just got back from this show at market hall. i didn't stay long. anyone who is wanting to buy a guitar might as well buy one off the internet as far as trying to audition one in that madhouse!

this was my first guitar show. i've gone to a million gun shows in the same hall but i had to park nearly half a mile further back for this show. very crowded and i seemed to get continuously stuck behind young women pushing baby carriages. i had no idea there would be as many vendors as there were and i had to consult the map to find the hill country booth.

i spoke with kevin briefly. i'd be a nervous wreck babysitting all those fragile, high-dollar guitars for a weekend considering the high percentage of cowboy belt buckles, biker chain-wallets and nose rings. he told me my collings ought to pop out of the shop at least by the end of this month.

it was way too crowded for me and you couldn't hear anything anyway so i deemed it useless to play anything. there was a large outfit drove down from cincinatti (jk lutherie) who had a good selection of books and instructional materials so i bought a happy traum fingerpicking dvd (it has feight train on it but tell rickslo not to hold his breath until i'm playing it like he does!) and a flatpicking book from them and a couple of planet wave humidifiers and a little tripod-like device to hold the guitar neck up while changing strings from the d'addario distributer.

/guy

I was there yesterday too. As usual Kevin had the best arsenal. Big guitar shows are always noisy. However,there are booths that one can go to to hear an acoustic. Played a few, including a '27 000 Martin ($59k) and a '40 D45 ($125K, ex-Elderly Instrumnets). Nice, but I'll take Kevins' wares any day. Played a McPherson with a redwood top for the first time and was surprised by how good it was. Saw an Avalon for$500!! These are Lowdens with a new name, from what I gather.It would make an excellent campfire guitar. I got back just in time from the ATM to see a Japanese gentleman handing over cash for it. Talked to the other serious Collings unofficial dealer there, Gordon Orth. I don't play dreds but always wanted an original Clarence White. Prices are: Mah/Adi CW: $5500, Braz version: $9000. Am going back today to see if there are any last minute bargains.

quote:

Originally posted by collingscowboy:
I don't play dreds but always wanted an original Clarence White. Prices are: Mah/Adi CW: $5500, Braz version: $9000.

Now you did it; Bryan Kimsey will think he left some money on the table now.

quote:

Talked to the other serious Collings unofficial dealer there, Gordon Orth.

What did you think of Gordon? I bought my D1 from him, long distance. When his ebay auction failed to reach his reserve, I contacted him and we dickered a little by email and phone. He seemed like a good guy to me, very down-to-earth and agreeable, and the guitar came precisely as described. At the time, he owned four of the CW's.

B

Gordon's a great guy. I've known him for about 10 years now and he's always been real square in all his dealings. He now has 3 mah CW's. Somebody (who?) picked up a D1SB from Kev's booth and promptly sold his CW to Gordon.

The '27 000 (asking $59.5) I played sold to someone I know for................$32K!! Makes you wonder what these vintage Martin asking prices really mean.

Who is Gordon? Is he a dealer? Love to get ahold of one of those Mah Clarence Whites.

Speaking of noise -- I was at that guitar show several years ago and wanted to try out a Martin OM28V. The kid next to me cranked up Iron Man by Black Sabbath at 11 on his amp. When I asked the "salesman" to ask the kid to turn it down so I could hear what the OM sounded like I was told that he didn't want to offend a customer. So I took my cash home - picked up the phone and called Mandolin Bros.

Kevin as usual had a sweet collection of guitars. I was mandolin shopping however and saw a nice collection of Collings and some new Gibsons too. But nothing I would have traded for my Weber Fern just yet.

One of my favorite things about guitar shows is coming home with the feeling that I love the instruments that I already own. I'll never have everything I want but I've got everything I need.

quote:

I'll never have everything I want but I've got everything I need.

Words of wisdom in this chaotic, consumerist world. How many guitars do we really need now? I have always found guitar shows to be therapeutic. After seeing all the hyped and grossly inflated prices of guitars it always renews my appreciation for what I have at home.

TJ: Gordon Orth runs Hobby Music, a business from his home in Kansas. He has, perhaps, the best collection of original CWs, mah and Braz, anywhere. I called him today and he's not home yet from the show in Dallas. I want to check with him prior to posting his number here. He's not really "commercial" with his CWs, figuring that they are only going north, price-wise, so he's in no hurry to sell. What he does sell is beautifully made FI and bone bridge-pins. I'll let you know soon as I hear from him. With talk of mahogany being placed on the CITES list due to overlogging, mah CWs are pure gold now.

Cowboy,

You can contact me directly at johnhardy@mail.com. Thanks.