TimeOut

It seems that many of us have shared passions outside the bounds of horology.  I've noticed that several Purists are into cars, boats, planes, and motorcycles; as well as fine food, drink, and cigars to name just a few interests (All of which are worthy pursuits to be sure!).  One hobby I have been pursuing for several years is playing, and collecting, guitars.  I wouldn't be surprised if many of you are also interested in custom or vintage instruments, as some of the principles that make fine watches desirable can also be found in the creation of quality musical instruments -- the attention to detail, and old-world craftsmanship; building by hand; finding the best balance between time-honored techniques and new technology; sourcing materials in an ecologically sustainable and responsible way, while still assembling a product that is true, good, and serves the purpose for which it was invented; capturing a certain aesthetic in a product of timeless and lasting beauty.  Are these not all issues for the modern watchmaker as well?  Perhaps luthiers (guitar makers) and watchmakers have more in common than one would initially believe.  

I wanted to share some pictures below of my current stable of guitars.  Several guitars have passed through my hands at various points in my life, some of which I regret not keeping, but I'm fairly happy with the state of my collection at the moment.  I find that I can't successfully rotate through more than three guitars at once, and still give each enough playing time.  The three guitars you'll see below are:

- 1968 Gibson Hummingbird with spruce wood top in a sunburst finish and mahogany back and sides.

- Custom-made Huss & Dalton CM with spruce top in a natural finish and clouded sapele (a member of the mahogany family) back and sides.

- Custom-made Huss & Dalton MJC with spruce top in a tobacco sunburst finish and Indian rosewood back and sides. 

I apologize in advance for any dust, fingerprints, smudges, and overall lack of photography skills in the following pictures.  Hope you enjoy the photos.

Cheers, and keep on rockin'!

Daos

"Only a Gibson is good enough."  Or at least, that's the slogan Gibson once used to sell their guitars.  I find that generally the world of acoustic guitar aficianados is made up of two kinds of people: Gibson people and Martin people.  I once read that Gibson people were the Chevrolet owners of the world, and Martin folks were the Fords.  It was unusual to find both those makes in one driveway.  Whether that's true or not, I can't say, but I personally have always gravitated toward Gibsons.  Maybe we can find an equivalent watch collecting analogy...

As you know, the H&Ds (yours particularly!) are among my favorites. Here's another of my favorites, pictured with a watch a regret giving up this year.

Regards,

Jed

Thanks, Jed.  I'd love to pick up a Collings (and a Panerai!) one of these days.  I think the Baby Collings would make a fantastic travel guitar (to replace my cherished L-00).  With Baby Collings and PAM 61 (I'm a sucker for that tobacco-colored dial!) in tow the world would be my oyster!  

That's some great wood working on those guitars.  The inlays are beautiful.  Anytime you customize something there is always a wait, but it's also worth it.

Are you in a band?  What kind of music do you play?

-MW

Appreciate your comments!  I'm not in a band, and just play for my own pleasure (The music I write myself is alt-country, and otherwise I just cover classic rock and country.).  I work clearing music for film and television, so I am immersed in the world of music all day.  I'm one of the fortunate few who have parlayed one of my passions into a profession.

Cheers,

Daos

This message has been edited by dxboon on 2009-01-02 22:18:32

"I'm one of the fortunate few who have parlayed one of my passions into a profession."

Hello Daos,

Happy to hear that you are working in the field that you enjoy and have a passion for!

I went to elementary school near The Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd.  They had some interesting guitars there and I remember back in the day the long lines when they had their  big sale.  Have you been there?

-MW

MW - you must be a native Angeleno (I've come across so few of you since I moved to LA eight years ago!) if you went to elementary school near the Guitar Center!  Yes, I love to check out the vintage room at the GC on Sunset.  For anyone who is a guitar lover, or interested in music history, it's a great place to "take it all in."  Plus, you never know who you'll run into there on a random Saturday afternoon.  I've seen many a music industry heavyweight checking out a classic electric or acoustic guitar.  Maybe one of these days I'll be lucky enough to run into you there!  I often combine my passions for guitars and watches by doing a Saturday afternoon blitz of (mostly) window shopping at the Guitar Center and several watch stores in the Greater LA area.  Always a good time.  

