Utah's Guitar
I'd kind of like to share a story here about Utah's Guild F50 guitar. Back in 1969 I met U Utah aka Bruce Phillips at the Ark in Ann Arbor, MI. Got to know him a bit then I moved to Kalamazoo, MI and Western Michigan University where somehow I ended up running the Kalamazoo Canterbury House. Folk music every weekend September thru May. I booked U Utah Phillips in for a March weekend in the spring of 1971. Friday night was a huge success and the line waiting for the doors to open on Saturday made for an incredible weekend. After the the show Saturday night we were invited over the home of a local musical instrument collector and wheeler dealer. A bottle of Jack appeared and it wasn't long before Utah was telling tall tales and trying out various guitars that hung in display on the living room walls. There was one he seemed sort of taken to, a rather orangish colored Gretsch with a tri oval sound hole and a horseshoe brand on the top. He then proceeded to trade his Guild F50 for that Gretsch guitar and a banjo. Early the next morning I took him with the Gretsch guitar and the banjo to the airport to catch a flight to his next gig. A few weeks later I heard that the Guild F50 was for sale, priced at $400. Pretty darn steep for a used guitar that wasn't even a Martin. But all I had was a little old Martin 0-28K and I thought a nice big Guild would be a fine guitar to have. Wouldn't have to be coddled and cared for a like a fragile little Martin. So off to the wheeler dealer's store I went where I plunked some money down and so much to pay each month. And no I was not going to trade him my little Martin I just wanted another guitar and because he knoew me I could take it that day.. So there I was with the big blond Guild F50 guitar. This was before the silver dollar adorned the peghead but the black hardshell case had been hand painted by someone with an Eagle and a Wobbly saying. About a month after I bought the Guild I get a phone call from Bruce wanting the phone number for the wheeler dealer. He wants to reverse the trade and get his Guild back. So I told him the I had bought the Guild. Oh that was great he would just give me the Gretsch and the banjo and the world would be wonderful. Except one thing, I didn't want that gawdawful looking orange colored Gretsch Guitar with a horse shoe brand on the top. Well then he said, I will pay you what you paid for it, what was it, about $150 -$200. NO, Bruce, it was $400 I said, I put so much down and I am paying rest off at $25 a month. There was a long pause then he said well I will give you the banjo and $350 but I really got to have that guitar as this Gretsch just isn't working out. I will be coming through Kalamazoo on the train next week and you can meet me at the train station and give me the guitar, OK, who was I to argue and say no the Golden Voice of the Great Souhtwest. So the next week I met him at the train station where he promptly grabbed the guitar and said he had to run as the train wasn't stopping for long. I am standing there sputtering, Where is the banjo and what about the $350. Oh, he says, the banjo, it is in Saratoga and I will send it to the Ark with David Bromberg next month and the money will be in the mail. Then he jumps aboard as the Conductor is standing there waiting. So there I was no guitar, no banjo, no I owe you, no handshake, nothing but memories. The next month I drove the 100 miles to the Ark in Ann Arbor and got the banjo from David Bromberg. A few more months go by and no money and I am still making time payments on a guitar I don't even have. So I dig around through all the phone numbers I have and come up with a number or two for folks up in the Saratoga area and started trying to track down U Utah, the flim flam man. Through out all this I learned that Andy Cohen had moved to the Saratoga and was sharing a house with Bruce. I got that number called asked for Bruce, told he wasn't there I then asked to talk to Andy who was there. I told Andy what had happened and that I really needed the money. The first thing he said was that Bruce had not said any thing to any one in the house about how he got the guitar back. Andy said that he would bring it up in a house meeting when Bruce returned from where ever in the next day or so. So a few days later I get a phone call form Andy saying the the matter had been discussed and and I would be getting some money in a few days but it would take a few months to get the entire $350 to me. So I continued to run the sghow at the Canterbury House for the next fewe years a booked U Utah PHillips every time I could get him. We always laughed at how "I saved his guitar" and never spoke about the difficulty over the money. The banjo I still have and enjoy.
