The path from the discovery of a vintage, 100-year-old guitar in the local Value Village to organizing a live music concert to celebrate its B次元官网网址渞escueB次元官网网址� may not be an obvious one B次元官网网址� but that is what is unfolding for lovers of live music and some Comox Valley musicians because of the lucky discovery of Courtenay resident Jean Sarrazin and the patience and expertise of Merville guitar whiz Tim Rooney.
Sarrazin, who confesses to being a bit of a thrifter, says he first spotted the unusual-looking acoustic guitar early last fall at the Courtenay Value Village. It had a $599 price tag and was on display behind the counter B次元官网网址� where they keep higher-valued items.
B次元官网网址淭he instrument was on a guitar floor stand,B次元官网网址� says Sarrazin. B次元官网网址淚t looked so unusual that, in spite of the hefty price tag, I asked one of the staff to come over and put the ancient guitar on the counter for me to take a closer look.B次元官网网址�
Not being a guitar player, Sarrazin wasnB次元官网网址檛 sure what he was looking at. The label, visible through the guitarB次元官网网址檚 sound hole, said it was a Hilo Hawaiian Steel Guitar and showed a model and style number. He says he could tell the guitar was old and that it was in pretty rough shape; with many splits and cracks, especially around the neck and the back. But he could also tell that it was very unusual; the instrument was made of a very light wood and had a hollow neck - which he had never seen before.
So he took a few photos and decided to see what he could find out about the old guitar online.
What he discovered, based on the guitarB次元官网网址檚 label (Hilo Hawaiian Steel Guitar style 695 serial # 3032), is that it was a Weissenborn-style Hawaiian lap steel acoustic B次元官网网址� probably made by Oscar Schmidt, c. 1923.
Based on that information and on the guitar techB次元官网网址檚 willingness to take on the project, Sarrazin bought the instrument and dropped it off at Tim RooneyB次元官网网址檚 guitar workshop in Merville a few weeks before Christmas and Rooney set to work restoring the vintage guitar to its former glory B次元官网网址� and more importantly, to its playability.
The story continues at this point with posts from Tim RooneyB次元官网网址檚 Facebook page B次元官网网址� complete with photos of the inside and outside of the guitar.
B次元官网网址淪o a Hilo Hawaiian steel guitar from the B次元官网网址�20s walks into a body shopB次元官网网址次元官网网址� Rooney jokes.
B次元官网网址淎 particularly beautiful Hawaiian, made not as one might expect in California, like most, but in Jersey City. IB次元官网网址檒l be fixing a bunch of bad cracks all over it - including some broken bracing on the inside,B次元官网网址� Rooney posted after his initial inspection of the old instrument.
B次元官网网址淲ith a natural finish, koa-wood body and fingerboard, you wouldnB次元官网网址檛 believe the sound that comes out of this thing as I tried it out before dismantling it. My lord! I canB次元官网网址檛 wait to get it up and running againB次元官网网址次元官网网址� Rooney added in a later post.
After some weeks of applying some painstaking TLC to the instrument, Rooney posted, B次元官网网址淪omeone in the last 100 years decided to replace the typical bridge and saddle style with a floating bridge and tailpiece to hold the strings.B次元官网网址�
So Rooney went ahead and restored the bridge and saddle to their original configuration B次元官网网址� and replaced the wooden nut riser and saddle with bison bone, B次元官网网址渇or ultimate resonating and sustain.B次元官网网址�
When Sarrazin collected the restored guitar from Rooney early in the new year, they discussed the next steps for the instrument. Sarrazin said since he didnB次元官网网址檛 play guitar, he would probably put it up for sale, but both agreed that it would be a shame to let the instrument leave the Comox Valley. Rooney said he thought it would be great if it landed in the hands of an active musician who performed regularly in some of the local venues, B次元官网网址淪o that live music lovers could go out and hear and see it being played.B次元官网网址�
Sarrazin agreed, and thatB次元官网网址檚 how the idea of the July 27 concert at the Little Red Church in Comox was born.
Several more brainstorming sessions also produced a contract of sorts B次元官网网址� stipulating that the Hilo Hawaiian would be B次元官网网址渓oanedB次元官网网址� out to an active Comox Valley musician, with the understanding that they would play the instrument at a public venue in the Valley at least four times per year; one of those four performances would be a fundraiser to cover the costs of maintaining the old instrument.
The first local musician to become the official custodian of the CV Hawaiian steel guitar is Anela Kahiamoe. Anela has been a professional musician since the age of 17, and with his Island Band, was the opening act for concerts in Hawaii featuring the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Earth, Wind and Fire and Huey Lewis and the B次元官网网址. He has also appeared as a soloist at Musicfest and is in demand as a backup musician for acts such as the Comox ValleyB次元官网网址檚 Juno-Award-winning Sue Medley. Anela has already taken possession of the vintage guitar in preparation for his upcoming LRC performance.
This brings us to that July 27 concert at ComoxB次元官网网址檚 Little Red Church. Co-headlining the 7:30 event with Anela will be well-loved choir director, jazz performer and gifted singer Jenn Forsland who is back home here on the Island for a short visit with family and friends before she returns to her adventures in Thailand later this summer.
Joining Jenn and Anela on the stage will be local musicians Britt Bowman and Oscar Robles. The set lists are still being finalized but Anela says the evening promises to be a B次元官网网址渘ight of international music - from Hawaiian to Spanish via some jazz stylings with hints of country, polka and reggae tossed in for good measure.B次元官网网址�
Tickets for the event are $20 and are available at Blue Heron Books, 1775 Comox Ave., in Comox and Courtenay House of Colour, 240 Fifth St., in Courtenay.
