Pete Townshend - What's this Guild guitar?

Guildedagain

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
8,999
Reaction score
7,160
Location
The Evergreen State
Yes, Bigsby was an innovator without compare. Guitars are one thing, but pedal steels?

He was actually much more of a guitar builder than Leo.

Leo was radio man who was in the right place at the right time, but he didn't play and couldn't even tune a guitar.

Such cool history.
 

Guildedagain

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
8,999
Reaction score
7,160
Location
The Evergreen State
Pretty obvious both McCarty and Leo Fender copied Bigsby if you ask me.

I'd read Bigsby was the actual granddaddy of 'em all but never saw that before, now I get it.

Or maybe as an inventor and motorcycle engineer he just had stronger interests in that field?

Actually, it sounds like he still rode (with Travis) but was wholeheartedly into making guitars and steels.


“I can build anything”

With that statement, Mr. Paul Bigsby switched from building Crocker motorcycles to making musical instruments.

In the 1940s, Paul Adelburt Bigsby was a skilled foreman at a machine shop in Los Angeles owned by Albert Crocker of the famous Crocker Motorcycle Company. Paul’s interest in motorcycles and Western music brought him into contact with Merle Travis. As they both were avid motorcyclists and music lovers, Paul and Merle became good friends.

During this same time, Merle brought his Gibson L-10 guitar to P.A., as Bigsby was called, with a worn out Kaufman vibrato that wouldn’t stay in tune. “Can you fix this for me?” asked Merle. “I can fix anything,” said Paul. But seeing the shortcomings of the Kaufman vibrato and at Merle’s suggestion, he ended up designing a whole new mechanism which worked perfectly. This device set the standard and became the vibrato of choice for most guitar manufacturers the world over and remains so today.

One day in late 1946, Merle and P.A. Bigsby were having lunch. Merle, an accomplished cartoonist, had sketched an idea for a new guitar on a Pasadena radio station’s program sheet and passed the drawing to Paul. “Can you make this, P.A.?” asked Merle. P.A. answered, “I can make anything.”

And indeed he could! That drawing of the Solid Body electric guitar with all six tuning pegs on one side of the headstock was built the following year and played by Merle on recordings, radio and in public appearances. The guitar attracted a lot of attention and caught the eye and ear of other players and builders, famous and not so famous. This compact-sized guitar changed the sound and look of guitars forever. Billy Byrd, Butterball Paige, and Grady Martin, to name but a few, ordered a copy of this guitar, and Paul set up shop in a small building built next to his house on Phlox Street in Downey, California.

That same year, a local steel guitarist, the legendary Joaquin Murphey, asked Paul to build him a steel guitar. With his “I can build anything” attitude, Paul set out to build the best steel guitar there ever was. And he did, delivering it to Joaquin in 1947.

Not to be outdone, Speedy West, another local up-and-coming steel guitarist, asked Paul to build him a steel guitar, this time with pedals. On February 8, 1948, the second steel was finished: a triple neck with 4 pedals.

As the word and sound of these new steel guitars traveled, more players wanted one for themselves. When Bud Isaacs played his Bigsby with pedals on the groundbreaking Webb Perce song “Slowly,” most steelers felt they had to have one.

Because Bigsby’s instruments were built on a custom basis, he could not keep up with the orders that poured in, and a waiting list of two or more years followed. Slowing him down, even more, was the fact that Paul wanted to make almost every part himself, even winding his own pickups. He was kept busy for several years trying to build one guitar a month. Over time, the Bigsby Vibratos took up more and more of his time, and his instrument making dwindled down to a precious few.

By 1965, Paul was experiencing some health problems and wanted to sell his company. He called up his old associate Ted McCarty, the retired president of Gibson guitars. Ted purchased the Bigsby name and all inventory effective January 1, 1966. Paul passed away in 1968. On May 10, 1999, the Gretsch Guitar Company purchased Bigsby Accessories from Ted McCarty.

Unlike some guitar makers who kept track of every instrument sale, Paul Bigsby had no log book and left no records. How many instruments did Paul make? We will never know exactly. After 15 years of research, we can document only 47 steels, six standard guitars, one tenor guitar, two double neck guitars, two mandolins and six neck replacements that are still around today. Are there others in a closet or under a bed just waiting to be discovered? We can only hope. All Bigsby instruments are highly collectible today.

Passed away in 1968. Of all the 50 year anniversaries last year, I missed that one.

RIP brother.
 
Last edited:

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
The six-on-a-side headstock predates Bigsby—some of the earliest Martins, for example, used it—but I don't think there's much doubt that Leo saw an early Bigsby solidbody and was inspired by it. ;)

The Viennese luthier Johann Georg Stauffer is generally credited as the originator of this type of headstock, but I wouldn't be surprised if it predates him too.

-Dave-
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
Interesting. It's kinda hard to imagine Pete being so tight on cash flow that he had to part with a guitar.

Pete has described himself during this period as a "walking charity." I suspect his cash flow situation these days is pretty good, though. :)

-Dave-
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
Leo was radio man who was in the right place at the right time, but he didn't play and couldn't even tune a guitar.

Yup. He got into guitar amps via making PA systems. You can see & hear the echo of this even in the late '50s tweed Deluxe. It's got Inst and Mic channels. And they're interactive in such a way that when you turn up the Mic channel with the Inst channel set lower (dynamic mics need more gain than guitars) the mids are scooped out of the guitar signal for greater clarity while also boosted in the mic signal for greater audibility. The idea is that you use the amp for both purposes at the same time!

