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Gryphon's 40th Anniversary Whopper |
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We hope you were there, because if you missed it these photos will set you seething with envy. "I missed a party like THAT just to play golf?" Or, "Maybe having Aunt Martha drop me from her will for missing her birthday would have been worth it to see Kathy & Carol up close." The folks who did show up were treated to a steady stream of great live music, boosted just enough by an excellent sound system (thanks to Brian for running the board).
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Steve Rasmussen, of the Milk Pail Dairy in Mountain View, brought an impressive array of cheeses to be sampled. We had a wide variety of cold drinks, plus coffee from Peets, lots of cookies, and then that whopping chocolate cake from Draegers. Joey Fabian, Gryphon's bass instructor, brought wonderful homemade ice cream to go with the cake. Frank and Richard managed to light the 40 candles and then blow them out again before the fire department was called, and then the rush to sugarland began. There was plenty of cake for all, including the many kids in attendance, who somehow managed to avoid serious injury while sailing around the stage buoyed by a classic, mid-day sugar high.
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Some folks drifted from the stage area to the familiar Gryphon interior, but others stayed stageside for most of the day. A couple of dozen guests were luckier than the rest, with raffle winnings of hats, straps, and T-shirts provided by Taylor Guitars and Gryphon. The big winner, of course, was Robert Parker of San Jose, who had the winning ticket for the Martin 175th Anniversary guitar and case.
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The biggest surprise for Frank and Richard were the guests who showed up from both near and far. Richard Jones-Bamman flew out from Connecticut, Steve McCreary of Collings Guitars came all the way from Austin, and K.C. Wait of Pioneer Music in Portland also made a special trip just for this event. Zach Arnst of Taylor Guitars came from San Diego, and local builders Rick Turner and Richard Hoover (founder of Santa Cruz Guitar Co.) joined us from their coastside realm. Thanks to old time fiddler John Pedersen, who came down from Amazing Grace Music in San Anselmo, there was a lively jam session in the store that lasted for a couple of hours. Throughout the day, many old friends and customers (is there a difference?) came from Auburn, Napa, Carmel, Fresno, and other far-flung parts of the state, making it as much a reunion as an anniversary celebration.
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Special thanks to all the performers who provided such a great lineup of entertainment, plus the Gryphon staff who helped get everything ready, and especially to our office manager and all-around events planner, Nancy Thomas, for without her efforts such a great party wouldn't have happened. We also want to thank all of the people who came with cameras and shared their pictures with us including Patty Graves, Bill Rogers and Anne Lumsdaine.
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Want to hear what you missed out on? We had a recording device set up and have posted one song from most of the performers! first up: TheTuttle Family plays Diamond Joe.
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The Gryphon Quintet plays Java Jive
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The Careless Hearts play Joeslina
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Hobby Horse plays House Carpenter
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Earthquake Country plays Don't Mind the Weather
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Kathy and Carol play Carter's Song
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Ed Johnson and Derek See play Tell Me What You See
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Ed Johnson and Rick Vandiver play Can't Buy Me Love
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Rick Vandiver and Walter Jebe play Dimples
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Gryphon Stringed Instruments
Our Hours
Monday through Thursday
10:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
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Our Location
211 Lambert Avenue
at the corner of Park and Lambert
Palo Alto, California 94306
650.493.2131
Toll Free: 888.493.2131 |
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New Handy Helpers (if you amplify your acoustic) |
 Seen by many as one of life's necessary evils, acoustic amplification is always tricky business for tone fanatics. Thanks to industry giants LR Baggs and Fishman, however, the process keeps getting better through technological refinements that help acoustic instrumentalists be heard from stages both large and small. When the latest batch of their DI (direct input) boxes were unveiled earlier this year, I couldn't wait to try them out. In testing these three units, I used the same guitar (a mahogany and spruce Martin dreadnought equipped with Highlander under-the-saddle pickup) through the nifty new Vox AGA70 acoustic amp. |
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It's a Small World |
 Every once in a while there is a twist of synchronicity and the eddies of the universal guitar supply that present us with a pleasant abundance of a one guitar type or another. I was looking around the showroom and was struck by the smallness of things. |
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Small and/or Travel Guitars |
 One of the most successful niche markets in the world of acoustic guitars in recent years has been very small guitars. Some of these have been pitched as ideal for travel, while others have been marketed as guitars for very young players. It shouldn't be too surprising that a good number of them have the word "baby" in the model code, and this includes two of our favorites here at Gryphon. Ironically, these two "baby" models are at opposite ends of the price scale, but both were early entries in the small guitars market. |
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