I love that you recogniozed the maker's experience as a repairman and that the truss rod nut, once removed allowed the rod to clear the soundboard. It's that little stuff that makes a world of difference. If not planned, what is litte, when not done properly, becomes very big down the road.
@@duckrutt I noticed they digitized and rereleased. Teds got fresh stuff tho. I do watch both I guess haha. The western tradition and lord of Bob Ross too. PBS is great.
Just getting back to my home garage after a test drive on my Mustang. It has new rear control arms, adjustable upper and lowers and sorta like Ted is doing here, a bunch of measuring and adjustments. Snagged my wife and myself a nice Latte from the local coffee shop, checked my notifications on the iPad on my workbench and boom! A perfect video to enjoy my coffee to 👍. Next is wash the car up and I’m ready for the drag strip next weekend. Life is good. Twodfrd is a contributing factor. I do have a co-workers Sears Teisco SilverTone model 319 on my bench. It’s been in the attic for years, it’s a 1960’s model, really decent shape and more importantly complete. It still has a strap on it, hardened with age, probably the origin one it was sold with. Should be a fun project! Lookin forward to starting that this week.
@@unknown-ub9rz - I saw a couple of other post like this, just copying I guess. Ted is a busy guy and I don’t think he spends much time reading comments. I’m really just posting to satisfy the algorithm. Once I posted the word “comment”…got static for that. The internet is a funny place, somebody always has a gripe of some sort.
Easy tiger, the guy is just sharing his about his car and a beautiful day. Reading about taking the missus out for a latte is a nice break from the usual. Good luck with that Teisco, attic finds are rare and great.
I don't know where you live but here in New England a brisk fall day usually means lots of ticks. Check yourself over carefully and throw your clothes in the wash, or at least in the clothes dryer, to dislodge and kill the little buggers; then you can out in your pajamas and watch Ted work! (I live less than an hour away from Ground Zero for Lyme disease and so you can never be too careful! )
I wonder if the non-comment watching, self described curmudgeon, will acknowledge his silver playbutton. It may sound like I am complaining, but i am not. Ted amuses me because he experiences incremental success but it always happens even though he only produces videos and tells his fans that he will never read their comments. Its fascinating really. I love this channel and am happy for the guy
Fantastic information and history. I recently acquired a Bill DeLap classical. He only made 9 of them in the 80’s. Talked with Bill over the phone for more than an hour, two weeks ago. Bill built custom electrics for Allan Holdsworth as most may know. Still builds guitars in Monterey CA. But, like his business card states, “You get what you wait for”. 😊 Takes some time to get one of his amazing works of art.
I'm always impressed with Ted's scalpel work - Often enough my use will track off the line and create a deep scratch - my solution to this is to use the back of a number 11 exacto blade - to create the initial scoring mark and I follow with the blade - works every time but I've yet to trust myself again to just use the sharp side.
Your respectful approach to the traditions of repair can be applied to any walk of life. I believe the original maker is smiling above knowing his instrument found your capable hands.
I’m gonna start my second guitar soon, built the first maybe 2 years ago. Your videos really help. Just fine tuned the intonation yesterday thanks to your guidance. And just wanna say I appreciate your videos. Thanks
Great work. Very clean sound & projection. Actually, enjoyed the resharpening on all the edges used for making gun muzzleloading gun stocks. It was fun while it lasted. enjoy your channel. Cheers
Great chordal resolve to another great video. I appreciate anyone's efforts to do all the fiddly work. I'm one of those people who puts in the extra fiddly effort, but in another profession.
I once owned a Bozo 12 string back in 1970...it was a BEAST and beautifully appointed. Like many of my guitars I had to let it go for various reason$😒. Now own a Taylor 910ce. I would love to see you work with a Taylor new neck design. Love your videos. Keep on truck"n my man.
Could you please show in a future video more detail of creating new saddles and the process of setting up the intonation for an acoustic like this? Thank you so much!
I can't tell you how much I look forward to your next videos...always so fascinating and enlightening! Suggestion.... you need to sell a T shirt that shows a fretboard and says, "polishing...polishing...polishing"... I would buy one!