Yes, proud to be a "Angeleno" born and raised in L.A.  I haven't been to the Guitar Center in years but I do remember that they had these acoustic sound proof rooms so you can pick up a guitar and play with it and hear how it sounds.  There used to be several independant guitar stores within blocks of the Guitar Center Sunset, have you been to those?

Sounds to me like you are local and should join us for a L.A. GTG someday!

-MW

This message has been edited by DRMW on 2009-01-03 09:08:05

MW - I've probably hit up all the stores you mention in the Hollywood area.  The other music shop I used to frequent quite a bit was McCabe's, but when I switched jobs I no longer was regularly on that side of town.  I am local and would very much enjoy attending a GTG in LA!  Even something as informal as an afternoon of burgers at In-N-Out (I think several of us are burger-heads as well.) would be grand.

Hope the new year is treating you well so far!

Daos 

Soooo, you're a foodie too?  Great!  You are going to really enjoy the Los Angeles Purist group! =)

Our WFED forum has chronicled some of our epicurean adventures around L.A. 

In-n-Out, Tommy's, Pink's, Carney's, all sound good. 

-MW

Never played the guitar but I can appreciate the fine work put into these guitars with all the inlay and details.  Used to play violin when I was in high school and played for 10 years but haven't touched a violin since then. 

My oldest daughter wanted a guitar for x-mas so we bought her a $35 pink junior sized guitar off of ebay :P  2 strings already broke.  LOL

Cheers,
Anthony

Anthony - be sure to let me know if you need help re-stringing the guitar!   LOL.  Your daughter must already be rockin' out hard!  Good for her.  Much like you, I used to play the viola and saxophone in Junior HS and HS, but haven't touched either of those instruments in years.  One of the few regrets I have in life is that I never took my parents up on their offer of piano lessons when I was a child (I can almost imagine the sound of my mother cackling triumphantly and saying "I told you so," as I write this!), as now I wish I could play the piano.

Cheers,

Daos 

I totally forgot how to read bass clef since violin is only treble clef :P

My parents made us go to youth symphony and our symphony was pretty decent.  We even had a concert in Carnegie Hall.  I wasn't that good at that time since I was still in 2nd Violins section.

Only thing I sort of know how to play on the piano now is Chopsticks

- AT

. . . as evidenced by the concerts I've attended (notably the Stones, with 34 shows under my belt), and my attempt to learn an instrument several years ago, the shvi . . .

. . . two of which are high grade instruments made of apricot wood by the most renowned shvi maker in Armenia . . .

. . . and the third is of made of walnut by the father of the current acknowledged master of the instrument, which has a different tone than the usual seasoned apricot wood normally used to make these ancient woodwinds. I took lessons for four years, but simply don't have an ear for music, and stopped playing when it was evident I was no longer advancing . . . cordially, Art

...thank you for sharing the photos.  I particularly enjoyed seeing all three shvi together, because the difference in color between the apricot and walnut woods is very evident.  In the macro shot of the master's initials, do the other letters to the side, "F" and "A," indicate the key of their respective shvi?

I discovered Armenian pastoral and folk music when I moved to LA.  There's one CD I very much like called "Lost Songs From Eden" which features another traditional Armenian instrument I'm sure you are familiar with, the duduk.  Beautiful, beautiful music.  

As for the fact that you've seen the Rolling Stones (One of my top 3 bands of all time, along with the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin.) 34 times, I can only say that you must be, "a man of wealth and taste," as the song goes...

Cheers,

Daos

. . . and probably the most melancholy, Daos . . . remind me to bring you a copy of "Melody of Sunik" by Ararat Petrossian when we finally meet up, which I'm sure will be sooner rather than later. Yes, the letters "F" and "A" indicate the tuning of the alto and soprano shvis respectively; if I ever go back to playing, I'll need an F# alto shvi because the fingering for F# on mine is a bit tricky. Here's hoping the Stones pump out at least one more tour this year . . . cordially, Art

Your love of the Stones pegs you as a man with impeccable taste in music, so I look forward to hearing "Melody of Sunik" with great anticipation.

My best to you, as always.

