Folk boomers with Guilds

[Siwash]

Seeing the Mississippi John Hurt picture makes me wonder: which of the folk boom era stars used Guild guitars?

I'm under the impression Guild was a big part of that scene.

 

[GardMan]

First one that comes to mind was Bruce "Utah" Philips (how could he not be first, given my location). Think he played an F50 (but might be mis-remembering). Saw him play at a folk reunion just last winter... he wasn't looking so good.

And of course, Tommy Smothers and his 'burst D-55...

 

[Steelpickin']

What about Tommy Smothers?
Is he folk era?

 

[12 string]

Dave Van Ronk, Ian and Sylvia...given some time I can probably come up with a few more.

 

[california]

Better late than never, Doc Watson has excellent taste in 12 strings!

 

[12 string]

Chris Smither used to play a maple dred (I think) Guild in the late '60s-early '70s. Smothers Brothers were absolutely "folk era".

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Don't forget John Denver! Far Out!!!

 

[12 string]

Man, major brain f@rt not to have listed him! He's only the best known Guilder from that era, probably any era! I mean, what would Andromeda say!?!?

 

[Russell Letson]

Off the top of my head, Bonnie Raitt, Raun MacKinnon, Paul Simon, John Renbourn, Dan Hicks. And of course Richie Havens, to the tune of a couple D-40s a year. Hicks, Bonnie, and Dave Van Ronk are (or in Dave's case, used to be) long-time F-50 loyalists, and . Renbourn fiddled with his D-55 for a long time, trying to get the sound he wanted (he sanded the finish off at one point) before switching (to a Franklin, if I recall correctly). In almost every photo I've ever seen of Tom Smothers, he's holding a D-55 (unless it's a D-100--in any case a fancy Guild dread). (I have seen him with a Martin D, but only once that I can recall.)

 

[california]

John Denver...

Not to mention JF-412 sightings...

 

[Frosty]

I like recalling these names! I can remember seeing Tommy with that gorgeous guitar on TV when I was younger. And the sound of John Renbourn's recordings with that D-55 (Black Balloon, etc.) was what really got me interested in the brand. Dave Van Ronk... I just made a 3 hour round trip to pick up my son from college and happened to use the time to refresh my memory of some of Dave's recordings. Dave's touch on those F-50Rs was wonderful. On a good recording, like his last "And the tin pan bended..." that guitar sounds wonderful. His subtle style really brought out the best of that guitar. MHO, of course.

 

[john_kidder]

If you can accept the old definition of "boomer":

• BOOMER—Drifter who went from one railroad job to another, staying but a short time on each job or each road. This term dates back to pioneer days when men followed boom camps. The opposite is home guard. Boomers should not be confused with tramps, although they occasionally became tramps. Boomers were railroad workers often in big demand because of their wide experience, sometimes blackballed because their tenure of stay was uncertain. Their common practice was to follow the "rushes"-that is, to apply for seasonal jobs when and where they were most needed, when the movement of strawberry crops, watermelons, grain, etc., was making the railroads temporarily short-handed. There are virtually no boomers in North America today. When men are needed for seasonal jobs they are called from the extra board

then any list of folk boomers should start with U. Utah Philips (and his F-50):

Utah had to borrow a guitar strap here at the Vancouver Folk Festival last summer, and you can't imagine how tickled I was to see him up on the main stage with the strap I'd braided years ago, now lent by my GF-60R to Utah's F-50.

 

[california]

Then there's that closet folkie Pete Townsend....

Then....

And now....

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I had the great pleasure of being the sound man for Utah[Bruce] Phillips once when he was in concert in Logan Utah.
As we were doing his sound check, I asked him where he wanted his monitors placed.
He politely responded back that he didn't need monitors and that he could hear himself and hid guitar just fine without any monitors.
He was right.
His guitar rang out so clear and loud that I had to back the mike off and turn the gain down to blend with his voice.
A few years later, he joined Rosalle Sorrells for a wonderful show in Sale Lake City.
The two of them go way back together to their early days of intertaining.
Now that's Folk Music!

 

[GardMan]

Hey TMG... were you at the "Folk revival" at Highland High in SLC last winter? Was quite a treat to see and hear some of the old timers"... Both Rosalie Sorrel and Utah Philips... and other names I can't recall. A fun evening of stories and music. Dave

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

No, I missed that one, GardMan.
After leaving the board of directors for the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, I have kind of lost touch with the SLC music sceen.
I have been to a couple of Bill Stains' concerts though.
What a great singer/songwriter he is!

 

[zzrider]

I was lucky to see Dave Van Ronk just a few months before his death. About 15 people and myself in a tiny 40 seat theater in Stayton, Oregon (pop. 7000) . He had his F-50 and played beautifully - and while his singing was not what it once was, it was still powerful magic. I will treasure that evening forever.

 

[djid]

Some other Guild lovers in the same part of the country as Utah & Rossalie, all though maybe a little more Idaho swing then Folk, would be anyone with the last name of Braun.

 

[GardMan]

snip... I have been to a couple of Bill Stains' concerts though. What a great singer/songwriter he is!

Bill is an incredible singer/songwriter, in the tradition of Woody Guthrie. We managed to catch/enjoy half of his recent concert in SLC... kids (6 and 9) were a little too wild, and had school the next day, so we cut out during his break.

 

[creeksideguy]

More country than folk perhaps but Hoyt Axton played a great sounding Guild.