Hit it with a claw hammer, like Blues Creek Guitars!! When I saw him do that, I was flabbergasted! Hitting the neck with a hammer is one thing, but doing so with a claw hammer without a piece of sacrificial wood, or even a rawhide hammer??? Crazy!
Rob Cosman has countless videos that show how to sharpen blades. Im the same way though, I only sharpen blades as required to get the job done. If you do a good job of setting up your knives, and treat your tools right, it should only take a couple strokes to touch up and edge. Im not into cutting paper or shaving hair off my arm (woodworker pattern baldness). I just use blade contact on the back of my fingernail to test sharpness.
I had a Bozo 7 string. The first O in Bozo had a tuning machine mounted over the center of the O. It held an octave course tuning peg for the G string octave up string. The guitar was not quite as adorned with fancy purfling, and pearl as other Bozos, but it was still pretty pretty fancy looking. It played very well and sounded great.
Interesting guitar. I enjoyed the history on Bozo, as a Leo Kottke fan. Kottke played Bozos I believe at some point. Your talk got me remembering an old catalog I used to get in the mid-70's from a place called "Guitar's Friend". Hand lettered, with a sort of sepia toned hippie aesthetic, these were works of art, and they sold only the best acoustics, often smaller builders. I remember Gurians, Gianninis (the Craviola!), Mossmans, etc. Wish I'd kept those catalogs...
I'm a proponent of "sharp enough is good enough" too. Doing the "scary sharp" sandpaper method - doesn't require any specialty tools and is fast and convenient.
Instead of foam cutters, one could also just use some wires or anything else that thinkness. You just have to make a good and strong connection to a wire that goes to the power supply. The foam cutters are nice, because of the nice handles and it's already well made :)
If you're looking for sharpening tutorials for things like chisels and planes, Paul Sellers channel is excellent for that. Paul is a carpenter first and he doesn't get in to the minutia and, honestly, ridiculous obsession, some sharpening enthusiast people tend to have. There is something about sharpening stuff that seems to bring out the rabid chase for maximum theoretical sharpness. It's silly. Anyway Paul's sharpening method is inexpensive and good, works out awesome on my stuff every time.
On sharpening: Christopher Schwarz suggests that all the methods are good - just pick one and stick with it - it will yeild the results you seek. I've personally found this accurate.
Thank you so much for sharing your repair videos! I have an old German parlor guitar, it’s neck has a propeller-twist to it. How would you address such a problem? Thank you!
That thing looks and sounds fantastic. If someone told me, "hey, Ted's working on a guitar built by a drummer!"... that is not at ALL what would come to mind. Possibly because my default mental image of "a drummer" is Animal, which is perhaps unfair.
It's interesting that the interiors and parts that won't be seen are so often rough and ready by comparison to finish. To that end you often repair such parts at a higher level than even vaunted makers, why for example do you not use paper shims? It seems far simpler and is obviously acceptable in guitar making. Thanks for the content.
