Note: Our thanks to Mel Bay Publications for permission to recreate this review from the October 2003 issue of Guitar Sessions .
Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2003
August 14-17, 2003
This was the first year that non-luthier music vendors were invited to
participate in the prestigious Healdsburg
Guitar Festival. Luthiers Mercantile
International (LMI), a first-class luthier supply company was the
organizing force behind this seamless biannual event. Approximately 120
luthiers participated with the exhibit area and related concerts and workshops
all housed at the
The concerts associated with the show featured three
Hamza El Din who plays the short-neck oud- must be in his late 70s or early 80s. He wore traditional North African (Nubian) attire, quite colorful and elegant. In his homeland, Hamza is regarded as a master musician and it was a treat to listen to this rarely heard instrument. He has appeared at practically every international music festival and created a couple of film soundtracks in addition to his fourteen albums.
The focus of the Healdsburg Guitar Festival was clearly on the participating luthiers and the craft itself. Jeff Traugott, Rick Turner, and Frank Ford - each experts in their fields- offered workshops addressing marketing, acoustic amplification, and restoration respectively, all topics of great interest to luthiers and players alike.
Turner, who regards himself a conceptual engineer unveiled an acoustic modeling preamp developed in conjunction with Seymour Duncan's team of genuine audio and electronic engineers; Dubbed the "Mama Bear", the device will be available this coming winter for around $600.00; one can safely assume that a less expensive Baby Bear with fewer appointments will tag along not far behind.
Now then, hold onto your hats and acoustic guitars! Mama Bear has the unique ability to make your guitar sound like it does to you as you hear it in its non-amplified state- natural in its richness and complexity- only louder. In addition, Mama Bear delivers fifteen additional preset timbres including very convincing archtop, Ramirez, and vintage Martin emulation presets. Turner envisions the day when a digital recording of your guitar can be converted to an algorithm and returned to you via the Internet for installation in your very own Mama Bear. Hopefully, Mama Bear will provide the death knell for the acoustic guitar pickup systems that sound like rubber bands stretched across a shoebox.
In addition to the three luthier's seminars, many
player workshops, demonstrations, mini-concerts and clinics were open to the
public in several venues throughout the
Throughout the festival, the Mel Bay booth was so busy that I had only two
twenty-minute opportunities to explore the luthier gallery, just enough to see
that the craftsmanship of the instruments on display was of an extremely high
level. Just imagine seeing most of the makers who advertise in Acoustic
Guitar Magazine, Flatpicking Guitar, and Just Jazz
Guitar all in one place and you'll have a good idea of the nature of this
landmark show. If you had only a few minutes to view the whole show as I did,
it was downright frustrating. I made great contacts and snapped what pictures I
could, thinking I could rely on the show program to
refresh my memory at some future date.
Thanks to all of our friends and clientele who stopped by the
I hope I see you all down the road,
Stephen Rekas
Entrance to the
A full roster of performances and events at the
Atrium within the luthiers' gallery at the festival.
Miles of aisles of guitars of all styles at the show.
Noted luthier Tom Ribbecke has acted as a mentor to
many a novice builder. www.ribecke.com
John Mello of
Michael Lewis of
A "Manouche" mandolin by
Michael Lewis. www.michaellewisinstruments.com
From traditional to unconventional designs, it was all a part of the mix at the
Healdsburg Guitar Festival as evidenced in this instrument by Steve Klein. A
new book, Art that Sings, profiles Klein's unique
designs and evolution as a luthier. www.kleinguitars.com
The impeccable craftsmanship of Irvin Somogyi.
The $2.00 price tag is not related to the guitar. www.esomogyi.com
A twin-neck 12/6-string guitar by Steve Helgeson
of Moonstone Guitars. www.moonstoneguitars.com
Joseph Bandy's "baritone uke
with a concert uke growth". The baritone
body gives the concert (soprano) uke additional
resonance. email: josephbandy@earthlink.net
An experiment in sound ports.
Fred Carlson of Beyond the Trees Original Stringed
Instruments with his "Flying Dream" 39-string Harp-Sympitar. www.beyondthetrees.com
Three pristine handmade acoustics by Eichelbaum
Guitars. www.eichelbaumguitars.com
Maryrose Keller displays her husband Michael's work,
including a "Baby Half-Size" travel guitar. www.kellerguitar.com
Luthier/guitarist Tony Vines gets in a few practice licks before the opening of
the show. www.tonyvinesguitars.com
Kathy Wingert (seated, left) with daughter Jimmi. http://www.wingertguitars.com/
Detail of a Wingert guitar with fretboard
inlay by daughter, Jimmi Wingert.
Mr. and Mrs. Laurie Williams of
Tom Bills (in green shirt) and wife Stephanie presented unique archtop and flattop designs. www.tbguitars.com
The Luthiers Mercantile International booth offered top-grade tools and tonewoods.
Jazz guitar clinician and music editor Corey Christiansen mans the Mel Bay
Publications booth. www.melbay.com
Luthier/conceptual engineer Rick Turner unveiled the prototype of a
Turner/Duncan acoustic modeling preamp dubbed "Mama Bear". www.renaissanceguitars.com
A 1933 electric acoustic guitar by Lloyd Loar, part
of Rick Turner's presentation of amplified acoustic instruments.
A pickup assembly lies beneath the bridge inside the Loar
guitar.
Note the F-holes in the back of this instrument.
A volume control port on the lower bout of the Loar
electric acoustic guitar.
For more pictures of the 2003 Healdsburg Guitar Festival visit Frank Ford's "My Field Trips" at http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/FF/aboutme.html