He went on to earn degrees in animal behavior and zoology from the University of Chicago and Duke University. Some crossed over. 6,102 3,958 40. This Friday, October 2 at 12 pm EST and 11:00 am CST watch this live Zoom call with George Gruhn. George Gruhn began hunting for rare instruments in the mid 1960s in Chicago and went on to found Gruhn Guitars in Nashville; a mecca for vintage collectors and connoisseurs. GG stands for George Gruhn who was one of the main people responsible for the design. “I feel very honored to be able to represent the estate for these pieces,” said George Gruhn, who opened Gruhn Guitars in 1970 and was a friend of Dickens for more than 40 years. Generation X and Y never did much to support me in the past and they still don’t. Since 1991 I have purchased four copies of George Gruhn’s guide in the First Edition and three copies in the 2nd Edition. ... by having a Gruhn or Carter market this for them. Even though I’m widely regarded as knowledgeable and I’ve had a lot of these things over the years, I can’t afford to collect the stuff myself anymore. May-29-2008, 1:26pm. There was an active folk music scene in Berkeley, California as well as Greenwich Village, New York, and, to a considerable extent, these people kept in touch with each other. View Full Version : Questions for george gruhn. 1,630 1. George Gruhn, et al. Warning, DO NOT buy George Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars 3rd Edition. The real collectors, they’re just like stamp collectors and coin collectors. As a dealer, I certainly view it as a double-edged sword. Gruhn describes his early days of guitar collecting as "a compulsive mania." It wasn’t long before I found another guitar. Sometimes it’s hard to separate the sheep from the goats on eBay. George Kaiser. This Friday, October 2 at 12 pm EST and 11:00 am CST watch this live Zoom call with George Gruhn. In this interview, George Gruhn talks about collecting vintage electric and acoustic guitars. ... Well worth the extra investment, as it turns out. Please chime in and give me a good reason to buy or not buy. S# 0283-87. If you are very knowledgeable, you can buy at flea markets, pawnshops, eBay, whatever, but you’ve got to know your stuff. Over the years, his customers have included everyone from Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Eric Clapton to Neil Young, Vince Gill and Billy Gibbons. Warning, DO NOT buy George Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars 3rd Edition. As far as Spanish collectors of steel-string guitars or electric guitars, nope. Reproduction tuners and neck has a repaired crack through the tuner holes. As I told you, Mom and Dad were willing to buy me one. This collection was sold in 1976 to finance the purchase of his house and the building in which his business was located. In fact, you don’t even have to have the instrument; you can post somebody else’s photos and list it as though it were your own. It was a time where it looked like the prices were stagnating and that they weren’t really going to go up, so I figured if I wanted to get more later, I probably could. I was also interested in the early Gibson mandolins, in particular the F5 style, which is very rare, and good Fairbanks and Gibson five-string banjos. “I feel very honored to be able to represent the estate for these pieces,” said George Gruhn, who opened Gruhn Guitars in 1970 and was a friend of Dickens for more than 40 years. With the Internet, if you’ve got 10 guitars, you can make your own website. Please help to establish notability by citing, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Would you buy a used guitar from this man? 2. Gruhn Guitars in Nashville is a global hub for vintage guitar collectors. Stay away from George Gruhn. This guitar was used by both George Harrison & John Lennon between 1966 and 1969, making appearances on Revolver and the White album. 5.80lbs. The ones who really collect look all their life for this particular stamp and when they get it, they don’t want to simply turn right around and sell it right away. I don’t see a lot of serious collectors who are older than that, partly because they remember when these things were new and they didn’t cost much. