My Vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone Archtop Guitar

I purchased my vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone archtop guitar more than thirty years ago. I still love to play it and my youngest daughter Erika has taken an interest in it, so I wanted to get the binding repaired because it was cracking.

I travel the Chicago metropolitan area for work and end up in Evanston quite often. It can sometimes be a two hour drive to and from Geneva during rush hour. So, I sometimes wait for rush hour to wind down and visit Guitar Works. I have come to know the folks there over the years and decided to trust them with my vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone archtop binding repair.

Terry from Guitar Works in Evanston Illinois, spent over an hour with me detailing the work to be done. Because the binding is wider than normal, Terry had to rip a wide stock piece to get the correct width. I also requested 2 pickguards, one normal and another one so I could install a Kent Armstrong humbucker pickup on it. The binding and pickguard was made from the same cream color material.

Rick Cremer from Cremer Guitarworks in Aurora, Illinois, helped me find the correct pickup and end-pin jack. Rick suggested I go with the thicker Kent Armstrong HJGS-1 Side Mount Jazz pickup. He agreed to let me swap it for the Ultra Thin HJGS3 model if it was too thick. There was plenty of room for the thicker pickup and it sounds fantastic! I put some DR “Pure Blues” nickel electric strings to get a more even sound, and wow!

I promised to followup with with the results, so here are some before and after pics...

My Martin HD-28KM

My HD-28KM Keb Mo is back from Martin Repair!

She is finally back after what seems like forever. Martin did a fantastic job. She is beautiful and her top has a normal belly for a forward shifted scalloped braced top. The best part is she sill sounds fantastic. I was worried that she would lose that sound that I fell so in love with. I have never been so happy. I'm amazed that they could replace a the top on a guitar without leaving any signs of repair.

I used to use custom light strings and because she was buzzing a little after she returned from Martin, my Martin Dealer, Ken Tobias suggested I try mediums before making any adjustments. I have always wanted to try medium strings, but i was afraid because the way that the bridge looked. The medium strings pulled the belly up a little and it has been playing fantastic for the past several months.

When they requested my approval for the new top, I requested that they leave the top natural. I wasn't sure if they would do it because it's a limited edition. It came back without aging toner and I'm so happy. When I saw a D-45K I fell in love with the contrast between the light brown Koa and the natural spruce top. Don't get me wrong, I love the vintage look of aging toner on some guitars, like the 000-28EC. Aging toner gives the 000-28EC a very distinguished look. But, I can't believe how beautiful my HD-28KM looks now!

Here are the after pictures...

Here is a link to the before pictures and why my HD-28KM needed a new top...

Thank You CF Martin and Company, Kevin

Fox Vally Folk Festival 2007 CANCELLED

The 2007 Fox Vally Folk Festival 2007 was CANCELLED because Island Park was under 3-6 feet of water from record rains.

Here is a link to photos of the flood...

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Fox Vally Folk Festival 2007

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner and Fox Valley Folk is holding their 31st folk festival in Geneva Illinois! Don't miss it if you live anywhere near northern Illinois. It will be great time. Join in spontaneous jam sessions all over the park, listen to fantastic performances on three stages, join a work group, signup for an open mic or volunteer your services. I'll be there and I would love to meet up with other players.

Here are the details and a link to the Fox Valley Folk web site.


The 31st Annual Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival
Fox Valley Folk
When: September 1, 2 & 3, 2007
Where: At Island Park, Geneva, IL
I park in the Metra train parking lot off of rt25 and walk over the river on the bike path bridge under the train tracks...





I have no affiliation with the folks at Fox Valley Folk. I had such a good time last year that I wanted to let everyone know about this great opportunity to get together. You can find me hanging out at the Northern Illinois Bluegrass Association tent or jamming somewhere on the island. Who knows, I may even volunteer for something and I may be working. Regardless, I will be the one with the gig bag on his back all the time. I will find a way to mark my gig bag with the UMGF, SCGC, Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar and The Acoustic Guitar Forum logo's...

Don't Forget Evanston in your Quest for Adventure

I travel the Chicago metopolitan area for work and endup in Evanston quite often. It can sometimes be a two hour drive to and from Geneva durring rush hour. So, I sometimes wait for rushhour to wind down and visit Guitar Works and Flynn Guitars. Both shops are fantastic guitar stores.

Flynn Guitars does not have a huge inventory of new popular brand name accustic guitars. They carry Hammer acoustics along with several nice used Guitars including several used Martin and Taylor guitars. They also carry some better than average low-end Guitars. As far as electric guitars, wow, G&L and lots of high end stuff including vintage guitars and amps! All of their acoustic and electric guitars where in pristine condition and they have experienced technicians on site.

Guitar Works is fun because of the quantity, quality and price range of acoustic guitars. I think they carry more medium to high end brands than any store I have visited in the Chicago area. They also have racks of used beater guitars. I can usualy find new and sometimes used Huuss & Dalton, Bourgeois and Santa Cruz guitars. I recently found a very cool vintage lap steel to die for. It has two lapsteel guitars in one for switching beween different tunings. All their guitars were in average to good condition hanging one the wall and they have a very repuitable service department.

I took my vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone archtop in to Guitar Works to have the binding repaired yesterday. Terry spent over an hour with me detailing the work to be done. Because the binding is wider than normal, Terry will be ripping a wide stock piece to get the correct width. I also requested 2 pickguards, one normal and one with a floating humbucker pickup on it. The binding and pickguard will be made from the same cream color material. He estimated that he will need aproximatly three weeks. I will followup with with the results. Here are some before pics...






Yea, don't forget Evanston in your quest for adventure.