Daos 

I love the inlays on those guitars.
In my youth I built several harpsichords and actually came first to Europe to work for a pipe organ builder in Germany.
Life's long paths.
Now having taken the profession of an electrical engineer I play viola in a good amateur orchestra. Our last concerts were 3 performances of an Opera by Jacques Offenbach, the libretto based on a novella by Jules Verne, "Dr. Ox". Next concert in May, 3 violin concertos by J.S. Bach.
I need this time with music. The complete concentration needed lets one forget everything else.
That is really the only time I can really do this.
My instrument is not particularly valuble or beautiful, but the time I spend with it is.
Your instruments look like they get used and well cared for too.
Enjoy that time!
Don

The time I spend playing guitar is very restorative.  I love the viola, and played for a few years when I was younger.  I feel it is the unsung hero of many an orchestra's string section.  Has your orchestra made any recordings?  If so, I would love to hear them.  I have never seen "Dr. Ox" performed live, and of Offenbach's repertoire, I have only attended performances of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann."  I look forward to hearing how your Bach performances go this May!  

Cheers,

Daos   

Hi Daos,
PM me with your address and I'll send you a CD of one of our good concerts.
As far as we could find out we played the first performance of Dr. Ox after it's run in Paris when premiered.
Offenbach wrote literally hundreds of operettas most of which have never been played since their first run.
The most amazing I think is the quality of the music even with that kind of production.  It is maybe not at the level of La belle Helene, but Dr. Ox is great music and was lots of fun to play.
Our reason to play it was the libretto based on Jules Verne.  Here in Yverdon there is a science fiction museum which opened a new exhibition related to Jules Verne and our performances were a part of the celebrations for that.
Have a great day!
Don

I spent a couple of years in the London College of Furniture after school learning guitar making, but I now work in computing.  If I ever get my workshop finished I plan on building baroque guitars.

nick

Nick - finish up that workshop, man!  I'd love to see what the inner luthier hiding underneath all that computing will come up with!  Baroque guitars are so often miniature works of art.  The examples I've seen of rosette and soundhole decoration on modern interpretations (and the 17th c. originals) defy description, they are so intricate and beautiful.

I do hope we'll see your guitars soon!

Cheers,

Daos

I collect violins and 'cellos (and play the 'cello), owning several in the 250 - to 350-year old range. As with vintage watches, I very much enjoy the honest craftsmanship. In contrast to vintage watches, I enjoy the fact that the old instruments are functionally better than the new ones (although some aficionados of modern instruments will take issue with that view). 'Cellos are a bit hard to transport, but I wouldn't mind bringing an old violin or two to a get-together.

I'd love to see your collection one of these days.  There is something to be said for the sound of vintage instruments, which is undoubtedly why stringed instruments from the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries are so prized.  Is there a theme to your collection?  Do you only collect violins from Cremona or from certain makers, for instance?  I was once on a business trip to Philadelphia and visited William Moennig & Son, which I understand is one of America's oldest violin shops.  If you haven't been there already it might be of interest to you, should you be in that area.  They have some stunning instruments.

Cheers,

Daos

I took the Advanced Solo Studies course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London (Daniel Craig was studying drama there at the time) and was awarded their Premier Prix, back in '91. Could have got a professional job after that, but instead I drifted back into medicine and am now a surgeon. I have few regrets - musos generally have a tough life.

Im fortunate to own a nice Italian instrument - a Giovanni Baptista Grancino - signed and dated Milan, 1716, which I have played for many years. My last solo gig was a performance of the Haydn D Major concerto in Melbourne two years ago with a local orchestra.

Like Don, I play regularly in amateur orchestras. In February I'll be leading the cello section of the World Doctors Orchestra for a concert at Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. Unfortunately it's difficult to maintain a high standard - you really need to do some playing every day, which I don't manage. I probably peaked a few years ago. There are simply too many things competing for my attention.

Love those guitars! I used to play guitar too - I was more into jazz. Had a Gibson ES175 for a while, nice hollow-body electric with a single cutaway. I stupidly sold it, I suppose it's easily worth five figures now.

Cheers
Tony P

Good luck at your concert in February!  I'm so humbled by the amount of musical talent amongst my fellow Purists.  You've got a great cello, as Giovanni Baptista Grancino was the greatest luthier in his family, and known even to a rube like myself.  As for the ES-175, another classic instrument, perhaps you'll pick up the guitar again one of these days.  I'd be pleased to know you've rejoined our ranks!  

Love the Daniel Craig school connection too.  After all, he is the second best on-screen James Bond ever...after Connery, of course.