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#1
03-31-2023, 08:24 AM
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Babysitting a Somogyi
My friend, Mike Rood, passed away in October 2021 playing his guitar, either the Sobell or Somogyi.
One of his daughters is keeping the Sobell and the Somogyi will be for sale when the price is determined. Used Somogyis are going from $25k to $66k. This one was built for Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete around 1986. It was offered to me for $3,500 after Bola passed away. I couldn't swing it and Mike went for it. I played it many times over the years,most recently at Mike's Memorial last year. After getting a free lesson from Clive Carrol when he played here in Bakersfield, Clive asked if I ever played a Somogyi. Of course! I had Mike meet Clive at his seminar at Gryphon. Clive emailed me to say " You don't need an orchestra to back you up when you play this Somogyi. It has all the tone you could ask for." I find that it has a sweet and balanced tone with plenty if warmth and expression across the sonic spectrum. I've contacted Alex DeGrassi, Don Alder, and Teja Gerken. They have expressed their desires to play and video it for posterity. I'm doing it as a tribute to Bola and Mike. The Guitar is not currently for sale. I am honored to have been chosen by the family to be it's caretaker for a short while. Last edited by Matthew Sarad; 03-31-2023 at 09:44 AM. 
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#2
03-31-2023, 09:14 AM
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Hooray!
This is a nice tribute to both the former owners, and a very nice kudo to you, Matthew.
Play it in great health and fond memories of your dear friend! We have reached that stage of life…. Friends will be passing. We can still hold their memories dear, thank goodness Cheers Paul
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#3
03-31-2023, 05:02 PM
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Quote:
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#4
04-16-2023, 07:19 PM
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I picked it up last week. Tuned to DADGAD and CGDGAD, it's tonally rich and satisfying across the neck.
Since it was a custom.order for Bola Sete who had only played classical guitar, it's wider than my Lowden was. I can play it about 30 minutes before my left index finger goes on strike. I had a jam with a banjo and mandolin player. My SCGC Dread Cutaway with a Sitka top just got lost in the mix so I tried the Somogyi. Loud enough to be heard well, it was far more clear than the Cruz. Too bad I can't afford to buy it myself.It is a superb blue grass guitar for tone and volume. The Cruz was bought 40 years ago for fingerstyle. It works better for that. The top of the Somogyi is still a mystery. The grain is wobby rather than straight. I will take it to a local violin guy to see what he thinks. Last edited by Matthew Sarad; 04-16-2023 at 07:43 PM.
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