#46
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Thanks for filling us in on Ren's injury, Fred. I'd heard he'd been injured, but didn't have any details.
What you wrote about him becoming a consultant for Fender makes sense, too. He's no kid any more, so actually running a guitar factory on a day to day basis is not likely to happen again. Particularly since he'd have to leave his beloved Montana to do it. whm |
#47
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Retirement makes sense. He turns 66 in Feb, 2012. Consulting during retirement also makes sense, especially for someone who has made a mark in his industry, but also for someone who is tired of the day-to-day stresses and hassle of working for a living.
- Glenn |
#48
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Quote:
Fred |
#49
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Let's hope they did it in the custom shop and not the regular shop.
__________________
"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke "It is in the world of slow time that truth and art are found as one" Norman Maclean, |
#50
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For what it's worth... the "official" announcement:
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=150494 I have known Ren for the better part of 3 decades and he is truly an amazing human being - and not only a world-class luthier but also a world-class gunsmith. This should definitely be good news for Guild, Ovation etc.; I look forward to seeing what's soon coming down the pike, with Ren's input at FMIC. |
#51
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Brad
__________________
Guild F212: 1964 (Hoboken), Guild Mark V: 1975 (Westerly), Guild Artist Award: 1975 (Westerly), Guild F50: 1976 (Westerly), Guild F512: 2010 (New Hartford), Pawless Mesquite Special: 2012, 90s Epi HR Custom (Samick), 2014 Guild OOO 12-fret Orpheum (New Hartford), 2013 12 fret Orpheum Dread (New Hartford), Guild BT258E, 8 string baritone, 1994 Guild D55, Westerly, 2023 Cordoba GK Negra Pro. |
#52
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__________________
http://www.pezmusic.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/pezmusicct http://www.facebook.com/Paul.PEZ.Zukowski Live performance here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39mfrxI6280 |
#53
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Ren Ferguson
I had the opportunity to meet Ren at a Gibson promotion at Rudy's in NYC a couple of years ago. Years before I had purchased a translucent red J-200 Jr. on ebay. When it came it had all the original hang tags and paper work with and it and about ten times the tone, volume and mojo of any guitar I had ever owned, including Goodall, Bourgeois and Lowden, it so I called Gibson to find out if I could register the warranty. The kind Gibson rep on the phone told me no because the guitar had been in a liquidation sale of a closed dealer and was considered second hand. But he then went on to say. "you should hang on to that guitar, it is one of about 60 hand built by Ren Ferguson as a special project he did in the mid '90's. It is probably worth ten times what you paid for it"
So I took it and a Madagascar Adirondack AJ I had to Rudy's to get a confirmation on that when Ren held the workshop there. What a sweet man he is. He gave me all the time in the world to talk guitars relating stories of my favorite singers he new personally and then we opened up the cases. When I pulled the AJ out he took one look at the back of it and said "I remember this one" He had built it himself a year before. He likes a beefy neck and that was my complaint about the guitar. He explained that with age and wear and tear, your hands don't work as well on skinny necks and it was his own personal preference. It also imparts more volume to the top as it acts as a counter weight to the body of the guitar. I asked him if I could have a reputable luthier shave it down a bit and refinish it. He advised against it and said it would devalue the guitar and diminish the sound. He said if there is something about a guitar you don't like, sell it and get one that is more suited to your playing. Next we took out the J-200 Jr. It was considerably older and he looked it over for several minutes reaching his huge paws inside to feel the top braces, then said "oh yeah this is one of mine". When I asked him how he knew he explained that he was the only one at Gibson who scalloped the braces the way these were scalloped. He said you train the guys to do it this way but as soon as you turn your back they go back to their own way. Could be why the guitar had such amazing tone. He then took out paper and pen and wrote down the serial numbers of the guitars and my address. About a week later I got two new signed Gibson labels in the mail for my guitars with his signature on them. I did end up selling the Advanced Jumbo and buying a different one with a lower neck profile but it didn't have the tone and volume of the one I let get away. Wish I'd kept it. As far as the move to Guild / fender... Gibson's loss, Fender's gain. Probably going to be a lot of great Fender Acoustics coming on the market. |
#54
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That's just a cool story.
__________________
2010 Guild F47R 2009 G & L Tribute "Legacy" 1975 Ovation Legend 1986 Ovation 1758 12 String 2007 Walden G2070 2008 Guild D55 Prototype 1998 Guild Starfire IV 2016 Guild Newark St. X-175 Sunburst 1996 Ovation 1768-7LTD " custom " |
#55
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I like Fender.
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#56
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Just to catch this thread up... Ren's influence at Guild has been felt already. Guild's 60th anniversary koa acoustic is out. We've got some pictures up on let's talk guild: http://www.letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=34582
The Doyle Dykes signature model is also one of Ren's babies. http://www.guildguitars.com/instrume...tno=3854308801
__________________
Guild: 2006 F-512 (Tacoma), 2007 GSR F-412 (Tacoma), 2010 F-212XL STD (New Hartford), 2013 Orpheum SHRW 12-string (New Hartford), 2013 GSR F-40 Taylor: 1984 655 (Lemon Grove) Martin: 1970 D-12-20 (Nazareth) Ibanez: 1980 AW-75 (Owari Asahi), 1982 M310 Maple series, 2012 AWS1000ECE Artwood Studio (MIC) Favilla: ~1960 C-5 classical (NYC) |
#57
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Not even Henry J. can usurp that one.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#58
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I mean, Martin and Fender would be THE enemy as far as business goes when it comes to Gibson. Maybe it's just me. |
#59
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#60
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Where should he go? Mitchell Guitars or somewhere similarly insignificant? Joe Torre got fired by the Yankees - went to the Dodgers. High flying folks keep their wings flapping.
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