Lars68 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 This past Tuesday John Thomas, or just jt as he is known around here, visited Kalmar, Sweden to give a book talk about his Kalamazoo Gals story. I had the great pleasure to spend the day with John and his lovely daughter, Chris. We talked guitars of course but also got to visit a local radio station for an interview. Later in the evening, John performed a mix of guitar playing and Banner talk at a local tavern. There were about 30-35 people in attendance, all new to Banner guitars and John's story. The story really resonated perfectly, though, despite the cultural and language barrier and all had a terrific time. I can't remember last time I had so much fun. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to publically thank John for making the long journey and also for believing in me and the venue, Stensö. Thanks John! This event was also a testament to the power of the information age and forums like this one. Without this place it would not have been possible. Swedes are generally not known for big words, but I have to say: this was GREAT!! Lars Also, John, feel free to post some pictures if you like (I have never figured out how). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 This past Tuesday John Thomas, or just jt as he is known around here, visited Kalmar, Sweden to give a book talk about his Kalamazoo Gals story. I had the great pleasure to spend the day with John and his lovely daughter, Chris. We talked guitars of course but also got to visit a local radio station for an interview. Later in the evening, John performed a mix of guitar playing and Banner talk at a local tavern. There were about 30-35 people in attendance, all new to Banner guitars and John's story. The story really resonated perfectly, though, despite the cultural and language barrier and all had a terrific time. I can't remember last time I had such So much fun. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to publically thank John for making the long journey and also for believing in me and the venue, Stensö. Thanks John! This event was also a testament to the power of the information age and forums like this one. Without this place it would not have been possible. Swedes are generally not known for big words, but I have to say: this was GREAT!! Lars Also, John, feel free to post some pictures if you like (I have never figured out how). This is nice to hear about, Lars! And you're right the 'net has certainly helped to connect all sorts of people all round the world in common interests. Given your story of how you got your Banner guitar, got it repaired by Willi, and then received it from him, I had hoped that at some point, you would have a chance to meet John and his SJ! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 . Lars - JT has it posted here -> http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/102910-my-1943-sjs-star-turn-in-michigan-history-magazine/page__view__findpost__p__1392053 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Lars, The thanks are all mine! What a wonderful time my daughter and I had. The highlights: Meeting Lars, his family, and his wonderful 1942 J-45. Lars is a great guy and his J-45 is as fine a guitar as I've played: A star turn in the Kalmar newspaper: Meeting Lars, his family, and his wonderful 1942 J-45: A live appearance on Swedish radio: The talk/ gig at Stenso. A great evening where I met great folks and talked many of them into playing my battered, "over there" SJ: Oh, and did I mention meeting Lars, his family, and his wonderful 1942 J-45? What a fantastic couple of days. Thanks, Lars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Thanks for the great pictures, John! I am all set in the guitar equipment department, but I can tell that I have a long way to go to reach your level when it comes to shirts... John, next time around I promise I will try to do some more playing of my own too. I get a little conscoius about my lack of skills at times. Like I half jokingly told you about me owning a Banner: I sometimes feel like a Ferrari owner without a drivers's licence but it is all about the comraderie, right? Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 This is nice to hear about, Lars! And you're right the 'net has certainly helped to connect all sorts of people all round the world in common interests. Given your story of how you got your Banner guitar, got it repaired by Willi, and then received it from him, I had hoped that at some point, you would have a chance to meet John and his SJ! Fred Yes meeting John and getting more involved with the Banner story has made me connect to and appreciate my own guitar even more. Up until now I have lived vicariously through you guys on the forum from the U.S. who have shared your stories of similar events, vintage shows, and guitar festivals. We simply don't have the same "guitar culture" over here where I live. My idea when I first approached John was to bring part of that culture to my own door step. It succeeded 100%, which was proven, not only by the response John received at the event, but also by the interest it generated in the media. Both the local paper and radio station wanted to spread the story. I would like to share a pretty funny anecdote from the night. To my estimate the audience consisted of about one third guitar geeks, one third guitar players, and one third general public. Mattias, who is one of the co-owners of the venue and a self confessed member of the last audience category had this to say when John (with a perfect blend of humor and seriousness) got totally emerged in one Banner guitar x-ray after another: "This is simply beyond geekiness; it is now pure entertainment and I want more." The statement was of course all tongue-in-cheek, but also very telling of the response John got from the "non-guitar crowd". Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Yes meeting John and getting more involved with the Banner story has made me connect to and appreciate my own guitar even more. Up until now I have lived vicariously through you guys on the forum from the U.S. who have shared your stories of similar events, vintage shows, and guitar festivals. We simply don't have the same "guitar culture" over here where I live. My idea when I first approached John was to bring part of that culture to my own door step. It succeeded 100%, which was proven, not only by the response John received at the event, but also by the interest it generated in the media. Both the local paper and radio station wanted to spread the story. I would like to share a pretty funny anecdote from the night. To my estimate the audience consisted of about one third guitar geeks, one third guitar players, and one third general public. Mattias, who is one of the co-owners of the venue and a self confessed member of the last audience category had this to say when John (with a perfect blend of humor and seriousness) got totally emerged in one Banner guitar x-ray after another: "This is simply beyond geekiness; it is now pure entertainment and I want more." The statement was of course all tongue-in-cheek, but also very telling of the response John got from the "non-guitar crowd". Lars Lsrs, Thanks for the anecdote! It was quite moving for me to see the story resonate with a non guitar crowd in a distant land. Also, as you know, my daughter took a lot of great photos of the day's events. She'll get them uploaded to Photobucket and send you the link. Thanks, again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Lars, It may just be the angle of the photo, but it almost looks like the pickguard on your J-45 is either larger than normal, or your bridge is closer to the soundhole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 hey guys congrats to both of you . I'm glad that John is traveling and that this thing he started as his baby is growing on all of us . thank you John and I'm glad Lars was actually able to attend . beautiful 1942 J 45 too . JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 Nick, if you look at John's guitar from 1943 in the same picture, you can see that the pickguard cut-out for the rosette is a little different and that his guard starts closer to the fingerboard. I don't know why that is, but here are a couple of other early Banners with pickguards like mine. http://www.bannergibsons.com/7434H-16J-45G.Johnston.html http://www.bannergibsons.com/7117H-24J-50DrPeterIlowite.html Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Nick, if you look at John's guitar from 1943 in the same picture, you can see that the pickguard cut-out for the rosette is a little different and that his guard starts closer to the fingerboard. I don't know why that is, but here are a couple of other early Banners with pickguards like mine. Lars Interesting..... I don't have any of my guitars with a teardrop pickguards with me to take dimensions. Since the early banner guitars may have been the first to use the Gibson teardrop, perhaps it was evolving a bit at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Interesting..... I don't have any of my guitars with a teardrop pickguards with me to take dimensions. Since the early banner guitars may have been the first to use the Gibson teardrop, perhaps it was evolving a bit at that time. Nick, You've good eyes! On the Banner Registry you can see this change occur from the first year Banners with FONs in the 7000s to the second year with FONs in the 900s (gotta love Gibson's numbering "system"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 Looking at the wear pattern between the bridge and pickguard on John's SJ, the soldier playing this guitar would have been better off with the old style guard. But then the guitar would not be as cool as it is today, of course... :-) Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 I do follow your postings quite assiduously, John, but I must have missed something here. I thought you only had the one banner SJ - the 'minty' 1943 with the narrow bridge. I'd assumed that the SJ which travelled to Europe and back was the same one, and that the soldier had pulled off some minor miracle in preserving it so remarkably well. Now I see it is a quite different beast with a belly-down bridge. Still an impressive preservation job by the GI, but a bit more in keeping with active service. Which was your first banner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Mojo, I got the minty 1943 SJ about 5 years ago and it, in part, started me on my journey. I got the "over there " SJ last fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Mojo, I got the minty 1943 SJ about 5 years ago and it, in part, started me on my journey. I got the "over there " SJ last fall. I see. And which one was scheduled to be replicated by Gibson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 I see. And which one was scheduled to be replicated by Gibson? The minty SJ. It's a member of batch/FON 2735 that had unique features including broad purflings. I didn't institute the project. A Gibson 5 Star dealer contacted me about helping with a Banner reissue project. I volunteered my time, selected the guitars, and sent them and some x-rays to Bozeman. The project began in earnest, including organizing an all female crew to build the guitars. But for reasons mostly unknown and to the extent unknown probably better off left unsaid, the project slowed. The dealer hasn't heard from Gibson since early January and, as best I can figure, the project is now dead, leaving only a near-replica - the new Banner J-45 - to be built, 50 units only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Here is my blog post about the Swedish journey: Kalamazoo Gals i Sverige And a view of the crowd: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Here is my blog post about the Swedish journey: Kalamazoo Gals i Sverige And a view of the crowd: Enjoyed your blog, jt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjtb Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Here is my blog post about the Swedish journey: Kalamazoo Gals i Sverige And a view of the crowd: I'm glad your Swedish journey went well. Sounds like everyone had a blast. You couldn't have picked a nicer person to host it. Lars was a pleasure to deal with on a new firestripe pickguard for his AJ. The beautiful picture he sent to me graces the home page on my website. Great work on the Gals project. I know it must be rewarding to get such a positive response from a labor of guitar love. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I'm glad your Swedish journey went well. Sounds like everyone had a blast. You couldn't have picked a nicer person to host it. Lars was a pleasure to deal with on a new firestripe pickguard for his AJ. The beautiful picture he sent to me graces the home page on my website. Great work on the Gals project. I know it must be rewarding to get such a positive response from a labor of guitar love. Thanks, James! You do make the world's best firestripe pickguards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjtb Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks, John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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