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. He certainly didn’t invent solid-body guitars in spite of his claims to that effect. While there were thousand of makers of violins, they still all look pretty much like violins. They weren’t much interested in vintage electrics yet. For over 25 years I’ve been a full-time picker and on most of those trips it was just me, my van, and a radio. I'm in Nashville for a wedding this weekend and have an '81 335 on hold at Gruhn right now. A Martin flat top does not look much like a metal-body National resonator guitar, and that doesn’t look like a solid-body Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster. I'd really appreciate any input. Gibson Bella Voce Tenor Banjo. They started inviting people like Buddy Guy and Little Richard and Muddy Waters who were right there on the south side of Chicago, often literally walking distance from the university. It’s a rare event to see a decent guitar advertised in the paper anymore. Eric knows the market, has the draw, and is available every day. As far as who specifically designed these changes, it’s not very well known. Elderly – Lansing; Along with Dave’s, another of those stores that stand out for vintage and are among the most recognized in the country. I’d say I have three basic categories of buyers: musicians wanting a utility tool, collectors, and at least from 2002 to the present, a lot of speculators. They’d be horrified of the prospect of actually being unable to sell it with a profit within a year. Those artists have left indelible imprints on the music landscape, all t… But with guitars, there’s not really one particular image. I will respond promptly. Miscellaneous. "George Gruhn (Nashville TN) knows more about guitars than anyone on earth" says Tom Wheeler, former editor of Guitar Player magazine. Recently, a 1942 D-45 Martin showed up on eBay. There are Internet forums, but typically I avoid those. All original. If I could take the collection I had in ’76 and stick it in a time machine and bring it back today, it would be worth about my entire current net worth. Maple short scale. I started out primarily as a collector and the business aspect of it evolved over time, almost by accident. add that the MK models were custom designed by Michael Kasha and other acoustic physicists and Richard Schneider, Gibson’s Master Luthier at the time. George Gruhn net worth is $13 Million George Gruhn Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family George Gruhn is a writer and businessman. If somebody has two guitars, by definition, they’re not a collector. ", Interview with George Gruhn - NAMM Oral History Library (2000), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Gruhn&oldid=918007620, Wikipedia articles with style issues from April 2017, Articles with topics of unclear notability from April 2017, All articles with topics of unclear notability, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1st ed. I have been an Elderly customer since 1984, so I may be a bit biased in their favor, but I can certainly recommend George Gruhn without reservation. DM: How did you get started? They tend to be more sophisticated in their knowledge. by George Gruhn When I opened up my store in 1970, many of the most sought-after instruments were between 5 and 45 years of age. If you’re not really expert enough to certify originality when you look at a guitar yourself, then you’re far better off to do business with somebody you know and you trust. Original Thermometer case is in good condition. According to George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars, this guitar was custom-made for country and jazz guitarist Henry D. "Homer" Haynes ... A 1995 interview with Guitar & Bass magazine is worth … Absolutely no electric guitars. George Gruhn is a writer, businessman and ophiophilist. It’s disappointing. I took him a 1920 Martin tater bug mandolin once … (they changed the way the cut and cured the wood, because their backorders were backed up about a year back up then} Gibson and Epiphone have been notorious, for unreliable ser #'s. ... it would be worth about my entire current net worth. 109. Where: 1100 North Washington Lansing, MI, 48906 US. You can imagine as a dealer, you wouldn’t like that. I recently sold one this month for $375,000, and actually, I’ve seen a few bring more than that. George Gruhn, the well known Nashville instrument dealer talks in this 2010 interview with "Guitar International" magazine about his one time considerable collection of vintage style 45 Martin instruments including 6 pre-war D-45s. Gruhn: Before you leap into buying really expensive stuff, you should spend plenty of time studying, because your tastes will probably change over time. Since 1991 I have purchased four copies of George Gruhn’s guide in the First Edition and three copies in the 2nd Edition. 