Talk Story Archive Topic
Hawaiian Guitar Made From Aircraft Metal?
(3 Messages)
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Poster: James Wardell Email: wardells@tusco.net Subject: Hawaiian guitar made from aircraft metal? |
Posted on 2/28/00 at 7:45pm |
| My husband has a guitar that was supposedly made special for one of the members of the Royal Hawaiian Band during WW2. I say "special", because it has an extra string. The case was also handmade out of aircraft metal. We would like to find out some history of this guitar; if it is authentic, it probably deserves to be someplace better than our basement! Would anyone know of a starting place to find out just exactly what we have and what we should do with it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone for their input. Mary Ellen Wardell |
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Poster: Marjorie Scott Email: hmhf@lava.net Subject: Your "antique" guitar |
Posted on 3/3/00 at 3:04pm |
| Aloha! I have mailed a copy of your request directly to the Royal Hawaiian Band, for their historian to answer. This is the second instance I've heard of an instrument being built from WWII airplane metal; the late James Cathro, in Scotland, built a steel guitar this way, as material was impossible to obtain at that time. His story was written about in the Glasgow daily newspaper. I hope to have a response for you soon. Certainly your guitar is a collector's item. Depending on its condition, it may be possible to restore to playng condition. |
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Poster: Diane Fanning Subject: Haw. aircraft metal guitar |
Posted on 8/12/00 at 2:46pm |
| I am a volunteer at the Museum of Making Music near San Diego and you're right! Your guitar definitely belongs displayed in a museum, so more people can see it. If it's from the era I think, music instrument manufacturers were forced to retool during the war and made airplane parts due to rationing. email me if you like and I can put you in touch with our curator. I'm learning as much as I can about Haw. music. come and visit our museum sometime. |
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