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Post by deruyter on Jan 26, 2016 19:40:04 GMT
Hello, my name is Pete Veru. When I was a masters student at George Washington University, I wrote the first academic history of the resonator guitar. I'm working on my PhD in another field at the University of Colorado. I own about 35 resonator guitars out of about 65 that I bought all at once so I check Ebay every once in a while just to see what is around. Today, I noticed the Georgia resonator. From my work on the resonator project, there a couple of things you should know. First, the below link is Georgia Hooppii's immigration information. As you can see, she came over in 1931. familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9Z-J4Y4There is more. When they were trying to raise money for National they had a big party and gave Hooppii two custom resonators so he could play for potential investors. This was either in 26 or 27. Hooppii, a gambler and heavy drinker, sold one of the instruments shortly thereafter. We know this because the junk store he sold it to called John Dopyera and or his partner Beauchamp and ask what this was and how much it was worth. After that day, the Dopyera's swore they would never give another guitar away for free. When I interviewed Mike Aldridge about 7 years before he died, I saw a poster of him on the wall at his house of him playing a Dobro with the Dobro name on the poster. I asked him how many Dobros were given to him. He said, "None, after the Sol Hoppii thing, they vowed never to give away another one. They never had to give away instruments." Some of this story is in Brozman's book. Anyway, I was always wondering where that guitar wound up but I don't think its this guitar. Where did this guy say he got the instrument? Is it possible someone just got an old tricone and etched Georgia into it?
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Post by pascal on Jan 27, 2016 18:11:15 GMT
I just disagree with the Sol Ho'opi'i "heavy drinker"! Just because he was diabetic since his childhood, that's what he died from at only 51! He became blind at the end cause of this high diabetes. His last wife said he was addict to drink Strawberry juice several time a day (and that wasn't good at all for him).
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Post by amccj7 on Jan 27, 2016 22:32:44 GMT
Would really love to see a biography done on Sol.
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 27, 2016 22:33:25 GMT
Hi Pete,
Welcome to our forum.
With 35 resonator guitars you have definitely found the right people! I am surprised that with your collection and knowledge, that our paths have not crossed before.
I am not trying to pick holes in your comments, but I am not sure that I understand your statement "I wrote the first academic history of the resonator guitar"?
The story about the Dopyeras giving Sol that guitar has been well known since long before Bob Brozman's book existed. The first time I heard it, I think was from Pete Kirby, who knew John and Rudi pretty well.
The 'Georgia' Tricone is not a Sol Hoopii guitar. It is owned, or was owned by a wishful thinker that put two and two together and came up with five. With no provenance whatsoever attached to it, and no knowledge of this guitar in the National collectors and researchers world, this guitar is not worth worrying about. Believe me, if I thought it was Sol's I would have bought it long ago.
Do you have a copy of Mark Makin's book?
Shine On Michael
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Post by deruyter on Jan 28, 2016 22:50:35 GMT
When I wrote this up for my thesis, there were no other academic histories of the subject. I don't think anyone else has done something like this although I have been contacted by several people that either used my work in their bibliography or who wished to pursue this as a topic in academia. There are many blues experts who came up through academia. Michael Taft who was the head of the Smithsonian Folkways division comes to mind and there are a few banjo scholars as well. I wrote several versions of this up for Fretboard Journal but they had some turnover and the guy that I was working with got fired. His bosses had me write another edit and in the eleventh hour cut an additional 2000 words from it. I withdrew it from consideration after that. I live in Amsterdam right this second because I'm doing an extensive work on Dutch American relations during the American Revolution and I've been away from the resonator project for quite a while. I'd like to get some respectable version of it published just to get it off my desk. I think it would make a pretty good documentary and I've talked to many of the people I interviewed and they agree. Of course, getting it made is another thing. I am not familiar with Mark Makin's book but I'll check it out. Is it a Centerstream? I am attaching my thesis for your and anyone else's perusal.
