Scott Chinnery
aerie
I just got an online newsletter from Acoustic Guitar, and noticed the
announcement that Scott Chinnery passed away in October. If this was
discussed earlier, I apologize -- I haven't been on the group lately. But I
was just wondering if anyone knew any of the details. I didn't think he was
a particularly old guy.
Thanks!
Ann
DEidelberg
he was
a particularly old guy.<<
I think it was discussed, but here are some of the details. Scott was rushed
to the hospital with chest pains and passed away from a heart attack. He was
40 years old.
A practical joker who often went too far, but a nice guy who was more than
generous with his incredible guitar collection.
jca...@my-deja.com
exhibit at the Smithsonian, including demonstrations by some of the
builders. For those who haven't heard of this collection, Chinnery
commissioned some of the best archtop builders in the world to build an
archtop, the only constant was that they each had to use the same blue
dye for the wood. He also had a fantastic collection of vintage
guitars.
Does anyone know what is happening to this fantastic collection?
jcarp
In article <20001209101848...@ng-mi1.aol.com>,
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Hmemerson
>commissioned some of the best archtop builders in the world to build an
>archtop, the only constant was that they each had to use the same blue
>dye for the wood."
J,
Actually, the criteria was that they had to be 18", 1 & 7/8" width at the nut
and that they be a particular Mohawk Finishes blue that Jimmy D'Aquisto used on
a guitar that Scott was quite fond of.
The wood was not dyed. In fact most builders seal the wood before spraying the
stain. Maple and spruce are especially hard to stain evenly.
Howard Emerson
Hojo2x
to have a coffeetable book featuring the gutars in his collection, as well as a
smaller (and more useful) volume called "Blue Guitars," which deals strictly
with the eccentric but brilliant commision of blue archtop guitars from
handbuilders around the country (plus one from Germany.)
My understanding is that Mr. Chinery may have hastened his own death through
the use of anabolic steroids for bodybuilding back when he was younger. I
don't know that for a fact, but it has been repeatedly stated as such on this
and several other newsgroups.
If it's true, it's a damn shame.
What happens next to the collection will be interesting. My own guess is that
the core of it will be maintained, but that lesser pieces will begin to be
carefully and gradually "de-acquisitioned" (translation: sold) in the years to
come.
Unless Mr. Chinery made some sort of financial provision to maintain this
collection for posterity, however, there may not be either the will or the
ability to keep it together. Nobody expects to die at forty, and there may not
be anything in his Last Will & Testament that's legally binding to keep those
instruments together as a group.
Wade Hampton Miller
DEidelberg
on
a guitar that Scott was quite fond of.<<
What's amazing is how different the colors are from guitar to guitar.
DEidelberg
dye for the wood.
The size was also specified. Great book on the project. The unveiling party
was a lot of fun. I should have some photos of myself somewhere with some of
the luthiers signing their blue guitar labels on my back.
>>Does anyone know what is happening to this fantastic collection?<<
That's up to his wife, Kathy. No real reason to do anything with it.
DEidelberg
the use of anabolic steroids for bodybuilding back when he was younger. I
don't know that for a fact, but it has been repeatedly stated as such on this
and several other newsgroups.<<
The steroid use is no secret and, in fact, was a secret to Scott's success. He
was encouraged (very strongly) to use steroids in high school to make him even
more competitive in sports. The stereoids made him big and strong, but also
caused physical problems. An injury took him away from any possible sports
career. Scott learned from his mistake and set out to produce a non-steroidal
body building supplement and came up with Cybergenics, the company that made
him wealthy. He was already a multi-millionaire before he sold the company for
an undisclosed sum, but I believe was estimated at between 30-90 million.
His guitar collection was not only impressive because of its size, but because
the pieces were historically significant. I was able to play guitars built by
C.F. Martin, Orville Gibson, etc... Real Selmers, vintage Fenders, D'Aquisto,
D'Angelico as well as incredible pieces by modern luthiers. Scott sought to
present a collection of American (and other) guitars that really show the
history of guitar building over the last century and before.
The fact that he let nobodies like me into his home and let me pound the shit
out of his pre-war D-45 (I didn't add a scratch, but I wasn't shy about it),
says a lot about the guy.
Marc Durso
Scott for being so open.
Marc Durso
In article <20001209205012...@ng-cg1.aol.com>,
deide...@aol.com (DEidelberg) wrote:
>
> The fact that he let nobodies like me into his home and let me pound
the shit
> out of his pre-war D-45 (I didn't add a scratch, but I wasn't shy
about it),
> says a lot about the guy.
>
--
Goodall / Thompson
http://communities.msn.com/Handmadeguitars for pics of my guitars
Gorblimey
Pete
"aerie" <aer...@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:90sltf$lpc$1...@slb3.atl.mindspring.net...
hed...@my-deja.com
"Gorblimey" <gobble...@gobbledegook.org> wrote:
> Excuse my ignorance, but who was Scott Chinery?
>
> Pete
>
>
The guy who invented the internet.
Harold
Hojo2x
>Excuse my ignorance, but who was Scott Chinery?
He was a multi-millionaire guitar collector who amassed one of the most
important guitar collections outside of Japan.
What was unusual about Chinery was that he sought out publicity, unlike most
collectors. Also, as Mr. Eidelberg has mentioned, it was the easiest thing in
the world to make an appointment and go to his house and play whatever you
wanted from his collection. He had at least one fulltime curator onstaff, and
I think possibly two, whose only job was to take care of the instruments.
At one point I had a rare old Martin (which I obtained from John Pearse, in
fact,) and Chinery's curator and I were discussing whether they would buy it.
They didn't, as it happened, and I sold it to someone else. But they were very
nice people to deal with.
Wade Hampton Miller
Larry Pattis
> In article <mnMY5.35469$R77.2...@nnrp4.clara.net>,
> "Gorblimey" <gobble...@gobbledegook.org> wrote:
> > Excuse my ignorance, but who was Scott Chinery?
> >
> > Pete
> >
> >
>
> The guy who invented the internet.
>
> Harold
Shame on you, Harold.
8-)
Larry Pattis
Lpattis "at" xmission "dot" com
Dennis Smith
Mandolin Bros. This was where we met him. And that was the beginning of a
great friendship. My partner to this day teaches guitar his daughter. And we
are using several of his guitars on our next CD. We played at several guitar
shows in conjunction with him and 20th Century Guitar mag. And visited him
many times at his house. The status of his collection is right now is
unknown. As it was mentioned B4. It will be up to Kathy on it outcome. I
would think it will still be kept up by Greg and his staff. My partner
Dorothy wrote an extensive article for 20th Century Guitar
http://www.tcguitar.com/tcgmag.html as well as playing at his funeral. He
was a big help to us. We will miss him greatly.
--
Dennis Smith
AERIAL ACOUSTICS
http://www.aerialweb.com
DEidelberg <deide...@aol.com> wrote in message
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