hooker64
Junior Member
So guys, here I am again!
So here is a summary of my findings:
Apparently there was no gross evidence of a re-topping, even inside. No glue residuals, the internal lining was almost identical for the top and for the bottom.
I did not find the Guild stamp. But I found something else.
1. There were several pencil markers. It took me some time to decipher these writings (it’s hard to read 40 years old pencil marks through a mirror, not written in your native language), but in the end the work was almost complete.
2. Two writings were in the upper part of the top, i.e. between the sound hole and the neck block.
They both read as follows:
“Not This”
3. The other writings were in the lower part of the top (i.e., between the bridge plate and the bottom), between braces.
The first one reads as follow:
“ Glued Nov. 1975 – Aliphatic resin glue”
4.The second one:
“Olsen Lutherie 8222 So(??). Park Ave Tacoma Wash.”
The two question marks indicate that I am not sure of the letters – however there reasonably indicate “South”.
5. The third one took me some time to be read, but was very funny...
“So What’s new: Ah Well No One will ever read This”.
Anyway, 40 year later, at the other side of the world, someone did it!
I took some pictures of some of these writings, and you can find them here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/avl9ut4o7cfjyww/AACPWGPheuGd5BXLuuhpyWxka?dl=0
These writings are very faint. I did not have the right equipment and I am a bad photographer. However you can probably read the name of the luthier shop and the date (1975).
These findings allowed me to conclude that the top was done in 1975, when the guitar was new, by Tim Olsen in Tacoma.
For those who have never heard about Tim (I suspect that many of you , especially the senior members, know him very well), I suggest to visit the Guild of American Luthiers (GAL) website (www.luth.org). Tim is the President and the editor in chief of the GAL, the non profit association that since the early 70s supports the art, craft, and science of stringed musical instrument, in America and worldwide. Tim is a researcher and international expert in this field, and has been author, coauthor and editor of many, many articles and books about the art of lutherie. During the seventies, Tim had a guitar workshop in Tacoma, Washington.
What I did next, during the weekend, was to find his email address and to write him! Tim promptly replied, he recognized the guitar and confirmed my deductions. He did this job in 1975, on a F-50 guitar that was brought to him buy a customer. It was not commissioned by Guild. Tim does not remember the details of the musician and of the instrument (i.e., if the top was damaged or not), bur remembers very well how he did this work, using bear claw spruce for the top, rosewood, and probably holly veneer (not maple) for the binding. He sent me a very in depth description of the technique, its' really amazing.
Tim alternated the two activities (luthier and writer/editor), and stopped building guitars in 1980, so his instruments are rare birds, indeed. But you can see what pieces of work he was able to imagine, project and build.
Therefore, this story has a happy end. The guitar has been re-topped customized as new, not by the Guild Custom Shop, but by Tim Olsen. My research on the origin of this fascinating instrument could not be more rewarding.
I would like to thank all of you, guys, for the support and suggestion during these weeks. Most of you have done the right hypotheses, at least in part. Now the mystery has been largely solved. What I will try to do is to trace back more accurately the story of the instrument after it left Tim’s shop. This will be even a more difficult task, probably.
It was really a fun discussion! But now, please, I would like to have you views and opinions.
So here is a summary of my findings:
Apparently there was no gross evidence of a re-topping, even inside. No glue residuals, the internal lining was almost identical for the top and for the bottom.
I did not find the Guild stamp. But I found something else.
1. There were several pencil markers. It took me some time to decipher these writings (it’s hard to read 40 years old pencil marks through a mirror, not written in your native language), but in the end the work was almost complete.
2. Two writings were in the upper part of the top, i.e. between the sound hole and the neck block.
They both read as follows:
“Not This”
3. The other writings were in the lower part of the top (i.e., between the bridge plate and the bottom), between braces.
The first one reads as follow:
“ Glued Nov. 1975 – Aliphatic resin glue”
4.The second one:
“Olsen Lutherie 8222 So(??). Park Ave Tacoma Wash.”
The two question marks indicate that I am not sure of the letters – however there reasonably indicate “South”.
5. The third one took me some time to be read, but was very funny...
“So What’s new: Ah Well No One will ever read This”.
Anyway, 40 year later, at the other side of the world, someone did it!
I took some pictures of some of these writings, and you can find them here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/avl9ut4o7cfjyww/AACPWGPheuGd5BXLuuhpyWxka?dl=0
These writings are very faint. I did not have the right equipment and I am a bad photographer. However you can probably read the name of the luthier shop and the date (1975).
These findings allowed me to conclude that the top was done in 1975, when the guitar was new, by Tim Olsen in Tacoma.
For those who have never heard about Tim (I suspect that many of you , especially the senior members, know him very well), I suggest to visit the Guild of American Luthiers (GAL) website (www.luth.org). Tim is the President and the editor in chief of the GAL, the non profit association that since the early 70s supports the art, craft, and science of stringed musical instrument, in America and worldwide. Tim is a researcher and international expert in this field, and has been author, coauthor and editor of many, many articles and books about the art of lutherie. During the seventies, Tim had a guitar workshop in Tacoma, Washington.
What I did next, during the weekend, was to find his email address and to write him! Tim promptly replied, he recognized the guitar and confirmed my deductions. He did this job in 1975, on a F-50 guitar that was brought to him buy a customer. It was not commissioned by Guild. Tim does not remember the details of the musician and of the instrument (i.e., if the top was damaged or not), bur remembers very well how he did this work, using bear claw spruce for the top, rosewood, and probably holly veneer (not maple) for the binding. He sent me a very in depth description of the technique, its' really amazing.
Tim alternated the two activities (luthier and writer/editor), and stopped building guitars in 1980, so his instruments are rare birds, indeed. But you can see what pieces of work he was able to imagine, project and build.
Therefore, this story has a happy end. The guitar has been re-topped customized as new, not by the Guild Custom Shop, but by Tim Olsen. My research on the origin of this fascinating instrument could not be more rewarding.
I would like to thank all of you, guys, for the support and suggestion during these weeks. Most of you have done the right hypotheses, at least in part. Now the mystery has been largely solved. What I will try to do is to trace back more accurately the story of the instrument after it left Tim’s shop. This will be even a more difficult task, probably.
It was really a fun discussion! But now, please, I would like to have you views and opinions.
Last edited:
roud:
