The jazz guitar has a home

The reason early jazz bands used banjos and never guitars was simply because the guitars weren’t strong enough. But using new recording and amplification techniques, Eddie Lang played his guitar in the movie “The Big Broadcast of 1932,” and banjo players immediately recognized that guitarists would soon take their seats at the bandstand. Pawn shops were soon flooded with banjos, and guitar craftsmanship produced quality instruments with lush sound that were in huge demand.

The Museum of the American Guitar located in New Hyde Park, Long Island showcases the best work of the artisans who poured their skill and love into this wonderful instrument. The museum puts us in touch with both the history of the guitar and its future.

It stands to reason that the person responsible for establishing this museum is not only a guitarist and collector, but as he is affectionately called by the “Guitar Doctor”, Chris X. Ambadjes is one of the best luthiers in the business who conceived a museum of Guitar. About 33 years ago, Chris was able to make his dream come true about 16 years ago. Fortunately, Chris’s friends Demo Manolis, the late great Wayne L. Wright, and a few others were keen to make this museum a reality. The friends pooled their resources and formed a board of directors there.

The American Guitar Museum has an authentic charm. His home is a restored three-story colonial building that is one of the original hamlets in the area. Going through the exterior doors (which are made in the shape of guitars by the way) and through the front door, you can’t help but get caught up in the images that seem to be everywhere. These are images of the great players of today and yesterday.

Moving into the main room right up front at eye level is a beautiful oval-hole D’Aquisto New Yorker on loan from talented player, Joe Carbone. Before his untimely death, luthier Jimmy D’Aquisto was considered the greatest guitar maker alive. For this beautiful sunburst instrument, I would charge around $ 50,000 with a three-year wait.

Certainly the ceiling of the main hall is worth seeing. It’s designed like the inside of an archtop guitar with F-holes, cross braces, and wood grain, all painted onto the ceiling. A display case at the front of the room contains some of the original punches used to make picks around 1910. These punches were contributed by the D’Andrea Company of Long Island, which is still in business today. If you have a pick in your pocket, there is a 90% chance that the D’Andrea Company did it. The spikes were originally made by piercing small plates of tortoise shell in different shapes.

The Guitar Museum is full of luthier tools, various tailpieces, books, plans, biographies of various musicians, and stories of some of the guitars that adorn its walls. An impossible to lose piece is located on the right side of the room. This is a 400 lb. Strad-o-Lin company press that was used to bend the sides and tops of guitars and mandolins. It dates back to the 1890s.

One of the oldest guitars in the museum was built in 1861. Chris Ambadjes says, “We like to tell kids on tour that this guitar is from Abraham Lincoln’s time and they love it.” It is displayed in its original hard case.

Two guitars that always attract a lot of attention are the 1965 Olympic White Strat that belonged to a friend of Jimi Hendrix and that Jimi played on occasion; and the other eye-catcher is a mint condition Les Paul with dark wood grain that Les himself contributed to the museum with the inscription “To Chris from Les ‘Keep On Pickin'”.

In addition to the signature Les Paul model, there are a number of highly regarded Gibsons on display. Some of the most valuable Gibsons belonged to one of New York City’s best musicians, Jack Hotop. Jack performed in opening Broadway hits such as “Oklahoma” and “Annie.” He fell in love with the sound of the first 1957 ES-175 with a PAF pickup (better known as a humbucking pickup). This guitar was used as a demo model by Gibson and Jack begged Gibson for that particular instrument. He was forced to wait until it was shown across the country before Gibson allowed it. Jack later used this ES-175 when he played for the opening of “West Side Story.”

Two of the newest items at the American Guitar Museum are a winding machine made by jazz innovator Attila Zoller and the mixing desk used in Woody Allen’s classic “Radio Days.”

What this museum boasts of is its wonderful collection of rare and beautiful instruments, what Chris calls “the cream of the crop.” Ambadjes has a particular love for archtop D’Angelico guitar and who can blame him. John D’Angelico is considered by many to be the “Stradivari of guitars”. Appraisals place these guitars between $ 25,000 and $ 75,000 on average, and some are even higher. Quite an investment considering its original price of approximately $ 695.00!

How fitting, that D’Angelico started making his custom guitars the same year as “The Big Broadcast of 1932.” 1,164 beautiful custom guitars and mandolins were built bearing his name at the time of his death in 1964.

There are approximately 10 D’Angelicos on display in the museum, two of which are “unique.” Although it is correct to say that all D’Angelicos are unique, they are all guitars or mandolins; everything that is except these two. Sitting properly in a baby’s crib is the first of these unique acquisitions. It’s an 18 “tall baby jazz uke. Benny Mortell pleaded with John D ‘Angelico to build it to use as a wedding proposal for his wife. The fretboard contains the inscription” To my dear Ben’s rose. “The latest addition The museum is called Cellar (pronounced ché lâr). This is John D’s greatest masterpiece and is the only other instrument that does not fall into the category of guitar or mandolin. Along with these two priceless pieces, you will find the Excel of In 1942, which was played by his owner Benny Mortell, in the movie “The Godfather” both in the wedding scene and on the soundtrack. Alongside this is a 1946 New Yorker. There is a left-handed D’Angelico that has been used by Wayne Wright (guitarist for Les Paul, George Barnes, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee).

“Nothing in life is free” is no longer true, because a tour of the American Guitar Museum is that FREE! Guitar hobbyists, class tours, and families alike have had mini lessons on building guitars, how guitar pickups work, how to insert fingerboard inlays, and a general history of America’s most popular instrument. . Also note that Chris Ambadjes repairs fretted instruments of all kinds on the premises and there are also a number of excellent music teachers present.

So visit this little treasure where the love of its owners is evident at all times. This is truly a gift to the world. It just so happens that it has been gift wrapped in Long Island, New York.

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