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R.I.P. William D Hollebeck

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Mark Cleary

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Apr 4, 2008, 5:36:00 PM4/4/08
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I have the most awful news this morning my friend Bill Hollenbeck died
very unexpectedly. I am in shock I did get to spend yesterday at the
hospital with his wife Sandy and two children. To make a long story
short he was doing great and in excellent health even repaired a guitar
week and working away. He a blood disordered that came on in the last
month that turned out to be aggressive Leukemia he was not in pain and
really only had 3 bad days before he died. It was in a matter on two day
s that he and his family learned this so he really went fast.

Bill never smoked, did not drink was was one of the most physically
active person I know at any age. He was 74 for years young and I have
known him about 28 years. I have lost my friend he was a generous man
and wonderful husband and father, and really almost a father figure for
myself. Sandy has ask me to play at his funeral and I consider it a
real honor.

BTW, as an aside he made the finest sounding carved top jazz guitars. I
pretty certain he is in a better place even though I miss him already.

--

Mark Cleary plays Hollenbeck Jazz Guitars
Handmade http://hollenbeckguitar.com/

mike

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Apr 4, 2008, 5:42:54 PM4/4/08
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What a talented man, sorry for his friends and family. God bless.

mikeo

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Apr 4, 2008, 5:59:05 PM4/4/08
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Mark,
I read with interest your numerous posts extolling Mr Hollenbeck's
work and sharing some of his tricks of the trade and such. I am very
sorry to hear of his passing; he sounds as though he was a wonderful
man. Please play a tune on your Hollenbeck guitar in his honor from
us.
warm thoughts,
Mike

ott...@hotmail.com

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Apr 4, 2008, 6:02:21 PM4/4/08
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My Condolences, Mark.
That was so fast it must have been really scary. Did they do any
transfusions?
Bg

bob

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Apr 4, 2008, 6:20:59 PM4/4/08
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Great guy
spent a lot of time with him at the CAAS conventions in Nashville over
the years. he always had a booth and it was hard not to play his
guitars on a daily basis. always wanted one of his guitars but it
never did happen.
so sorry to hear this!

bob

Joe Giglio

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Apr 4, 2008, 8:28:48 PM4/4/08
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Mark,

I am so sorry, & saddened to hear of Bill's passing. My condolences to
his family & dear friends.
I met Bill, (& I believe you also), at the Classic American Guitar
Show many years ago, & found him to be a really nice & genuine person
& a great luthier, who put his heart, soul & great craftsmanship into
his creations.
You guys obviously had a deep connection & I know it is a major
personal loss for you - again, please accept my condolences. I am sure
that each of you were & are, the better for having know one another.
Please include an 8th note or two from me in your musical tribute to
Mr. Hollenbeck at his memorial.

Joe Giglio

oasysco

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Apr 4, 2008, 8:58:13 PM4/4/08
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On Apr 4, 5:36 pm, Mark Cleary <mclea...@verizon.net> wrote:

I am so sorry to hear that. I felt like I knew him from your posts,
Mark, not to mention that he was one of the few well-known luthiers.
My warmest thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Greg

jseaberry

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Apr 4, 2008, 9:20:31 PM4/4/08
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I am very sorry to hear that, Mark. When I met you and Bill up in
Villa Park, I could tell that you were both fine people to have
around. Well, you still have what he left you with.

DaveB

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Apr 4, 2008, 9:39:43 PM4/4/08
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"Mark Cleary" <mcle...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:4bxJj.31$Ug4.23@trndny01...

Wow. Makes you stop and think how fragile life is. I met Bill at a builders
show a few years ago. I met a lot of folks but remember very few in detail.
Bill I remember because he was very freindly and easy to visit with.


Mark Guest

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Apr 4, 2008, 10:04:07 PM4/4/08
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I'm so sorry to hear this. I only met Bill once and found him a very
warm "real" person. He also built beautiful guitars. Makes you stop
and think about who we leave behind and how we'll be remembered after
we're gone.

All the best,

Mark Guest
Jazz Guitar
www.myspace.com/markguest

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do
without."
Confucius (c.551-479 BC)


On Apr 4, 5:36 pm, Mark Cleary <mclea...@verizon.net> wrote:

geekg...@aol.com

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Apr 4, 2008, 10:05:02 PM4/4/08
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Mark,
I'm very sorry to you as his friend and to his family as well for
this loss.

--Eric Elias

Derek

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Apr 4, 2008, 10:33:31 PM4/4/08
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Wow, that was very sudden. When given alternatives of passing from
this life, cancer is never what one would choose.

I am only glad that his suffering was minimal, and he had a short time
to be with his family at the end.

I am truly sorry for the loss of your friend.

Joe Finn

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Apr 4, 2008, 11:58:23 PM4/4/08
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Mark: I'm very sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences.
.....joe

--
Visit me on the web www.JoeFinn.net


"Mark Cleary" <mcle...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:4bxJj.31$Ug4.23@trndny01...

Martacus

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Apr 5, 2008, 10:32:24 AM4/5/08
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On Apr 4, 5:36 pm, Mark Cleary <mclea...@verizon.net> wrote:

Mark,

I know you're Catholic - was Bill? Is there a church address to which
we could send a Mass card?

