Guitar Making And Brown Paper

Funny you should mention that .. I was just heard my wife in the next room on her cell phone, and she is apparently waking out the door as I type this, on the way to Guitar Center buy three of those Martins for some of her students.

FWIW, I like guitars..and banjos and fiddles. Someday I'll probably build something else with strings, besides a kite! ;)

Bill

I always fancied having a go at a bowed psaltery. I've seen kits, they don't look too dificult to make or play. I've heard one, its an almost "not of this world" sound.

Have fun repairing it if it chips or cracks. For $720, I want wood, not formica. Nothing against formica, per se, but $100 would be closer to a realistic price.

I recorded quite a few 'Early Music" ensembles in the past that used them extensively ... it is indeed an eerie sound. Here's one of those albums ... this group used the instrument quite a bit if you're looking for other recordings of the sound:

I haven't seen many of those in my musical circles. The closest things are "mountain dulcimers", which may be a little easier to build because of the absence of the bow. I thought one of those might be my first instrument. Technically, it would be my second instrument as I already built my wife a washtub bass. When I was at youtube listening to bowed psaltery, I noticed a number of examples were duets between bowed psaltery and mountain dulcimer, so there ya go. I've read a few books on instrument building but I'm going to try my hand at building something with a drawer before I try that! I'm still wet behind the ears. ; )

Bill

You want the best in mountain dulcimers look no further than below, they don't come any better than Lloyd Frank Wright, or his mother, Margaret, matriarch of the "The Wright Family" ... lloyd was two time mountain dulcimer champion and one of the best in the world. I had the group in the studio on a number of their albums, as well as two of Lloyds. Here's the family web site:

guise of 'folk music from Missouri'. The late John Hartford is my favorite celebrator of that music. 'Hamilton Ironworks" is an album of his I really like. Others, where he is being a little too whacky for my tastes, I don't prefer. So don't make up your mind on one song. Though he did write the song Gentle On My Mind, made famous by Glen Cambell. Everyone is probably familiar with that one, though maybe not it's source.

Bill

My favorite is "Steam Powered Areo Plane", one of the staples of banjo players back in my bluegrass banjo days. I worked with John many years ago. One of the nicest guys in the music business in those days. Was saddened to see him pass away.

----------------------------------------- Are you referring to John Huntington Hartford who spent some time with the Kingston Trio after Dave Gard died, then left and became a Missississi River boat captain?

Lew

Gee, I suspected I was probably the only one here who lauded this person and now it appears I am at least 3rd down the list. Remarkable coincidence.

Bill

Nice thing is the absense of complex curves :-)

IIRC, John's middle name was Cowan.

Although I know him also, I always wondered if there wasn't somehow a mystical connection with John Cowan who played bass and sang with New Grass Revival.

I didn't realize he was obscure!

He was a regular guest on many TV shows in the 1960's and early 70's. Smothers Brothers, Glenn Campbell, Hee Waw, Mac Davis, etc.

Nor I...and he was almost always at John Rice Irwin's fall "Tennessee Homecoming" at Norris (north of Clinton) for the 25+ years we were in the area...along w/

Archie Campbell used to be there until his health started failing often, too, along w/ a bunch of the others from the area...

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If you stop at Tamarack on the West Virginia Turnpike, you'll find a couple who are Artists-in-Residence -- they build psaltries, both bowed and plucked. You'll also find some goregeous furniture built by Probst Furniture Makers