As I've said before, this series has been a true masterclass of workmanship. It should be posted as a playlist for people to binge watch and learn. Thank you for this.
The most important musical thing from 1946 I can think of is the benefit concert for Isaac Woodard in NYC. Woodard was a black US G.I. who immediately upon being discharged from fighting in the Pacific got into a nonviolent argument with a bus driver in South Carolina . He was brutally attacked by police and blinded. Billie Holiday, Woodie Guthrie and Joe Lewis played at the benefit. Of course this didn't make the charts but ~36,000 people showed up and it was a big early spark of postwar civil rights activism. Woody Guthrie's song "The Blinding of Isaac Woodard", written with the help of Woodard himself is likely the most notable historical song of the year. You can find a great PBS documentary about Woodard online to watch for free. Guthrie said this about his song: "this one I made up so's you wouldn't be forgetting what happened to this famous Negro soldier less than three hours after he got his Honorable Discharge down in Atlanta.... I sung this Isaac Woodard song in the Lewisohn Stadium one night for more than 36,000 people, and I got the loudest applause I've ever got in my whole life. This song is a long song, but most of the action is told in Isaac's own words. I made this ballad up because we'll need lots of songs like this one before we win our fight for racial equality in our big free United States." Thanks as always for a great video Ted, on the slim chance of your reading this haha. Lyrics to Guthrie's song and his comments on it: web.archive.org/web/20050114003432/members.fortunecity.com/folkfred/blind.html Documentary: www.pbs.org/video/the-blinding-of-isaac-woodard-knf0hq/ A long and very detailed account of what happened to Woodard: lithub.com/an-account-of-the-blinding-of-sgt-isaac-woodard-by-the-police-officer-lynwood-shull/?single=true
At the music store where I used to work someone brought in a 1940’s banner head Gibson in pieces, in a bag. It took months but the luthier resurrected it!
Outstanding! As a kid when leaving the electric scene to folk traded fender mustang for j-45 cherry burst in 1967-68? If memory serves well. Later was told it was a factory 2nd due to the number 2 placed just under the serial number stamped into back of head stock. Oh well got nicked trading with a notorious dealing rock shop. After getting into the Peter Paul & Mary scene not having money for a slot head Martin. Decided to remove the finish off the guitar. Dad said he used broken pieces of window glass when refinishing gun stocks. Obtained the shards and the finish came off in micro thin curls. Used some conventional finish remover on neck and headstock. Never put that clunky pick guard back on. The idea back then was everything natural. Treated the wood with lemon oil. Where ever I played always was complemented on the tonal qualities of the guitar. Sadly 25 yrs laterI gave it away as I was playing bags pipes it was never used.
Getting behind my '64 J-45 is just the same. It is modified. But only to increase vibrational transmission. Lots of play wear, little damage and it she rings until you'd think she can actually sing. Dad did me a real solid when he bought it for my 9th birthday. Wonderfully balanced decisions in you work keeps me coming back for content. Yes, I still play my Gibson in public, but mostly in the parlor nowadays. Thanks Ted!
Holy cow, both of those guitars turned out gorgeous; really cool, too. You basically did the opposite of relicing, by massively improving their appearance, playability, structural stability, etc, while still leaving enough of the mojo that comes with a nearly 70 year old well played instrument. As always Ted, your master level craftsmanship simply blows me away. Great job!!!
To scrape the rosettes, if you make a tool that can plug into the sound hole with a double adjustable rotating arm with a scraper on the end, it would make quick work of it. You just need to be able to adjust the pivot location, the length of the arm, and the depth of the scraper. An inflatable tapered plug would probably be the easiest to use for the main body of the tool.
That was a very interesting and entertaining mini-series! Or, at times for you, a "minisery". And I am impressed with the sound a 70-80 year old Gibson can produce- with a proper set-up.
