Bill Gruggett Guitars

[Bob Shade]

Hey Kathy! I see you have found a nice home here for some of your gorgeous Gruggett guitar pictures!

I called Bill on his Birthday and sent him a little something.

Bill has been an amazing attribute to Hallmark Guitars from the 60's, on through the current years. Even though Bill's health is not permitting him to work at this time, we worked together on a very special project this year!

I will be traveling tomorrow, but when time permits in the coming week I will post some pic's of things Bill has made that I have.

I can't tell you what a honor it has been to work with Bill on a professional and level and gotten to know him on a personal level too. Bill is a class act and a true gentleman and the only person I know that can make a beautiful guitar out of a nice stick of wood, a butter knife, and a drill press.

I am exaggerating slightly but, not by much. I have been to Bill's on occasion and needed to borrow his bench to work on a project together with Bill or to fix a guitar that I had to take to a show in Ca.

I would ask Bill with a guitar on the bench for example, "say Bill, can I use your nut files?" Oh there in the first drawer right on top Bob. " I don't see them Bill" Bill then reaches in the drawer and pulls out a broken hack saw blade with tape on the end for a handle, a small knife, and something else he ground down to make a small slot. "Here they are Bob" Bill says.

Bill made his own tools for way too long and just never would change. He always had his own way of doing things with the tools he made from old things most of us discarded. This was the difference between Bill's generation and ours. When there was no Stew Mac or Allparts Bill figured a way to get it done with whatever tools he had which was not much. When you saw the final result, you would have thought he had the best tools money could buy. Not!

One thing for sure that can't be denied, Bill Gruggett built some of the finest guitars I have ever seen in my life. When you see them and feel them, it is like a pair of worn jeans that just feel right.

You really have to respect someone like Bill. He is among the last of his kind.

It is sad to see Bill slowing down, I guess somehow we all will have to accept it as it is a part of life.

Lets celebrate the treasures that Bill has given the world.

Thank you Kathy for starting this thread.

I have always said, Bill deserves all the credit. He is truly amazing!

Bob Shade

[elisha wiesner]

Kathy,

Thanks for those photos. That doubleneck is AMAZING!

Here are a few shots of the 70's Brass rail. I actually keep this one in my bedroom and like to play it early in the morning.

[kgruggett]

Thanks Bob and Elisha!
I have something to tell each of you here in relation to what Bob said about my Dad using a few simple tools but first I want to thank Bob.

BOB- I really believe Dad had a great birthday. From the contacts I made and reminding people that it was his 75th birthday, he received the call from you, a birthday cake with a gruggett guitar drawn on it from local Marc Lipco, a personal note from Eugene Moles about how special dad was to his dad, Gene Moles ,the posts on the mosrite forum which I printed out and read to him from some of you here on the forum from Adam and Mel and others that told him happy birthday AND he turned on his facebook page for the day and had many other special wishes. He emailed me many photos he had saved so I am printing them out and those are what I will be posting here. I have the 'disc' on its way to me now from Marc!! I have been talking with dad every Sunday and making him tell me stories and details about his guitars and Im documenting it all.
Thanks Elisha for the photo- that is beautiful! I will tell you a few funny tidbits in relation to Bob saying my dad using old tools that relate to that guitar and the other one you just aquired on ebay. My parents have not been married for many years, they were teenage parents, but they were married the first 7 years he made guitars and worked for Mosrite and she rememers well Semie and Joe Hall. My mom recently told me some stories that my dad verified about how they never had money to buy tools or parts and that when he first started making guitars he didnt know what to use for the dots between the frets....so he used knitting needles and cut off the heads and embedded them in there and sanded them down and they came out perfect, haha. He rigged a sewing maching motor and pedal to spin wire to make his pick up ....and he could not afford a router so he wrapped a drill bit with tape so that it would not drill too far into the wood and made one little hole next to the other in an area and then chisled the remains out very carefully - and that would be the area for his pick up to fit. Yes, very primitive tools BUT ingenious!! Every summer that I went to visit he would have guitars hanging over the shower rods in the bathroom -- drying! Except when he had a shop on Chester Street . Mostly he always worked out of the garage though and had the neatest shop you would ever see -never dusty, always put away. Some places he lived - he actually had no garage and did in on the kitchen table!! As a girl I stood in the kitchen and sanded on guitar bodies --Heck- I may have sanded one of your guitars! All he needs is those few tools and his hands. If you have ever seen my dad's hands-Bob, Im sure you have - he has the most beautiful, long, thin artistic hands. I truly believe God made his hands to build guitars

Kathy

[Bob Shade]

Thanks Kathy for the nice reply!

