Page 1 of 2

Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:31 am
by TerryTNM
I had Lorrie Collins guitar on the bench this week for a neck repair. You don't see or hear much about this guitar.
Larry's doubleneck gets all the ink. It is nearly 100% original with the exception of the added bridge height to compensate for the
quite drastically warped spruce top (although it doesn't show up that bad in this picture). This is the very guitar you see in all
those YouTube Collins Kids videos of the 50's. Still sporting the original inline 6 head design that first showed up on Joe Maphis'
in 1954 and again on brother Larry's a short time later. Both Joe's and Larry's were retrofitted with the "M" style head. To my knowledge this is the only
remaining in line 6 head cap. This was my personal favorite. You may have noticed that when I started making doublenecks again,
my first new guitar had the in line six head caps.

Deke came over to see it and inspected under the pickguard. He said that it originally had a Bigsby made pickguard and
wondered if Semie had removed it before making the new one. . . he had.

I was very honored to get to work on it.
Image

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:56 am
by dubtrub
BEAUTIFUL! Now that is something special. It took a lot of strummin' to wear that hole through the top.

What repairs did you do?

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:06 pm
by Dennisthe Menace
Terry,
That is a very interesting Guitar. Since you posted a PIC of her Guitar, this is also the First time that I noticed that
Semie had patterned the trus rod cover to match the early six in line Headstock. Still, I wander why he did not do
the same thing when he changed Headstocks for Joe and Larry's Guitars? Or even the later Models of the 60s.....
Very Interesting ;) .......

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:09 pm
by gplayer
Dennisthe Menace wrote:Terry,
That is a very interesting Guitar. Since you posted a PIC of her Guitar, this is also the First time that I noticed that
Semie had patterned the trus rod cover to match the early six in line Headstock. Still, I wander why he did not do
the same thing when he changed Headstocks for Joe and Larry's Guitars? Or even the later Models of the 60s.....
Very Interesting ;) .......


Maybe he liked Lorrie better. ;)

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:32 pm
by TerryTNM
Dennisthe Menace wrote:Terry,
That is a very interesting Guitar. Since you posted a PIC of her Guitar, this is also the First time that I noticed that
Semie had patterned the trus rod cover to match the early six in line Headstock. Still, I wander why he did not do
the same thing when he changed Headstocks for Joe and Larry's Guitars? Or even the later Models of the 60s.....
Very Interesting ;) .......


I don't know. . . but I'm glad he never did.

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:13 pm
by MWaldorf
Cool - thanks for sharing! Is that a hole through the top on the bass side? A real piece of history there.

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:45 am
by Veenture
TerryTNM wrote:I had Lorrie Collins guitar on the bench this week for a neck repair. ...//... It is nearly 100% original with the exception of the added bridge height to compensate for the quite drastically warped spruce top (although it doesn't show up that bad in this picture)...

Terry, how special and what an honour as well as a challenge for you?! Any chance of us getting to see the "after" pic? (thinking about that damaged top and all...)

(dubtrub, looks like someone's been doin' some strummin' with a hammer... :D )

Paul

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:49 pm
by TerryTNM
Quote:
Terry, how special and what an honour as well as a challenge for you?! Any chance of us getting to see the "after" pic? (thinking about that damaged top and all...)
Paul

Hey Paul,
That is an after picture :D . There was no effort to change the historic, cumulative road wear on her guitar. Kinda like Willy Nelson's. What I repaired was a crack at the head/neck area. An area very prone to cracking and under stress from the strings.

-Terry

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:19 pm
by dubtrub
Terry,
Does that guitar have the generic narrow and speed fretted neck?

Re: Lorrie Collins - Mosrite/Martin

Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:24 pm
by TerryTNM
Danny,

The neck measures 1 1/2 at the nut and 2 5/32 at the "0" hole with a 24 1/2" scale. The frets aren't narrow but are very flat.
-Terry