I just binge watched the entire series - oh my, life can never be the same! I played a J45 in a shop in London's Denmark St. in about 1989 and I still say its 'the one' by which I judge all other guitars, and I hate Gibsons, but these J45s are THE players acoustic with a sound you've heard your whole life. Thanks for restoring them and spreading the knowledge to us amateur luthiers! Oh and Steamed Hams: ruclips.net/video/Jsof0cwFPY0/видео.html
Well you did it again, wonderful work and I appreciate the lesson regarding the cost to bring these back to playability. If you just have to have a vintage model guitar in poor shape, realize the time, effort and cost to bring it all the way back. Thank you taking the time to do more than just the repair, love the narratives
As someone who does very small repair jobs for a friends and fellow musicians from time to time. Your level of skill and craftsmanship is unworldly! Thanks for sharing!
These guitars remind me of my grandpa's band, the North Country Ramblers. They were well known in the upstate NY area (headquartered in Watertown), and they were Grandpa Jones' backup band on tour. That Southern Jumbo sounds very modern. (I swear I hear Hotel California coming outta that thing.) The J-45 sounds like it has more projection for a time when the guitar had to compete with brass. Thanks so much for the series Ted!
@@dooleyfussle8634 I don't know, but I hope so! I have never heard them, and it's my dearest wish to find a recording of them! They were Elliot Sweet (my grandfather), his brother "Major", and any other brothers who were available, plus the hired hands. I know from family that they had a radio show every weekday from 4:30 - 5:00 PM in the Watertown area, but that radio station has changed ownership numerous times, and the original recordings were presumed lost. If you have heard them anywhere, please let me know. (A reply comment is fine.) The Minnesota branch of the family would be super-grateful! I'm gonna look up NCPR and String Fever right now! 🙂 Edit: I just looked up NCPR and sent them an inquiry by email. Wouldn't it be awesome if they could connect me with Grandpa's music? Thanks for the lead!
Accordions were popular all the way into the 60’s. My first guitar teacher was an accordion player first, guitar player second. The Beetles changed things. The EJ1 Fujigen Gakki that I found in the dumpster recently had an Imperial label on it. From the Imperial Accordion Company of Chicago, IL! Looks like it was made in 1963, right at the start of the British Invasion. 😊 Nice job on those two Gibsons. That old thing sounds wonderful. Nothing wrong with new guitars. The good ones get sorted out, and in fifty years they’ll be classics too.
Incredible workmanship, awesome guitars,and amazing sound.A beautifully done repair,I have really enjoyed this series showcasing these guitars and your skills.Thank you Ted.
I am always in awe of your abilities, I realize it is not magic from my years of field service and having others think I am some magical being that can repair anything. It is time in grade, the "oh I have seen that before" and the just sometimes "wonder if this will actually work?" thought process. The awe isn't a worship thing it is the hey this guy is an encyclopedic informational storage system that has done his chops and deserves all the recognition that I can muster. Thanks Bro for the vids, I realize that the time it takes to make these sometimes hampers that repair process but I am glad for the ride along.
Hello Ted. Long time watcher, First time commenter… I’m a retired Finish carpenter/acoustic guitarist/ bassist…30 miles S. of Detroit. LOVE all your techniques/videos. you’ve made me a more patient, precise, carpenter… “Take your time, it’s not a Race”… Looking forward to each new episode. Carry on.
They sound phenomenal. As I expect an old Gibson to do. I visited a store in Greensboro NC years ago. And seeing "Authorized Martin repair" in the window is always a confidence builder to walking into such a place. I played a 65 (birth year) J45 that sounded so god I nearly panted. It sounded that good. It was a little pricey but I came close to buying it.
I always appreciate the research done, in this case the guitar-centric appraisal of 1946 in music. Lots of pop drek at the upper echelons of the charts, but the 40's in general saw the birth of jump blues which would morph into rock and roll, bebop, bluegrass, the early stages of the folk movement, western swing getting more and more electric and at times more raw or complex, etc. Y'all can have the 60's... I'll take the 40's. One more thing for the guitar-obsessed historian: I'm of the opinion that a huge swath of middle America was introduced to electric guitar via the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show, which had the great Perry Botkin (Sr.), playing blazing fast runs as early as 1940, though generally on novelty material ("Three Blind Mice", "Hilda", "Jingle Bells", etc.). He got some interesting tones too, as well as handling any other stringed instruments with aplomb. FM&G was a top rated program, with tens of millions listening each week. You would have noticed the guitar. Frankly it's surprising that Botkin is so obscure. He really was a monster player, making big bucks at the time (hopefully) playing mostly ridiculous music for millions.
