Old Hickory Gibson Les Paul guitar

This guitar was played "as is" with no prior set up. It held it's tune very well, considering the age of the original strings.

Gibson to Build 200 Guitars from Historic Tree
July 10, 1998 -- Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Musical Instruments, announced today that Gibson will build up to 200 "Old Hickory" guitars using a historic tree that was downed at The Hermitage during the tornado that ravaged Nashville in April, making national headlines.

The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, suffered extensive damage in the storm, especially the loss of a 275-year-old tulip poplar tree - a state record holder in age and size, and already an old tree when Andrew Jackson lived at The Hermitage from 1804 to 1845.

Gibson has teamed up with The Hermitage to secure the fallen tulip poplar tree and produce the highly collectible guitars. Each one features Andrew Jackson's portrait inlaid on the headstock, the name "Old Hickory" inlaid on the hickory fretboard, and a portrait of The Hermitage mansion on the pick guard. Three special guitars will have a mother-of-pearl banner inlaid on the body, highlighting key dates in the life of Jackson and The Hermitage.

The first "old Hickory" guitar will be given to the Smithsonian Institution and the rest will be made available to the public, with proceeds going to support The Hermitage restoration. While no price has been set for the guitars, one collector estimates that they will cost "a number of Jacksons".

Henry Juszkiewicz says, "Mother Nature has truly tested our resolve, and we can think of no better way to respond than by creating the "Old Hickory" guitar from the ancient wood of a beautiful 275 year-old poplar tree that once was a cool and shady place for the 7th President of the United States and his family. We hope the guitars will always symbolize the boundless courage of the people of Tennessee and the undaunted American spirit that has been so prevalent through the many natural disasters of the last year."

The "Old Hickory" will be unveiled at a special public ceremony at The Hermitage, on July 12th, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Guitar legend Chet Atkins will be on hand as well as other political luminaries and musicians

This past April 16 marked the tenth anniversary of a savage series of tornados that ripped through the city of Nashville, TN in 1998. The extent of damage to the city and surrounding rural areas was massive.

A major victim of this natural disaster was The Hermitage, the historic family home of the 7th U. S. President, Andrew Jackson (nicknamed "Old Hickory"). "Although the 177-year-old mansion was virtually untouched, more than 1200 trees on the extensive grounds, some planted by Old Hickory himself, were devastated."

One of the fallen trees was a 275-year-old tulip poplar, which was at the time the tallest and oldest tulip poplar in the state of Tennessee. With wood harvested from this fallen behemoth, the Gibson Custom Guitar Shop set out to produce 200 Custom Les Pauls to commemorate both the horrific storm of April 16th, and the memory of Andrew Jackson and The Hermitage. The fingerboard itself was to be fashioned from a hickory tree which fell next to the grave of Jacksons wife, Rachel.

The first "Old Hickory" guitar was unveiled at The Hermitage on July 12, 1998 —- with many political and musical dignitaries present, including Chet Atkins and then vice-president Al Gore (see photos). Subsequently, this guitar was donated to the Smithsonian Institution.

We are offering this immaculate Old Hickory guitar at $6,900 or best offer. It is a very early model with a serial number of OH 027. The grain pattern is very unique compared to other Old Hickory guitars, and is quite striking. Although Gibson intended a run of 200 guitars, I have heard that the goal fell short at around 188 because the source of tulip poplar wood ran out. Please do email for additional photos and details.

Although not technically a vintage guitar, the value of this instrument will be determined by the unique nature and history of the materials from which it was crafted. Unlike ANY other popular guitar model —- vintage or otherwise — there can NEVER be a "Reissue" of an Old Hickory.

Please review the links below for more information on the Old Hickory guitars, as well as a remarkable (and frightening) You-Tube VIDEO depicting the storms that swept through Nashville that April day in 1998:

http://www.gibson.com

Duration : 0:5:7

Read the rest of this entry

The lead guitar music played in this video was recorded with this 1967 Teisco del Rey guitar.

http://www.nme.com/video/id/xEpvJGppQX4/search/teisco

C'mon baby, don't you wanna DANCE?!?!
The Teisco is a vintage guitar with more history than there are letters in the word "Kenkyujo".

The guitars were first made in Japan in the late 1940's by the Aoi Onpa Kenkyujo company. Hawaiian guitarist, Atswo Kaneko, and engineer, Doryu Matsuda, were the masterminds behind this guitar company.

Though the brand name Teisco came into use in the 1940's, the guitar company itself, first known as the Aoi Onpa Kenkyujo Company, then later renamed the Nippon Onpa Kogy Company, Ltd., finally became the Teisco Company around 1964.

Teisco made amps, mics, and lap steel guitars in its early years. The first standard Teisco guitars had a 3/3 headstock. There is some disagreement between vintage guitar website editors on this, so we'll just say this Teisco may have been lightly influenced by the Gibson. Whether it was or wasn't remains up for debate.

At one time all homes had outhouses, and it wasn't until the invention of the toilet that people made bathrooms a certain way. This 3/3 headstock standard of the day is very similar to outhouses in that it was probably one of the only designs even heard of or used at the time.

The first solid-body electric Teisco was released in the 1950's when electric guitars were coming into vogue. In the 1960's, which may even be coined Teisco's golden decade, Teisco released the innovative amp-in-a-guitar. This may sound like a starter kit for a beginning rock star - that's because it was. Although most people who bought them did not become rock stars. Go figure.

During the first half of the 20th century, Americans were overall, die-hard "Buy American"s. Typically, only items that were not available domestically, such as caviar and French perfume, were imported in those days. Hence, Teisco guitars didn't appear in the United States until the early 60's when they were imported by the Jack Westheimer/WMI corporation in Chicago. Some of the other early imports were made for the Bugeleisen and Jacobson Company in New York.

In 1967, Teisco Company was bought out by Kawai. Historically, Teisco would put any name a buyer wanted on the guitar as long as he purchased enough units. Kawai continued this tradition. Teisco-made guitars bore names such as Kent, Heit Deluxe, Kingston, Kimberly, AOL Ultra Deluxe 68, etc... and many still had the Del Rey labels as well. Oh, the variety!

Recorded by M A N Who Am I, D. Logan Foster, lead guitar, Mark Anthony Nelson, rhythm guitar.

http://videos.emule.com/play/teisco--guitar-boogie-(oeHf4Vk0UJU

Duration : 0:3:36

Read the rest of this entry