Great guitar exhibit in Boston!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 7 Jan 2001 8:11 pm

Over the holidays, I got to see the current exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, called "Dangerous Curves: Art of the Guitar". It is a wonderful exhibit tracing the evolution of the guitar, it's craftsmanship and music, from its earliest beginnings through to modern day solidbody electrics. Even has a few lap steels included in the exhibit (a New Yorker, a prewar Ricky Bakelite and a few more I can't recall right now)... oh yes, one that was built into an orthopedic CRUTCH for Barbara Mandrell after her auto accident! All kinds of neat guitars on exhibit there and when you enter the exhibit you get a little MP3 player and headphones and there is excellent commentary as you walk thru, with examples of playing from many of the guitars you are looking at, from all kinds of pro players (Hendrix, Julian Bream, Segovia, Santana, etc, etc). (My only disappointment was that they did not include a single PEDAL steel guitar!) Nevertheless, it's an outstanding exhibit and if you're in the Boston area, be sure to check it out! Highly recommended!

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P Gleespen · Post by **P Gleespen** » 8 Jan 2001 4:46 am

My favorite was the crazy resonator contraption that was basically a neck with a huge victrola horn attatched.
(Rick Neilson of Cheap Trick's 6 neck guitar was a close 2nd place!)

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 8 Jan 2001 5:35 am

There was also a violin with a horn attached, in another part of the museum. These are called "Stroh-" instruments, as in "Stroh-guitar", "Stroh-violin", etc. Very cool! Here's a link to some info. I found on them on the web: CLICK HERE

Pat Metheny had an incredible 42-string guitar (with about 5 necks on it) too. It's like the Ripley's Believe it or Not of the guitar world in there.

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www.jimcohen.com <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 08 January 2001 at 05:36 AM.]</p></FONT>

P Gleespen · Post by **P Gleespen** » 8 Jan 2001 7:48 am

Neat link, Jim. Thanks!
Here's the MFA's "official" preview link to the exhibit:
http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/guitars

click on "preview"

(after looking through it, it seems that the cheap trick guitar is only (ONLY!?!?) 5 necks, and not 6. oops!)