The Hawk 12 string acoustic

[Bowlfrog]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I hope someone can help me find out something about my guitar. As the title suggests, it's a 12 string acoustic with 'The Hawk' embossed on the headstock. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I'd be really grateful.

I bought it at a flea market for £50 about 7 years ago. It was a bit of a rash, impulsive purchase as it was strung in a chaotic fashion with what looked like rusty old wires. There was no way I could have checked if it was playable. However, I'd wanted an affordable 12 string for some time, the instrument looked like it had a bit of history to it and I was in a mood to take a risk.

When I took it home and restrung it, I found that it sounded great. The trouble is, it has a very wide, thick neck and the action, to use someone else’s words, is the kind normally seen on a longbow.

Until recently, I couldn't find anything written about it nor find anyone who had heard of it. A few days ago I found a brief reference to it on a message board that suggested it may have been made in the 60s or 70s by Framus as an unbranded export. I find that quite exciting.

I hit gold not long after and actually found a video of someone playing The Hawk and a Swedish bluesman called Bottleneck John at that! His is much less scuffed up than mine.

Enough waffling from me, here are some photos:










Bottleneck John- http://www.bigroadblues.com/forum/viewt ... f=3&t=9309

It's not a great guitar. It's really hard for me to play for very long as the wide neck makes my hand ache terribly, even now the action has been dropped. It does have a great deal of character though.

[cheepaxes]

[Bowlfrog]

Thanks for the reply Cheepaxes. I have relatively small hands for a big bloke but if the neck was thinner, I'd probably have problems with string spacing instead.

I'm not a good player by any description. I do a bit of meat and potatoes strumming and a bit of simple lead. The twelve string always strikes me as being a hard guitar to play satisfactorily, let alone master, unless you're a bit of a genius. They sound great but there's not a lot you can do with them if you're not very accomplished.

I found a bit more about The Hawk from tarting myself around different message boards. Here's what a poster called Banksie on 60s/70s Guitars has to say, it casts a lot of light on a murky subject:

"I never thought I'd see discussion anywhere about Hawk guitars. I have one, which I bought in 1966, and have always found it a joy to play, with no problems with the action. The only issue is that, when gigging it people said it was a bit quiet, compared to more modern guitars.

I tried to do some research about them but finding information proved difficult. I tried the Whitechapel Furniture Museum (which has comprehensive luthier records going way back) but their best guess was that it was a customer brand name - I was interested to see mention of a Boosey and Hawkes label because mine does not have that, just a stencilled serial number. I assumed it was them, but the company denied all knowledge when I asked them.

But the museum did point me a Framus and the best I could find out was that, post-war, Framus did make a large number of such instruments, under many different brand names, with incomplete records kept of the names, serial numbers etc.

As an aside, in about 1982 I had it valued at Hanks in Denmark Street, London and was told £200, purely because.... "it was the make of guitar that Bob Dylan played when he first started out", and was therefore something of a `collectors' item'.

I am more than happy to assume that this was a `line' intended to impress a prole from the provinces. But it would be interesting to check that bit out. I have this strange memory of seeing an early Dylan promo picture with him holding a Hawk guitar, but I can't be sure that is now not self-fulfilling self-delusion. While I have not scoured Dylan-related websites diligently, I have not found the picture I think I remember seeing.
"

[baxlin]

My first post - Hi all!

With some of the money my folks gave me for my 21st in 1968 I bought a Hawk 12-string, same logo, and same unusual shaped head, but the body looks more rounded than the photos posted here. Possibly just the angle, maybe.

I added a pick-up - clamped across the sound hole - and took the electric drill to the top and side to add pots and a jack socket. I had to take a brave pill before I could do that though!

I bought it, along with an unpadded bag, from a music shop on Alfreton Road, Nottingham, for £35. They told me it was one of a budget range by Gretsch, and I've taken this to be true until reading this thread!!!

I still have the guitar, but the surface on the top has crazed a little, and play it occasionally, but my old age and a touch of arthritis mean it's now much easier to play a six-string, or bass, which is my #1 instrument now. Just learning fretless techniques...........

I went back to the same shop, now called, IIRC The Music Inn? (I now live in Herts) a couple of years ago and treated myself to a Vintage (brand, not age) acoustic bass.

Apart from the bit of crazing, the 12 string is in excellent condition, anyone know if it has a value?

Thanks for reading

Malcolm

[viking]

they were made by boosey and hawk for framus according to another old guy who bought it when his son was born . apparently only worth a few hundred