On the knitting needle dot markers note, yes this was another area that our generation has never had to endure. Where to get guitar making supplies.

Bill told me that at Mosrite Semie used clay for dots at first, just drill a hole and smear it in. Semie went to a wedding outlet store one day and noticed long strands of white plastic lace. This was used in 1966 and on for fret markers. It was cheap and effective. It has a very nylon look to it.

Bill also filled me in on the knitting needle 1/4" rods that were used at Hallmark Guitars for fret markers and Bill used them as well on the original Stradettes and Epcores. I always wondered before that what they used as it was a really interesting looking ivory like plastic.

Joe Hall sent me a box of parts to use for restorations on old Hallmarks and there was a baggie with with things in between all the dirt and shavings that surrounded them. They were the old knitting needle slices for fret markers!

I have since needed to use some of those to restore an old Gruggett that was missing a dot, and Deke Dickerson's old 66 gold sparkle Swept-Wing that belonged to Robbie Krieger of the Doors that had a big chip out of one of the dots.

It was amazing when I put the knitting needle dot in and filed it down. It was exactly the same look and color of the others, it had to have been the same rods that were leftover from Hallmark days!

I have learned alot from Bill and Joe over the years. Hallmark and Mosrite history, lot's of interesting stories. Bill and Joe are my mentors.

I have been carrying on the tradition here in MD. to the best of my ability.

Looks like I won't be traveling today after all, will post some pic's in a bit.

Bob

[elisha wiesner]

Hey Kathy,

That's a great story. Here's a couple of pictures of the inside of the early one. You can clearly see that he used a small drill bit and chisel to do the routing! The homemade pickups are pretty great as well.

[kgruggett]

Bob - Thanks again--I love the old stories-dont you!? Elisha-that is great to see his little drill marks! Im sure you have knitting needle dots too on the black/used to be red guitar
Here is Bills most famous guitar that is on display at the Buck Owens Crystal Palace in Bakersfield.
The story is that It was commission to be built by entreprenuer/guitar player Stan Ellis who plays in the Stampedes at the Crystal Palace. Stan presented it to Buck on his birthday at the same time that Brad Paisley also presented a guitar to Buck. Buck played this Gruggett guitar every Friday and Saturday night at the Palace up until he died and it was at the head of his casket at his funeral. There is also a photo of Garth Brooks playing it in the display case.There are some great old Mosrites on display at the Crystal Palace also. It is a fun tribute place with great country music

[Bob Shade]

Here are a few Gruggett guitars that I have in my collection. The 3 tone sunburst Stradette was the one on the Gruggett flyer that was printed up in the 60's. The 60's cherry burst Stradette is near mint. I like the hollow bodies too, they are unusual and play and sound fantastic.

Also is a pic of me at Bills shop using his bench to get the Hallmark Twin neck Fireball 500 guitar ready for a gig with Larry Collins. Thank you Bill!

Oh one correction, thank you Mel for starting this thread!

More soon!










Bob

[kgruggett]

Thanks for the posting Bob and yes thanks to Mel for starting the thread. If you have anymore stories about the old way of building them by hand one little part at a time, please share. I will post more photos through the week.
Kathy

[ludobag]

this guitar is really superb

[kgruggett]

I just received in mail a disc with 223 photos of Gruggett guitars!! Thanks Bob and thanks Marc!! Here are 2 for you to enjoy. First is inside Chester St Bakersfield guitar shop mid 80's and the other is similar to Elisha's but different finish and not a brass rail



Kathy