Anonymous
I'd kind of like to share a story here about Utah's Guild F50 guitar. Back in 1969 I met U Utah aka Bruce Phillips at the Ark in Ann Arbor, MI. Got to know him a bit then I moved to Kalamazoo, MI and Western Michigan University where somehow I ended up running the Kalamazoo Canterbury House. Folk music every weekend September thru May. I booked U Utah Phillips in for a March weekend in the spring of 1971. Friday night was a huge success and the line waiting for the doors to open on Saturday made for an incredible weekend. After the the show Saturday night we were invited over the home of a local musical instrument collector and wheeler dealer. A bottle of Jack appeared and it wasn't long before Utah was telling tall tales and trying out various guitars that hung in display on the living room walls. There was one he seemed sort of taken to, a rather orangish colored Gretsch with a tri oval sound hole and a horseshoe brand on the top. He then proceeded to trade his Guild F50 for that Gretsch guitar and a banjo. Early the next morning I took him with the Gretsch guitar and the banjo to the airport to catch a flight to his next gig. A few weeks later I heard that the Guild F50 was for sale, priced at $400. Pretty darn steep for a used guitar that wasn't even a Martin. But all I had was a little old Martin 0-28K and I thought a nice big Guild would be a fine guitar to have. Wouldn't have to be coddled and cared for a like a fragile little Martin. So off to the wheeler dealer's store I went where I plunked some money down and so much to pay each month. And no I was not going to trade him my little Martin I just wanted another guitar and because he knoew me I could take it that day.. So there I was with the big blond Guild F50 guitar. This was before the silver dollar adorned the peghead but the black hardshell case had been hand painted by someone with an Eagle and a Wobbly saying. About a month after I bought the Guild I get a phone call from Bruce wanting the phone number for the wheeler dealer. He wants to reverse the trade and get his Guild back. So I told him the I had bought the Guild. Oh that was great he would just give me the Gretsch and the banjo and the world would be wonderful. Except one thing, I didn't want that gawdawful looking orange colored Gretsch Guitar with a horse shoe brand on the top. Well then he said, I will pay you what you paid for it, what was it, about $150 -$200. NO, Bruce, it was $400 I said, I put so much down and I am paying rest off at $25 a month. There was a long pause then he said well I will give you the banjo and $350 but I really got to have that guitar as this Gretsch just isn't working out. I will be coming through Kalamazoo on the train next week and you can meet me at the train station and give me the guitar, OK, who was I to argue and say no the Golden Voice of the Great Souhtwest. So the next week I met him at the train station where he promptly grabbed the guitar and said he had to run as the train wasn't stopping for long. I am standing there sputtering, Where is the banjo and what about the $350. Oh, he says, the banjo, it is in Saratoga and I will send it to the Ark with David Bromberg next month and the money will be in the mail. Then he jumps aboard as the Conductor is standing there waiting. So there I was no guitar, no banjo, no I owe you, no handshake, nothing but memories. The next month I drove the 100 miles to the Ark in Ann Arbor and got the banjo from David Bromberg. A few more months go by and no money and I am still making time payments on a guitar I don't even have. So I dig around through all the phone numbers I have and come up with a number or two for folks up in the Saratoga area and started trying to track down U Utah, the flim flam man. Through out all this I learned that Andy Cohen had moved to the Saratoga and was sharing a house with Bruce. I got that number called asked for Bruce, told he wasn't there I then asked to talk to Andy who was there. I told Andy what had happened and that I really needed the money. The first thing he said was that Bruce had not said any thing to any one in the house about how he got the guitar back. Andy said that he would bring it up in a house meeting when Bruce returned from where ever in the next day or so. So a few days later I get a phone call form Andy saying the the matter had been discussed and and I would be getting some money in a few days but it would take a few months to get the entire $350 to me. So I continued to run the sghow at the Canterbury House for the next fewe years a booked U Utah PHillips every time I could get him. We always laughed at how "I saved his guitar" and never spoke about the difficulty over the money. The banjo I still have and enjoy.
Anonymous