HAWAIIAN

Hawaiian, or lap style guitar, has become a passion within a passion (?) and an obvious progression from my early lap steel guitar adventures. I attended a Doc Watson concert with none other than The Jerry Douglas (JD) Band opening in the most unlikely place of Englewood, NJ. Free tickets through a friend of a friend who ran the house sound system. Dae Bennett (Tony Bennett's son) happened to be sitting with us as his studio is across the railroad tracks out front.....literally! With direct audio/video lines into the theatre he recorded several notable projects for his father in the venue. He should have had the hard drive booted up for this one! 

It just happened to be the night after JD won Country Musician of the Year. The crowd was sparse but the evening changed my musical direction. It was my introduction to the resophonic guitar. I had almost forgot the purity and unforgiving nature of an acoustic instrument. I was amazed watching as he played with such ease but at the safe time, with a fiery passion. All of this with a steel bar and fingerpicks! Truly a master of his instrument and a living legend. I was even fortunate enough to chat with him backstage to find a very down home unassuming guy who loves his job.

Of course, in G.A.S. tradition, I immediately purchased a "starter" reso from Bill Blue at Liberty Guitars in Florida but it didn't take long for a Beard Cherry to become my primary instrument. A Beard Road-O-Phonic followed and then I bought a ........... 
 
Weissenborn



My early fascination with the lap steel guitar lead me to the world of acoustic hawaiian instruments including those made by German immigrant, Herman Weissenborn. Many of today's notable players including Ben Harper, Jerry Douglas, Ed Gerhard and others have found another voice with a Weissenborn for good reason. The haunting tones from the 80+ year old koa and hollow neck design can not only be heard but truly felt by the player. It is the one instrument that searches the depths of my soul and sends shivers through my body!

I decided to go with the "plain jane" Style 1 for my long term Weissenborn since I was looking for tone more than ornamentation. The added $$$$s  for a Style 2, 3 or 4 was better served on other additions. With the continued evolution of my collection the importance of an instrument's tone and playability takes center stage when making the tough decisions. This led to my decision to maintain the traditional Weissenborn hollow neck design over that of a Kona Style 1 which can be found in the G.A.S. Graveyard.  The Kona was also a beautiful instrument with a spruce top and koa back/sides. It just did not dig quite as deep as the all koa Weissenborn so she now resides in France with someone who will continue to enjoy her sweet tones. 

1920s Weissenborn Style 1

National Tricone

         

Whenever you talk about National it's tricone model will typically come up in the conversation. Revered by players and collectors alike, their line of single, duolian and tricone models offered the musicians of the day increased volume that was necessary to be heard above the large orchestras and ensembles. While others were tinkering with electrifying the guitar the Dopyera brother's resophonic design, with its spun aluminum cone(s), didn't require an external amplifier. By the 1930s National introduced their own line of electrified instruments such as the National Silvo which was my first Monthly G.A.S. Attack (October 2007). 

I waited patiently for just the right tricone and was fortunate to acquire, from the widow of the original owner, a rare 1936 Style 97 squareneck. Often referred to as the "Surfer Girl" due to its stunning art deco etchings, this is the top dog of my hawaiian guitar collection. With a scant 29 manufactured, it satisfies both tone and collectability. You can check out more photos and read all about the luau since she was the Monthly G.A.S. Attack for August 2008. A fine player and with new cones, she sings! Best-selling author and guitar collector, Jonathan Kellerman, owns one as well and is prominently featured in his book, "With Strings Attached".


1936 National Style 97



Gibson

 

Of course I didn't neglect one of Gibson's contributions to the hawaiian movement! The HG/Century was part of Gibson's reponse to the hawaiian guitar demands of the era and a nod to the Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. Stunning curly maple, triple bound top & bottom and a white pearloid (MOT) fingerboard and peghead veneer puts this model over the top! The peghead has the Gibson logo and a notched diamond inlay set in rosewood.

This particular example is exceptionally clean and another true under-the-bed treasure with just some finish checking. Also, she did not succum to spanish conversion preserving her original hawaiian setup. The model was based on their L-00/Blues King except with heavier bracing, a raised nut and straight saddle. On most hawaiian models Gibson used their standard 14 fret necks with frets which made for easy conversion to spanish style.

An exceptionally clean 1936 HG-00 that graced this page until just recently found a new home with Folkway Music in Ontario, Canada who is known for their fine vintage guitar selection.
  

1936 Gibson HG/Century

  


Martin



And what would any self-respecting acoustic collection be without Martin representation? Of course there are flat tops to come a bit further down on the page however hawaiians have played an important part not only in my collection but my musical path for the last 8+ years. Martin certainly followed the hawaiian craze and offered numerous flat top models with a hawaiian setup. Heavier bracing, frets flush to the fingerboard and a high nut and saddle. Many of these have fallen victim to conversion back to spanish since they were a relative bargain as compared to the standard version of the guitar. 