1,630 1. You might concentrate on Martin guitars or Gibson guitars or perhaps zero in on all the models that Martin made, say, from 1935 through ’38 or something. George Gruhn turned a hobby collecting vintage guitars into one of the most well-known guitar shops in the world. Check Reputation Score for George Gruhn in Broadview Heights, OH - View Criminal & Court Records | Photos | Address, Email & Phone Number | Personal Review | $100 - $149,999 Income & Net Worth Anyway, it didn't sell that way. Original hard case included. Try closing your eyes and visualizing a violin. In this interview, George Gruhn talks about collecting vintage electric and acoustic guitars. Electronics need to be serviced. They’re not overly concerned with how original it is, and they often don’t take very good care of them. If a saw a Fender Telecaster or a Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson ES-335 or a Gibson J-45 flat top, I knew enough to buy them. Also pictured on Pg 131 of George Gruhn and Walter Carter's definitive acoustic book entitled "Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments" $20,000 - Hard Case - Pearl Tuners It’s just that they were a byproduct. There was already a clique of people as early as the 1960s who were interested in vintage acoustic guitars. Even at the Gibson Company, Orville Gibson designed instruments in the 1890s, but as far as who was really designing a lot of the stuff later, it’s not well documented. George Gruhn, owner of Gruhn's in Nashville, says the first one has the serial number 0100. Back then you could actually find things in classified ads. They want a working utility tool. I found things I didn’t want, but I had to buy it because it was so cheap and I knew where I could sell it. His shop is well worth the visit if you are in Nashville. Photo: Billy Mitchell, courtesy George Gruhn. I'd rather go through life with a healthy skepticism, than wearing rose colored glasses completely oblivious to the pitfalls of the " vintage " instrument market. You just do a Google search and you see who’s got one for sale and things can crop up. George's reported annual income is about $60 - 69,999; with a net worth that tops $100,000 - $249,999. This Friday, October 30 at 12 pm EST and 11:00 am CST watch this live Zoom call with George Gruhn. He began collecting insects, frogs and turtles at age four. These things do happen, so I can’t tell you that nothing good ever turns out on eBay. Appraisal by George Gruhn for $60,000. Source of wealth: pipelines add that the MK models were custom designed by Michael Kasha and other acoustic physicists and Richard Schneider, Gibson’s Master Luthier at the time. Gruhn: The typical buyers/collectors that I deal with are Baby Boomers. That would be no fun. Gruhn Guitars History. Used by Jimi Hendrix on stage at Woodstock, including Jimi's famous rendition of "The Star Spangled banner." But the earliest Gibson mandolins, for example, were introduced in 1922 and had an interior paper label signed by the acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar, and those bring more money than any other mandolins. I still like pretty much the same things that I started out with, but I don’t have that much of a collection now. Read Full Summary. Back before the Internet, we printed a monthly paper catalogue. Gruhn: The Internet certainly makes it easier for people to contact each other and for somebody who’s looking for something to find it. I can’t believe it sits in my house to this day. This was back in ’63. View Full Background Info. People who collect rock ‘n’ roll guitars are not the same folks who collect classical or Flamenco guitars or steel-string flat top guitars. I realized by the end of my first lesson that I had the wrong guitar, because it was a nylon string classical. I get a few Generation X buyers who are starting to collect, but not near the extent the Boomers do. Before that, they were bringing folks up from Appalachia. I have no academic background in music, musical instruments, or business. (Harpguitars.net Members Only - password required) A portion of the groundbreaking 1973 booklet by the late Gibson historian. George Gruhn, et al. George Gruhn. D18GE.e. 112. The places that I see overseas that collect American guitars tend to be areas where Armed Forces Radio was big. Jay Myer has worked at CF Martin Guitar for 16 years. They are not necessarily professional musicians. It’s not simply that they’re too young, because when my generation was 25 years of age, there were folks who were already really seriously starting to collect. I started out primarily as a collector and the business aspect of it evolved over time, almost by accident. Price is around 2k. That changed after Bloomfield started playing with Butterfield. From ’76 through ’84, many of these guitars didn’t even keep up with inflation. He'll tell you it's worth a few hundred dollars. Gibson SG, George Harrison and John Lennon – $570,000. Mention how much you like snakes and he may take a shine to you! Nashville's friendliest vintage guitar store, featuring new and used guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, ukes and other collectibles.