Picea Rubens AKA Red Spruce

[RT 66]

Hey John
If I walk north by northwest from Grahms house, I'll run into MY house in Alaska, or as we say, The End of the Food Chain. If you walk out a ways into the woods, you ARE the food chain.

I thought you might be on to something for a while with the Russian/Red spruce.
Got to wondering why you never see a Russian made guitar. They are made everywhere else, right? I've never seen one and Russia is a just short paddle on a surfboard from here. We have plenty of Russian made Russians and I have some Russian kids I'm teaching guitar and violin to.
I even learned some Russian that I already forgot like, PRACTICE. Russian is very easy to forget.

Of course they do make guitars, but would you want one?
I found this site you might find interesting, so don't quit your day job just yet.
http://meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/sovietguitars.html
Check out the guitars on the left. I like the wood description on the Ural model. "Something Heavy" and on controls "Too Many to Mention"
Given that much info, Red Spruce from Russia might translate to, "Something Red" or maybe "Something Light" Works for me.
RT 66- "Hey Cap! Whats that top wood on your new D50?
Cap - "Uhhh, Something Red"

Currently this outfit called Russtone XXI is the largest manufacturer of guitars in Russia. Only been around 12 years and making the usual Fender Gibson knockoffs.

Been meaning to ask.
I'm real new to this whole forum thing and was wondering how ya'll post a picture. I recently figured out how to email a picture from "My Pictures", so how do you go from there to here or is it something different?
Looks like Grahm has it down to a science.
Appreciate any info.

RT 66

 

[Graham]

I thought it would be easy to find a Russian made guitar that looked kinda funny, but no such luck.

However I did find this, I think it's from Israel, I didn't think they would be into knockoff's as such.

Looks like an F-60-Oiy.

[IMG:485:800]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r126/Graham_61/1987_GF-60Oiy.jpg[/img]

 

[capnjuan]

Hi RT66: I guess an Alaskan address makes you a neighbor of Graham's in, you know, the larger sense of the word. There's another BB member right down the Canadian west coast from you ('right' = less than 1,500 miles) If you stand outside, you can probably hear him practicing right now......Great site! Socialist Realism indeed. The measure of the risk posed by the Nazis in WW2 was us deciding to share the playbill with Joe S and the Commies...as crappy a band as whatever was....

Pic Posting: the BB prohibits posting directly to it; you have to find a host on the web somewhere. I use Photobucket http://photobucket.com/ There are plenty of others. With PBucket, you open an 'account', a tracking device for ID purposes, no $ unless you start storing music, the Yellow Pages on CD, other huge files consuming wads of space. Once registered, you upload pics from your computer to the web host. From there, you can copy the IMG address that the web host provides you and paste it into your posts.

Not hard; some fumbling and misfires involved....I don't think anyone knows how Graham does his stuff and he's not talking :wink: If you mess up, the mechanics of editing your posts here are simple enough. If you get this working, remember to adjust the size of the pics down to other than full-size; economical and keeps you from wrecking the right margin of the BB....don't ask how I know....

Whether tonewoods, criminal behavior, or oil, Russia figures in everyone's future. After the Saudis, they have the largest proven petroleum reserves in the world. If they aren't the biggest energy player now, they soon will be.

Maybe we can corner the market in post-soviet, hand-made, spruce-topped guitars...they're a little far north for mahogany but maybe we can find a stick or two of Peoples Betterness Heroic Wood-like Substance....or just some maple...

Regards, J

 

[capnjuan]

Hi John; meet your new neighbor to the (far) northwest of you; maybe if you look outside, you can see him...

I suspect you've been taking lessons from "Slow-Hand" Graham; nice guitar, trying to think what it reminds me of....

 

[RT 66]

Hey Capn
Thanks for the info.
Tried to reply twice, but both posts vaporized.
After hitting "preview" or "submit", I get the log in page.
Something I did or didn't do?

Here is a link that might help sort out some confusion about spruce guitar tops and maybe mess up your retirement plans.

http://WWW.lutherie.net/eurospruce.html

OK! entering "The Portal" one more time and hitting the "Subm

 

[Kap'n]

Got to wondering why you never see a Russian made guitar. They are made everywhere else, right? I've never seen one and Russia is a just short paddle on a surfboard from here.

It's because we flooded their market with all those those Gorky Park guitars that never sold here back in the 80's.

[img:257:467]http://digitalcoffee.net/axslinger/images/used/kmr-u-gorkypark.jpg[/img]

Right now, they're plotting their revenge.

 

[capnjuan]

HI RT66:

Posting Issues: it sounds like one or more of:
You weren't logged in when you went to post,
Your 'credentials' are hung up because you gave the finger to a highway patrolman recently
The server where this BB lives was out of tune
You didn't do it correctly, or
None of the above......
Glad I could help! :wink:

Spruce Goose chase: thanks for the link; the gent is saying spruce is spruce no matter where it comes from....going to think twice now about cornering the market in Russian spruce....Dang....just when I thought I was onto to something....
J

 

[capnjuan]

Right now, they're plotting their revenge.

I don't blame them......that's nasty-looking....not to mention culturally subversive.

cj

 

[RT 66]

Hey Capn
I had suspected it might be that "Finger" thing. That must be it.

