Welcome to SCGC Players Forum › Forums › All the SCGC podcasts are here › Santa Cruz Coffee Break #30 Zoomin’ w/ Richard Hoover 45 yrs of SCGC History
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September 17, 2021 at 10:52 pm #6359
Greetings Forum,
Thank you to everyone who contributed a video for SCGC’s 45th Anniversary. In this podcast Richard talks about 45 years as Santa Cruz Guitar Company, one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Hope you enjoy, it’s the most fun we’ve had yet. Remember these are on Apple podcasts as well. See you soon!
Here’s the YouTube link : https://youtu.be/QJeTPdhPytk
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/rnewman-1/zoomin-with-richard-hoover-30-scgc-45th-anniversary
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September 18, 2021 at 12:51 pm #6360
I watched it last night (thanks).
I am not sure if Tad knows this. When Richard was speaking about Bill Lewis and how his business Lewis Luthier Supply (Vancouver, CA) was latter sold to Todd Taggert who changed the name to LMII there is actually a tie back to our friend luthier Bruce Sexauer.
Bill was a classical and flamenco guitar instructor at the Mediterranean Guitar Shop in Vancouver in the early 1960s. The owner of the shop, George Bowden also owned a flamenco and classical guitar factory in Majorca, Spain. He sent Bill over to Majorca to learn how to make guitars. Bill ended up leaving the Mediterranean Guitar Shop and opened his own shop Bill Lewis Music (also in Vancouver). Bills brother was in the sawyering business and began exporting Western Red Cedar to Spain to guitar makers in the late 1960s/early 1970s. So his foundation in lutherie and his brothers access to woods were the foundation of Bill Lewis Luthier Supply. I also understand after Michael Gurian’s factory fire in 1979 that Bill helped Michael re-establish himself. So the LMII, Allied Lutherie and Gurian Instruments all in some way are tied back to him.
Back to Bruce…
After Bill, George Bowden sent Michael Dunn to Majorca for the same training while he was employed at the Mediterranean Guitar Shop. This is where Bruce first learned to make a guitar (from Michael). Michael was trained in the Spanish tradition in building from the top up without molds using tentalones as linings.
Richard bringing up Bill Lewis’s name made me recall this.
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September 21, 2021 at 5:00 am #6364
Thats a very interesting connection! As I’ve talked to so many people who were involved in all this in the 60s and into the 70s, which is when (IMHO) the acoustic guitar industry was at its lowest point, so many of these builders / shops / suppliers got their start, and the connections and personal / business relationships formed, the musicians who supported or influenced them – it’s a unique situation, with the combination of talents and skills, training and access to materials – all while the music being made was changing in so many interesting ways as well –
I can’t say we’ll ever come to any conclusions, but I hope we get to keep talking to more of those people, and hear more of these stories – I find it all extremely interesting –
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September 22, 2021 at 6:42 pm #6376
Watched it this morning….Richard Hoover shows a side of himself to all of us that is seldom seen .
When a certain age is achieved one’s insights are seen through a different prisim………I like him even more.
Happy 45th birthday to SCGC………
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September 23, 2021 at 5:46 pm #6381
Happy 45th Richard and all the crew at SCGC. Richards joy is apparent and forthcoming. I’ll have to watch this one again
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September 24, 2021 at 1:29 am #6385
Thanks once again Rich and Tad for a very thoughtful discuss of SCGC with Richard. After I left Santa Cruz ~`1980, I kinda lost touch with SCGC for about 20yrs. Then one day I played a SCGC Tony Rice, it came home with me and became my primary guitar for 6yrs.
SCGC has been near and dear to me since Richard tweaked my D18 in ~1978, Catching up on the years from Richard is such a treat for me. In this Podcast Richard mentioned Francis’ “parted-hair” headstock and told the story how that evolved and why he stopped using that style. Loved his candor on this topic.
Richard and I are about the same age and I really appreciate his perspective on the future.
Here is my cease and desist headstock, hee: bert aka Francis
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September 24, 2021 at 2:02 am #6386
Thats pretty – but thats the post cease-and-desist design – this is what Gibsons lawyers were getting uppity about –
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September 24, 2021 at 2:34 am #6387
Aaaah… thanks Tad, see what you mean. bert
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September 25, 2021 at 8:32 pm #6393
Wonderful podcast episode. Richard is so sincere, forthright, and humble… I feel like some of his good character somehow seeps into each and every SCGC guitar!
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