| MERLIN ARTHUR “GUITAR BOOGIE” SMITH “Country Squire” SIGNATURE GUITAR 1967 GRECO |
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| DescriptionMERLIN
ARTHUR “GUITAR BOOGIE” SMITH
“Country Squire”
SIGNATURE GUITAR
1967
By GRECO
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL
ARTHUR “GUITAR BOOGIE” SMITH + LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT STORES = SOUTHERN CULTURAL REVOLUTION, sort of…
ABOUT THE ARTHUR “GUITAR BOOGIE” SMITH SIGNATURE “COUNTRY SQUIRE” ELECTRIC GUITAR.
A Legend.
A True Legend.
For those of us living in the Carolinas for the past 50+ years, we have pretty much taken Arthur Smith for granted. We grew up watching him on television. We grew up trying to play guitars and banjos like him. We never thought of him as a Legend. We just knew him as a great guitar and banjo player who was so sincere and kind that he was your best neighbor.
As time passed and I learned more about music and could appreciate the artist rather than the song, I have become a full blown Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith devotee. Arthur is the master of stringed instruments. So that’s why he could play surf (ala Ventures), rock and roll (ala Frank Virtue), country/rockabilly (“Guitar Woogie” playing with Sugarfoot et al), movie music (“Duelin’ Banjos” ala DELIVERANCE), and so much more.
And now to the mystery of this guitar.
I’m guilty of believing what I am told and what I read-especially if more than two people tell me the same thing twice without any apparent embellishment and if I read the same written information twice+ over that jives with what I am told by multiple folks who did not write what I read.
With a critical and discerning ear and eye, I believe this is an acceptable, believable and convincing story of this guitar.
This guitar was played at least once on the Arthur Smith TV Show by Arthur “Guitar Boogie” himself according to the person who sold it to me. That person was a member of the Schuler family. Jackie Schuler was a regular cast member on the show and her family appeared many times on the show as featured performers as well as being the backup band for Arthur and his brother Ralph. As the story goes, one of the owners of the Lowe’s Home Improvement Company in North Wilkesboro, N.C. brought about a dozen of these guitars to Arthur’s recording studio when they first arrived at the store from Japan (most likely in the fall of 1967-just in time for Christmas shoppers). Everyone went bonkers over there for a few days and then they were taken home, lost, and a few left in the closet of the studio. Sometime in the early 1970’s one of the guys in the Schuler Band pulled these three out and took them to the tv studio where they were played around for a while. Eventually they got in the way and went home with this guy-and then to me.
The history as I understand is that Lowe’s had actually commissioned the manufacture of these “Arthur Smith Country Squire” guitars by Kanda Shoka Company of Japan (“best known for being part of Fender Japan” and the source for some of the best Fender guitars built). The base model chosen for the “Arthur Smith Country Squire” was in fact, a GRECO Model 921 (produced in the late 1960’s) but was branded “MERLIN”. The marketing idea was to get a line of guitars into the Lowe’s stores around Charlotte and some other larger markets where Arthur was heard on the radio. Lowe’s was one of the principal sponsors of Arthur’s shows, and frequently appeared at new store openings, so it was a natural marketing bridge to tie his name fame to a guitar that could be sold in a lumber/hardware store. This makes more sense if you understand that walking into a Lowe’s Store in the late ‘60’s meant that you entered to a small storefront with “pick up” retail items for sale where you would put in your order for the lumber and other building supplies that were stored in the back warehouse. To me, that makes great marketing sense; you go to buy some 2x4’s, put your order in, walk around the small storefront, see a fancy guitar with “Arthur Smith’s” name on it, think about Christmas coming up and that teenager at home with hair in his eyes, and you buy it without hesitation. Makes a lot of sense to me. Building a cultural revolution all starting at your local Lowe’s Store.