Fox Vally Folk Festival 2006

Every year on Labor Day weekend, Fox Valley Folk holds a festival in Geneva Illinois. I learned that they have been holding the festival on Island Park for thirty years! I think it's great because I live near by.

I threw my guitar in a gig bag and headed for Island Park. Island Park is an actual island along the Fox Valley River. There were several concert style performances and several small intimate workshops going on at the same time for two days! Spontaneous jam sessions were starting up all over the park. I don't know who most of the folks were that I jammed with, so I can't thank them, but I had a great time playing bluegrass tunes. If you see your yourself in one of these jam session photos, add a comment so I can thank you. Click here for more photos...

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Tobias Music & my new Santa Cruz OOO

I recently visited Tobias Music to bring my Martin HD28KM in so Ken could send it to Martin for repair and I played a Santa Cruz 000. I mentioned to Ken that I wanted to check out a 14 fret Santa Cruz based on comments at the The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum. Wow, was I in for a surprise. You might say it was an impulse purchase, because something in the back of my mind told me it would diminish the waiting pain for my HD28KM to return from Martin. My wife and I went out for dinner at a local restaurant in Downers Grove so I could get it out of my mind. I guess we shouldn’t have gone to an Irish pub known for live entertainment! Anyway, we went back and I purchased the Santa Cruz 000 without even looking at anything else. I do regret not playing the dreadnaught version, but when it comes to things that I love, I can never make a decision. I would have been torn between two great guitars and the 000 knocked my socks off. It has been a week and I have no second thoughts.

Ken Tobias lowered the action and adjusted the neck just a bit to my likes and we were off. I would have changed the strings as soon as I got it home, like I do with every new guitar, but Santa Cruz shipped it with Elixir Nanoweb strings and it looks like I was the first person to ever play this guitar! It had absolutely zero shop wear. I travel a lot for work and I have visited many guitar stores that have huge inventories of guitars that I would never purchase because of shop wear. I even saw a Santa Cruz Tony Rice that had a repaired cracked top in a store in St. Louis. I always thought my first Santa Cruz would be a Tony Rice, but after seeing the one in St. Louis, I lost interest. Tobias Music is the only place I know that keeps their guitars in their cases. After I purchased my martin 00028EC at Tobias Music I noticed that I could have paid a lot more for a broken-in version at Guitar Center!

The OOO is similar to an Orchestra Model (OM) small-body guitar in size, but has 12 frets and a slotted peghead. They say it’s a fingerstyle guitar, probably because it has a wider neck (width at nut is 1-3/4"). The 1-3/4” neck is the reason I purchased my Martin HD28KM and 00028EC. The Santa Cruz 000 definitely has a longer scale than the 00028EC and is not as easy to play, but the longer scale length of the 000 is great for alternate tunings and it sounds better. My HD28KM is out for repair so I can’t compare its sound to my favorite sounding dreadnaught. When compared to my 00028EC it sounds deeper and more open. I used to think my 00028EC sounded great and now it sounds like something is dampening its overtones.

Here is a link to the Santa Cruz specifications for the 000

The Unofficial Site for Santa Cruz Guitars (I'm Kevin01)

Click here to add a comment on The Unofficial Site for Santa Cruz Guitars

My Favorite Guitar Store...

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My Vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone Archtop Guitar

Can you help me find information about this guitar? It is my vintage Lee Gibbs Concertone archtop guitar. I purchased it more than thirty years ago. I still love to play it and now my daughters have taken an interest in it and I want to repair the binding because it is cracking.

Here are some pics...





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A visit to my favorite guitar store...

Elly and I stopped by Tobias Music and took this Martin 00028EC Eric Clapton Guitar home with us! Click on the images to see a full size image...

Elly playing a Martin 00028EC at Tobias Misic in Downers Grove, IL www.TobiasMusic.com



Elly didn't know that we were going home with this guitar when this photo was taken. Ken and Margaret Tobias gave us a great price on this Martin 00028EC Eric Clapton Guitar.



Here is a PDF/Adobe Acrobat link to The Sounding Board Volume 10 that has information about our hd28km and our new 00028EC.
Sounding Board Vol. 10

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The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum

The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum is an independent Internet forum which is not in any manner related to or affiliated with C. F. Martin & Co. This website has an unbelievable amount of information. For a guy that has been playing the same two guitars for more than thirty years, it’s amazing how much I didn’t know. My EZBoard username is "kev01".

Also visit:

C. F. Martin & Co.
Tobias Music, Downers Grove, IL "The only place to buy a guitar. They have the best price and they keep their guitars in the case."
Sounds like a Martin - CA Guitars
Bryan Kimsey's Website
My Guitar Photos

On the prowl for a Martin Guitar...

I saved up and purchased my first new guitar somewhere around 1973. It was a Gibson Blue Ridge and it has been my baby ever since. It went everywhere with me for a long time. It gained a lot of character over the years and it always sounded great. The only guitar that sounded better, much better, was my best friends Martin Herringbone. I can’t remember what year he purchased it. I do remember the scalloped bracing was something new that Martin was doing at the time. He was a much better player than me and received a little more purchasing power from his parents. We made a lot of reel-to-reel recordings back then and I always was amazed how good his guitar sounded. Even today when I play the tapes that we recorded I can’t believe how good that Martin guitar sounds. Anyway, He went on to play professionally and he still plays and records with his Herringbone. This is the main reason I have been on the prowl for a Martin the last several years. I could not find that sound I wanted. I did not realize until recently that the store background noise and poor acoustics was the problem. I thought I found a good sounding Taylor until I brought it home. It sounded great in the store and very bad when I got it home. I ran back to the store the next weekend and returned it.