Bob Dylan birthday guitar - handmade 12-string

Nuuska

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
7,668
Reaction score
6,028
Location
Finland
Guild Total
9
Not a Guild - but a very rare 12-string - most likely only one

1977 while living in Bloomington MN over summer - I visited Duluth - and naturally wandered around to area of (positively) 4th street - there was a guitarmakers shop on side street - somewhere near Leif Erikson Park - there was no freeway that time near lake... - I walked into his store just to chat - I had my brand new F512 with me - he was nice guy - then he wanted to show me a guitar he was making - not quite ready yet - but almost there - hee peeled off protective tape from fretboard to show the inlays he had made - they were names of places where BD had lived until that time.

Being a Dylan fan I was naturally quite thrilled, that he showed me what he was up to - he said it was a surprise gift from Bobs friends - naturally I never phoned Dylan to reveal what was coming ....

Have any of you ever seen Dylan or pictures of him with 12-string guitar like that?

Happy New Year - onnellista uutta vuotta

p.s. - I was playing my guitar in the park - mostly Dylan songs - and had some local people listening - I told them I was "searching Dylan" - they gave me a rabbits skin and told I already had found him - it was very nice of them to say so to a foreigner singing in english ...

Hey Mister Tambourine Man - play a song for me ...
 

chazmo

Super Moderator
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
25,465
Reaction score
7,123
Location
Central Massachusetts
Happy New Year, Nuuska.

No, I have never seen Dylan with a custom 12-string, but that isn't saying much. It's very cool that you got to see it.
 

Nuuska

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
7,668
Reaction score
6,028
Location
Finland
Guild Total
9
Sal wrote : "Nuuska, do you remember the name of the Duluthier?"

Only thing - he´s shop was an small N Ave on right side when going from 4th street towards Lake Superior - street level in a building. He might be around 70 years young by now.

I still have thet rabbit skin...


Sal - if you ever visited James Berns Music in Bloomington some thirty years ago - we might have met. I was working there.

I was also member of NACA (National Alcohol Consumtion Association - or National Association for Campus Activities ) and showcased in Opryland hotel and Texas. Did some gigs around west and Texas. Long driving from MN ...
 

hansmoust

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Messages
9,201
Reaction score
3,505
Location
Netherlands
Nuuska, do you remember the name of the Duluthier?

Only thing - he´s shop was an small N Ave on right side when going from 4th street towards Lake Superior - street level in a building. He might be around 70 years young by now.

Hello Nuuska,

Don't know anything about the maker or the guitar in question, but I do have a database with information on individual builders and after a quick check I came across the name of this guitar maker and the store that he was working out of:

The name of the guitar maker was Charles Jirousek and the business was called 'Arrowhead Music'.

Does that sound familiar?

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

rampside

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
3,118
Reaction score
410
Location
Minnesota's Iron Range
Guild Total
4
Sal wrote : "Nuuska, do you remember the name of the Duluthier?"

Only thing - he´s shop was an small N Ave on right side when going from 4th street towards Lake Superior - street level in a building. He might be around 70 years young by now.







Hello Nuuska,

Don't know anything about the maker or the guitar in question, but I do have a database with information on individual builders and after a quick check I came across the name of this guitar maker and the store that he was working out of:

The name of the guitar maker was Charles Jirousek and the business was called 'Arrowhead Music'.

Does that sound familiar?

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

I believe he is the same guy that made a guitar or two for Leo Kottke.

He was quite well known in the area for his instrument building and repair skills, and if my memory serves me correctly, his name was Charlie.

Jirousek, rings a bell also.

I will try to verify.

I had recently tried to find out if he was still in business in hopes I could get him to do some repair for me, but apparently not.
 

rampside

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
3,118
Reaction score
410
Location
Minnesota's Iron Range
Guild Total
4
Yes, Charlie Jirousek is most likely the guy. His shop would've been on Lake Avenue, just up the hill from Superior Street (about 3-1/2 blocks down from 4th Street).

After closing his downtown shop, he worked out of his home, which was up on top of the hill in the Woodland Area.

As a side note: BD lived the the first six yrs. of his life in a house that was located, from the intersection of 4th Street and Lake Avenue, 3 blocks to the East on 4th and 1-1/2 blocks up on 3rd Ave..
 

Sal

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
1,438
Reaction score
1,113
Location
Minneapolis
I have a beautiful electric 12 sting carved arch-top that was made in 1982 here in Mpls by Greg Nelson. He soon after moved to the Duluth area but last I heard he'd drifted away from guitar work and was building log cabins. It doesn't sound like it was him though.


Rampside, do you by chance know Greg Nelson?
 

