Chet's Paul McGill resonator

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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby DAN SAGE » Sun May 05, 2013 3:02 am

QUESTIONS FOR MY EDUCATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT, IF YOU DON'T MIND

1.Mr. Raymond, do you know if your 1970 DVR came from the factory with the metal truss U channel installed in the neck? Did you buy it new, and could you describe, what the layout and size of the sound hole covers on the top were? Was the cone well made of aluminum or wood? This information would help to tie down some dates. If you don't mind and can answer the same questions about your brother-in-law's 1971 DVR guitar, it would also be of great value, at least to me.

2.Mr. Schwickerath, do you know the approximate date of the Chuck Tucker's ad in FRETS magazine? It looks like he mentions a truss rod in the neck of the guitar, do you know, if he was referring to the wood stripe in the back of the neck, something he might have installed, or a metal one installed by the factory? Was he an importer of them? I have a copy of THE FRETBOARD JOURNAL, #7, FALL 2007, it has an interview with Nato Lima in it.

Thank you all,

Dan Sage
Last edited by DAN SAGE on Sun May 05, 2013 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby guitarchuck » Sun May 05, 2013 10:12 am

I believe that Chuck Tucker imported these guitars and had them built especially for that purpose. I'm not sure, but I think the truss rod was installed at the factory for him. Yes they were metal adjustable truss rods. I wrote Mr. Tucker a few years back using the address on the ad. He told me he no longer imports the Del Vecchios. (I wish I still had the letter.) You might ask some others about it here. I think some have mentioned that they bought their Del Vecchio from him. I played one of the Del Vecchio's that Mr. Tucker imported at CAAS back in the late 80's or early 90's. I was thrilled because Chet had played it a few minutes before. Someone was thinking about buying the guitar and they had Chet try it out. I remember Chet saying that particular guitar didn't sound as good as some. Here's one of Chuck Tucker's ad's from a February 1988 Frets Magazine:
img100.jpg


It would be interesting to talk to Mr. Tucker about this. With the old Rt. & Box number address it may be impossible to reach him now that everyone has the 911 street addresses. Maybe someone here on the Chetboard knows him.

I also have the "Del Vecchio's Resonator Guitar, One of a Kind" article from the Guitar Player March 1986 Magazine, The A.G. Letter article "From Sao Paulo" Acoustic Guitar September 1996.
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby DAN SAGE » Sun May 05, 2013 3:55 pm

Thank you for the information, it helps alot. I mispoke on the FRETS article, Mr. Lima's interveiw was in THE FRETBOARD JOURNAL. I corrected the original post. I have a copy of the GUITAR PLAYER magazine (3/1986), with the DV article in it, that I bought on Ebay, and I think I may have a copy of the AG article/correspondence. I just don't know exactly where it is at the moment. I also collect Paul McGill articles. Thanks again.

Dan Sage
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby guitarchuck » Sun May 05, 2013 4:13 pm

Does the Nato Lima Fretboard Journal article have very much Del Vecchio Information?
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby albertgen » Sun May 05, 2013 5:22 pm

There is a truss rod in mine. Al
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby bill raymond » Sun May 05, 2013 5:50 pm

Dan,
My DV dates from around 1970. I have the original correspondence from my purchase from a guitar shop in Hollywood, CA, though I can't locate it at this time. I bought the guitar by mail as I was living in Minnesota at the time. I had to wait a bit for a new shipment to be imported, so I am confident that it was new at the time. I saw Chet in concert in July of 1970 (I have the concert program) and I know I had the DV for a short time before I met Chet after that concert. It has a long scale, wood soundwell and 8 holes in the coverplate arranged around the opening for the bridge. My ex-brother-in-law's DV was purchased not too long after I got mine from the same importer, so I am estimating 1971, though it may have been late 1970 and am confident that it too was purchased new. My guitar came from the factory with the steel U-channel and his had none; I know this because I helped him remove the fretboard and install a steel bar in the neck. His, too, was a long scale, and to the best of my memory had the same soundhole configuration. I haven't been in contact with him for many years now, so I can't verify the latter detail. I drew up a plan from my DV for the Musical Instrument Makers Forum (mimf.com) that they used to sell, but no longer do. I hope this helps. Any further questions about this instrument I'd be happy to answer.
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby DAN SAGE » Mon May 06, 2013 8:04 pm

THE MORE I LEARN, THE LESS I KNOW

1.Three more questions for Mr. Raymond, if you don't mind. The two sound holes in the upper bout, are they the same size as the eight sound holes in the cone cover, or are they bigger? Are the sound hole covers made of woven mesh (a la speaker cloth), or are they the slotted aluminum metal sound hole covers? If there is a metal plate on the headstock, what does it look like?

2.The article in Fretboard Journal about Nato Lima was a more detailed account of his and his brother's history in music. It did discuss some of his guitars and setups (tunings), that they used, and it has a picture of him and a long scale Del Vecchio resonator. He also talks a little about his relationship to Del Vecchio and to Paul McGill, and some of the guitars, that they made for him, including the 26 fret classical guitars that Del Vecchio made at his request. I saw him and his brother once in concert in the late 60's, but they only played classical guitars. His was a 26 fret guitar, and I could have sworn, that the top three strings were metal and not nylon, but I have been wrong on so many things, who knows. I did get to talk to him once for a few minutes, thanks to Mr. McGill, who was his friend, but I didn't think to ask him about it. It is my understanding, that Mr. Lima even built a guitar or two, during his lifetime. He did say in the article, that he owned three of McGill's resonator guitars, and that he used one, when he played at Carnegie Hall, for one of the pieces. The McGill guitars that I have seen him with in pictures are like the first one, that he built for Mr. Atkins (like the one in the original post and picture in this string).

Thank you all, for helping to enlighten me,

Dan Sage
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby guitarchuck » Mon May 06, 2013 10:36 pm

I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this here since it's not the video section of the board, but I thought it pertains to the topic. Here's Eric Johnson telling about his Del Vecchio that Chet gave him:

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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby bill raymond » Wed May 08, 2013 1:01 am

An additional note: Of the DVs I've seen in person and in photos, few, if any, feature true Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia Nigra). Most appear to be Imbuia--often called "Brazilian Walnut"--or some other species of dark hardwood. I've heard references made to some old Dinamicos with solid backs of either imbuia or goncalo alves. No doubt, there were some made of true rosewood, but probably not since the 1960s or earlier.
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Re: Chet's Paul McGill resonator

Postby DAN SAGE » Wed May 08, 2013 6:40 am

Thank you, Mr. Raymond and all the other poster, for the additional information. A lot of the things I thought I knew appear to be mistaken. May I ask Mr. Raymond three more questions?

1. The two sound holes in the upper bout in your 1970 DVR, are they the same size as the eight sound holes in the cone cover, or are they bigger?
2. Are the sound hole covers made of woven mesh (a la speaker cloth), or are they the slotted aluminum metal sound hole covers?
3. If there is a metal plate on the headstock, what does it look like, and what is printed on it?

Thank you for your time and information,

Dan Sage
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