Collecting (1900 Martin 0-28)

Collecting is all about serendipity, about which Jim Bollman knows a thing or two.  I was introduced to Jim by a mutual friend after a game of tennis.  Turns out this fellow tennisman co-owned the Music Emporium for thirty years, starting when it first opened locally in Cambridge, MA in 1974.  He is nationally recognized among instrument collectors for his seminal book "America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century."  He has been collecting vintage banjos for four decades and owns the pre-eminent collection of vintage banjos in the world, which adorns nearly every room of his Boston-area home.

Upon learning of my interest in vintage guitars, Jim generously offered me the chance to view his collection of vintage instruments that includes a couple turn of the (nineteenth) century guitars. That is how this week I learned that in the late nineteenth century the banjo was America's most popular instrument, spanning entertainment from ribald minstrel shows and classical banjo orchestras in dance halls to every high society sitting room.  By 1890, Boston was the premier center of Banjo manufacturing.  A.C. Fairbanks & Co., William A. Cole, and Bay State were all Boston rivals manufacturing beautiful hand-crafted banjos, mandolins, and guitars.  It was the Cole company, though, that had the good fortune of enlisting the talents of master engraver Icilio Consalvi from Italy.  By 1891, Consalvi was adding his signature exquisitely-carved pearl inlays to Cole instruments, and single-handedly elevated the decorative artistry of American instruments in his day.  The high-end presentation models from this era are considered some of the finest vintage instruments ever made.  Consalvi's personal banjo, known as the "King" banjo for its over-the-top inlay work totaling nearly 40,000 individual pieces according to Consalvi, was recently donated to the instrument collection of the Museum of Fine Arts here in Boston by his family.

Speaking of family, Jim befriended Consalvi's granddaughter after she started selling off some of Consalvi's stuff.  He was able to acquire numerous of the master craftsman's items including his tool chest full of the artist's tools and instrument parts.  In the process Jim was even gifted Consalvi's wife's turn of the century Martin 0-28!  While that guitar does need restoration, Jim also acquired the late 1890s unsigned 0-size parlor guitar with typical Consalvi inlays seen here.  It has a chunky v-shaped neck (this was before truss rods) and sturdy bracing, making it heavier than one would expect for such a small instrument.  It also sports gut strings, which hold less tension than the modern steel strings that were not widely known or used before the 1920's.  It is a work of art that rivals the finish work on any modern high-end guitars.

And that is how I went from a passing conversation on the tennis courts to a private showing of the world's finest vintage banjo collection just a few miles down the road.  What a great Christmas visit!  May you also experience musical blessings during the holidays.

eBay Closet Find (1984 Yamaha FG-335SB)

The eBay platform, which lists a constantly revolving inventory of thousands of vintage acoustic guitars for sale on a daily basis, makes the search for hard to find or otherwise unusual instruments that much easier.

When a Yamaha FG-335SB in near mint condition was recently listed my interest was piqued.  I use a well-worn 1979 FG-335 as my travel guitar, which is a popular model, but the FG-335SB, with a beautiful antique sunburst finish, was only made for one year in 1984. Online listings are uncommon.  There is little to no additional information available about this guitar as even the Blue Book publisher does not have access to the original listing information from Yamaha.

This particular guitar was un-played in its original chipboard case, which was also pristine.  Reportedly stored in a closet since 1984, all it needed was a new set of strings to come to life.  It plays brightly across all registers and has excellent clarity and sustain.  Almost thirty years later, the factory set-up was right on.  I should have no problem finding this beauty a good home. Maybe Santa will stop by to pick it up soon!  Merry Christmas everyone.

Collings Guitars

Courtesy of The Music Emporium

Bill Collings has been making guitars out of Austin Texas since the 1980s.  Last night I jumped at the chance to hear from him and sample his latest models at the Music Emporium, our Boston-area high-end acoustic guitar mecca in Lexington MA, and a recently-named Premier Collings Dealer, where he was presenting with his colleague and master craftsman Bruce VanWart.

