Bob Dylan birthday guitar - handmade 12-string
- Thread starter Nuuska
- Start date
ahhh....the memories. I grew up in NW Wisconsin not far from Duluth. Used to go camping in that area often.
Great post you made here. Very interesting. I dig it.
Great post you made here. Very interesting. I dig it.
chazmo
Super Moderator
Yes, welcome to LTG, sitrep. Great background story!
Sitrep, that's a great 1st post! Welcome!
rampside
Senior Member
Sitrep, Thank you for completing this story for Me, Nuuska and the LTG Community. I had tried to find more info on Charlie, but eventually gave up. Thanks again!
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Charlie JIROUSEK Obituary (1941 - 2020) - St. Petersburg, FL - Tampa Bay Times
View Charlie JIROUSEK's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.
www.legacy.com
Ralf
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Can I just say it's fun reading this thread again from my office in Duluth that's about 4 blocks from where this shop would have been back then? I feel like you're all looking over my shoulder.
It's fun seeing the video of Mr. Jirousek playing, and had an immediate reflection in playing style and general appearance of another contemporary old-timey guitar picker from Duluth-Charlie Parr. Parr also happens to be a fan of Guild 12 strings.
It's fun seeing the video of Mr. Jirousek playing, and had an immediate reflection in playing style and general appearance of another contemporary old-timey guitar picker from Duluth-Charlie Parr. Parr also happens to be a fan of Guild 12 strings.
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
A 12 string resonator! Now that's something you don't see a lot.
Ralf
I knew Charlie but was not aware he'd passed away recently. Charlie lived just north of me in Safety Harbor, Florida. He worked out of his house which was just packed pull of old guitars, fiddles, mandolins, banjos and all kinds of other noise makers and instruments. His living room was sort of a cross between a museum, a guitar shop and a flea market. He did two neck resets for me. One was on a mid 1920's Lyon and Healy parlor. The other a late 60's Martin D12-20. The Lyon and Healy he particularly liked as he had a soft spot for the Chicago built guitars; Harmony, Stella, Tonk Brothers, Washburn, Regal etc.. He had a bunch of those scattered around his house. I knew he had worked for Gibson. I remember him talking about how one of his jobs was to procure wood. He also spent some time in the Gibson repair area before leaving to start his own business. Fascinating guy, very personable. He was very well respected locally as a luthier.
I think that is the same Charlie who had a repair business in Safety Harbor Fla... called Arrowhead Music.
He did a neck reset on my F412 a few years, complaining bitterly about Guild neck joints.
Every summer he went up north for three or four months. I'll bet it was to Duluth.
Charlie was a 12 string nut, he had three or four that were his gigging guitars.
His walls were lined with every imaginable kind of stringed instrument.
He was a cool guy and it was always fun to go there and admire all of the cool instruments.
I guess I should have read all the posts before posting. Anyway it's cool how the guitar community hangs together.
evenkeel, I guess we're neighbors.
He did a neck reset on my F412 a few years, complaining bitterly about Guild neck joints.
Every summer he went up north for three or four months. I'll bet it was to Duluth.
Charlie was a 12 string nut, he had three or four that were his gigging guitars.
His walls were lined with every imaginable kind of stringed instrument.
He was a cool guy and it was always fun to go there and admire all of the cool instruments.
I guess I should have read all the posts before posting. Anyway it's cool how the guitar community hangs together.
evenkeel, I guess we're neighbors.
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SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Just to update this, there is a quite interesting long interview with Charlie Jirousek from 2007 on Youtube. Tons of instruments shown as well as his classical guitar neck joint in his 12 strings.
Ralf
Ralf
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Westerly Wood
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SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Since I posted that video in post # 33 I also found that everything he owned is being sold in a big estate sale between Feb 28 and Feb 28 this year!
Browse through more than 1000 photos of the amazing stuff offered (instruments, pictures, books, collectibles, stamps. tools, guitar parts, wood, everything from his workshop,...)
But again no picture of Dylan with the 12 string included...
Ralf
Browse through more than 1000 photos of the amazing stuff offered (instruments, pictures, books, collectibles, stamps. tools, guitar parts, wood, everything from his workshop,...)
But again no picture of Dylan with the 12 string included...
Ralf
Cougar
Enlightened Member
What a great thread! Love that Charlie Parr on that big ol' F512!
I thought you might want to know the rest of the story of Bob Dylan’s guitar. The guitar was commissioned by one of Bob’s friend from the Kemp family. Charlie Jirousek and Bryan Morgan built the guitar at Arrowhead Music in Duluth off Lake Avenue in the downtown area of the Duluth by the old Joe Huey’s Chinese Restaurant. Arrowhead Music was originally in The Lakeside area of Duluth and moved to the Homecroft area and was run out of Charlie’s home after leaving the downtown Duluth area. Charlie continued lutherie for the rest of his life, eventually running his shop in Safety Harbor Florida. He had the most amazing collection of musical instruments I ever saw. Charlie passed away in 2020. Bryan returned to lutherie in 2004 and made a number of guitars along with violins starting with his shop in Loveland CO and eventually in Lecanto FL. Bryan passed away earlier in 2022. Thanks for bringing back many memories.
Bryan’s wife Lucy
Bryan’s wife Lucy
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Westerly Wood
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that is a great 12 string guitar and thanks for sharing your story about it all.