A new documentary from SDPB reveals what local guitar professionals appreciate about their chosen instruments and taking you on a musical journey of the qualities and sounds that their favorite instruments can produce.
Old Guitars and the Musicians Who Love Them features:
Boyd Bristow, Sioux Falls, who owns and owns and plays a rare model of Martin acoustic guitar. He also regularly plays a classic Gibson electric guitar that he bought new in the 1970s.
Jay Gilbertson, Yankton, and his 1964 Fender Stratocaster. Gilbertson talks about the unique materials and hand-made quality of Fender Strats built before 1965.
Michael Hilson, Yankton, is a guitar instructor in the music department at the University of South Dakota. He’s also a performer fluent in several genres, including classical and jazz.
Nick Schwebach, Wakonda, who often plays a 1949 Gibson that he says is perfect for re-creating the sound of music that was popular during the 1930s.
Scott Simpson, Spearfish, still owns and plays a guitar that was passed down to him many years ago by a relative. Simpson shares the connection between instruments, musicians, and audiences and says that old guitars, in some ways, have lives of their own.
James Van Nuys, Rapid City, plays a variety of guitars including a somewhat unusual bronze-bodied resonator guitar. Resonator guitars were popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s before electric amplification was available.
Take a journey down gearhead lane – experienced guitarists will find the artists’ insights enlightening, beginning guitarists will find them encouraging, and we can all enjoy the soundtrack.
Images of the Past: Old Guitars and the Musicians Who Love Them premieres on SDPB1 Thursday, Oct. 14, at 8pm (7 MT) and rebroadcasts Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1pm (noon MT).