Collings Guitars is widely recognized as one of the finest high-end boutique guitar makers in the country.  They now produce over 2,000 instruments annually, including acoustic guitars, electrics and archtops, ukuleles, and mandolins.  Bill was able to share a little window into how they are able to maintain the personal, artisanal attention to detail and quality throughout the 30,000 sq. ft., 90-employee shop.  He was especially proud of the fact that at least 50 employees are themselves enthusiastic guitar players, and everyone is there because they enjoy making great instruments.

It all starts and ends, however, with the quality of the woods selected and their cut.  Besides discussing the advantages of different tone woods, Bill passed around two Sitka Spruce guitar tops to help illustrate the importance of selecting properly cut wood.  One top was perfectly quarter sawn.  This means the growth rings of the wood run through the thickness of the top at a perfect 90 degree angle ("dead quarter") to the horizontal top viewed from the bottom bout.  This provides the greatest available stiffness to the width of the top, which translates into the ability to vibrate and quickly return to its original position and thus greater tonal responsiveness.  The second top, cut from the same wood but just five to ten degrees off the quarter, was surprisingly rubbery when flexed from the bass to treble side.  A high quality top thus usually comes from trees like Sitka Spruce well-known for their high density and consistent growth rings, which, when properly cut, provide consistently stiff and resilient tops.

After Bill fielded what felt like a hundred questions from the guitarists in the room, I was itching to actually try some of the Collings guitars in the shop.  I immediately gravitated to the CJ (Collings Jumbo) models, the Collings slope-shouldered dreadnoughts.  The two I played had beautiful sunburst varnish finishes, one with additional style 42 appointments including abalone trim and rosette inlays.  Varnish finishes have recently become popular because they are extremely thin and flexible enough not to impede the wood's vibration.  As such, they can produce a more responsive instrument with greater depth of tone.  While a varnish finish also provides a rich luster, extra care must be taken not to scratch them as the finish is not as protective as thicker lacquer options.

The CJ model is strikingly light for a guitar this size and both guitars were impeccably finished. Interestingly, the more tonally impressive guitar was the less expensive one without the extra bling. It was responsive across all registers, warm and expressive.  Of course, at these prices, the dollar difference is meaningless for most as these particular guitars will set you back approximately $7,500 and $8,500, respectively.  Mere mortals will only enjoy boutique guitars like these in the shop.  And if you are privileged enough to be shopping in this price range, the price difference may be negligible.  Carpe diem!

Pawnshop Find (1980 Yamaha FG-300D)

Sometimes you come across an acoustic guitar that does not show up in any commonly used guides. Even in the case of Yamaha, a ubiquitous Japanese guitar maker, some of its models were never distributed in the United States, but only sold in Japan.  So when a vintage Yamaha FG-300D listed by a pawn shop on eBay caught my eye but had no corresponding Blue Book listing to easily assess its value, I headed to the world wide web.  With the help of Google Translate I was able to confirm some basic information from Japanese listings.

The FG-300D was manufactured in Japan between 1980-1986.  It features an Ezo Spruce top and Walnut back and sides.  Premium appointments include abalone binding trim and rosette inlay, Gold-plated Yamaha tuners, and pearl Yamaha inlaid lettering on the headstock.  Ezo Spruce from the high altitude mountains of Hokkaido, Japan, is prized for its close, even grain that produces a soundboard of exceptional energy and tonal projection. Because of its scarcity, it is no longer available as a top wood for Yamaha guitars.

This particular guitar had apparently been brought back from Japan by a serviceman and was in very good condition.  With little publicly available pricing information, I was the winning bidder. Now, after a professional set up and some new strings, it is ready for a good home.  We'll see if anyone is interested in a unique Yamaha with some history, a premium top, and some nice appointments.

Thanksgiving (Guild CV-2C)

Spending the Thanksgiving weekend up in NH with family and feeling very thankful.  Everyone is healthy, we have a roof over our heads, with electricity and heat, and we are employed.  These are all things we have recently been reminded not to take for granted between the still lingering effects of the 2008 recession and Hurricane Sandy's devastation along the East Coast.

