GROUP GUITAR PROJECT
at Cherokee Gourd Gathering 2006
The power of the Internet and the Gourdpatch chat group put into a motion a beautiful, challenging and cooperative gourd guitar project. It is not a primitive instrument, but a cross between traditional primitive gourd instrument and a modern acoustic guitar.
It all began when folks were chatting on the Gourdpatch in the summer of 2005. One of the members, Bob Riviera, from Washington State, a musician and husband of a talented gourd artist, Alana Rivera, wished he could have an instrument to play at the 2006 Gourd Gathering. Because of the distance he had to travel and the risks of flying with one of his guitars he was not going to bring one. So the idea bubbled up to build a guitar for the gathering and then put it up for auction. Rich Battstone, an annual gathering attendee, had already planned to make a musical instrument for the auction, so this was the answer to his question of which instrument to build.
Batt, as everyone calls him, has made numerous gourd instruments over the years including a very large dulcimer made from 2 gourds, several kalimbas, ocarinas, drums, shekeres and even a clarinet. These have all been the more traditional primitive gourd instruments, so this guitar project was a change of pace and a learning experience for him. Batt rarely uses power tools on any of his primitive instruments, preferring to do everything in the traditional way, just like his great grand pappy. Batt says now he knows why great grand pappy was such a grumpy old cuss.
Batt grows his own gourds at his home in Ohio. He chose one of his smaller, but nicely shaped and symmetrical gourds for the guitar. He prepared the gourd by cleaning and cutting it in half. The interior of the gourd was coated with 2 layers of diluted shellac, which hardens the inside and makes the sound of the instrument better. It also protects the guitar from picking up moisture. He then carved and placed the walnut neck into the guitar. The walnut plank was first sawn down into a rough neck shape and then shaped into its final form with a drawknife and large carpenters rasp. The soundboard, which is the face of the guitar, was made of spruce. It was fitted onto the gourd after the neck was mounted and then glued in place.
Time, as it often does, conspired against Batt every step of the way. Every time he sat down to work on the guitar, something would interrupt him. The phone would ring, friends would need help, it seemed like he would never be ready to go the Gathering. He had planned to have the guitar completely assembled before arriving in Cherokee. He wanted all the talented people who organize, teach and attend the Gourd Gathering to add artwork to the guitar. But things did not quite work out that way. He arrived a couple of days early in Cherokee planning to help set up the event, but ended up in the campground finishing the final assembly of the guitar. At least there was no distracting phone ringing on the picnic table by his camper. As it turned out it was also a good thing that Batt is a traditionalist, because there was no electricity for power tools there either.
It was now Friday afternoon and the guitar was mostly assembled but there was no artwork on it yet. Batt had hoped that people would be able to come by during the gathering to add artwork to the guitar but time running short they were lucky to be where they were on the project. Finally ready for some of the detail and artwork, Joy Jackson, one of the driving forces behind the Gathering, chose a butterfly brooch, donated by R.A. Tucker, Jr. for the inlay in the end of the guitar. It was inlaid by Joy’s co-organizer and the other main motivating force behind the Gathering, Jerry Lewis. Jerry also cut the sound holes and did the edge sanding. Still Batt hoped for more artwork to be done. Then galloping to the rescue was Rob Ghio, who Friday afternoon, took the guitar back to his motel and stayed up most of the night wood burning in a beautiful Greek key pattern around the rim of the gourd. He was so worn out that he was too tired to attend the auction. He devoted 10 hours between 5 o’clock Friday and 11 am Saturday to this beautiful intricate pattern.
It was now Saturday afternoon and there was still much to finish on the guitar. Then Batt, with help from Bobby D’Antonio, found some shell leaves, (donated by Bob & Kathy James of Primitive Originals) which were the perfect detail for the fret board. The rosewood fret board had been adhered to the top of the neck. Bobby then asked Bob Spencer of Eaglesbrothers if he would inlay the shells. Bob S. spent hours painstakingly carving the leaf shapes.
The auction is always Saturday night of the long Gathering weekend that begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday. By Friday afternoon Batt was a nervous wreck worrying that they would not be able to finish in time for the 7pm auction. By Saturday afternoon the clock was hammering down to the auction. Bobby D’Antonio still had to fit the tuning keys and upper nut on the headstock of the neck, adjust the bridge and string the guitar. At the last minute Bobby realized that one of tuning pegs had a problem and would not tune. After removing it, they realized it was bent, so it had to be straightened, the hole reamed again and replaced. While they were in a panic doing this Bobby was called to the front because he had won the name badge contest. He was so intent on the guitar project that when he got to the front, he didn’t know why Beebe had called him up there. Ironically, his name badge was a gourd shaped into a guitar.
Finally, everything fell into place and the guitar was complete, with its lovely artwork, tuned and ready for its debut song by Bob D’Antonio. A bit late perhaps, 8:20, instead of 7 o’clock, but ready to be auctioned off and ultimately won by Jerry Lewis.
Batt does not consider himself an artist, although others may disagree, but rather a support person for the artwork. He believes he is the guy who puts up the scaffolding so Michelangelo can paint the Sistine Chapel. I think the guitar shows that Batt is more than a scaffold builder; after all Stradivarius is certainly considered an artist.
Batt says he learned much from the process of joining old and modern methods as well as having learned many technical points of guitar building. And yes, maybe a few lessons on the value of planning, organization and time management also. He knows how he will improve and change the next guitar he creates. Batt also wishes to express his appreciation to Joy and Jerry for the opportunity to do this guitar project. They gave him a chance to do an exciting and interesting project and trusted him at his word that they would ultimately have a gourd guitar to auction.
Written by Susann D'Antonio
Tossa@bellsouth.net
