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The
Mystery Guild
Q
I have a very
old Dobro that is labeled "Guild Electric" and I've been unable
to find any information about its age or history. Can you possibly
help me identify it?
John
Heartt
Dearborn, Michigan
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A
The instrument
you describe is not a Dobro, but a lap steel guitar. Confusion
might arise because both are designed to be played horizontally
with a metal bar slide, and the Dobro Co. did make some lap
steel guitars. I must admit I've never seen one of these before.
However, I've seen several instruments that used the same
magnetic pickup (or variations that were definitely made by
the same company). Some of these had the Recording King name
silk-screened on the headstock. Recording King was the house
brand of Montgomery Ward, which didn't manufacture instruments
but had them made for them by other companies. The higher-end
versions were made by Gibson and the cheaper ones by Kay,
Regal, and possibly other companies. Comparing your guitar
to a Recording King lap steel, I can only assume they were
made by the same company. Yours has the same magnetic pickup,
albeit with a different base plate, and a similar bridge and
tailpiece. Most of the Montgomery Ward instruments were made
during the 1930s and early '40s, so your guitar was probably
built around that time.
Guild Guitars,
as we know it now, was founded in 1952, so your guitar was
definitely not made by them. However, Guild was also the name
of an amplifier company based in San Diego. When this company
was about to close down, one of the partners suggested to
Alfred Dronge that he use the name for his new guitar company.
Stenciled logos were very common in those days, and the one
on your guitar doesn't look like a homemade job, so it is
very possible that your "Guild Electric" was made during the
'40s for the Guild amplifier company, possibly by Regal.
—Hans
Moust
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A
pair of lap steel guitars. A Recording King (left) and a mysterious
"Guild Electric."
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Blistering
Licks
Q
I am starting
to develop blisters on my fingers. I don't know if I should stop
playing for a while, keep playing, or put something on them. What
should I do?
Steven
Rothenburg
Flagstaff, Arizona
A
You must be playing
a lot of guitar if you're developing blisters. While such dedication
is admirable, the best course of action would be to stop playing
for a while to give your skin a chance to heal. Blisters usually
happen when skin becomes irritated due to friction, caused in this
case by your fingers rubbing against the guitar strings. Playing
guitar is a physical activity, and as with any physical pursuit,
it's important not to overdo it. Consistent practice will help develop
stamina so you can play for longer periods of time. As you progress,
your fingertips will form calluses—patches of dead skin that
form to protect sensitive areas irritated by friction. Until then,
if your fingertips are sore, take a break.
—Karen
Hogg
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Provisional
Pickguards
Q
Does anyone
make a removable pickguard? I play mostly fingerstyle, but for those
times I use a pick, I'd like to stick a pickguard on and be able
to remove it when I'm finished.
Patrick
Wheatley
Millington, Tennessee
A
Yes, there are
vinyl static-cling temporary pickguards made by Picnxr and others.
They are made from the same material as those vinyl static-cling
signs that sometimes adorn the insides of store windows. Lots of
guitar shops use these removable pickguards to allow players to
try out the increasing number of fine instruments that don't come
with permanent pickguards. While they don't adhere firmly, they
generally work well enough for a single session of picking and come
right off afterward without leaving a trace. They work best on clean,
glossy, level surfaces but don't stick well to a worn or satin finish.
You can leave one of these vinyl pickguards on for days at a time
if your guitar has a catalyzed or UV-cured finish, but you should
remove them after each use on an instrument finished with nitrocellulose
lacquer. Just recently I saw a fine classical guitar whose nitrocellulose
finish was virtually destroyed by large static-cling pickguards
left on for over a year.
—Frank
Ford
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Excerpted from
Acoustic Guitar magazine,
December
2003, No. 132.
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