The mystery of how this guitar was chosen to be the “Arthur Smith” signature is indeed a mystery. According to those folks who know Arthur, and from videos and photos of Arthur playing, he was a big fan of Gibson guitars, especially the ES (Electric Spanish) series and acoustics. So when I first saw one of these “Arthur Smith Country Squire” guitars, I was surprised. It just has too much shine to it and too many knobs and buttons to be an Arthur Smith player. But certainly it has that certain pizzazz that Arthur would like to show off. Doesn’t matter what I think-it is what it was: A “MERLIN” branded, “Arthur Smith Country Squire” MADE IN JAPAN of high quality materials and well-appointed features.
The features of this guitar are listed below:
TOP and BACK WOOD is ROSEWOOD.
Laminated LEMONWOOD NECK.
FRETBOARD is ROSEWOOD.
Binding of body and F holes is white IVOROID.
“Florentine” dual cutaways.
Acoustic body.
Large MOP inlays on fretboard.
3 Pickups.
3 On/Off slide switches for choosing pickups.
3 Volume controls.
1 Tone control.
Vibrato arm.
Mute.
Small frets.
14” Neck Radius.
Enclosed chrome tuners.
Comes with case but does not seem to be original.
It is in VERY GOOD condition. Finish shows signs of slight player wear including scratches, dents, dings, etc. All electronics work great.
More about Arthur Smith:
Arthur Smith (born April 1, 1921-April 5, 2014) is a musician and songwriter.
Born in , Arthur Smith was a worker who became a celebrated and respected composer. , , and player who had a major hit with the instrumental, "". The song earned him the moniker Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith (to differentiate him from Tennessee fiddler and 1930s star ) and would be recorded by numerous others including and also as a hit by renamed the "Guitar Boogie Shuffle". Virtue served in the Navy with Smith and counted him as a major influence. Other musicians who have been influenced by Smith include studio ace, , and pioneers .
Smith was the son of Clayton Seymour Smith, a textile worker and music teacher who also led the town band in ; Smith's first instrument was the cornet. Arthur Smith, along with his brothers Ralph and Sonny formed a Dixieland combo, the Carolina Crackerjacks, who appeared briefly on radio in ; they had limited success with their jazz format, and became a more popular country music group before Arthur moved to to join the cast of the Carolina Barndance live show and radio program. Before , he was an occasional member of the WBT Briarhoppers band.
After wartime service in the US Navy, Smith returned to Charlotte; joined by his brothers, his wife Dorothy and vocalist Roy Lear, he continued his recording career and started his own radio show Carolina Calling on WBT. Smith emceed part of the first live television program broadcast in 1951 by the new television station, , in Charlotte. The Arthur Smith Show was also the first country music television show to be syndicated nationally, and ran for 32 years in 90 markets coast to coast. The band, now renamed Arthur Smith & His Crackerjacks, became an institution in the Southeast area through the new medium; their daily early-morning program,Carolina Calling, was carried on the network as a summer-replacement during the 1950s, increasing Smith's national visibility. The band was unusual for a country music band in that it relied on tight arrangements with written "charts" for most of their music.
In 1955, Smith composed a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos" and recorded the song with a five-string banjo player. Later the composition appeared in the popular 1972 film “Deliverance”. Not given credit, Smith had to proceed with legal action that eventually gave him songwriting credit and back royalties. It was a landmark copyright infringement suit.
As a composer, Smith has nearly 500 copyrights. Among his copyrights, Smith has over 100 active inspirational and/or gospel music compositions including million sellers "The Fourth Man" and "I Saw A Man". In total, his compositions have been recorded numerous times by artists including , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and many more.
Smith built and managed the first commercial recording studio in the Southeast in Charlotte; in addition to recording Smith, the Crackerjacks and its various members, such as vocalist/guitarist/songwriter , it produced sides from many other acts, including rhythm and blues star , whose "" was cut in Smith's studio. In this facility, Smith also created and produced nationally syndicated radio programs hosted by Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, , , and . 's Hour of Decision radio program was first produced in Smith's studio. Smith also produced and hosted his own radio program, Top of the Morning, which was syndicated for an unbroken span of 29 years.
