Checking Out a Private Collection

[JFranck]

Hi Dutchbopper
Thank you for these beautiful photos ! the owner of this collection is undoubtedly an esthete .
Just playing the Stromberg and one or two of the D'As would have made my day (and the Gibson O in memory of Big Bill Broonzy )
For sure I'm a nitpicker, but there's something missing : a Gibson ES 250 (or a Daniel Slaman )
I hope one day you can record us some of these gems !

[Hammertone]

Larry has some nice guitars.

[Dutchbopper]

Hi Dutchbopper I hope one day you can record us some of these gems !

That would be great indeed.

DB

[Fred Archtop]

but there's something missing : a Gibson ES 250 (or a Daniel Slaman )

Indeed ! That were my thoughts also. A nice ES-150 or a L5 equipped with a CC.

[laap45]

Indeed ! That were my thoughts also. A nice ES-150 or a L5 equipped with a CC.

It’s a work in progress

[Fred Archtop]

It’s a work in progress

Anyway, it's breathtaking in any sense. Congrats!

[zdub]

What a magnificent collection in one place, DB. I would sell my right testicle to spend a day in that room.
You are a very lucky man. Impressions to share?

Sorry, that's a two-testicle collection.

[Doctor Jeff]

Beautiful!

And my girlfriend complains that I have “too many guitars”...hmmm...

[skykomishone]

DB,
How long did it take for your eyes to stop spinning? And possibly, I would need to take a tranquilizer to try to avoid overstimulation. Wow! I'm trying to imagine my own reaction to such an experience. What was the process for serving up this delectable menu? Did the owner act as a sommelier and help with the selections based on intimate knowledge of the wine list and guiding you to the best? Or was it more of a not so blind tasting?

Wow! What an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Cheers

[Dutchbopper]

DB, What was the process for serving up this delectable menu? Did the owner act as a sommelier and help with the selections based on intimate knowledge of the wine list and guiding you to the best? Or was it more of a not so blind tasting? Cheers

The owner just handed me one guitar after another that I played unamplified (acoustic archtops) or through my own Mambo amp (that I had taken) for the electrics. We then discussed the differences in sound briefly. I think I never lost my cool though ... Of course with so many amazing archtops the playing time per guitar was way too little.

By the way, we have remained in contact and the owner has agreed to let me do some recordings with a few of his archtops and share these wonderful sounds with the world. I am very much looking forward to that.

Personally, I'd love to record some of his acoustic archtops (Stromberg, d'Angelicos, Super 400s) in my home studio. What's a good microphone for such a venture?

DB

[Fear the Reaper]

HT,
I intitally thought it was an inventory of one of your bunkers.

Larry has some nice guitars.

[gitman]

This prompts a throwback moment :

IIRC it's been 25 years that I've visited Mandolin Bros. in Staten Island/NY and spent an afternoon in their upstairs room : it's there where they kept all their special stuff ....
among the guitars I sampled were the Holy Grail instruments of so many of us : Gilchrist L5, Loar L5, Stromberg Master-400, D'Angelico New Yorker, Benedetto Fratello, Zeidler,
... and a D'Angelico New Yorker cutaway that Kenny Burrell left there to be sold. The saying : "I musta died and went to heaven" was constantly on my mind - but it was a very educational experience also. Not having played any of these vintage archtops before I learned that they were not meant to be played with a modern, light touch. Some had huge necks that I would have a hard time adjusting to, the tone of some was not pleasing but just brash and loud ... so I left there all the wiser. Oh, Kenny B.'s New Yorker , one of the later ones, almost played itself, soooo smooth and effortless. He wanted close to 45 G for it ....

[Stringswinger]

This prompts a throwback moment :

IIRC it's been 25 years that I've visited Mandolin Bros. in Staten Island/NY and spent an afternoon in their upstairs room : it's there where they kept all their special stuff ....
among the guitars I sampled were the Holy Grail instruments of so many of us : Gilchrist L5, Loar L5, Stromberg Master-400, D'Angelico New Yorker, Benedetto Fratello, Zeidler,
... and a D'Angelico New Yorker cutaway that Kenny Burrell left there to be sold. The saying : "I musta died and went to heaven" was constantly on my mind - but it was a very educational experience also. Not having played any of these vintage archtops before I learned that they were not meant to be played with a modern, light touch. Some had huge necks that I would have a hard time adjusting to, the tone of some was not pleasing but just brash and loud ... so I left there all the wiser. Oh, Kenny B.'s New Yorker , one of the later ones, almost played itself, soooo smooth and effortless. He wanted close to 45 G for it ....

I also have a throwback moment:

A decade or so back, I was visiting Eugene Oregon as my wife was running a marathon there. While she was running the race, I visited Mackenzie River Music (I had lived in Eugene in the late 80's for a spell and I remembered that they had a good selection of vintage guitars). The owner Bob November (RIP) was there and I mentioned that as the owner of a couple of vintage D'Angelicos (I now have three) he probably did not have any guitars that would excite me. Boy was I wrong.

Bob let me play three holy grail guitars from his private collection. A Blonde D'Angelico New Yorker with cutaway, A Loar signed L-5 and a mid 40's oval hole Selmer. All three guitars needed major setup work and were somewhat unplayable (Bob said that none were of much interest to him as a player and that the ultimate buyer would have them setup to taste). Bob also would not give me a price on any, though by the time my visit ended he told me that he would trade any for the right vintage Martin OM. When I asked why those guitars were not on his website or Gbase, he told me that he did business with a handful of wealthy collectors who would pay a premium for guitars that have never been advertised so that they could have bragging rights among their particular class of well heeled collectors.

