Gibson/Epiphone Byrdland Experiences

[Doctor Jeff]

Speaking of Bill Evans, I gave a talk last Thursday to the medical staff at my hospital entitled "Contagious Rhythm: Musicians and Infectious Diseases". It spanned musical and medical history from the classical era to rock music.

The format was a Powerpoint presentation with Youtube clips of many well-known performers, including Horowitz playing Schumann (died of syphilis), Stan Getz (died of hepatitis C) and Freddie Mercury (died of AIDS). My son Michael played the Chopin Nocturne Opus 55, Nr 1 live on piano, and I played Bill Evans' "Very Early" on guitar.

Chopin, of course, died of TB, and Evans died of cirrhosis due to chronic viral hepatitis.

Among jazz guitarists, Charlie Christian died of TB and Joe Pass died of liver cancer due to chronic viral hepatitis. Pass of course had a history of IV drug abuse which he kicked about 1962.

Modern rock guitarists who contracted hepatitis C (in most cases due to IV drug use) include Mick Ronson (guitarist for David Bowie), Phil Lesh (bassist for Grateful Dead), David Crosby, David Marks (Beach Boys' rhythm guitarist), Dusty Hill (bassist for ZZ Top), and Keith Richards. Ronson died of his hepatitis C, while Lesh and Crosby received liver transplants. Keith famously bragged that his immune system was so strong it defeated the hepatitis C virus without treatment.

Many rock guitarists also have contracted HIV, including Tom Fogerty (CCR), Alan Murphy (Level 42), Ricky Wilson (B 52's), Andy Fraser (bassist for Free) and Chuck Panozo (bassist for Styx). Fogerty, Murphy and Wilson all died of AIDS, while Fraser and Panozo are still healthy and playing.

That may be TMI for some of you, but for others there will be an article forthcoming that I will link to when it comes out. I'm trying to convince my son to post the presentation on Youtube, at least his piano performance!

[Doctor Jeff]

Originally Posted by helios

Interesting story about the first Byrdland:
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/55byrdland

Wow--I took lessons from Charlie Chambers for a couple of years back in the 60's, and I bought my first "real" guitar--a vintage 1970 Goya classical--from his shop on Rossville Bvd. about 1980. Paid $300 for it--probably too much.

7/17/2007 - Chattanoogan: Charles Chambers Has Always Been Devoted To Music - Happenings - Chattanoogan.com

My old neighbor and bassist Alan Wilson played gigs in Chattanooga with Charlie until recently. I understand Charlie is in poor health these days.

[Steve Hoffman]

There is a Norlin era Byrdland on eBay right now for almost $7,000.00. Isn't that way too much? I don't get it..

Vintage Gibson Byrdland Archtop Jazz Guitar L-5 Style - eBay (item 140421440646 end time Jul-07-10 09:20:40 PDT)

[helios]

I've been following prices myself, and I don't get it either! In the lower range for a Byrdland (around $5000) you also get holes drilled in or a Bigsby added on! A 2008 Gibson Byrdland sold a few days ago for $7000. I bought the Epiphone Elitist version, and those (in nice shape) don't sell below $2000 (A relative bargin compared to the Gibson). Gibsons (like Harleys) do retain value, and I've no doubt they're much nicer than the Epiphone Elitist. Ouch on the old wallet though!

[Steve Hoffman]

Maybe it's people who like Ted N. or something and want to use it for rock stuff? Dunno. The Byrdland is a tough guitar to keep in tune because of the scale. I mean, if one is going to buy a thinline, just get a reissue 335 for 1/3 of the price. Maybe it's the hand-carved aspect? No idea. Fun watching the stuff on eBay. Sometimes there is a better deal there than the actual archtop dealers on line. THEY have outragous prices, like calling a Norlin 1978 Maple volute LES PAUL a "vintage classic" and charging 5k for it. Shocking. Some kid will buy it, thinking that it's so old it must be good or something.

[JohnW400]

Mandolin Brothers, Ltd. - Gibson (new) Byrdland

$8200 for blonde one new. I paid $2100 in 1990 for a sunburst one.

[J.W. Beeson]

Hi and Happy New Year

I am new to the Forum, so have patience with me if i ask dumb questions. I just got an Epiphone Byrdland, 2003 model in Sunburst. The guitar is stunning, but apparently had a lot of under the bed time. The nut was loose, the truss rod was loose and the tuner nkobs were loose, the strings were dead, bla bla bla. But virtually not a scratch. Paid 1900 for it, which i don't know if it was a good deal or not, but i have waited for one to come up for sale for ever, so i jumped on it. Gibbys you can find(but can't afford), but Epi's are nearly impossible to find for sale, and after seeing this one, i know why. But it is not without issues, so here goes. I was interested in the short scale, because i have small hands to begin with, that are presently Arthuritic, and getting worse by the day. Wanted something that frets like butter. I play Country, Blues, Classic rock & roll, and my own stuff. Im not, or have never been a great picker(3 cords and a capo), but getting used to this guitar is a new experience and ther are some changes i think i need to make. It frets like butter, but there is a slight string buzz at about the14th fret, which i think is a high fret. The tuners are grover super rotomatics with imperial knobs, and it seems like if you LOOK at them they go out of tune. They are ajustable for tension, but that hasnt seemed to last, and they seem so touchy to ajust. I am thinking of changing the tuners to Grover Imperials with a 16:1 ratio. (wish they were 18:1) and having the fretboard PLEK'ED and need some input on doing those 2 things.
This guitar has a totally different sound than i was expecting, but i figured since Chuck Berry, Roger MgWinn, and Nugent played them, they would handle anything i could want to do, but it is not the sound i was expecting. I have a Fender Champ, a Fender Acoustasonic SFX and a Fishman Solo. Are these amps the right paring with the Byrdland or would i be better off with, say, a Blues Deluxe or something along that line? Im sort of Flying Blind here, but i have friends that play the same type of music, I do, on a 335, or an L5 or L7, Gretchs, ect. so how much different is the Byrd going to be from any other of these F holes.
Thanks