In the 1970s, Smith produced a weekly, 30-minute videotaped program in more than 90 TV markets at its peak. He produced radio and television shows for a number of other artists, including Johnny Cash, and gospel singer George Beverly Shea.
The Crackerjacks band employed a number of noted country musicians at various times, including, fiddler Jim Buchanan (later with 's Virginia Boys, ), banjoists David Deese, Carl Hunt and Jeff Whittington, resonator guitarist Ray Atkins (Johnny & Jack, ) and country singer . Other regular cast members included Wayne Haas, Don Ange, and Jackie Schuler, along with Ralph Smith and Tommy Faile.
As of fall 2006, Smith was retired; his extensive publishing interests, Production Company, and management business are managed by his son, Clay Smith. The younger Smith, a noted recording artist, ran Johnny Cash's businesses in the late 1970s and returned to the family business in 1982. His albums include Clay Smith - Smith & Son; Clay Smith & Arthur Smith – Guitars Galore; Clay Smith Decoupage; Clay Smith – Follow the River. Clay Smith is also an award-winning network television producer and record producer following in Arthur Smith's footsteps. Arthur and Clay Smith have collaborated on 12 major motion picture soundtracks including [], Death Driver and Living Legend . The father-son team received the Grand Prize-First Place Award for Original Music in the International Real Life Adventure Film Festival in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy.
From..”The Origins of Rock and Roll-Arthur “Guiiar Boogie” Smith:
It’s a bit unusual for a musician to embrace his hit song to the extent that he even makes it part of his name. After all, it might serve to pave the way for becoming known as a “one-hit wonder”, normally something to be avoided. But when Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith realized he had a winner on his hands, he made it his signature tune. When Smith got together with the Tennessee Ramblers in 1948, it probably didn’t occur to him that the song he was recording would become a big hit. And he certainly didn’t realize that it was an important – some say seminal – event in the beginnings of rock and roll. It was just one of lots of instrumental pieces he’d written through the years, but it had a driving, irresistible beat that foreshadowed a revolution in pop music. Before he became a rock and roll pioneer, Smith was an influence in early radio, in management and as a performer, with musical talents that stretched to Dixieland, gospel, and Western swing. He not only played the guitar, but also the fiddle and the banjo.
From the Charlotte, N.C. History of Music:
ARTHUR SMITH: Arthur Smith, nationally known for writing and recording Dueling Banjos and Guitar Boogie, has been an important part of the Charlotte-area music scene from the early days of field recording up to the present.
Born April 1, 1921, Arthur Smith (no relation to Fiddling Arthur Smith) grew up in the cotton mill town of Kershaw, South Carolina, some sixty miles south of Charlotte. His father worked as a loom fixer in the Springs Mills plant there and in his spare time directed the town's brass band, a familiar part of village life in many Southern mill communities then. Arthur's first instrument was trumpet, and he still counts jazzmen Louis Armstrong, Stephane Grappelli, and Django Reinhart among his major influences. Soon he picked up fiddle and guitar and before long, he remembers, "could get around on most any stringed instrument."
Mill children in the 1920s went to work early. Before Arthur Smith reached his teens he had a job in the Springs card room. Music offered a welcome alternative to mill labor, and at thirteen Smith won his first regular spot on radio. The Arthur Smith Quartet didn't play string band music at first: they played Dixieland jazz. In a 1977 article in Bluegrass Unlimited, Smith told interviewer Don Rhodes: We nearly starved to death until one day we changed our style: we had been doing a daily radio show over WSPA Radio in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as the Arthur Smith Quartet. One Friday we threw down our trumpet, clarinet, and trombone and picked up the fiddle, accordion, and guitar. The next Monday we came back on the radio program as Arthur Smith and the Carolina Crackerjacks.
Smith recalls the Crackerjacks made their first records at an RCA Victor field session at the Andrew Jackson Hotel in Rock Hill, South Carolina: "Our best song from that was one called Going Back to Old Carolina. RCA session sheets indicate that the date was September 29, 1938.
