Scott Chinery's '12-String Blue'.

1997 Tommyhawk "12-String Blue" for Scott Chinery by Tom Barth.

This Tom Barth "12-String Blue" comes from the world renowned 'Blue Guitar' collection of the late Scott Chinery. Specially made for Chinery in 1997 this acoustic twelve-string guitar weighs just 1.80 lbs. and has a 6 3/4 inch wide and 1 1/2 inch deep single cutaway maple body with a spruce top and an oval sound-hole. Maple neck with a fat nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a medium profile and a scale length of just 17 1/8 inches. Stained maple fretboard with 21 small frets and abalone dot position markers. 'Slotted' headstock with rectangular white plaque (secured by two pins) "The Original / Tommyhawk / Dover NJ USA" and twelve individual tuners, six with closed-backs and six with open-backs, all with oval metal butons. Inside the oval sound-hole is an oval brass plaque which is engraved "For / Scott Chinery / 12-STRING / BLUE / 2-10-97" and the body is also stamped on the neck heel in black "Tom Barth Guitars / Dover / New Jersey / Made in U.S.A.". Combined bridge and tailpiece assembly with six individual plastic saddles on a rosewood base with two abalone dot inlays. This unique little guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition with just a few very tiny and insignificant edge marks. Housed in its original 'zipper' shaped black softshell case with blue plush lining (9.25).

TOMMYHAWK
Instruments previously built in NJ. Distributed by Tom Barth's Music Box of Succasuanna, NJ.
Designer Tom Barth offered a 24 in. travel-style guitar that is a one-piece carved mahogany body (back, sides, neck, and bracing). The solid spruce top, bridge, and top bracing are then glued on-forming a solid, tone projecting little guitar! In 1997, the soundhole was redesigned into a more elliptical shape. Barth´s full size (25.5 in. scale) electric/acoustic has a double cutaway body, Tele-style neck with a 21-fret rosewood or maple fingerboard, and a Seymour Duncan Duckbucker pickup. Tom passed away on September 1, 2005. It is unknown if the Tommyhawk name will be used on future guitars. For more information refer to the Tommyhawk website.

"Scott Chinery was best known as the owner of one of the world's most impressive and extensive guitar collections. But his greatest accomplishment wasn't the fact that he acquired more than 1,000 instruments-his foremost achievement was making the general public realize that the guitar is a work of art and an important icon of American culture. Scott worked ardently to elevate respect for guitars and to make Americans realize that the guitar was a valuable national treasure. Perhaps his most significant contribution was inspiring the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History to devote an exhibition to the American guitar. But that was just one of many accomplishments Chinery achieved. He also loaned his instruments to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' Dangerous Curves: Art of the Guitar exhibit, sponsored numerous guitar shows where he displayed his instruments, provided his guitars to Steve Howe and Martin Taylor to record their duet album Masterpiece Guitars, and shared his collection with everyone in the book The Chinery Collection.

However, Scott's proudest personal achievement was the Blue Guitar collection. Inspired by a magnificent blue sunburst D'Aquisto Centura Deluxe that he considered one of the most perfect guitars he had ever played, Chinery commissioned 22 of today's top luthiers and asked them to build what they thought was the ultimate archtop guitar. His only stipulation was that the guitar must have a similar blue finish to the D'Aquisto. Scott wanted to show people that many of today's guitar makers are producing exquisite instruments that are as desirable and precious as the most coveted vintage guitars.

Scott was always generous with his collection and his enthusiasm rubbed off onto anyone with even a passing interest in guitars. One of the most exciting experiences I've ever enjoyed as a guitar collector was the time that Scott Chinery invited me to spend three days doing an extensive photo shoot of his vintage guitar collection for Vintage Gallery magazine. I was impressed by Scott's massive collection, but I was even more impressed by his passion for the instrument. Whereas many collectors would hover over their prized possessions like mother hawks, Scott encouraged me to handle and play these instruments and experience their magic in my own hands. But even more remarkable was how Scott welcomed everyone who shared his love of the guitar. He even invited total strangers who asked to see the collection into his home and treated them like lifelong friends." The guitar collecting community suffered a tragic loss when Scott Chinery suddenly passed away on October 24, 2000. He was only 40 years old, but the enthusiasm and respect for guitars that he inspired will live on for many generations to come. (Chris Gill: www.themomi.org/museum/Chinery).

See also: http://www.themomi.org/museum/Chinery/article/2.html