The 1939 0-15H, which was the Monthly G.A.S. Attack  for December 2007, has yet to be put back in its case. Although an entry level instrument it was quick to replace an 0-17H as a favorite. The only difference between the two was the finish (matte vs. satin) which seems to allow the 0-15H more low end. This rare (1 of 12) little hawaiian has become my go to for recording in fact the flash intro to my site was performed on this guitar. You feel every note! It produces some of the most haunting tones I've recorded to date. I'm sure this one will be around for a very long time!
                       
1939 Martin 0-15H 

 

Yes......that is a sprig of wild onion!
You'd think the photographer would have pulled it first!
 
Lap Box Guitar





I also collect unusual early 1900s instruments that were typically sold door-to-door many with "hawaiian" in their name. Most would fall in the harp or zither family and rarely played as they were more of a novelty. The lap box guitar on the other hand appears to have been an early effort to amplify the sound by use of a large rectangular box. It has a trapeze style tailpiece, rosewood bridge and a hawaiian nut extender. To large for the lap it must have been played on a table or stand. There are no manufacturer markings however the craftsmanship is very good with ornate trim. Based on the hardware, design, etc. I believe it would be from the early to mid-1930s. It is playable but mostly looks cool as the entry piece into my home studio. 

   
Martin Flat Top


 
Martin has maintained its position as the flat top king and for good reason. They have built the most memorable flat top guitars since the late 1800s of any American manufacturer. They defined what a flat top should sound like just as Gibson did for the archtop. I initially focused on the early 1950s for good reason - the prewar models require a second mortgage! Of course even Martins from the 1950s are not for the faint of heart or those without thousands (and then some) to spend on each guitar. Martins from this period continue to see rapid appreciation with brazilian rosewood models leading the pack.
With the sale of a 1950s 5-18 (Terz), 00-28G and 000-18 (see The G.A.S. Graveyard), I left myself with just a prewar 1931 5-17T (tenor) and my very favorite Martin the defacto bluegrass standard, a 1951 D-28. Tough decision to shed so many at one time but I felt it was better to just get it over with. I've known all along the ones I had planned to keep long term plus it makes room for a new addition!

I had not been exposed to much in the way of tenor guitars until I picked up examples from both Martin and Gibson. Intoxicating little beasts, they have a tone you just won't coax out of a standard guitar. I sold my Gibson TG-1 (see the G.A.S. Graveyard) even though it was quite the looker but this little plain mahogany Martin 5-17T blew it away in terms of tone and volume. I really didn't want to collect tenor instruments anyway so I settled on maintaining just one in my collection as a "porch player". 

The D-28 is the one flat top guitar in my collection that is in there for the long term. I've become addicted to its tone and incredible projection. It's an effortless player with a low action that is not from a neck reset which is really something for a Martin from this era. The D-28 is probably Martin's most recognized guitar and although production continues to this day, they continue to appreciate every year! I believe it has something to do with the Brazilian Rosewood used in its construction. LOL This 1951 is as clean as they come with just one non-original bridge pin.


1931 5-17T                                 1951 D-28   

                           

        
Gibson Archtop





Gibson invented the archtop and has produced some of the most recognized models through the years. A Lloyd Loar era L-5 will set you back $50K+ so you won't find one in this fella's collection! My acoustic archtops are both non-cutaway styles. Most of my electric archtops (see Electric G.A.S. Gallery) are natural cutaways so I chose to retain a traditional sunburst and black finish for the acoustic models. 

The Black Special No. 2 had been part of my collection for quite some time but was almost sold as a first year (1935) L-30 before I discovered it was in actuality a non-cataloged Special. It was the May 2008 Monthly G.A.S. Attack so you can read all about it.

Often overlooked since only a few hundred were shipped between 1930-55, the L-12 sits somewhere between the L-5 and L-7 with its gold hardware and 17" body. My example has an added McCarty "finger rest" pickup which really compliments the guitar. After owning several L-4s and L-7s, including the cutaway versions (see the G.A.S. Graveyard), the L-12 was another one that satisfied both the requirements of great tone as well as collectibility. An immediate post war instrument with a prewar heritage, it sounds as good as any L-5 I've played. It just oozes vintage vibe and has become my favorite acoustic archtop.....that you can plug in too!    
      
 
    1938 Black Special No. 2                          1948 L-12                             

                             


Kay Archtop



With the likes of Gibson gracing this page, you'd think I'd follow up with an Epiphone, Gretsch or even Guild perhaps but not a "catalog archtop". Well I've owned a few of the aforementioned and you just might see one as a Monthly G.A.S. Attack  in the future but for now this 1948 Kay K-42 Artist changed how I look at a Sears catalog. Part of the September 2008 Monthly G.A.S. Attack  along with a Silvertone (Harmony) 1348, I became intrigued by their "professional grade" instruments and was not disappointed. Although not quite a Gibson I could have purchased close to 10 of these for the price of an equivalent L-7. Beautiful maple back and sides with a spruce top that has darkened with age, its "baseball bat" neck is actually quite comfortable and tone very pleasing with great harmonics. Not bad for a guitar ordered from the Sears catalog! You can see more pictures of her along with a detailed description under the Monthly G.A.S. Attack  page.



1948 Kay K-42 Artist