I found this on the old RMMGA'rs in about 1999. Okay, this is a new one on me. Maybe living out here in Oklahoma Great Plains Country tells on me, But what is a "Bozo" 12-String some of you have referred to? Is it a manufacturer or particular model? Pete (Oh God, Let Them Be Nice) Downs Pete, Bozo Podunavac (pronounced bo-zho pod oo nav ack) is a Serbian born guitar builder that emigrated to the U.S. in either the late 1950's or early 1960's. He lived in the Chicago area then, and for a time worked in the repair department of a musical manufacturer. Then, sometime in the early to mid-1960's he opened up a shop, "Wooden Music" and began building guitars with his name "Bozo" on the peghead. There is a little inverted "v" above the the "z" in Bozo, my computer can't duplicate this, sorry. Bozo apprenticed in the old world tradition of his homeland, and relishes in building ornate instruments. Whether ornate or not, his guitars have a very distinctive "voice," and he is best known for building a few guitars (6 & 12 strings) for Leo Kottke back in the late 60's or early 70's. Bozo left the Chicago area in the mid 70's and moved to Southern California and opened up a guitar building school, I believe at the same time he "licensed" his designs to a Japanese firm which built several hundred(s) "Bozo" guitars, some with laminated back and sides, some all solid wood construction. These production guitars are still around, and they are easily as good or better than current high end "production" guitars. Bozo did have health problems related to wood dust inhalation and was forced to give up building his handcrafted instruments. These production Bozos have a current market value starting at around $1000. Some of Bozo's students are still around building, and Jim Chelsvig, sometime participant on rmmga actually learned of Bozo's techniques through one of Bozo's former students. The works of a great master will live on. He was then "rumored" to have died in the early 1980's, and as the Mark Twain saying goes, the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated. Bozo is now in his early 70's, and lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife, Mirjana. He has resumed building guitars, again, both ornate and plain, all with that unique "Bozo" sound. His current output is about 7 guitars per year, depending on his health and the complexity of the guitars he agrees to build. Last year he built two very interesting harp guitars for a Japanese client, and these were quite time consuming. He has personally built just over 500 guitars in his lifetime, and while they should be more highly valued guitars, for many reasons they can occasionally be purchased in the $2000-$4000 range, depending on inlay, condition, etc. I believe Gruhn's had a six string for sale last year that was a protoype of a molded plastic back Bozo (I'm glad that project didn't get off the ground!) from the 1970's and the price may have been around $2000, but was possibly (I don't know, I didn't hear it) only of "collectable" value. Many of his guitars, especially from the 1960's and early 1970's were Brazilian Rosewood, of course. Now he prefers to build with East Indian Rosewood (less prone to cracking, both during bending and for "down the road"), and he also tells me he has some ridiculously beautiful Koa right now. The 1996 guitar he built for me is an East Indian Rosewood/Sitka, and it rivals (betters, actually) any guitar that I have ever played. The only guitar I have ever regretted selling is a Bozo that I bought when I was in college, back in the mid-1970's....sigh, I would REALLY like to get my hands on that guitar again someday. I saw it hanging for sale a few years after I sold it, but I didn't know what I had given up at that point in my life. Bozo could truly teach all of the current small shops some things about building great guitars. I have owned (or still do own!) guitars by Traugott, Somogyi, etc., and have played on many Olsons, and of course the best of the small production shops like Collings and Goodall....let me tell you that there is nothing in the world quite like a Bozo guitar. Old world stylings, yes, but beautiful instruments nonetheless. I feel quite blessed (I don't use THAT word often) to have met Bozo, spent time with him, and having been able to enjoy ownership of a few of his guitars. I must say that I really will miss him when he is gone, but I hope that he does "live on" in some fashion as I play on his fine guitars. The author the post was Larry Pattis
I love that you recogniozed the maker's experience as a repairman and that the truss rod nut, once removed allowed the rod to clear the soundboard. It's that little stuff that makes a world of difference. If not planned, what is litte, when not done properly, becomes very big down the road.
They just did that to get the rod in originally. Nothing to do with fixing it later.
I used to watch Normulus Abramsii on Sunday but Theodorus Woodfordus is basically my Sunday woodworking programming anymore. Great show.
If yer in the gang tho you can prolly call him Ted. And also. I knew there was gonna be polishing.
The guy who created Nova Anglia Opus Tabernam has been posting episodes to UA-cam so technically you can watch both
@@duckrutt I noticed they digitized and rereleased. Teds got fresh stuff tho. I do watch both I guess haha. The western tradition and lord of Bob Ross too. PBS is great.
@@duckrutt oh no I’ve been watching the New Yankee Workshop Channel. I wonder if Ted ever got that in Canuckistan….
@@kkupsky6321yup. Via PBS Buffalo
The longer this guy does this- the more he sounds like Werner Herzog
Best way to spend the Sunday afternoon at work. As always thank you Ted for sharing you’re knowledge!
he's what ?!
