about how Rory would send a guitar out to be passed from person to person for opinions. This was, of course, one of our Forum Road Trips, and I well remember it being interrupted when MS "butted in". Can't blame him, it was a great guitar! Keith I remember Rory's road trip guitar. I was responsible for getting MS involved and for introducing Rory to Martin. Last year Rory brought a Tirga Mohr to my guitar do. This is the model he worked on with MS. Despite only having been strung up for a few days, it attracted a fair bit of attention. I'm pleased to say that it is now in my collection. Cheers, Ian
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Post by vikingblues on Dec 21, 2020 10:31:20 GMT
Thank you so much for the YouTube version Michael! Two of my favourite guitarists chatting about guitars - a perfect early Christmas present to lift the gloom of current events. Mark
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Post by dreadnought28 on Dec 24, 2020 3:49:10 GMT
How many acoustic guitarists are aware that Ralph Bown invented the baritone guitar?
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Post by andyhowell on Dec 24, 2020 8:54:23 GMT
How many acoustic guitarists are aware that Ralph Bown invented the baritone guitar? I’d assumed this was based on an early European design when guitars were of all sizes and there was no such thing as standard tuning. Certainly, the first time I heard of one it was from Ralph.
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Post by ocarolan on Dec 24, 2020 13:37:31 GMT
How many acoustic guitarists are aware that Ralph Bown invented the baritone guitar? I’d assumed this was based on an early European design when guitars were of all sizes and there was no such thing as standard tuning. Certainly, the first time I heard of one it was from Ralph. I believe you are right, Andy. Thomas V. Jones discussed the early roots of the baritone guitar in Premier Guitar Magazine, March 2014: ""A hundred years ago, the Germans produced baritone guitars,” says guitar historian George Gruhn, owner of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, “but I don’t know much about them. Those were acoustic instruments, of course. They were experimenting with all voices.” In that group of early baritone-range instruments, I’d also add the mandocello (such as the K series instruments built by Gibson between 1905 and 1920), and maybe even go way back to the 1400s to the viola da gamba—a cello-like instrument with between five and seven strings for lower range, as well as frets (old strings tied around the neck) for better chord intonation. These instruments were the baritones of the mandolin and bowed-instrument families, respectively."Keith
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Post by dreadnought28 on Dec 24, 2020 18:10:33 GMT
I’d assumed this was based on an early European design when guitars were of all sizes and there was no such thing as standard tuning. Certainly, the first time I heard of one it was from Ralph. I believe you are right, Andy. Thomas V. Jones discussed the early roots of the baritone guitar in Premier Guitar Magazine, March 2014: ""A hundred years ago, the Germans produced baritone guitars,” says guitar historian George Gruhn, owner of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, “but I don’t know much about them. Those were acoustic instruments, of course. They were experimenting with all voices.” In that group of early baritone-range instruments, I’d also add the mandocello (such as the K series instruments built by Gibson between 1905 and 1920), and maybe even go way back to the 1400s to the viola da gamba—a cello-like instrument with between five and seven strings for lower range, as well as frets (old strings tied around the neck) for better chord intonation. These instruments were the baritones of the mandolin and bowed-instrument families, respectively."Keith I think there’s a difference. Baritone instruments of the kind discussed above were designed to have the same tuning but an octave lower. What Ralph designed was a guitar that could be tuned from somewhere between standard and a 5th lower. I’ll get the details.
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