Tell me about this guitar Jerry Reed is playing

[TommyK]

This is, obviously, a classical guitar modified, I guess, for Reed.

I've seen him play it many times. The cut-away looks home made.

Is it? Or did some manufacturer make a classical cut-away that looks like this?

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_h3E_wkYNo&list=FL-iH4T9HbC-vmNsGHjZI6vw&index=7&feature=plpp

[slimt]

I read that its a Baldwin Guitar.. and the Cutaway was done after the fact... I like his playing style...

[MissouriPicker]

One of the premier guitar pickers of all-time and a really nice guy from everything I've heard. RIP, Jerry. You are missed.

[StijnV]

A Baldwin guitar; interesting. Thought there were only Baldwin pianos !

[ParlourMan]

I read somewhere he had a friend do it to increase the access to the frets.

 

Despite the chance to play many 'better' guitars and have guitars made for him, he liked those old Balwin's the best and always returned to those. What a crazy player though, some of his stuff is outstanding in its technique. Another detail was he liked the action so low you could barely get a cigarette paper between the strings and frets and didn't care if they buzzed or "growled".

[billy_v]

I've read that Willie Nelson uses a Baldwin pickup in his old Martin, Trigger, and runs it through the matching Baldwin amp. Can't argue with the sound!

[TommyK]

"Baldwin"? A subsidiary of Gibson? or some other Baldwin?

 

In the dictionary, under the word: "Hard Knox of Life" you will read his bio. He had everything going against him except his guitar. He and his first and only wife had two daughters. Never divorced. He had every excuse in the book to be a womanizing, drug fiend, but he didn't become either of those. Jerry Reed, on of the all time great guitarists.

 

He and Chet Atkins were a lot alike.

[bobouz]

"Baldwin"? A subsidiary of Gibson? or some other Baldwin?

It was the original Baldwin Piano company. They dabbled in guitars during the '60s & '70s. Jerry Reed was & still is one of my all time favorite players, as well as an excellent writer & singer. Thank you Jerry for all the great music.

[TommyK]

There are some YouTube vids that, I think, show this same guitar pre and post cut-away.

 

I also note that it is sized and shaped like a dreadnought, but has the bridge, neck of a classical. Jose Feliciano had/has a similarly sized classical guitar. Feliciano's was custom made.

[TommyK]

Here's some Baldwin Guitar history:

 

http://www.vintageguitar.com/1917/baldwin-guitars-and-amplifiers/

 

Some of it parallels and crosses paths with Gibson, Gretsch and Aria.

[larryp58]

A Baldwin guitar; interesting. Thought there were only Baldwin pianos !

 

 

The bass player in our bluegrass band plays a 1926 American Standard. I thought they only made toilets! But that's what the label on the inside says. You would think that it would be a "crappy" upright bass, but it actually sounds amazing!

[Duende]

There is a German company called Hanika that make a similar looking classical guitar called the 'Basis Guitar'

 

 

[brians356]

Another detail was he liked the action so low you could barely get a cigarette paper between the strings and frets and didn't care if they buzzed or "growled".

 

I read, dunno where, that Neil Young likes his strings to buzz a bit.

 

Brian

[hsech]

I played with a guy in the late 60's that had a Baldwin bass guitar. Wierd looking thing. The headstock looked like an upright bass.

[stein]

The bass player in our bluegrass band plays a 1926 American Standard. I thought they only made toilets! But that's what the label on the inside says. You would think that it would be a "crappy" upright bass, but it actually sounds amazing!

My American Standard has some great bottom end. Huge in fact. And stays clean. Sometimes I use a little lemon oil.

 

But, timing is important.

[Tarrr]

Looks kind of like a Baden A Style.