Just getting back to my home garage after a test drive on my Mustang. It has new rear control arms, adjustable upper and lowers and sorta like Ted is doing here, a bunch of measuring and adjustments. Snagged my wife and myself a nice Latte from the local coffee shop, checked my notifications on the iPad on my workbench and boom! A perfect video to enjoy my coffee to 👍. Next is wash the car up and I’m ready for the drag strip next weekend. Life is good. Twodfrd is a contributing factor.
I do have a co-workers Sears Teisco SilverTone model 319 on my bench. It’s been in the attic for years, it’s a 1960’s model, really decent shape and more importantly complete. It still has a strap on it, hardened with age, probably the origin one it was sold with. Should be a fun project! Lookin forward to starting that this week.
Why do you make a post so much about you? Not classy.
@@unknown-ub9rz - I saw a couple of other post like this, just copying I guess. Ted is a busy guy and I don’t think he spends much time reading comments. I’m really just posting to satisfy the algorithm. Once I posted the word “comment”…got static for that. The internet is a funny place, somebody always has a gripe of some sort.
Easy tiger, the guy is just sharing his about his car and a beautiful day. Reading about taking the missus out for a latte is a nice break from the usual. Good luck with that Teisco, attic finds are rare and great.
Just came in from cleaning up a bunch of brush and leaves in the beautiful brisk fall weather, and I see a Ted upload notification. Its a good day!
I don't know where you live but here in New England a brisk fall day usually means lots of ticks. Check yourself over carefully and throw your clothes in the wash, or at least in the clothes dryer, to dislodge and kill the little buggers; then you can out in your pajamas and watch Ted work! (I live less than an hour away from Ground Zero for Lyme disease and so you can never be too careful! )
Lucky winner 🏆
I'm not sure how long I've been watching your channel - but it is measured in years. I still learn new things. Thanks!
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
My absolute favorite channel on UA-cam.. Thanks Ted!
Lucky winner
I wonder if the non-comment watching, self described curmudgeon, will acknowledge his silver playbutton. It may sound like I am complaining, but i am not. Ted amuses me because he experiences incremental success but it always happens even though he only produces videos and tells his fans that he will never read their comments. Its fascinating really. I love this channel and am happy for the guy
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
Fantastic information and history. I recently acquired a Bill DeLap classical. He only made 9 of them in the 80’s. Talked with Bill over the phone for more than an hour, two weeks ago. Bill built custom electrics for Allan Holdsworth as most may know. Still builds guitars in Monterey CA. But, like his business card states, “You get what you wait for”. 😊 Takes some time to get one of his amazing works of art.
Lucky winner
That bridge is such a Lord Kirchner mustache… I wanna twirl it’s ends…
The Halloween ref is much appreciated, Ted.
I'm always impressed with Ted's scalpel work - Often enough my use will track off the line and create a deep scratch - my solution to this is to use the back of a number 11 exacto blade - to create the initial scoring mark and I follow with the blade - works every time but I've yet to trust myself again to just use the sharp side.
I love Mirka sandpaper and the little bulldog logo.
Get in touch🤘
Something about the older guitars just sound beautiful.
Lucky winner
Another one for the books. Amazing!
Great sound out of it. Excellent job as always, Ted.
Lucky winner
I like the “polishing shh shh shh polishing shh shh shh polishing shh shh shh”… a new twist on an old favourite.
Lucky winner
Another vote here for an episode on "outsider luthiery". Yes, please.
I love the way that one sounds. Nice work Ted.
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
Every Word I hear does present 30 years of Experience!!! Comforting to see the Ears as well as the Eyes!!! Well Done😊
Sharpal 126n. I cook for a living, used to use wet stones from Japan. Now I use this. Never loses its shape. It’s heavy and the box holds it in place.
Get in touch🤘
I would never attempt a task like this on my own, but the information is good to know! Also a joy to watch an artist
at his work. Thanks, Ted!
Polishing shing shing. 😅. Great video and again as always so informativ! Thx Ted ❤
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
Man, that box ROCKS. Such jangle and chime!
Lucky winner
beautiful tone on that one. I reallly like it. Nice work, as usual
20:15. Loved the reference to Cusco and Sacsayhuamán in comparison to a guitar repair.
