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266307 "Cal Meier" <calmeier@s...> 2018‑08‑07 The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
Hi,

The following showed up on CBS News this morning.  But, it appears that if you
do a search you can find links going back at least 6 years about this shop.  One
or more people are making guitars from the wood they have salvage from old
buildings that have been long gone or are now being torn down.    Apparently
when you can state that the wood in the guitar came from a certain semi-iconic
building (the Beams and Boards have names on them) they multiply in value.
Also, when famous people play the electric guitars, the audience/demand for them
grows.  The video I saw showed some parts of acoustic guitars hanging around on
the walls, but most, if not all, of the guitars the  man was making appear to be
electric.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmine-street-guitars-made-from-old-
bones-reclaimed-wood-new-york-city/">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmine-
street-guitars-made-from-old-bones-reclaimed-wood-new-york-city/

I endorse the idea of this gentleman making a living from his collected
inventory of very old and dry wood.  I also smile at the thought of having his
92 year old mother still in the shop taking orders.  Hope they can get along.

Down deep, I think there are other people out there in New York also salvaging
at least the big pieces.   Reclaiming wood is not limited to the old barns and
abandoned homes of the rural and (sometimes) urban South.

Take care,

Cal Meier
Central Louisiana
266309 Dragon List <dragon01list@g...> 2018‑08‑07 Re: The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
Cal,

I picked up, back in 2004 or so, a metric crapload (a whole lot, Jeff) of
Douglas fir beams, 4" x 14" and 4" x 18", from 5' to 16' long.  So far it's
made one workbench (step forward, Brian Ward), is making another (step
forward Paul Gardner), our fireplace mantle, some exposed structural work
in our house, and a couple chunks have gone to a bass builder/rebuilder
friend of mine.  These were apparently floor joists from an old (pre-1906)
San Francisco warehouse that had been torn down.  So reclaiming old wood
even happens out here, where we've only been around not quite 200 years.

We here in Santa Cruz also have a local company (Ventana Surfboards,
https://ventanasurfboards.com/) making beautiful boards, real works of art,
from reclaimed wood.  I haven't looked lately, but a couple years ago they
were touting the source(s) of their boards' wood as a selling point...the
historical, heart connection to the place from which the wood had been
used.  Not a bad idea, but what would Todd Hughes say about "paying for the
story"?

And, in fact, it's not just wood.  Our boardwalk just took down its Ferris
wheel, and one of our local blacksmiths snagged a number of pieces of what
they were otherwise going to haul off to scrap metal recycling.  Its
covering of lead paint is going to present him with a problem, but after
solving that he'll make something magical out of the pieces.  And no doubt
he'll bring their origin into the equation, either from a design, or
marketing, standpoint, or both.

It's a big old world out there...(re)using what we've got is the only way
we're going to continue to be able to make.

Best,
Bill
Felton, CA
266310 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑08‑07 Re: The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
Everybody has a gimmick - his is pretty interesting

Ed Minch
266313 scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> 2018‑08‑07 Re: The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
I like it, but it doesn't seem unusual at all to me
  Practically everything in my life used to be something else.
  Part of an old tool or machine, part of an old building or bridge. How 
else?

  My little porch pergola has pieces of old bridge timbers from the town 
park, and part of Benny Vincent's truck garage. Roof sheeting from one 
of Frank Prindle's mill slave shacks (across-from-the-mill rentals).
Piano parts abandoned in my son's garage and Les Stewart's old water bed 
frame, just off the top of my head.
       http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/auction/rafters14.jpg
  yours Scott

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
266317 gary may 2018‑08‑08 Re: The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
Here's Bill Kirchen demonstrating his NYC reclaimed pine Carmine street tele,
with Dan Erlewine and just generally being a cool guy.  https://www.you
tube.com/watch?v=w5Rfv0dQttM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Rfv0dQttM

How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing one
cares for none of them!
Jane Austen

      From: Ed Minch 
 To: Cal Meier  
Cc: William Ghio via OldTools 
 Sent: Tuesday, August 7, 2018 2:17 PM
 Subject: Re: [OldTools] The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
   
Everybody has a gimmick - his is pretty interesting

Ed Minch




> On Aug 7, 2018, at 4:48 PM, Cal Meier  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> The following showed up on CBS News this morning.  But, it appears that if you
do a search you can find links going back at least 6 years about this shop.  One
or more people are making guitars from the wood they have salvage from old
buildings that have been long gone or are now being torn down.    Apparently
when you can state that the wood in the guitar came from a certain semi-iconic
building (the Beams and Boards have names on them) they multiply in value.
Also, when famous people play the electric guitars, the audience/demand for them
grows.  The video I saw showed some parts of acoustic guitars hanging around on
the walls, but most, if not all, of the guitars the  man was making appear to be
electric.
> 
> https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmine-street-guitars-made-from-old-
bones-reclaimed-wood-new-york-city/">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmine-
street-guitars-made-from-old-bones-reclaimed-wood-new-york-city/ <https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmine-street-guitars-made-from-old-bones-
reclaimed-wood-new-york-city/">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmine-street-
guitars-made-from-old-bones-reclaimed-wood-new-york-city/>
> 
> I endorse the idea of this gentleman making a living from his collected
inventory of very old and dry wood.  I also smile at the thought of having his
92 year old mother still in the shop taking orders.  Hope they can get along.
> 
> Down deep, I think there are other people out there in New York also salvaging
at least the big pieces.  Reclaiming wood is not limited to the old barns and
abandoned homes of the rural and (sometimes) urban South.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Cal Meier
> Central Louisiana

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266318 paul womack <pwomack@p...> 2018‑08‑08 Re: The bones of NewYork being turned into guitars
Cal Meier wrote:
> The video I saw showed some parts of acoustic guitars hanging around on the
walls, but most, if not all, of the guitars the  man was making appear to be
electric.

The story says:

"For more than half a century, owner Rick Kelly has built the electric guitars."

As Les Paul proved, you can make an electric guitar from any-old-lumber (or
glass, or perspex, or concrete!)

Acoustic guitars need far more specific woods.

   BugBear

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