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James
Goodall Guitars
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(See
Inventory) |
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James
Goodall creates beautiful guitars in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (known as
the "Big Island", the largest of all Hawaiian islands).
Before moving there, in the 1970's, he was an artist making a living
painting seascapes in Southern California. Later, he picked up the
luthier art, getting wood by selling one of his paintings. He continued
to pursue the craft acquiring materials from American Dream Guitar,
a shop later acquired by a couple of its employees--including Bob
Taylor, later renamed "Taylor Guitars". |
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By
1978, he had painted his last seascape. Now backlogged from orders,
he decided to devote all his time to making guitars. Then, after 10
years in Mendocino, California, creating 40 guitars a year, he relocated
his shop to his current home in Kailua-Kona in 1992. Now, with a small
dedicated staff of 5, Goodall Guitars ship 5 guitars per week. (His
wife Jean handles the shipping and the books.) |
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Even
though he had increased the production, he says he remains driven
by a singular quality goal: "I want every guitar to come out
as if I made it entirely by myself. I want it to be perfect. My intent
is to have every one be consistent to my ideal--to have that same
quality of Goodall tone across the board." |
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So
what quality is in his guitars now? He would answer, in a word, tone.
"Tone is really the signature of the maker... I'm looking for
something that I would describe as lyrical--a word used in classical
music meaning very musical. For example, someone can play a concerto,
and while it might be technically perfect, it might not have a musical
depth to it--it doesn't move you inside; it's not lyrical. With regard
to our guitars, I'm excited because we're very close to capturing
what I hear in that sense: a full, rich harmonic sound. When someone
records our guitars in a studio with high quality mics, I like what
I'm hearing. I hear music. I don't hear guitar. I don't hear bass,
mids or treble. This is what I strive to build into each of our guitars." |
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See
www.GoodallGuitars.com. |
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