Ted, one last task: show the owner how to string a guitar. Staring at that mess of a headstock for 30+ seconds was painful!
Lucky winner 🏆
Well I'm a drummer who built his first guitar. Wha the heck did I know? Much better now!!
Cool history lesson as well as a technical one. Thanks for another great vid.
great video; good information that is well stated. easy to watch and learn from. thank you!!!!
"outsider lutherie" i like that
I enjoyed this video. Thank you for your time making it. The tip re taking the lacquer step down to prevent rounding the heel was a good one.
Your respectful approach to the traditions of repair can be applied to any walk of life. I believe the original maker is smiling above knowing his instrument found your capable hands.
What a sweet guitar! Restored with a reverent attention to detail. So your craft is as usual but what a special instrument.
Another great one! Thank you. "Militate" against, not "mitigate."
I’m gonna start my second guitar soon, built the first maybe 2 years ago. Your videos really help. Just fine tuned the intonation yesterday thanks to your guidance. And just wanna say I appreciate your videos. Thanks
Excellent sharpening Ted Talk mid-video! Great video as always thanks Ted 😊
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
I would be happy to own and play an instrument like this. It seems to be well made and I think it sounds very good.
Lucky winner 🏆
Truly inspiring videos! I love every episode and look forward to seeing them!
Lucky winner
You made that guitar sound good! I wasn't expecting it to have such a full sound. Good work, Ted!
Great work. Very clean sound & projection. Actually, enjoyed the resharpening on all the edges used for making gun muzzleloading gun stocks. It was fun while it lasted. enjoy your channel.
Cheers
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
Great chordal resolve to another great video. I appreciate anyone's efforts to do all the fiddly work. I'm one of those people who puts in the extra fiddly effort, but in another profession.
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
“…non-Gibson shim”. Perfect.😂
I once owned a Bozo 12 string back in 1970...it was a BEAST and beautifully appointed. Like many of my guitars I had to let it go for various reason$😒. Now own a Taylor 910ce. I would love to see you work with a Taylor new neck design. Love your videos. Keep on truck"n my man.
I think Leo Kottke had a Bozo 12-string, earlier in his career.
the taylor reset would almost be boring by comparison, the neck angle can be corrected by a mechanically inclined guitar salesman with a screwdriver
Lucky winner
What a neat guitar, it seems to have responded well to the love you have givin it.
Lucky winner
Could you please show in a future video more detail of creating new saddles and the process of setting up the intonation for an acoustic like this? Thank you so much!
Really lovely sound!
I can't tell you how much I look forward to your next videos...always so fascinating and enlightening! Suggestion.... you need to sell a T shirt that shows a fretboard and says, "polishing...polishing...polishing"... I would buy one!
Get in touch🤘
Wonderful episode again!
Lucky winner
Another expert tutorial. Just wish i could absorb Ted's skills also
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
That acoustic sounds fantastic, as always very nice work as well Ted 🤙
Hit it with a claw hammer, like Blues Creek Guitars!! When I saw him do that, I was flabbergasted! Hitting the neck with a hammer is one thing, but doing so with a claw hammer without a piece of sacrificial wood, or even a rawhide hammer??? Crazy!
Rob Cosman has countless videos that show how to sharpen blades. Im the same way though, I only sharpen blades as required to get the job done. If you do a good job of setting up your knives, and treat your tools right, it should only take a couple strokes to touch up and edge. Im not into cutting paper or shaving hair off my arm (woodworker pattern baldness). I just use blade contact on the back of my fingernail to test sharpness.
I had a Bozo 7 string. The first O in Bozo had a tuning machine mounted over the center of the O. It held an octave course tuning peg for the G string octave up string. The guitar was not quite as adorned with fancy purfling, and pearl as other Bozos, but it was still pretty pretty fancy looking. It played very well and sounded great.
A beautiful sounding and unique guitar.
That guitar really rings for a ong time...cool.
Get in touch🤘
I love all the extra adornments.
