Craigslist Guitar
Ventura V-29 Guitar
The long cold winter that sandwiches Michigan’s trout season gets filled with a variety of activities including jamming with some buddies. Denny, a trout camp regular, has a pole barn set up on his property with a working wood stove and a PA system to handle scads of microphones. Denny has a wide reach of friends – many of them musicians like himself that jumped aboard the acoustic locomotive that swept the country in the sixties and seventies. Denny’s monthly jam sessions are a place to talk music, guitars, and play classics. There are no rules other than come prepared to share a few songs. It’s about the music but it also a nice place for show and tell if you have something to share. Hence this post about a craigslist guitar.
Last fall, about the time winter blew in, I was thinking about finding a cheap camp guitar. I have a very nice Martin and worry about theft when camping. Theft has never been a problem but figure there is some wisdom toting something less expensive around. So I started checking craigslist hoping to find a bargain. I purchased the Ventura V-29 in the above photo for $225.00 from an old gentleman with a living room full of guitars. He was selling off a few to refresh his collection. I sat down and played the Ventura and was struck by the workmanship, bass response, and pretty amazing volume.
Back at home I played it and played it some more but was distracted by a mid-range twang that had me second guessing the purchase. The guitar top had a slight bow that was throwing off intonation and it occurred to me a new bone saddle to replace the guitars (cheap) adjustable saddle might make a real difference to tone. It would take an expert Luthier to carve a new saddle to fit the oversize slot of the stock saddle – and correct the intonation – while still keeping the guitar’s action (playability) low. It would be a true engineering feat.
A search for a Luthier in West Michigan turned up North Coast Guitar Co located downtown Grand Rapids on Wealthy Street. Google reviews were all very positive so I took a chance and set up an appointment. The owner, Russel Olmsted, listened to the idea and was not intimidated by the challenge – recognizing it was a real challenge. A week later I picked up the guitar and was amazed by his work. The intonation was dead on and the sound opened up. $125 very well spent.
So I took the upgraded guitar to Denny’s jam session and sat between Denny playing a Martin HD28 and Corky who plays a high end Taylor. My $225 dollar guitar with the new $125 dollar saddle held it’s own in such esteemed company. The only problem now is I don’t want to take this guitar camping. I’m afraid it might get stolen.
Fichigan 