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Location: Yucaipa, California | Last night my wife and I were at a meeting with an elderly (in her 70's) friend (Carolyn) who had been a Missionary when she was younger. Her Grandfather bought his wife (her Grandmother) a "very good guitar" for her to play for the children/grandchildren. That guitar was passed down to Carolyn's Father and, finally to her. She told me that it had been repaired and was in bad shape. Evidently the back had come un-glued.
She said that her Grandfather's dying request was that the guitar should be burned after his death..... well... last week Carolyn fulfilled that wish. She broke it up and burned all but two small pieces that she showed to me.
One piece (soundboard/soundhole piece) had a signature/date from the man who repaired the guitar in 1899!
I asked what was the brand name of the guitar..... she said it was a C.F. Martin...................a pre-1890 CF Martin.
.............
..nope, she didn't number the ashes for re-assembly
..she had no idea what she had........ how many more are out there in attics, closets, under beds???? who knows....?
EDIT: I think this is probably the same model as the one she burned: Sacrificial Martin
EDIT: I have removed any reference to the Grandpa's religious views so that this thread doesn't go down the wrong path. My intent was not to start a religious debate, but to share a very sad, missed opportunity...no matter the cause. |
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Location: New York State | OOOOOOOoooooooooo NNnnnnnnoooooooooo!!!!!!
i think i'm gonna be sick.
s. |
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Location: Fayetteville, NC | Pre 1890 Martin..... Wow, that would have been a real find had she decided to pass it along to someone else. How many more are out there? Only Time and other stories may tell the tale. |
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Location: SE Michigan | Yet another case of destroying (or rejecting) a valuable and beautiful thing in the name of religious fanaticism. Very sad indeed.
I wonder if Grandpa would be in favor of destroying pencils and paper because someone might write something wicked? Didnt the Taliban in Afganistan blow up some irreplacable Buddhist statues that were thousands of years old? Sounds like about the same way of thinking.
But I guess if it was Grandpa’s guitar and this was his dying wish, who are we to question it? But it is a very sad thing. |
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Location: North Texas | What a waste. Now, no Gospel music will ever be played on it either. Bad trade. |
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Location: SoCal | Up in Torrance, down the street from a Guitar Center, there was a guitar shop that carried mostly guitars from Samick and the like. But up in the corner, behind the counter, was a late 19th century Martin. I got to play my 3 chords on it and it was beautiful.
About 10 years ago, that shop burned down. Another one lost....... |
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Location: Central Florida | AAAAGGGGHHHH! :eek: |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | From the Buddhist perspective, he'll be able to play the guitar in heaven. Very nice. I like it.
His wife is lucky she didn't live in some parts of india a century ago. She would've been burned too. I don't condone the wife burning. |
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Location: SE Michigan | I really hope my grand children inherit my guitars, play them a great deal, and enjoy themselves. |
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Location: Madison, Wisconsin | I don't read ANY religious convictions into the story. The guy's daughter was a missionary. Period! The guy wanted his guitar burned. Period. I don't see any connections. |
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Location: Yucaipa, California | willard.... I removed the original "religious" references in the first posting just to avoid this type of detour... |
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Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | ...but then again, it's all just stuff.
Don't know the reason Grandpa wanted it burned, but honoring the request of a loved one should take presidence over montary value everytime.
Norse(...of course....unless it's ME in line to inherit a Martin!...j/k)man1 |
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Location: SE Michigan | It occurs to me that it's highly likely that poor old Grandpa had no idea how valuable the guitar was. If he knew I'll bet he'd have changed that dying wish.
He probably thought of the guitar as the $15 guitar he bought way back when. |
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Location: NJ | If that's the case:
When I die, I want Witko burned . . . |
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Location: Yucaipa, California | ...sigh... |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I think that's a compliment. No, maybe not.
My wife asked what she should do when I die (she naturally assumes that I'll go first). I told her she should 1) remove the condom, 2) clean me up a little and 3) be thankful that I went out with a "bang".
