PAUL
VERNON CHESTER
Manouche Maestro
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Manouche Maestro |
     
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Past British Luthiers
John Bailey
(1931–2011) was a
British Luthier who
made and repaired Guitars and other stringed instruments during the 1960s
revival of English
Folk Music
and beyond. Bailey lived in
London
until 1972 when he moved to Dartmouth in Devon.
He continued to make instruments there into the 1990s.
John was originally a woodwork teacher at a school in Hendon and made
instruments in his spare time. His business card from the early seventies said
"Albert John Bailey - Violin Maker"
Emile Grimshaw Sr
the Savoy Quartet, an important transitional syncopated group, that bridged the gap between the more formal structure of ragtime and the freer, uninhibited abandon of the early jazz bands. They played at both Murray's Club and the Savoy Hotel in London from 1916 to 1920, and in that period recorded prolifically on the His Master's Voice label. Their lively repertoire of popular songs and the latest dance hits from the USA nearly all feature the pleasant vocalising of the American light tenor and banjoist Joe Wilbur (with Spats), along with some interesting drum work from black American drummer Alex Williams. The two other band members in this photograph are pianist Claude Ivy (who appears to be wearing a regimental badge - probably a reservist) and the legendary banjo soloist and composer Emile Grimshaw Senior next to Williams.
Early Grimshaw - 'Vibrato. Tailpiece had ball bearing action and note added DeArmond Pickup Jack Toogood's Grimshaw Guitars Emile Grimshaw Sr, the famous author, composer, arranger and banjoist, severed connections with the Clifford Essex Company to form his own firm in conjunction with his son in 1933. Previous to this date he had sold banjos to his private pupils which he had made for him by Robert (Bob) Blake of Finchley, London. These instruments bore the mark " E.G." or "Hartford". When Emile Grimshaw & Son came into existence in Piccadilly, London, in 1933 Bob Blake was responsible for the prototypes and early model banjos sold by them but when demand increased these instruments were copied and made in Houghton's factory in Birmingham. The "Vivavox" models in the Grimshaw range (based on the type of instrument made in America by Vega and called by them "Vegavox" were made for them by Sidney Young. Starting their own workshops in 1940 (to meet the demand for guitars), Grimshaw & Son employed Will Mitchell from 1942 (after the closure of the Clifford Essex workshops) and he was responsible for many Grimshaw banjos (often made from parts acquired from the Essex workshops) until his death in 1947. Since that date the firm has been noted for its guitars for over twenty years, but started to make an occasional banjo again from 1965.
After the death of Emile Snr in
1943 the business was continued by Emile Jnr and guitar production was
increased, at this time all subsequent production received the ‘Grimshaw’
signature logo on the head. In the 1950s (some also received this style in the
1960s)it was hand written/painted signature on the head , it is very likely that
the signature was actually done by Emile Grimshaw personally. Interestingly,
over the years Emile,s signature changed slightly and it is possible to date a
guitar by signature. In the 1960s the signature was a manufactured wire type
badge, and in the final years the signature was a transfer type. Post war, the
resonator back guitars were discontinued in favour of the electric pickup which
solved the volume problem. Grimshaw Snr was Editor for the BMG Magazine 1911-33 During the fifties they made many archtop, acoustic and electric models including the G3, G5, G6, and Plectric single cut away jazz style electric, all were archtop styles some with pickups built into the fret board (Grimshaw patented this type of pickup in USA and GB) Grimshaw called these invisible pickups, tone/volume controls added to the scratch plate.
The most
popular model of the
1950s
was the
SS
(short scale) deluxe and custom
models, the later having humbucker pickups, the styling on this model was a
cross between a
Gibson 335
and a
Gretsch White Falcon,
with an individual Grimshaw style of un-equal cutaways. These were good
substitutes for the American guitars which were not imported into the UK (due to
austerity measures post war). Some had a
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Grimshaw patented tremolo system.
The SS Models were very pretty
guitars and played well, Grimshaw should have had more success with this model
than they did. During the sixties in line with the boom in guitar groups they
manufactured 