During the 1940s, country music changed dramatically. The major recording companies fixed their gaze on Nashville and its top-selling recording stars. Independent studios arose to record less commercially viable artists, either leasing the masters to larger companies or marketing records themselves on new small labels. The country sound began to absorb commercial pop and jazz influences. Most noticeably of all, musicians began to use electric instruments.
These changes adversely affected the careers of many pre-World War II entertainers, but Arthur Smith turned these developments to his advantage. He had always loved jazz, and he had begun featuring electric guitar on the radio as early as 1938: "One time the guy at a pawnshop had an amp and guitar. He got me to play the thing, and when its owner didn't come back to claim it, I ended up buying it." In 1945 he recorded a jazzy guitar instrumental called Guitar Boogie for the small label Super Disc Records. Guitar Boogie, which was based on a classic blues chordal progression, rocketed to the top of the country charts—the first instrumental to do so—then crossed over to rise to number one on the pop lists.
Today Arthur Smith is best remem-bered by Carolinians for his quarter of a century as a regular on WBT radio and television. He joined WBT radio about 1943 and in 1945 became a featured performer on Carolina Hayride (later Carolina Calling] which aired nationally on CBS from Charlotte each Saturday afternoon. Smith also broadcast a daily local program for years called The Corner Store. In the early 1950s,the pro¬gram featured Arthur and his brothers Sonny and Ralph with announcer Clyde McLean in a mixture of music and cornball comedy.
When WBTV signed on in 1951, Arthur Smith took part in the first live telecast in the Carolinas. During the 1950s and 1960s he broadcast a live morning show and a weekly evening program that was syndicated on over a hundred TV stations at its peak. In the process he aided the careers of popular Carolina musician Tommy Faile and bluegrass banjo star Don Reno, both of whom spent extended periods as Smith sidemen.
While at the WBT/WBTV studios in the now-demolished Wilder Building in downtown Charlotte, Arthur Smith worked up Dueling Banjos. One day in 1955,Smith picked up his tenor banjo and motioned Don Reno to strap on a 5-string banjo, saying, "You just follow me." Monument Records released the result as Feuding Banjos. In 1973, Warner Brothers used the melody for the movie Deliverance and released a hit record version entitled Dueling Banjos. Smith sued to be acknowledged as composer, and continues to collect royalties to this day.
Over the years, Arthur Smith has been successful at numerous business ventures outside performing. Among the earliest was a grocery chain, which he sold to the Red & White Company with the agreement that he produce their com¬mercials. Long-time Charlotteans still grin remembering the jingle in which Smith's down home drawl rhymed "buy it" with "White." In 1959 Smith opened his own independent recording studio. The two-story brick building at 5457 Monroe Road became a leading producer of syndicated radio shows for performers, including Johnny Cash. Hundreds of country albums and advertising jingles were recorded there, and even a 1965 hit for soul singer James Brown, called Papa's Got a Brand New Bag. In 1977, Smith and partner Christian M. Haerle founded CMH Records, a major bluegrass label which made many of its albums in Charlotte.
Today in 1985, Arthur Smith is largely retired from performing and has sold his studio. He keeps as busy as ever, though, with diverse business interests from music publishing (he has written nearly one hundred hymns including Acres of Diamonds and controls rights to more than five hundred songs) to a series of fishing tournaments. He remains a prolific producer of television and radio ads, and a leading citizen of the Charlotte community.
ABOUT GRECO:
Kanda Shokai was established in 1948 and the Greco brand name was started in 1960.[] It was not until 1966/1967 Kanda Shokai began marketing Greco like models.[]Kanda Shokai at first used the Greco brand name for the solid body models and used the Canda brand name for their Acoustic models which was based on the company name Kanda (Canda). Also in the mid/late 1960s, Kanda Shokai exported some Greco branded guitars based on and designs for in the USA[] and these guitars were made by the and (and possibly[]) guitar factories and were very similar to the late 1960s guitars based on Hagström and EKO designs. Kanda Shokai also marketed a few original designs in the late 60s including the Greco Semi-hollow "Shrike" guitars which were imported and marketed first by Goya and later by . The "Shrike" model was unusual in that it had a pair of weird boomerang "L" shaped pickups. These "Boomerang" shaped pickups predate the Gibson Flying V2 "Boomerang" shaped pickups by over 10 years.