Ted, I hope you see this. I just want to say that you are very intelligent whether guitar related or not. You are very intelligent and it is very refreshing. Thanks for just being, you. Much love from Oklahoma! ❤️™️
Your beautiful and sympathetic work on these guitars is amazing. I agree that restoration is more important than renovation, e.g. keep as much as you have and not aiming to have a showroom condition outcome.
Excellent series of videos, I've enjoyed every step of the way watching these wonderful old ladies being skilfully restored great playing and sounding condition. They both sound fantastic but if I had to chose it would have to be the SJ.
Another excellent series of videos displaying your talent as a luthier, historian, and woodworker.. thanks.
I hope the owner sat through this series and saw the time and skill that went into making these playable again.
Outstanding work.
Hank Williams came along in 1947 and changed those dreary charts forever.
Arthur Smith recorded "Guitar Boogie" in 1945! And his guitar really boogies! 😁
Gotta say, these sing right through the camera mic. Great work, great series!
"Frankly- most of you would just gag when you heard the estimate"
Classic Twoodfrd
Man you have good timing, I almost had to go do something productive...yay procrastination!
As I've said before, this series has been a true masterclass of workmanship. It should be posted as a playlist for people to binge watch and learn. Thank you for this.
The most important musical thing from 1946 I can think of is the benefit concert for Isaac Woodard in NYC. Woodard was a black US G.I. who immediately upon being discharged from fighting in the Pacific got into a nonviolent argument with a bus driver in South Carolina . He was brutally attacked by police and blinded.
Billie Holiday, Woodie Guthrie and Joe Lewis played at the benefit. Of course this didn't make the charts but ~36,000 people showed up and it was a big early spark of postwar civil rights activism. Woody Guthrie's song "The Blinding of Isaac Woodard", written with the help of Woodard himself is likely the most notable historical song of the year. You can find a great PBS documentary about Woodard online to watch for free.
Guthrie said this about his song: "this one I made up so's you wouldn't be forgetting what happened to this famous Negro soldier less than three hours after he got his Honorable Discharge down in Atlanta.... I sung this Isaac Woodard song in the Lewisohn Stadium one night for more than 36,000 people, and I got the loudest applause I've ever got in my whole life. This song is a long song, but most of the action is told in Isaac's own words. I made this ballad up because we'll need lots of songs like this one before we win our fight for racial equality in our big free United States."
Thanks as always for a great video Ted, on the slim chance of your reading this haha.
Lyrics to Guthrie's song and his comments on it:
web.archive.org/web/20050114003432/members.fortunecity.com/folkfred/blind.html
Documentary:
www.pbs.org/video/the-blinding-of-isaac-woodard-knf0hq/
A long and very detailed account of what happened to Woodard:
lithub.com/an-account-of-the-blinding-of-sgt-isaac-woodard-by-the-police-officer-lynwood-shull/?single=true
As an American history buff, this is a new story I have learned! Thanks for sharing. I will check out these links !! 😊
That J45 sounds incredible.
Those are some ridiculously good sounding instruments. Wow!
how to: start off a new week, enjoy a twoodfrd Monday matinée.
Greetings from the sunny climes of Basle, Switzerland
Coffee and a brandy and twdfrd...perfect Sunday evening...wish I had something to polish.
A wonderful repair trip,thankyou,
Both are great but the SJ really has it all!!! Beautiful work!!!
I never get the really old ones like that to work on. This series rocked. Great work.
The sound from both those Gibsons is amazing! Another great revival. Thanks Ted.