I've been working two jobs lately and have not had much time to pursue any neglected guitars or find good homes for the ones I already have in the stable.  The Thanksgiving break is thus a welcome chance to spend some time playing, tweak the action on one guitar, and finally get around to customizing one of the guitars I plan to keep - my Guild CV-2C.  First, I upgraded the original bridge pins inserting bone bridge pins with abalone insets.  Next, I swapped out the original black plastic truss rod cover with a hand-crafted ebony wood cover inset with Mother of Pearl and Paua Shell in the form of a fleur de lis in honor of my French heritage.


I highly recommend the craftsman in Winnipeg Canada who sells these handmade truss rod covers on eBay for any different number of guitars, including Guild, Gibson, and Taylor.

Of my growing collection of guitars, it's the Guild CV-2C I brought over to our friends' house for Thanksgiving dinner after which we enjoyed a musical evening.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Guild Guitars is Back!

It is no secret that American guitar-maker Guild, founded in 1953, has gone through numerous changes in recent years.  After the guitar company was purchased by Fender in 1995, there was the Guild departure from its long-time manufacturing site in Westerly, RI, for the west coast in 2001. Soon thereafter the Guild facility was moved from Corona, CA, to Tacoma, WA.  In 2008, Guild moved back to New England after Fender bought Kaman Music Corporation's production facility in Connecticut.  Each change brought some discontinuity and uncertainty that negatively affected customer and dealer enthusiasm and loyalty.  Product lines came and went, some of the records on older models were lost along the way, and confidence in contemporary Guilds as a marquis guitar brand waned.  Resale values on Guild guitars cannot compete, for example, with those for guitars from C.F. Martin & Co., a family-owned company that has been making guitars in the same location in Nazareth, PA, continuously since 1838.


Well, this past week I was lucky enough to be given a complete tour of the workshop floors of the new Guild manufacturing facility in New Hartford, CT, hosted by Guild with a group of fellow Guild aficionados who congregate online at Let's Talk Guild.  It is a bright and clean facility occupying a historic pre-civil war manufacturing plant that years ago housed a cotton mill and a sewing machine manufacturer, among others. It is retro-fitted with sophisticated temperature, humidity, and dust controls to maintain an ideal guitar-making environment.  It was fascinating to watch programmed routing machines cut out various guitar parts with lazer-like accuracy while individual shop workers sculpted guitar necks, assembled guitar bodies, and applied sunburst finishes by hand.  Huge computer-controlled lathes operate next to industrial-era hand presses.  We were able to view every aspect of guitar building from the wood supply room to the final set up of a finished instrument.

What was striking was the obvious enthusiasm and pride every employee had, from shop-floor artisans to top management, for the production of beautifully crafted instruments.  Most employees there have been making guitars for years, if not decades.  They share responsibilities for multiple stages of the guitar-building process and each is empowered to reject work that does not meet the shop's high quality standards.  Master Luthier Ren Ferguson, overseeing acoustic engineering for Fender as of this year after decades at Gibson, summed it up best for us: "Why build a guitar out of something that doesn't already have music in it?"  That Fender was able to lure Ren away from settling into a tranquil retirement in the Midwest to instead participate in research and development at Guild speaks volumes about a renewed commitment to produce the highest quality Guilds yet.

Picture courtesy of Brad4d8

Another score for Fender this year is signing up Doyle Dykes to represent Guild guitars.  Doyle is a premiere fingerpicking guitarist who helped put Taylor guitars on the map, but some of his earliest guitars were Guilds. Doyle was in New Hartford, CT, this week to finalize Guild's first signature model, a custom F47-sized acoustic/electric with quilted Maple back and sides. We had the chance to play the prototype, still being tweaked to Doyle's specifications, which will be launched in January 2013 at the annual NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) trade show in Anaheim, CA.  It is a beautiful guitar and Doyle made it sing in a private concert for our group after lunch.  I was especially touched with Doyle's tribute to the 9/11 victims, an instrumental piece whose hook references two-tone rescue sirens and reminded me of the plaintive fire-fighter rescue beacons that littered the World Trade Center site after the towers came down.  I was not the only grown man in the audience who shed some tears.

Picture courtesy of Alive@RandyWalters.com

Guild will also be celebrating its sixtieth anniversary next year, and is preparing a limited run of anniversary guitars to be also unveiled at the NAMM show.  We were able to view a number of these special all-koa-bodied guitars, which will be limited to 60, at various stages of production.  I was also able to spend some time later in the day playing one of the finished guitars.  Sweet!