In the early 1970s Kanda Shokai marketed Greco like models with bolt on necks which were very similar to the Gibson like models at that time and most of these models had a Greco logo that looked more like "Gneco". By the mid/late 1970s most Greco Gibson like models were being made with and open book Gibson designs. Some other Greco Gibson like models from the 1970s had a different headstock design (more like a headstock design) that had a Greco logo with equally sized letters.
Starting in late 1979 the Greco "Super Real Series" were introduced which were high standard replicas of Gibson and Fender models. In 1982 the Greco "Mint Collection" was introduced which continued the high standard of the "Super Real Series". In 1982 Kanda Shokai and Yamano Gakki become part of Fender Japan and Kanda Shokai stopped producing its own Greco Fender replica models. Since the end of the Greco open book headstock Gibson replicas in the early 1990s, Kanda Shokai have produced various models using the Greco brand name such as the "Mirage Series" (similar to the ), various Gibson copies (not using the open book Gibson headstock design), Violin basses (VB), and various other models as well.
NOTE: I will consider trades of vintage guitars and amps for this vintage guitar..TERMS AND CONDITIONS.Please ask all questions before bidding or buying this vintage guitar.
ALL TRADES WILL BE CONSIDERED.
NOTE: I am not a DEALER. This guitar comes directly from my PERSONAL COLLECTION consisting of 1,600+ pieces. Thank you for viewing this auction and please look at the other items I have for sale on ebay and Reverb at this time.Understanding the normal hesitation of buying a guitar without first playing it, I want to make sure this guitar makes you happy. To accomplish that, I want you to try it for 72 hours (three days). Play it, hold it, walk around with it on your back, sleep with it-whatever it takes for you to make sure it is the one for you. During that time, you can return it for a full refund of your payment price (but of course it needs to be treated well while you have as I expect you will) less shipping cost and you must pay the cost to ship it back to us.
If it arrives damaged, please let me know immediately by email. Be sure to hold onto all packing material and the box. I will contact the shipper for an inspection. Remember that this can take up to a couple of weeks but I will rush it along.
Minor problems. If there is a problem with the guitar when it arrives, e.g., loose wires etc. then I will work with you to get it repaired by someone in your area. POLICIES:
A. Payment Policy: PAYMENT DUE WITHIN 24 HOURS OF PURCHASE.
B. Shipping Policy: I will ship to the continental USA ONLY.
C. Return Policy:
1. Returnable within 3 days of delivery. Items must be returned in original, as-shipped condition with all original packaging and no signs of use. Buyer assumes responsibility for all return shipping costs.
2. Returns of undamaged and unmodified instruments may allowed, with permission of Seller, for a period of up to 14 days following delivering but will be subject to a 20% restocking fee. Items must be returned in original, as-shipped condition with all original packaging and no signs of use. Buyer assumes responsibility for all return shipping costs.
D. Refunds: Buyer receives a full refund in their original payment method less any shipping charges and restocking fees if appropriate.
E. The guarantee:
1. The guitar is in the cosmetic condition as described in this ad. Used guitars will all have signs of use to include dings, dents, scratches, smudges, etc.
2. The guitar is in fully operational condition.
3. Buyer has 72 hrs. to inspect the guitar or have it inspected. Any defects, damage, misrepresentations or other problems must be reported within that time period in writing to the Seller.
4. In the case of damage during shipment, Buyer shall immediately inform seller of such damage and will maintain all original packing materials and box for inspection by the transportation company.
5. If other problems are discovered, Seller will either arrange for repair etc. at a location near the Buyer or request that the Buyer return the guitar to the Seller. Items must be returned in original, as-shipped condition with all original packaging and no signs of use. Buyer assumes responsibility for all return shipping costs.