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Post by pascal on Jan 29, 2016 15:28:28 GMT
Thank you very much for this share Pete. Very interesting. Some of your passages and links are more "clear" than in L. Ruymar's book "Hawaain steel guitar", because she never makes the connection between all these (quick) developments in music into the 20'/40'. It could also been interesting to have a look at the French resonator made during the 50' for "Beuscher" (kinda Triolian copies) made by the well known "Selmer" factory, in order to conquer the African market (much because they did not have electricity in most villages, and a metal instrument is not is not as sensitive to heat). My late steel teacher and friend Cyril LeFebvre has done a wonderful article about those in the 80', have it, unfortunately its in French...
Mark is a member of this forum and you can easily order his wonderful book by a personal message here.
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Post by deruyter on Jan 29, 2016 15:31:21 GMT
enjoy.
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Post by deruyter on Jan 29, 2016 16:10:38 GMT
I'm attaching a photo of a 1932 Ideola made by Gelas that I purchased. The next month Francois Charles wrote an article on it for AG which was nice timing. Pierre Buscher, which is what the label says inside, I thought was a retailer in France. These are very rare because the bridges fly off of them based of the down angle design of one of the soundboards. This produces an amazing sound and we can see how everyone was chasing volume at this time.
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Post by pascal on Jan 30, 2016 13:47:23 GMT
Do you you my good friend Les Cook? (he is also a forum member) Hawaiian golden age scholar (and owner of "Grassskirt records who released a cd on Sol Hoopii, in Hollywood, early days). He also owns a custom hawaiian "Gelas" guitar ( made for Edouard Jacovacci in 1936).
Your article is very well made, I had a great pleasure to read it, thanks again.
Ah! BTW: Paul Beuscher is the name of the retailer (since 1850 and the same as for the 50' resos) The store still exists at "Bastille" in Paris (where i am living). But no mor' hawaiian guitars nowadays...
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Post by deruyter on Jan 30, 2016 14:07:22 GMT
It was my pleasure, Feel free to give it to anyone you want. I do not know Les Cook but I could have used a little help on the Hawaiian section. I also forgot to mention that I used Ruymar's book, particularly for the citations on the newspaper articles.
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 30, 2016 14:43:53 GMT
Hi Pete, I had forgotten that I did read your thesis a few years ago. I have seen so much 'resonator writings' over the years that sometimes I forget what I have and haven't seen. As well as Mark's book, I don't know if you have read Margaret Lay-Dopyera's book, it is a very interesting read. Here's one for you and Pascal... Photo is just titled 'Bamako, Mali' Shine On Michael
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Post by deruyter on Jan 30, 2016 18:21:03 GMT
I did read Margaret's book. It was good for background information. I met her when I interviewed her late husband in Ithaca. I was kind of amazed by how little he knew about the company or its history.
Great pictures! The Al Frost file has some cool photos in it too.
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Post by pascal on Jan 30, 2016 22:08:12 GMT
... Just because you cited an old great friend of mine (Romainville 1996) He and I. (and some ol' Natsh' gone by now)
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paulw3
MM Forum Member
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Post by paulw3 on Mar 2, 2016 18:34:21 GMT
Rudy Dopera statewd they only ever gave away 2 National guitars. One to Sol Hoopi and one to Sol Hoopi's brother. They found the brothers National in a pawn shop and never gave another one away. This guy is still selling this guitar. It is listed on eBay.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2016 20:15:44 GMT
Rudy Dopera statewd they only ever gave away 2 National guitars. One to Sol Hoopi and one to Sol Hoopi's brother. They found the brothers National in a pawn shop and never gave another one away. In the late '20s, John Dopyera gave Sol Hoopii two prototype tricones, but I never heard they ended in a pawn shop. Whatever the truth in this may be, it sounds like you're saying Hoopii was a cheapskate - can't be true... TT
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