Nuuska

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
7,668
Reaction score
6,028
Location
Finland
Guild Total
9
Howdy

It could well be - my cousin was pitching horseshoes in a competition somewhere and I had some four hours to kill - so I went wandering about. If we assume the competition was in - some park closer to downtown - and I went towards north on First Street and looking right at corner of Lake Avenue I might have seen his shop in the two-stories building opposite of US BANK -

https://www.google.com/maps/@46.787...4!1sRvafwsQGYkf3AXR_IixeRw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

- this building looks like what I remember. After that I might have continued towards Positively 4th Street and ending in Leif Erikson Park. 40 years are gathering dim and fogging memories...

Then - if it was him - was that guitar really for Bob - perhaps, while it is easy to think he had enough many friends in the area to get together and have that beautiful guitar made. If not - he was just pulling my leg - seeing I was young enough to believe it - either way - it is a beautifull memory and nice meeting with a pleasant person.

Leo Kottke had some guitars made/modified by Lundberg - he had one with extra long neck that gave balancing problems - and while he was playing it 10-string ( no octve D&G ) he ended cutting headstock shorter with hacksaw - getting bonus of fitting it in regular case. Then Leo had one of the two BOZO-made 12-strings with two octave neck and two soundholes - Peter Lang showed me the other - then Leo also had 12-string nylon - and oodles of all kind more or less weird guitars at his house.
 
Last edited:

rampside

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
3,118
Reaction score
410
Location
Minnesota's Iron Range
Guild Total
4
Hey there Nuuska,

Although I had never been to Charlie's shop, nor do I remember knowing where it was, someone told me it was right where the image in your link is.

I can't say for certain if he actually made guitars for well known guitarists or not. It's good promotion for your business if people think you did, I suppose.

Like you say, it was a very long time ago. I vaguely remember the local educational television station doing a segment on him at one time, so who knows.

Your neat story has my gotten my interest and it would be kind of fun to do a little more research.
 

hansmoust

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Messages
9,201
Reaction score
3,505
Location
Netherlands
rampside said:
Your neat story has my gotten my interest and it would be kind of fun to do a little more research.

Well, if you are going to do some more research, the following name may be of help: Brian Morgan. Appararently he was involved with Arrowhead Music as well.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
1
Reaction score
18
Guild Total
0
Not a Guild - but a very rare 12-string - most likely only one

1977 while living in Bloomington MN over summer - I visited Duluth - and naturally wandered around to area of (positively) 4th street - there was a guitarmakers shop on side street - somewhere near Leif Erikson Park - there was no freeway that time near lake... - I walked into his store just to chat - I had my brand new F512 with me - he was nice guy - then he wanted to show me a guitar he was making - not quite ready yet - but almost there - hee peeled off protective tape from fretboard to show the inlays he had made - they were names of places where BD had lived until that time.

Being a Dylan fan I was naturally quite thrilled, that he showed me what he was up to - he said it was a surprise gift from Bobs friends - naturally I never phoned Dylan to reveal what was coming ....

Have any of you ever seen Dylan or pictures of him with 12-string guitar like that?

Happy New Year - onnellista uutta vuotta

p.s. - I was playing my guitar in the park - mostly Dylan songs - and had some local people listening - I told them I was "searching Dylan" - they gave me a rabbits skin and told I already had found him - it was very nice of them to say so to a foreigner singing in english ...

Hey Mister Tambourine Man - play a song for me ...

Hi; Charlie Jirousek passed away this year so I thought these posts might have some interested followers. The existence of the Dylan guitar: The guitar does exist and was built by Charlie. It was inlaid on the fretboard with the three towns Dylan was most associated with: Hibbing (in Minnesota), Duluth (also in Mn), and New York City. It was built by Charlie (in conjunction with Brian Morgan) while he ran his luthier operation out of Duluth under the name Arrowhead Music. I knew Charlie well in those days and I bought one of the twelve strings that he built. It was roughy patterned after a Holzapfel design with 12 frets to the soundboard. Its intended to be played as low as one whole tone lower and and is a real boomer. Charlie was an admirer of old blues and ragtime and built the guitar for this style of playing. In addition to the Dylan guitar, my guitar is the only Jirousek that I have seen. It was made with flamed Honduran Mahogany and is a very beautiful instrument. It was labelled Jirousek and Morgan but by the time it was built around 1988 Brian Morgan had already pretty much drifted out of the luthier game. Charlie kept his name on the label for old time sake, maybe in the vain hope that Brian would return to the craft at some point. There are not many artisans like charlie left and I just wanted to substantially confirm your post from first hand knowledge. Thanks for your posts and remembering Charlie and this guitar.
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,181
Reaction score
2,419
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
Welcome - stick around. Nice bunch of folks around here. I appreciate you completing the story opened in this thread.
 
Top