I love the attention to detail. It is VERY helpful to us novices. 😊
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
Interesting guitar. I enjoyed the history on Bozo, as a Leo Kottke fan. Kottke played Bozos I believe at some point. Your talk got me remembering an old catalog I used to get in the mid-70's from a place called "Guitar's Friend". Hand lettered, with a sort of sepia toned hippie aesthetic, these were works of art, and they sold only the best acoustics, often smaller builders. I remember Gurians, Gianninis (the Craviola!), Mossmans, etc. Wish I'd kept those catalogs...
I'm a proponent of "sharp enough is good enough" too.
Doing the "scary sharp" sandpaper method - doesn't require any specialty tools and is fast and convenient.
The owner should get a citation from the "Excessive Sting Windings" Police.😉
The master at work!
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
I love the batwing/mustache bridge!
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘.
Thank goodness you replaced that Gibson branded shim. It just wouldn't be right if you hadn't. 🙃
Man if I could build guitars Id have like a thousand of them
Instead of foam cutters, one could also just use some wires or anything else that thinkness.
You just have to make a good and strong connection to a wire that goes to the power supply.
The foam cutters are nice, because of the nice handles and it's already well made :)
I would love to see you talk about other obscure but awesome luthiers like R.C. Allen
Lucky winner 🏆
Sounds fabuluous after your work on it.
Lovely video Ted, thank you
Get in touch🤘
If you're looking for sharpening tutorials for things like chisels and planes, Paul Sellers channel is excellent for that. Paul is a carpenter first and he doesn't get in to the minutia and, honestly, ridiculous obsession, some sharpening enthusiast people tend to have. There is something about sharpening stuff that seems to bring out the rabid chase for maximum theoretical sharpness. It's silly. Anyway Paul's sharpening method is inexpensive and good, works out awesome on my stuff every time.
Thank you Ted 👍👍👍🎸🎥🎬❤
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
New video! Love your stuff, man.
Lucky winner 🏆
Another complete Sunday afternoon. Dig the tune at the end
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
On sharpening: Christopher Schwarz suggests that all the methods are good - just pick one and stick with it - it will yeild the results you seek. I've personally found this accurate.
Sanding while keeping complex shapes in 3 dimensions in mind. Amazing skill and experience,
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
What a great sounding guitar! ❤
Thank You Ted, RESPECT!
Sounds good too.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
5:17 I think I figured out the secret of how you're so good at this...3 hands.... 😊
Nice work
Thank you so much for sharing your repair videos!
I have an old German parlor guitar, it’s neck has a propeller-twist to it.
How would you address such a problem?
Thank you!
Did I mention that I love this channel? Oh yes, I did many times!
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
Before Leo Kottke, another famous Bozo player was folk singer Bob Gibson who played a thunderous 12-string.
That thing looks and sounds fantastic. If someone told me, "hey, Ted's working on a guitar built by a drummer!"... that is not at ALL what would come to mind. Possibly because my default mental image of "a drummer" is Animal, which is perhaps unfair.
Perhaps you were thinking of *Bonzo", the nickname of
Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham?
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
Thanks for sharing. Always fun and informative.
Lucky winner 🏆 🎉
Božo Podunavac ako koga zanima ime koje je reko. Ne bi ga vrag razumio kako je izgovorio. Šalim se dobar je.
hvala!!
Good job Buzz!
Looks like it's been strung by a drummer!
“🤘🤘REACH OUT 🤘”🤘
True. What the heck did i know when I bult it. BUt now I know now.
It's interesting that the interiors and parts that won't be seen are so often rough and ready by comparison to finish. To that end you often repair such parts at a higher level than even vaunted makers, why for example do you not use paper shims? It seems far simpler and is obviously acceptable in guitar making. Thanks for the content.
Always a pleasure!
Lucky winner 🏆
I had a chance to play a Bozo great tone and a lot of power !!!
Lucky winner 🏆
Sho purddy -- Halloween Bat..?!
When will the "Polishing, polishing, polishing" t-shirts become available?