14.02 Love "Yep" as shorthand for "polishing polishing..." wonderful, hypnotic work as always.
At the music store where I used to work someone brought in a 1940’s banner head Gibson in pieces, in a bag. It took months but the luthier resurrected it!
Outstanding! As a kid when leaving the electric scene to folk traded fender mustang for j-45 cherry burst in 1967-68? If memory serves well. Later was told it was a factory 2nd due to the number 2 placed just under the serial number stamped into back of head stock. Oh well got nicked trading with a notorious dealing rock shop. After getting into the Peter Paul & Mary scene not having money for a slot head Martin. Decided to remove the finish off the guitar. Dad said he used broken pieces of window glass when refinishing gun stocks. Obtained the shards and the finish came off in micro thin curls. Used some conventional finish remover on neck and headstock. Never put that clunky pick guard back on. The idea back then was everything natural. Treated the wood with lemon oil. Where ever I played always was complemented on the tonal qualities of the guitar. Sadly 25 yrs laterI gave it away as I was playing bags pipes it was never used.
They sound incredible, intonation is unbelievable for 80 year old guitars. Brilliant job!!
1946 was the year of a couple great jazz standards.. anthropology, ornithology, Stella by Starlight, Tenderly..
Highlights..
lol 14:01. "yup". i was waiting to hear the "polishing.... polishing... polishing..." haha
Getting behind my '64 J-45 is just the same. It is modified. But only to increase vibrational transmission. Lots of play wear, little damage and it she rings until you'd think she can actually sing. Dad did me a real solid when he bought it for my 9th birthday. Wonderfully balanced decisions in you work keeps me coming back for content. Yes, I still play my Gibson in public, but mostly in the parlor nowadays. Thanks Ted!
«Yep» haha loved that
A very satisfying conclusion to this video series.
I like that balloon idea. I am going to have to try that. Thanks.
Holy cow, both of those guitars turned out gorgeous; really cool, too. You basically did the opposite of relicing, by massively improving their appearance, playability, structural stability, etc, while still leaving enough of the mojo that comes with a nearly 70 year old well played instrument. As always Ted, your master level craftsmanship simply blows me away. Great job!!!
Operation Magic Carpet was underway at that time. So many troops packed into whatever ship they could get to carry them home.
The balloon! Genius! 👍🏻🙏
Man oh man! Thank you from Rochester!
Ted, you are a master luthier. This whole series has been a real treat.
Absolutely amazing. The minor chords on that southern jumbo sounded almost creepy good
Bugs caught in clear coat?
"Welcome to Jurassic Box!"
The proof is in the playing. Proof indeed that all the work was worthwhile.
I must say that I've enjoyed the journey these old girls have had. So educational and inspiring.
Finales! Finally! Sad to see it end. But "How can I miss you if you won't go away!"
The southern jumbo sure had the presence of a Martin Dreadnought
Commenting for the algorithm, absolutely stunning work throughout this series. Wonderful to see someome that minds the little things.
To scrape the rosettes, if you make a tool that can plug into the sound hole with a double adjustable rotating arm with a scraper on the end, it would make quick work of it. You just need to be able to adjust the pivot location, the length of the arm, and the depth of the scraper. An inflatable tapered plug would probably be the easiest to use for the main body of the tool.
Nice work bringing these old Gibsons back to life.
LOL!!! .... yep... (polishing, polishing, polishing) Quality workmanship and laughs.. Thanks Ted.
That J 45 just Booms.
The painstaking and exacting nature of your work is astounding. Beautiful results in appearance as well as sound.
Good Job Ted!! And I ditto everyone else's positive comments.
Thankyou for taking the time to lift my depression.
@GVT
I don't need no doctor
ruclips.net/video/0lxyRjzXvxo/видео.html
That was a very interesting and entertaining mini-series! Or, at times for you, a "minisery". And I am impressed with the sound a 70-80 year old Gibson can produce- with a proper set-up.
I just binge watched the entire series - oh my, life can never be the same!