-Dave-
 

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
Interesting. It's kinda hard to imagine Pete being so tight on cash flow that he had to part with a guitar.
That was around 1989 or 1990. He bought a 46' Fisher 46 motorsailer.

1034151_-_photo_15_1475151884_img.jpg


You can read it in his autobiography "Who I Am", he said about financing that boat:
"I sold a lot of precious guitars to make the deal: two De Angelicos, the Gibson Flying V that Joe Walsh had given me (boy, was he pissed off when he found out), the Guild Merle Travis, a double-neck white Gibson and a few lesser ones."

He collects boats and owns quite a few expensive yachts!

This one for instance, the Eva. True vintage, built in 1906!
http://classicyachtinfo.com/yachts/eva/
https://petetownshend.net/news/petes-classic-yacht-eva-wraps-up-successful-sailboat-racing-season

He also owns a 70-foot gentleman’s motor yacht, Tambura. http://www.serenedays.com/index.html

The largest boat he owns is the "Gloria", a beautiful 126-foot Jongert classic sailing yacht. He bought her in 2010. If you fancy, you can rent the boat for only $49,000 per week!
https://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&charter=sailing-yacht-gloria-7944

Ralf
 

Brucebubs

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
2,154
Reaction score
1,539
Location
Eden, Australia
Check out the interior shots of 'Gloria'.
Magnificent.
I particularly like this shot that includes a vintage looking Gibson SJ-200!

M5Zr4Whh.jpg
 

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
Actually I just realized that Pete sold "Gloria" again! In the 2016 interview I had posted the link above he said: "So with regret, after six years and a successful career as regatta-ready charter yacht, Gloria is for sale through Northrop & Johnson. He will probably continue to collect boats, but for the moment it’s back to business."

And indeed, on the webpage of Northrop & Johnson she is listed as "Previously owned by Pete Townshend" and "Sold" by now: https://www.northropandjohnson.com/yachts-for-sale/3480-gloria/

Ralf
 

Bernie

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Messages
757
Reaction score
296
Location
Occitania
Oh I need a place like that to invite my girl-friend for dinner...They've got to leave the guitar there too...

Well, if these guys could keep doing great music at the same time too : seems like getting rich does kill something in the process, unfortunately (ha ! :smile-new:)
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,789
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Pete has described himself during this period as a "walking charity." I suspect his cash flow situation these days is pretty good, though. :)-Dave-

I've heard many boat owners claim that you can only own a boat out of love, because essentially they're holes in the water you throw money into.
Unless maybe you rent 'em out?
Check out the interior shots of 'Gloria'.
Magnificent.
I particularly like this shot that includes a vintage looking Gibson SJ-200!

M5Zr4Whh.jpg

Wonder if that's the one he used on "Pinball Wizard?"
Think it comes with the rental?
:biggrin-new:
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
I've heard many boat owners claim that you can only own a boat out of love, because essentially they're holes in the water you throw money into.
Unless maybe you rent 'em out?

My dad, if he were still around (his 100th birthday would've been today!), could've made that claim. He co-owned a small sailboat with Ben, one of his friends, from the 1950s–late '60s. As a kid I spent a lotta time helping them work on it but very little time actually out in it. :) When Ben moved to Florida he bought out my dad's share and took the boat with him.

-Dave-
 

Nuuska

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

Happy Birthday to Your Pa
Happy Birthday to Your Pa
Happy Birthday to Your Pa - Q
Happy Birthday to Your Pa
 

Grassdog

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
550
Reaction score
118
Location
Cincinnati, OH
I've heard many boat owners claim that you can only own a boat out of love, because essentially they're holes in the water you throw money into.
Unless maybe you rent 'em out?
:biggrin-new:

I've also heard it said that happiest two days you own a boat is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Of course I shouldn't talk because I've never been fortunate enough to own one.
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,789
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
I've also heard it said that happiest two days you own a boat is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Of course I shouldn't talk because I've never been fortunate enough to own one.

imageproxy.php

A couple of guys over on the Chris Craft Commander forum claim ('hog bodied) Guild guitars were their gateway drug.
Our most recent loss to the dark side was forum member Bluesypicky:

Here we go!... my new favorite 60's color......

jsf05i.jpg


:pride:
 

bobouz

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2015
Messages
2,228
Reaction score
1,827
One of the interesting things about Merle Travis' Bigsby guitar is that, as I recall from past readings, the body is not totally solid. There are hollow portions on either side of the center, somewhat akin to the log guitar Les Paul built out of a railroad tie (in the old Epiphone factory) & performed with for a number of years. And later down the road, Gibson's 1958 creation of the ES-335 & Epi Sheraton/Riviera semi-hollowbodies carried a similar theme forward with great success.

Of course, Les Paul's log guitar was rather crude, with potions of an Epiphone archtop body literally slapped onto the log, while virtually everything Paul Bigsby put out was immaculately exuding originality & quality.

Along with all that, gotta mention that Merle Travis is one of my all-time favorite guitar players, and was also a very prolific songwriter. While influencing the work of Chet Atkins & so many others, the number of guitarist he has touched is phenomenal.
 
Top