Plus a healthy dose of humor as always :D
You work miracles
Hey there gang! Another neck reset… I hope there’s polishing. Polishing. Polishing…
Lucky winner 🏆
I found this on the old RMMGA'rs in about 1999.
Okay, this is a new one on me. Maybe living out here in Oklahoma Great Plains Country tells on me, But what is a "Bozo" 12-String some of you have referred to? Is it a manufacturer or particular model?
Pete (Oh God, Let Them Be Nice) Downs
Pete,
Bozo Podunavac (pronounced bo-zho pod oo nav ack) is a Serbian born guitar builder that emigrated to the U.S. in either the late 1950's or early 1960's. He lived in the Chicago area then, and for a time worked in the repair department of a musical manufacturer. Then, sometime in the early to mid-1960's he opened up a shop, "Wooden Music" and began building guitars with his name "Bozo" on the peghead. There is a little inverted "v" above the the "z" in Bozo, my computer can't duplicate this, sorry.
Bozo apprenticed in the old world tradition of his homeland, and relishes in building ornate instruments. Whether ornate or not, his guitars have a very distinctive "voice," and he is best known for building a few guitars (6 & 12 strings) for Leo Kottke back in the late 60's or early 70's. Bozo left the Chicago area in the mid 70's and moved to Southern California and opened up a guitar building school, I believe at the same time he "licensed" his designs to a Japanese firm which built several hundred(s) "Bozo" guitars, some with laminated back and sides, some all solid wood construction. These production guitars are still around, and they are easily as good or better than current high end "production" guitars. Bozo did have health problems related to wood dust inhalation and was forced to give up building his handcrafted instruments. These production Bozos have a current market value starting at around $1000.
Some of Bozo's students are still around building, and Jim Chelsvig, sometime participant on rmmga actually learned of Bozo's techniques through one of Bozo's former students. The works of a great master will live on.
He was then "rumored" to have died in the early 1980's, and as the Mark Twain saying goes, the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated. Bozo is now in his early 70's, and lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife, Mirjana. He has resumed building guitars, again, both ornate and plain, all with that unique "Bozo" sound. His current output is about 7 guitars per year, depending on his health and the complexity of the guitars he agrees to build. Last year he built two very interesting harp guitars for a Japanese client, and these were quite time consuming. He has personally built just over 500 guitars in his lifetime, and while they should be more highly valued guitars, for many reasons they can occasionally be purchased in the $2000-$4000 range, depending on inlay, condition, etc. I believe Gruhn's had a six string for sale last year that was a protoype of a molded plastic back Bozo (I'm glad that project didn't get off the ground!) from the 1970's and the price may have been around $2000, but was possibly (I don't know, I didn't hear it) only of "collectable" value. Many of his guitars, especially from the 1960's and early 1970's were Brazilian Rosewood, of course. Now he prefers to build with East Indian Rosewood (less prone to cracking, both during bending and for "down the road"), and he also tells me he has some ridiculously beautiful Koa right now. The 1996 guitar he built for me is an East Indian Rosewood/Sitka, and it rivals (betters, actually) any guitar that I have ever played.
The only guitar I have ever regretted selling is a Bozo that I bought when I was in college, back in the mid-1970's....sigh, I would REALLY like to get my hands on that guitar again someday. I saw it hanging for sale a few years after I sold it, but I didn't know what I had given up at that point in my life.
Bozo could truly teach all of the current small shops some things about building great guitars. I have owned (or still do own!) guitars by Traugott, Somogyi, etc., and have played on many Olsons, and of course the best of the small production shops like Collings and Goodall....let me tell you that there is nothing in the world quite like a Bozo guitar. Old world stylings, yes, but beautiful instruments nonetheless. I feel quite blessed (I don't use THAT word often) to have met Bozo, spent time with him, and having been able to enjoy ownership of a few of his guitars. I must say that I really will miss him when he is gone, but I hope that he does "live on" in some fashion as I play on his fine guitars.
The author the post was Larry Pattis
Lucky winner 🏆
Great video !
Over,around,and behind.😄