J.W.

[kris]

Epiphon Byrd-I owned this model few years ago.
OK.Good looking and exelent wood and work...but
I prefer bigger box.

[M-ster]

Originally Posted by helios

Interesting story about the first Byrdland:
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/55byrdland

$500,000 ?!?

[helios]

Originally Posted by J.W. Beeson

Hi and Happy New Year

I am new to the Forum, so have patience with me if i ask dumb questions. I just got an Epiphone Byrdland, 2003 model in Sunburst. The guitar is stunning, but apparently had a lot of under the bed time. The nut was loose, the truss rod was loose and the tuner nkobs were loose, the strings were dead, bla bla bla. But virtually not a scratch. Paid 1900 for it, which i don't know if it was a good deal or not, but i have waited for one to come up for sale for ever, so i jumped on it. Gibbys you can find(but can't afford), but Epi's are nearly impossible to find for sale, and after seeing this one, i know why. But it is not without issues, so here goes. I was interested in the short scale, because i have small hands to begin with, that are presently Arthuritic, and getting worse by the day. Wanted something that frets like butter. I play Country, Blues, Classic rock & roll, and my own stuff. Im not, or have never been a great picker(3 cords and a capo), but getting used to this guitar is a new experience and ther are some changes i think i need to make. It frets like butter, but there is a slight string buzz at about the14th fret, which i think is a high fret. The tuners are grover super rotomatics with imperial knobs, and it seems like if you LOOK at them they go out of tune. They are ajustable for tension, but that hasnt seemed to last, and they seem so touchy to ajust. I am thinking of changing the tuners to Grover Imperials with a 16:1 ratio. (wish they were 18:1) and having the fretboard PLEK'ED and need some input on doing those 2 things.
This guitar has a totally different sound than i was expecting, but i figured since Chuck Berry, Roger MgWinn, and Nugent played them, they would handle anything i could want to do, but it is not the sound i was expecting. I have a Fender Champ, a Fender Acoustasonic SFX and a Fishman Solo. Are these amps the right paring with the Byrdland or would i be better off with, say, a Blues Deluxe or something along that line? Im sort of Flying Blind here, but i have friends that play the same type of music, I do, on a 335, or an L5 or L7, Gretchs, ect. so how much different is the Byrd going to be from any other of these F holes.
Thanks

J.W.

Happy New Year to you as well! I paid $2300 for my Epiphone Byrdland (in mint condition), so I certainly don't think you over-paid for yours. I did do some modifications to mine. I intonated mine with a strobe tuner after centering the the floating bridge, marked the exact location of the bridge, and with a thin layer of epoxy on the bottom of the bridge, set it in place permanently! I disliked the fact that the bridge would move around causing a tuning/intonation variable (carpet/two-face tape will also secure a floating bridge, without the potential devaluation of the instrument). I also put on a set of gold plated locking tuners. I now experience little or no slippage after tuning. I also like Lindy Fralin Unbucker pickups, so I put in a set of those. The stock pickups were pretty decent however-I just happen to like the unbuckers. I enjoy the ergonomics of the Byrdland, and Santa brought me a Peavey Delta Blues amplifier to go with the Byrdland. The Delta Blues is an EL84 powered amp like my Mesa Nomad, but it is cleaner sounding. Here is a goofy video of me playing it on Youtube. Please pardon the the fact that I am an amateur!!!

YouTube Video

[Dad3353]

Originally Posted by helios

...Please pardon the the fact that I am an amateur!!!...

Good afternoon, Helios, and New Year greetings...
No pardon needed, you're doing fine. Very nice playing (not my sound, but that's just me...). I've been working on 'Misty' for a while, and I like what you doing with it. I'm attempting 'chord/melody', so I have to keep the chords, bass and melody going somehow, all at once. I might try a backing track version; yours sounded nice and fluid.
Congratulations.
Byrdland? Out of my class, I'm afraid. Samick 335 copy does me (and a Hofner Committee, but that would be off topic...).

[gtr_5155]

My dream would be a cross between the fairly recent Epi Byrdland Elitist with the "snakehead" and deep Florentine cutaway and the L-5 George Gobel thin body.Until then,I'll keep hugging my Stromberg Monterey.