The take-away is that Guild is back up to speed making its Standard and Traditional Series lines of guitars in quantities that should meet demand, along with some exciting custom projects, while maintaining its tradition of hand-crafted instruments.  Guild is back baby!

P.S.  We were under strict orders to leave our cameras at the door, but here is an article with great shop-floor pictures of the Guild guitar-making process at the New Hartford, CT facility.  Additional pictures are posted on Guild's Facebook page.

eBay Reality Check (1983 Guild F-45CE)

eBay uses a grading system to enforce transparent transactions and weed out sketchy players. Sellers and buyers have their number of transactions tracked and their feedback is available for viewing. The higher the number of transactions with positive feedback the more confidence one can have. Parties thus have an incentive to promptly resolve any concerns that do come up in order to maintain positive feedback on all their transactions.  In extreme circumstances, eBay itself can and does intervene to level the playing field when a party is trying to unfairly game the system.

That said, there are some tips to keep in mind when buying and selling guitars on eBay. There is no better predictor for a smooth transaction than previous experience at buying or selling guitars online.  Check whether the buyer or seller has consistently positive feedback specifically on guitars or other similar musical instruments (unfortunately, eBay only lists the item bought or sold for transactions within the last 90 days).  Check for the seller's return policy.  In the event you need to return an item you will usually be responsible for return shipping and may even be assessed a re-stocking fee.  Don't forget to factor in shipping costs when bidding on a guitar.

Should you be the lucky winning bidder on a beautiful guitar at an attractive price that then arrives and is not as advertised, eBay provides a platform to try to resolve the issue directly with the seller.  Short of returning the guitar, which some sellers do not provide for, one can request a partial refund based on material omissions or misrepresentations in the description of the item.  If you have a legitimate complaint, most sellers will negotiate a partial refund that is acceptable to both parties in order to avoid negative feedback.  It is important to hold off on your feedback until the transaction is entirely complete to your satisfaction, as that is your only real leverage short of elevating the dispute to eBay management.

Last week I received a 1983 Guild F-45CE purchased on eBay.  I know this model well having successfully bought, restored, and sold a 1984 version earlier this year.  There were few bidders so I could not resist bidding even though the seller had very little history on eBay and none for musical instruments, and accepted no returns.  There was only one picture (sellers have to kick in a little extra to add multiple pictures to listings) and the description was unenlightening as to the guitar's condition.  The seller had answered some relevant buyer questions that were posted, however, including an assurance that the guitar had "no dents or scratches" and no issues, and that the guitar case was beat up, but functional.  My winning bid was well below Blue Book value.

When the guitar arrived, the packaging itself did not inspire confidence.  The seller had taken some recycled cardboard sheets and taped them together over the guitar case.  Not only was there no extra padding provided, but the tape at the bout of the guitar case had split open so that the base of the guitar case was completely unprotected from the vicissitudes of shipping. Note that if you have a guitar to ship, all you have to do is go to your local guitar/music store and pick up a discarded guitar shipping box by either asking or going around back and dumpster diving.  Bubble wrap, packing paper, or the like, should be used both inside the guitar case and around the case to stabilize the guitar.  Extra care should be taken if the guitar is being shipped without a case.  It is also best to loosen the string tension befor shipping.

The guitar itself arrived intact, thanks to the US Postal Service and a hardy case.  On inspecting it though, I found several obvious dents and scratches on the guitar despite the seller's assurances to the contrary.  Even more significant, the bridge was visibly lifting off the body and showed evidence of an unsuccessful re-glue.  Vintage instruments lose value when they are cosmetically damaged, and even more value when they have to be restored.  This was no longer a good deal.

I contacted the seller with pictures and after several days of exchanging emails we settled on a partial refund that should cover the cost of having the bridge professionally removed and re-affixed, and account for the cosmetic issues.  Once agreed upon, a refund is easily processed through Paypal without having to disclose any financial information, as eBay has made linking to Paypal accounts part of its platform.  I should still be able to find a good home for this cool vintage guitar and come out ahead.  Live and learn.