Dave |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I spent one year doing estate planning. People have weird dying wishes. Lots of them have nothing to do with religion. Unfortunately for most, the stuff that grandpa or grandma leaves in specific bequests is often worthless except for sentimental value.
I just finished a case where dad had what became a very valuable piece of lakefront property, but the family fought over it and the kids sued each other when dad died. Property was eventually sold to pay the taxes and the lawyers. |
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Location: Omaha, NE | Originally posted by Standingovation:
I told [my wife] she should 1) remove the condom, 2) clean me up a little and 3) be thankful that I went out with a "bang". 4) Be understanding, and ask the young lady to leave quietly before the coroner arrives.
Cheers!
Jeff |
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Location: NJ | . . . unless of course he dies in Amsterdam, . . . THEN, it's "get the Little Dutch Girl costume off of him, SCHNELL!!" . . . |
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Location: Yucaipa, California | ...yep,... I shouldda known.... some people never learn....sigh... |
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Location: Upper Left USA | I hereby bequeath my surviving Ovations to the Calman Adoption Agency for redistribution to the appreciative and the needy.
I have a suspicion that my Wife's next husband will not be a Musician! |
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Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Ashes to ashes......simply a worldly possession....wood,metal,bone,etc..... |
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Location: North Carolina | Sorry...didn't mean to have the wrong opinion. I deleted my post. Won't do it again. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Too True Trboy,
Almost lose a son, daughter, wife or loved one and see how little the material things in life really mean. |
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Location: New York State | I had a real good friend who was a guitar collector and player and tech. He would often get calls telling him about elderly women who were asking around about what to do with their deceased husband's guitar(s). They'd often been in the closet for many years, and were sometimes junk, but once in a while..... something special. He was always good about doing the right thing, and paying them a decent price ( even tho they often would have taken way less than they were worth). That's how i got my '43 (pre-Gibson) Epiphone.
susan |
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| I hate to seem naive, but how much is one of these guitars worth? |
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Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | I hate to seem naive, but how much is one of these guitars worth?
It's hard to say without knowing the specific model and condition, but it could range from the low $10,000 area well up into the six figure area. In either case it's more money than most people would want to incinerate for the sake of making a moral statement. |
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Location: Cicero, NY | All depends. You selling one...? ;) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | MWoody, my wife's current husband is not much of a musician. |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
MWoody, my wife's current husband is not much of a musician. ...but you should hear her boyfriend! :D |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I'm not that good either. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Weaser, I'm afraid my wife and I are stuck with each other. Now that the kids are out of the house, there are a whole set of new challenges, like what do we do with all this spare time. I need to learn to play guitar and golf. She's still trying to find excuses for not starting all the stuff she was going to do when the kids were gone. |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Understood. The better half and I are a couple years behind you and the Mrs. and we're already talking about the upcoming pastime challenges. With me, it's golf and guitars as well. Lady Weaser is a dance and pilates instructor on the side but is considering a side of ballistics (just in case I hang around the house too much). :D |
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Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas | If it would have gone to someone who could (and would) spend six figures on it, it's probably better that it was burned. Not that there aren't good rich people out there; I've just never met or heard of any.
The old guy couldn't take it with him, but no one else was gonna get it either!
Maybe he knew exactly what he was making her do.
Les |
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March 2005
Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | I tried to get my wife to buy me a Legend for Christmas and Noah tried to help, but she says she has other ideas. I suspect it's some piece of exercise equipment. Since I quit playing soccer at 51 and started playing golf and guitars, she seems obsessed that I will have a heart attach soon. Didn't help that our neighbor died last week at 57, of cancer. I hate exercise for the sake of exercise. |
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Location: SE Michigan | Maybe he knew exactly what he was making her do.
Yeah, the more I think about it the more I am softening on Grandpa's wish. After all we don't know the whole story, maybe he had a son run off and join a band and ruin his life with wine, women, song, and bad living!
But I'd still wager the final disposition of the guitar would have been much different if the involved parties knew the true value of it. |
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Location: south east Michigan | And the value of the ones that are left just kicked up a notch. |
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Oh, The Pain, The Pain!!!!