I played a J45 in a shop in London's Denmark St. in about 1989 and I still say its 'the one' by which I judge all other guitars, and I hate Gibsons, but these J45s are THE players acoustic with a sound you've heard your whole life. Thanks for restoring them and spreading the knowledge to us amateur luthiers!
Oh and Steamed Hams:
ruclips.net/video/Jsof0cwFPY0/видео.html
“Munched” is such a great word - I feel like I heard it often a time ago and it feels regional. Thanks for bringing it back 😂
Thank you for taking us along on these projects.
Well you did it again, wonderful work and I appreciate the lesson regarding the cost to bring these back to playability. If you just have to have a vintage model guitar in poor shape, realize the time, effort and cost to bring it all the way back. Thank you taking the time to do more than just the repair, love the narratives
As someone who does very small repair jobs for a friends and fellow musicians from time to time. Your level of skill and craftsmanship is unworldly! Thanks for sharing!
That “yep”, elicited quite a guffaw from me.
These guitars remind me of my grandpa's band, the North Country Ramblers. They were well known in the upstate NY area (headquartered in Watertown), and they were Grandpa Jones' backup band on tour. That Southern Jumbo sounds very modern. (I swear I hear Hotel California coming outta that thing.) The J-45 sounds like it has more projection for a time when the guitar had to compete with brass.
Thanks so much for the series Ted!
Have I heard them on String Fever on NCPR?
@@dooleyfussle8634 I don't know, but I hope so! I have never heard them, and it's my dearest wish to find a recording of them! They were Elliot Sweet (my grandfather), his brother "Major", and any other brothers who were available, plus the hired hands. I know from family that they had a radio show every weekday from 4:30 - 5:00 PM in the Watertown area, but that radio station has changed ownership numerous times, and the original recordings were presumed lost.
If you have heard them anywhere, please let me know. (A reply comment is fine.) The Minnesota branch of the family would be super-grateful! I'm gonna look up NCPR and String Fever right now! 🙂
Edit:
I just looked up NCPR and sent them an inquiry by email. Wouldn't it be awesome if they could connect me with Grandpa's music? Thanks for the lead!
Accordions were popular all the way into the 60’s. My first guitar teacher was an accordion player first, guitar player second. The Beetles changed things. The EJ1 Fujigen Gakki that I found in the dumpster recently had an Imperial label on it. From the Imperial Accordion Company of Chicago, IL! Looks like it was made in 1963, right at the start of the British Invasion. 😊 Nice job on those two Gibsons. That old thing sounds wonderful. Nothing wrong with new guitars. The good ones get sorted out, and in fifty years they’ll be classics too.
Incredible workmanship, awesome guitars,and amazing sound.A beautifully done repair,I have really enjoyed this series showcasing these guitars and your skills.Thank you Ted.
That Jumbo just sounds so old and mellow. Great work.
Beautiful old Gibsons after you were finished with them, Ted. I was almost in tears with the sound of them... just beautiful.
Very nice sound on the Southern Jumbo.
That SJ has the sound that I love.
I am always in awe of your abilities, I realize it is not magic from my years of field service and having others think I am some magical being that can repair anything. It is time in grade, the "oh I have seen that before" and the just sometimes "wonder if this will actually work?" thought process. The awe isn't a worship thing it is the hey this guy is an encyclopedic informational storage system that has done his chops and deserves all the recognition that I can muster.
Thanks Bro for the vids, I realize that the time it takes to make these sometimes hampers that repair process but I am glad for the ride along.
A visual account of craftsman like prowess is incomplete without the requisite " polishing, polishing, polishing"...
I knew it 😊 It‘s getting close to midnight here in Germany but waited for the video. Nice to end the week and start the new one 🥳
Thank you.
Stay safe and we'll see you next week.
You have admirable skills. It’s a pleasure to watch you work.
They both have a voice that can now be heard, without your gift as a master luthier they would remain silent, fantastic series. I wish you well.
Love the sound of those Gibbeys
Another stellar vid, and I appreciate the closure on this series!!!
Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic! Thank you.
loved the series, you have done a great job. thanks for let us see you work and the insight into your world.
Hello Ted.
Long time watcher,
First time commenter…
I’m a retired Finish carpenter/acoustic guitarist/
bassist…30 miles S. of Detroit.
LOVE all your techniques/videos. you’ve made me a more patient, precise, carpenter…
“Take your time, it’s not a Race”…
Looking forward to each new episode. Carry on.
Beautiful work, thank you for sharing your craft.
I watched these videos with special interest, as an owner of two vintage Gibsons. You worked near-miracles on these guitars. Exceptional work!
The sound from that jumbo! Such a rounded, warm midrange will sound good on any stage! Thanks for saving it from the firewood pile
Watching this man work keeps me sane and centered. Very calming and I look up to master craftsmen.
Superb series, thanks a lot, I thoroughly enjoyed watching them all. But I knew I would...
This is amazing skill that few have the time or patience to master.
They sound phenomenal. As I expect an old Gibson to do. I visited a store in Greensboro NC years ago. And seeing "Authorized Martin repair" in the window is always a confidence builder to walking into such a place. I played a 65 (birth year) J45 that sounded so god I nearly panted. It sounded that good. It was a little pricey but I came close to buying it.
The SJ turned out amazingly well as did the J45 both was great lessons thank you
The J45 sounds just as clear as the Jumbo but the Jumbo definitely has more bottom end as I would expect.
hi ted i love to have a large coffee and watch one of your vids. it makes the whole day better .polishing polishing and polishing
I always appreciate the research done, in this case the guitar-centric appraisal of 1946 in music. Lots of pop drek at the upper echelons of the charts, but the 40's in general saw the birth of jump blues which would morph into rock and roll, bebop, bluegrass, the early stages of the folk movement, western swing getting more and more electric and at times more raw or complex, etc. Y'all can have the 60's... I'll take the 40's.
One more thing for the guitar-obsessed historian: I'm of the opinion that a huge swath of middle America was introduced to electric guitar via the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show, which had the great Perry Botkin (Sr.), playing blazing fast runs as early as 1940, though generally on novelty material ("Three Blind Mice", "Hilda", "Jingle Bells", etc.). He got some interesting tones too, as well as handling any other stringed instruments with aplomb. FM&G was a top rated program, with tens of millions listening each week. You would have noticed the guitar. Frankly it's surprising that Botkin is so obscure. He really was a monster player, making big bucks at the time (hopefully) playing mostly ridiculous music for millions.
Ted, I hope you see this. I just want to say that you are very intelligent whether guitar related or not. You are very intelligent and it is very refreshing. Thanks for just being, you. Much love from Oklahoma! ❤️™️
Your beautiful and sympathetic work on these guitars is amazing. I agree that restoration is more important than renovation, e.g. keep as much as you have and not aiming to have a showroom condition outcome.
well worth your time and my time
Great series. Always a pleasure to watch your videos.
Thank you for the series. Going to be a great source of info for the '43 banner in the shop with the completely destroyed top.
Dayum! 15 thou of wear on the board!
WOW....NICE. WORK....PERFECT SOUND.....OUTSTANDING.
The Southern Jumbo has amazing balance, and, what a low E! Nice work, as always, Ted.
Excellent series. It's so cool to see those well loved relics restored to viability.
Nice work Mr. Woodford your skill level borders on sorcery. Turning straw into gold is your next challenge. 😊
Loved the yep instead of polishing,polishing,polishing.
Really enjoyed this series. Thanks for taking the all the time to share it with us, as you always do. I look forward to your videos every week.
That was SO satisfying.
Excellent series of videos, I've enjoyed every step of the way watching these wonderful old ladies being skilfully restored great playing and sounding condition. They both sound fantastic but if I had to chose it would have to be the SJ.
Fantastic work you are a true craftsman in every sense of the word.
Love your content please keep it up.
Really enjoyed watching the progress on these and the final product. Excellent work!