Hello from a vintage guitar maker

[tony-duggan-smith]

Hello from Toronto Canada!
My name is Tony Duggan-Smith and I am an unrepentant guitar-a-holic.
I apprenticed with Larrivee years ago, worked with Linda Manzer (still do part time) on her archtops and flat tops, build my own guitars and play and write songs and even make the occasional CD! The rest of my time goes to the kids!
Looking forward to meeting some of you here and seeing what you're all up to!
Tony

[sneakypete]

can never have too many Canadians eh. I`m relatively new here too, but a long way from home, which is Montreal...been in Japan for 15 years and have been lucky enough to have found some real nice old MIJ guitars. Got a whole bunch a old Yamaha Dynamics as well as some Sadao Yairis, as well as less well known makers. Haven`t decided where in canada we`ll head back to but if it`s in the Toronto area, do you do repairs as well as build, you know, just in case.

[tony-duggan-smith]

Besides doing 90% of warranty work for Manzer guitars, I do a lot or repairs and major restoration on instruments. It is that 'Mister Fixit guy trait' thing that gets us into trouble in relationships. It's good that I channel it somewhere else! If you move to Toronto look me up and I love all the alternative sub makers. I had a brilliant Japanese flamenco guitar that I never saw again over here. Obviously the biggest exports from there were the lower priced models, especially early on but your collection sounds fascinating.
Tony

[sneakypete]

I have some books on old MIJ guitars and get my wife to translate parts every now and then, and as far back as the mid/late 50s Yamaha was exporting 3 models of their Dynamics...#30, 50 and 70...very similar except for rosettes and top inlays, otherwise all solid wood and not cheap by the standards of those days, some retailed for 6 weeks wages. The exports are easily I.D.`d by the arched Yamaha logo on the headstock, the domestics have the logo running straight across the headstock. Anyways, complaints of cracked tops on those first exports led Yamaha to develop laminates, the S series Dynamics being the first, then the two models of light green labels, then the red labels, which it seems everybody is after these days while completely ignoring the all solid wood Dynamics, while Yamaha exported three models, there were many domestic Dynamic models.

heres a 1950 Kiso-Suzuki I just got recently, a real beauty if I do say so myself...solid top and back, not sure of the sides...

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i198/ ... uki093.jpg

my 1948 Suziki nylon string...

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i198/ ... 948011.jpg

heres my oldest Dynamic, early `50s, got it a few months ago on line here. It`s one of the export #50s, even though these are solid maple, they have very deep voices, some guys here string them with steels because of the metal winding posts but I think they sound better with nylons...

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i198/ ... son095.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i198/ ... son093.jpg

[VintAxe]

Hey Tony, welcome to the site.

Professional expertise is always appreciated. I hope we can contribute to your ongoing guitar education as well.

Canadian authorities have been kind enough to allow me to enter your country on several occasions and I must say Toronto was a great place to visit. My last trip was about a month ago to Edmonton in the expansive west. It wasn't Toronto or Vancover but nice just the same.

I hope you'll be moved to contribute to the fray we call the Forum.

sb

[tony-duggan-smith]

[sneakypete]

[tony-duggan-smith]

[sneakypete]

I see the Goys on line here sometimes.