Ben Elder
From:
La Crescenta, California, USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2007 12:51 am |
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A friend of mine, Robert, has quit playing and this is his last instrument to sell. He was in Westwood Music (we're talking early '90s) when a figure burst hurriedly through the door saying words to the effect of "Here, Fred [Walecki, owner], sell this for me."
"Sure, Ry."
And he was gone. Fingerstylist extraordinaire Dorian Michael was working there at the time and his spontaneous virtuoso licks on the Supertone captivated Robert. So much so, that Robert bought it on the spot.
It was originally a parlor guitar (appx. Martin 0-size) but thanks to too many years of too-heavy strings (probably before the Ry era), it has a pronounced belly and a neck angle only a slide player could love. (There's consensus that the action and belly are not practically restorable to standard playing.) There are long finish-craze marks seemingly below the finish surface and I can't say whether this has been oversprayed or polished extensively. Original finish is there...at some level. Top is spruce, koa sides, pearl border and fancy inlays. Also the famous airplane bridge, a post-1927 tribute to Charles Lindbergh's solo Atlantic crossing. True. This was apparently wired for a Sunrise or other soundhole pu as it has the minijack stuck to the inside back and wired to a 1/4" jack in the tailblock. No pickup included. It comes with an oversize (classicial or dread, I forget) modern hsc. There's a similar one on the cover of an ACOUSTIC GUITAR Magazine from ca. 1997-98 and two others I've seen listed (presumably with normal action) have sold in the high teens. We've talked to Fred and Mark at Westwood and the aforestated account of its coming into their short-lived custody rings a bell with them. We'll get the Ry history on paper for the next owner.
I've played this thing and it sounds great--well worth the asking price of $1500. One caveat, though: keep it strung light. It's a delicate gem with its own special character and it's not a tricone, not a Dobro. Save the .018-.059s for something with a resonator.
Links to pics:
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1558.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1562.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1563.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1564.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1559.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1560.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1561.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1565.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~themusicmotel/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/supr1567.jpg
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