After Bob died, I watched their website and Gbase and never saw any of those guitars advertised. Perhaps they are now in a collection somewhere? Does anybody here know what may have happened to these guitars?

[SierraTango]

I also have a throwback moment:

A decade or so back, I was visiting Eugene Oregon as my wife was running a marathon there. While she was running the race, I visited Mackenzie River Music (I had lived in Eugene in the late 80's for a spell and I remembered that they had a good selection of vintage guitars). The owner Bob November (RIP) was there and I mentioned that as the owner of a couple of vintage D'Angelicos (I now have three) he probably did not have any guitars that would excite me. Boy was I wrong.

Bob let me play three holy grail guitars from his private collection. A Blonde D'Angelico New Yorker with cutaway, A Loar signed L-5 and a mid 40's oval hole Selmer. All three guitars needed major setup work and were somewhat unplayable (Bob said that none were of much interest to him as a player and that the ultimate buyer would have them setup to taste). Bob also would not give me a price on any, though by the time my visit ended he told me that he would trade any for the right vintage Martin OM. When I asked why those guitars were not on his website or Gbase, he told me that he did business with a handful of wealthy collectors who would pay a premium for guitars that have never been advertised so that they could have bragging rights among their particular class of well heeled collectors.

After Bob died, I watched their website and Gbase and never saw any of those guitars advertised. Perhaps they are now in a collection somewhere? Does anybody here know what may have happened to these guitars?

Great story SS. I went to High School with Bob. We were pals, used cut school to drive down to guitar row in Hollywood and Sunset and Gardner. Or go skiing in Mammoth (Bob loved to ski in those days).
My impression after making some inquiries after Bob's passing was that his widow was retaining the very high end instruments. However that was shortly after his demise several years ago.

[bluejaybill]

The owner just handed me one guitar after another that I played unamplified (acoustic archtops) or through my own Mambo amp (that I had taken) for the electrics. We then discussed the differences in sound briefly. I think I never lost my cool though ... Of course with so many amazing archtops the playing time per guitar was way too little.

By the way, we have remained in contact and the owner has agreed to let me do some recordings with a few of his archtops and share these wonderful sounds with the world. I am very much looking forward to that.

Personally, I'd love to record some of his acoustic archtops (Stromberg, d'Angelicos, Super 400s) in my home studio. What's a good microphone for such a venture?

DB

See if you can get ahold of a pair of small condenser mikes like Neumann KM84 or 184. Or similar models. Then get an X mount (cheap). That will give you a nice stereo field.

[waltf]

See if you can get ahold of a pair of small condenser mikes like Neumann KM84 or 184. Or similar models. Then get an X mount (cheap). That will give you a nice stereo field.

dutchbopper i’m not sure if you’re far from antwerp but i would be willing to loan you a pair of km184’s.

[Dutchbopper]

dutchbopper i’m not sure if you’re far from antwerp but i would be willing to loan you a pair of km184’s.

Thanks for the offer Walt. Very kind of you. They are indeed too expensive to buy just like that. So I might take you on that offer ...

DB

[Greentone]

FWIW, if you have never tried them, the Gibson Citation and Kalamazoo Award are fabulous acoustic guitars.

The examples I have been fortunate to play were carved rather like Heritage Golden Eagles. They have wonderful tone for Norlin era guitars.

[Hammertone]

FWIW, if you have never tried them, the Gibson Citation and Kalamazoo Award are fabulous acoustic guitars.
The examples I have been fortunate to play were carved rather like Heritage Golden Eagles. They have wonderful tone for Norlin era guitars.

...which makes sense, since the Heritage Golden Eagle is based directly on the Kalamazo Award, not the L-5.

[gitman]

dutchbopper i’m not sure if you’re far from antwerp but i would be willing to loan you a pair of km184’s.

THESE together with an equally high-end stereo mic-preamp into some kind of recording device would give you something to work with - if you can record in a good sounding room without too much ambience....
Besides, Antwerp is always worth a visit !

[bluejaybill]

THESE together with an equally high-end stereo mic-preamp into some kind of recording device would give you something to work with - if you can record in a good sounding room without too much ambience....
Besides, Antwerp is always worth a visit !

Yes, a room that isn't too ambient isn't good, but neither is one that is too dead. If there is carpet on the floor, try apiece of plywood under the chair, sometimes that is just enough!

[waltf]

Thanks for the offer Walt. Very kind of you. They are indeed too expensive to buy just like that. So I might take you on that offer ...

DB

Np, just pm me and we'll work something out if/when you need them.

[2bornot2bop]

Hey DB,

Thanks for the story! Incredible collection.

Best and take care.

Oh, there was a "story" too? I never made it to the story.

[Donplaysguitar]

FWIW, if you have never tried them, the Gibson Citation and Kalamazoo Award are fabulous acoustic guitars.

The examples I have been fortunate to play were carved rather like Heritage Golden Eagles. They have wonderful tone for Norlin era guitars.

The Citation is still being made. Good news.

[Gustavo Eiriz]

Amazing!!
I wonder which will be the best for tapping and hi-gain settings.