#1
|
|||
|
|||
Goodall's Ex-Hawaiian Employees?
I was just playing my Hawaiian made Goodall and a question popped in my head. When James recently moved back to California to build solely with his son, what happened to his ex-employees from Hawaii? I would think they would do well on their own as luthiers, but I haven't heard anyone mention them yet.
__________________
Guild CO-2 Guild JF30-12 Guild D55 Goodall Grand Concert Cutaway Walnut/Italian Spruce Santa Cruz Brazilian VJ Taylor 8 String Baritone Blueberry - Grand Concert Magnum Opus J450 Eastman AJ815 Parker PA-24 Babicz Jumbo Identity Walden G730 Silvercreek T170 Charvell 150 SC Takimine G406s |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Good question, I've wondered that myself, but specialized tooling and some very expensive woodworking equipment would be required. It could be done of course and maybe some of them will, I would certainly be interested in the results.
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Hi folks,
I know of one, Fred Vento who is building ukes and guitars in Hawaii now.. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
I have no idea how James ran his factory. I know at Martin (a much larger operation) there are numerous "tiny" specialties...and almost no employees would know how to build an entire instrument or, for that matter, probably not even fantasize about it. As I recall, the Goodall factory staff was supposed to number in the 30s, so it seems possible to me that there were many specialized tasks that might not involve knowledge about building the whole final product.
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
I bought a Goodall from Fred Vento a couple of months ago. He used to be Goodall's finish guy. Seemed like a nice fellow, and his guitars are highly regarded there in Hawaii. Never seen or played one though.
__________________
Jesse @ Boutique Guitar Shop |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Would that have been a 2006 MP-14, AAA curly maple back/sides, master-grade red cedar top?
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Interesting question... I got to be pretty good friends with James when I lived in Fort Bragg; at one point, we were talking about the Hawaii shop, and he said they had a total of 15, I think, including the shipping/office people. Not 30, I'm afraid...
I don't recall him mentioning any of his former employees who were building...
__________________
"He's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith. Spread your arms and hold your breath, always trust your cape..." "The Cape" (Guy Clark/Jim Janowsky/Susanna Clark) |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks for the responses. It's interesting, save for one employee, no one knows.
__________________
Guild CO-2 Guild JF30-12 Guild D55 Goodall Grand Concert Cutaway Walnut/Italian Spruce Santa Cruz Brazilian VJ Taylor 8 String Baritone Blueberry - Grand Concert Magnum Opus J450 Eastman AJ815 Parker PA-24 Babicz Jumbo Identity Walden G730 Silvercreek T170 Charvell 150 SC Takimine G406s |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
Guild CO-2 Guild JF30-12 Guild D55 Goodall Grand Concert Cutaway Walnut/Italian Spruce Santa Cruz Brazilian VJ Taylor 8 String Baritone Blueberry - Grand Concert Magnum Opus J450 Eastman AJ815 Parker PA-24 Babicz Jumbo Identity Walden G730 Silvercreek T170 Charvell 150 SC Takimine G406s |
#11
|
||||
|
||||
I know another one. I am not sure he is comfortable being in the press, so we will call him Bobby. Aside from working in the shop, Bobby has some expertise in acquiring, grading, and resawing Koa, which is how I know him. I have great respect for him as I have particular ideas about Koa when I seek it, not always the same goals, and Bobby has come across for me every time.
|
#12
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Small shop like Collings, SantaCruz or Huss & Dalton. More hands on than a major factory, but not necessarily a single luthier doing all the work on your instrument. |