Seller will correct indicated problems and ship the guitar back to the Buyer within 7-10 days of receiving it.
6. Refund Procedure.
a. In the event that the guitar cannot be repaired or replaced with a similar item from Seller’s inventory, the Seller will provide a full refund in their original payment method less any shipping charges and restocking fees if appropriate.
b. During this 72-hour evaluation period, the Buyer may return the guitar for any reason by notifying Seller and receiving a Return Authorization number. Guitar must be in the same condition as received by the Buyer. Buyer pays cost of shipping guitar back to Seller.
c. Returns may be allowed, with permission of Seller and issuance of RA#, after the 72 hour evaluation period for up to 14 days total but a standard 20% Restocking Fee will be charged for the return. Guitar must be in the same condition as received by the Buyer. Buyer pays cost of shipping guitar back to Seller. NOTE: I want each Buyer of a guitar from my collection to be pleased and happy with his/her purchase so let me know immediately of any problems with your purchase so that we can work it out. Thanks.Thank you for looking at this incredible VINTAGE guitar collection from my collection.
PaymentPAYPAL.ShippingSHIPPING CHARGES. The charges listed in this ad are for the continental US only. Shipment outside that area is at actual cost and Buyer must pay all tariffs, duties, and other charges that may be levied on the item when it is imported into its final destination. And for foreign buyers, please request a quote for shipping cost before you bid. No surprises are always good. And please do not ask that we use a lower value for an export shipment. NOTE: WE WILL NOT SHIP TO ANY THIRD PARTY AND WE WILL NOT DO SHIP TO ANY FIRM, SUCH AS Shop Airlines America or sekaimon WHO RESHIPS THE ITEM OUTSIDE THE USA. SHIPPING DAMAGE. Any external, or internal, shipping damage MUST BE REPORTED to Seller and to Carrier within 24 hours of receipt of delivery. IT IS THE BUYER?S RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY SELLER IMMEDIATELY IF THE INSTRUMENT HAS INCURRED ANY DAMAGE DURING SHIPMENT. IN THE EVENT OF SUCH DAMAGE, PLEASE RETAIN ALL SHIPPING MATERIALS FOR INSPECTION.NO EXCEPTION.Terms of Sale1. Payment must be received within five days of the end of the auction. 2. NO REFUNDS. Please ask your questions before you bid. As noted under "Shipping", we will repair any defective item. This does not apply to shipping damage or to damage after receipt. Please note that every guitar we sell has been fully audited, tested, set up,inspected, and photograph prior to shipment. About UsABOUT TUNEYOURSOUND. Tune Your Sound Sound Your Tune Guitars make Sounds ! Guitar players make Tunes. But which guitar makes your Tune best?The beginning point in making a tune is You. The music in your head goes to your hands which form chords and notes. The end point is the Tune heard by those listening created by the Sounds of the instruments in between. Our job at TuneYourSound.com (TYS) is to fill in the middle. Or, in other words, "complete the chain". We are guitar players and collectors at TuneYourSound.com. Collectively we have personally owned and played over 1800 guitars. And we have seen guitar players play-from Jimi using his teeth to Jimmy using his bow. And now, we want to tell you what we have learned over the years and under the stages. First: There should be two primary guitars in your life. The one you start with (by choice or coincidence) and the one you finish with (once you find it, you'll know it and keep it). But of course, humans are acquisitive by nature, so we are prone to own more than we need-but a guitar player must have what he really needs. Two: Sometimes it's better for a guitar to be heard than seen and other times it's better for a guitar to be seen than heard. So, play it both ways. Buy a guitar that does both. Three: Avoid the hype. Especially now with the Internet overloading us with data. Buy a guitar that you trust from someone you trust. Four: Make it personal. Establish a relationship with your seller. That way you will never be disappointed-nor abandoned. After all, it is still about money-your money. And you deserve to get more than you give. At TuneYourSound.com, we have the answer! Contact UsPlease contact us directly at ebay email system.
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