Marty

Mark Cleary

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Apr 5, 2008, 10:54:05 AM4/5/08
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Bill was not Catholic they went to a Christian Church in Lincoln. I'll
have a Mass said at my Parish I still don't have the details on his
funeral yet.


Mark Cleary plays Hollenbeck Jazz Guitars
Handmade http://hollenbeckguitar.com/

msei...@pair.com

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Apr 5, 2008, 5:42:54 PM4/5/08
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On Apr 4, 5:36 pm, Mark Cleary <mclea...@verizon.net> wrote:

Mark,
That is tragic news...'Especially in light of you demonstrating one of
his guitars in your guitar and pickup comparison youtube entries. I
also met him years ago at one of the Classic American Guitar shows,
and found him to be a fine gentleman who built fine guitars. 'All my
best to his family and friends.
Mitch Seidman

tom walls

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Apr 7, 2008, 11:00:04 AM4/7/08
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In article <4bxJj.31$Ug4.23@trndny01>, mcle...@verizon.net says...
My condolensces, Mark. Sounds like he lived a long and productive life.
--
Tom Walls
the guy at the Temple of Zeus

Erik

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Apr 8, 2008, 11:45:12 PM4/8/08
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I've very very saddened to hear this news. I didn't know Bill nearly
as well as the original poster Mark, but I did know him a little bit
- the several times when he did some some repair work for me, most
recently last summer and fall. He was very meticulous in his art and
also very generous, never charging me very much for his time and
expertise. He warmly invited me into his workshop and his home, to see
and play his instruments and listen to music. I've played several of
his guitars and they were all excellent. His instrument was the
Archtop and he was an encyclopedia of information, but didn't seem
really too keen on promoting himself - I know he went around to some
guitar shows, but he seemed content just to build his instruments
without a lot of publicity. He knew A LOT and would also share a lot
of his knowledge when you spoke to him. But in speaking to him, I
sensed there was so much more knowledge about the intricate workings
of the guitar than what he could convey in a casual conversation. It
was a great anomaly that someone so knowledgeable lived so close to
me, without any other luthiers even remotely close by. I only regret I
didn't get to know Bill better. Rest in peace.

Erik Swanson

falkg...@gmail.com

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Aug 15, 2014, 10:21:27 AM8/15/14
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Erik - Your experience is similar to mine. I have just recently learn of his death. He would speak tirelessly about guitars. It was his attitude and experience that encouraged me to become a luthier. Hope he is in a better place.

mcle...@comcast.net

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Aug 15, 2014, 4:54:27 PM8/15/14
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Oh my late good friend Willie he show me all the tricks of set up and
repair. Even now I get into some weird repair or trying to figure out what
to do and I sure wish he was around to ask. Had he lived he would be 80
years old but up until weeks before he died he was working in the shop and
doing well. One question I wish I would ask him is about neck sets. He used
the traditional dovetail but I am wondering about what he would think about
using what Gibson uses or even a bolt on like Taylor. Frankly the market is
tradition with archtops so not quick to change but a good bolt on frankly
should not effect the tone and in the end not a lot glue is used to secure
the dovetail.

In any case I best go back to playing the Hollenbeck.......................I
see it as Willie still talking.



Deacon Mark Cleary
Epiphany Roman Catholic Church
wrote in message
news:12b54225-8f0a-4055...@googlegroups.com...

thomas

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Aug 15, 2014, 6:38:02 PM8/15/14
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I for one would prefer to purchase a bolt-on, knowing that I will save money down the road if a reset is needed. Some guys believe bolt-ons are tone-suckers or sustain-suckers, but I doubt they could tell the difference in a blindfold test.

bob_h...@yahoo.com

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Aug 16, 2014, 8:06:37 AM8/16/14
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So sorry to hear of his passing. I know there will be some great guitars in Heaven.

Tim McNamara

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Aug 16, 2014, 10:07:30 AM8/16/14
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On Fri, 15 Aug 2014 15:38:02 -0700 (PDT), thomas
<drthoma...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I for one would prefer to purchase a bolt-on, knowing that I will save
> money down the road if a reset is needed. Some guys believe bolt-ons
> are tone-suckers or sustain-suckers, but I doubt they could tell the
> difference in a blindfold test.

Well, Fender has been having all that trouble with bolt-on necks for
decades now. ;-) Seriously, though, I think that with a bolt on a neck
reset would be less likely to be necessary than with a set-in neck.
They've been shown to work well in solidbody electric guitars, ut they
have also been fine in acoutsic flat top guitars. Seems to me that Ken
Parker's new archtops have a bolt on neck with a very clever design that
also allows adjustment of the neck position.

Mark is right in that the archtop market is heavily into tradition- what
was good for (Wes, Jim, Kenny, Johnny, etc.) is good for me. We've
somehow ended up with instruments that tend to be hevy and ponderous,
though, unlike the typically much lighter and more responsive archtops
of yesteryear. There are exceptions, of course, in the handcrafted
market but less so in archtops that most musicians could afford.

Mitch

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Aug 23, 2014, 1:19:36 AM8/23/14
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On Friday, April 4, 2008 5:36:00 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
I met him years ago at a guitar show at Five Towns College (I believe), and was impressed by his fine guitars. RIP Bill.
Mitch
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