Official Luthiers Forum!

As I've mentioned before there is a rich Lutherie tradition in our area and most specifically in our own shop. Our shop was a take over from the Herb David Guitar Studio that operated for a bit over 50 years in Ann Arbor. We mark the beginning or our 11th year in this location April 1st, April Fools Day...

Back in the day John Lennon came to Ann Arbor for a rally to free John Sinclair (he wrote a song about it too). Sinclair had been jailed for smoking what I smoke every day, pot. Times change.... Where's my Oreos...

During the visit Lennon visited Herb's shop and sat in this chair that was promptly roped off and retired after Lennon and his butt left. The chair was an icon in Ann Arbor for the remaining decades it was on display at the store.

Eric Clapton was in the Detroit area performing and had a malfunction with his psychedelic SG. He brought it to Ann Arbor, Detroit A-listers often stay and play in Ann Arbor 35 miles away, and asked Herb to repair it. And he did. Clapton signed a poster and that was that.

Both the poster and the chair were in the store when we took it over. Herb also worked with Bryan Galloup and Dan Earlywine too and then Dave Collins and then me. So my Lutherie heritage can be traced back 65 years to someone who met Lennon and Clapton.

Oh and the guitar (Martin OOO-28) that was played by Lennon at the rally to free Sinclair is in private hands now still in Ann Arbor and we were approached to do a headstock repair on it about 9 years ago.

I sometimes stop and think and shake my head at just how rich the musical heritage that I was fortunate enough to be exposed to when I hung up the suits and brief case and started working for a living. For any of you who ponder making a change I did exactly that after I was in my early 50's. Decided that my work was going to be the end of me and that I needed to have some fun. Built a StewMac Dreadnought kit and then 54.5 more and then went into the repair business. I am now.... now.... officially retired but still working part time because I love it and enjoy it.

Since then Dave and I have amassed our very own list of A-listers that is as impressive if not more so but that's for another day.

Thanks

This will sound mean first thing in the morning, but Lennons ass didn't leave any powers in the chair for anyone to absorb or contemplate with honor. Heck, if Clapton had sat in it the same would be true. It's a chair.

I'm glad you're here, though and part of the biz.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

That's awesome. Reminds me of when my Grandfather used to love to say, "Shake the hand that shook the hand of John L. Sullivan."

Pile is right of course but people are people and the chair has provenance and so someone would probably be willing to pay a lot of money for it. Too bad he didn't sign it. Did you look under it?

Your absolutely right and Clapton is not always the nice guy either we know that now too. It's just fun to think about.

Didn't look under and it's gone now probably to an assisted living place or a collector who will flip it.

I've gotten pretty good at recognizing what people might look like 50 years later. I've asked a few of our clients who did not use their names, yet if they were so and so and they often are. Met folks from REO Speedwagon and Brownsville Station that way too. Robben Ford called us and wanted to know if he could come over for some opinions. We have lots of opinions. Got to strum his 58 Les Paul and his Goldtop. There have been a bunch more too including some jazz musicians who strummed for Miles Davis and Robert Hurst from the Tonight show (he's a U of M professor now). Mark Knoffler came by too and my Sultans of Swing version has never been better.

Lots of folkies too including some big names that I do not have permission to list but both males and females. So it's been a wild ride and it all started with a StewMac kit.