Sorry to mess up your retirement plans, but since just about everything is illegal in Russia including cutting firewood and selling trees off and such without the proper greasing of the proper officials, You might of ended up retiring to the Gulag Hilton with a roomate called Igor instead of Paris.
Remember! Building a non State sponsored guitar for the masses can also get you Igor. Sneaking off with a Carpathian "Red" Spruce tree might get you a whole bunch of Igor's playmates to play with.
Of course you could always call Paris to find out what her undisclosed medical problem was and maybe they'll let you go with a warning and a bracelett with Igors phone number after promising to call when you get home.

Hey, COOL!
An electric triangle thing. Is that Hoboken made or Westerly?
Maybe the Russians hired Picaso to design a proper State guitar for the masses. Might explain why most get hung on a wall as abstract art instead of getting played.

RT 66

 

[JerryR]

[quote="RT 66":fe9e6]
Got to wondering why you never see a Russian made guitar. They are made everywhere else, right? I've never seen one and Russia is a just short paddle on a surfboard from here.

It's because we flooded their market with all those those Gorky Park guitars that never sold here back in the 80's.

[img:257:467]http://digitalcoffee.net/axslinger/images/used/kmr-u-gorkypark.jpg[/img]

Right now, they're plotting their revenge.[/quote:fe9e6]

Isn't the Russian for Guitar 'Balalika' :roll:

 

[RT 66]

Hi Jerry
From an online translator, the Russian word for guitar is LNTAPA.
In the cyryllic alphabet, the L is upside down and the N is backwards.
With that in mind, the letter sounds are like this.

The L thing has a "geh" sound and translates as G
The N thing has a "ee" sound and looks like an I
The T has a "teh sound and is like it looks, a T
The A has an "ah" sound and looks like an A
The P has an "ehr" sound and translates like an R
The A is the same as the last one, an A

So altogether you got GITARA.

The Spanish is GUITARRA or pretty much the same thing.

Balalaika in Russian is 6ANANANKA where the 6 has a B sound or in short maybe sounds something like Baheeaheeaheeaika. There were no upside down V's which indicate an "el" sound.

As I recall, the Russians don't use a lot of extra letters that aren;t needed.
It doesn't seem like that philosophy carried over into guitar construction.

Russian shop foreman to management
"WE NEED MORE WEIGHT AND MORE CONTROL AND MORE NECK WOOD AND MAKE BIGGER THAN AMERICA FENDER SO RUSSIA PEOPLE KNOW THEY HAVE BEST FROM MOTHER RUSSIA AND MAKE AMERICA FENDER GITARA LOOK LIKE SISSY WOMAN GITARA."

Management
"ALEXI IS RIGHT. WE MAKE NO SISSY WOMAN FENDER GITARA FOR PEOPLE OF MOTHER RUSSIA. PEOPLE WILL KNOW RUSSIA GUITAR IS BIG LIKE RUSSIA. YOU GO ALEXI AND MAKE PROUD RUSSIA GITARA"

RT 66

 

[sitka_spruce]

I must have been away for a while, I take it, since you're all talking Russian (nothing against Russians - a great people really - I'm web-flirting with a Russian-Ukranian girl).

 

[Graham]

I'm web-flirting with a Russian-Ukranian girl).

Excellent cooks, but their Mothers are high maintenance. I have to buy my EMIL (Evil Mother In Law) a new broom to fly around on twice a year. :shock:

It's like changing the battery on a smoke detector.

 

[capnjuan]

Actually Jonas, it's Ray and I trying to figure out how to make money by exploiting Russian timber for tonewood while not working very hard at it. However at least one person going to have to be able to speak it....he's learning.

We have Russian cab drivers in Miami; expecting Latin drivers, you get guys with accents you can't cut with a knife. Thanks to the popular US TV show Law and Order, all you can think of is criminals...

Don't the Ukranians have their own thing going on now; that is, no longer part of Mother Russia? I mean like the Republic of Ray's Friends and the Republic of Juan, you know, all split into little pieces?

j

 

[Graham]

Don't the Ukranians have their own thing going on now; that is, no longer part of Mother Russia?
j

Der's us, and den der's Dem! :evil:

 

[capnjuan]

Home of Jonas' web-friend:
[IMG:320:253]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r106/capnjuan/ukraine.jpg[/img]

To my grandfather, these people were 'Eucheranains'; he had names for every other ethnology too; Hunkies, Polacks, and, when he wasn't too sure, they were: "Finn-Garians". If he were around today, the PC police would be all over him.

 

[zplay]

I thought it would be easy to find a Russian made guitar that looked kinda funny, but no such luck.

However I did find this, I think it's from Israel, I didn't think they would be into knockoff's as such.

Looks like an F-60-Oiy.

[IMG:485:800]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r126/Graham_61/1987_GF-60Oiy.jpg[/img]

How do you do it, Graham? Seems like no image is safe with you around.

Very funny, by the way. Except, the model no. would be F-60-Oy, actually.

 

[Graham]

Very funny, by the way. Except, the model no. would be F-60-Oy, actually.

Thanx Z. Back to Yiddish class for me...

 

[zplay]

Don't worry about the Yiddish classes, Graham; might be hard to find up that way.

Keep the bogus photos coming, though.

 

[Graham]

Keep the bogus photos coming, though.

:?: :?: I resent that. This stuff is very difficult to come by, hours of tedious and exhaustive searching. Moles a plenty scattering hither and yon providing bits and pieces of info that I have to stitch together.

Bogus photos, pshaw!

Anyway I found this Russian beauty after all.

Looks to be the 3CP1 model with optional moustache bridge, hammer and sickle shield and what appears to be a newer model capo.

Neat.

[IMG:700:700]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r126/Graham_61/balalaika.jpg[/img]