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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.
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..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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Posts: 338
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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Posts: 15652
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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Posts: 863
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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Posts: 338
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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Posts: 12750
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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November 2005
Posts: 1126
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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March 2002
Posts: 14842
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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December 2003
Posts: 13983
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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Posts: 2177
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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April 2004
Posts: 13303
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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Posts: 42
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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Oh, The Pain, The Pain!!!!
